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It’s not that the first 13 events of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season didn’t matter, but as the tour rolls into historic Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the 70th running of the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals, it’s hard to deny the intensity of the season hasn’t gone up a level or two. The final event before the start of the Countdown to the Championship, the U.S. Nationals offers points-and-a-half, which means racers can make big moves in either direction.

PlayNHRA, NHRA’s partnerships with leading sports books and fantasy sports providers, will enable fans to sign up for free and legally wager on national events and other outcomes in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

NHRA fans can engage in fantasy games, gaming, and betting for this event. Betting markets feature the Professional classes: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, where fans can wager on event winners, low elapsed time of the event, and head-to-head match-ups.

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The experts at Alt Sports Data have set the opening lines for this week’s event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, and they have chosen Doug Kalitta, Austin Prock, Greg Anderson, and Gaige Herrera as the pre-race favorites.

Below are the opening odds as provided by Alt Sports Data.

(Note: In American sports betting, odds are typically expressed with a plus (+) or minus (–) symbol followed by a number. For example, +200 signifies the amount a bettor could win if wagering $100. If the bet works out, the player would receive a total payout of $300 ($200 profit + $100 initial stake.)

TOP FUEL

Doug Kalitta is once again the favorite, and why shouldn’t he be? The reigning world champ, who recently celebrated a milestone 600th start in Top Fuel, has led the points since Epping and is in the midst of another successful season with three wins in five final rounds.

Antron Brown, Steve Torrence, and Brainerd winner Justin Ashley follow Kalitta on the odds board, and all three are obviously capable of winning the sport’s biggest and most prestigious event.

There are 20 Top Fuel cars on the pre-entry list, which makes for some very interesting possibilities because four drivers will not make the field, and it’s entirely possible that at least one of them could be a tour regular. When it comes to value bets, Clay Millican, Jasmine Salinas, Billy Torrence, Brittany Force, Tony Stewart, TJ Zizzo, and Tony Schumacher all feature double-digit odds, while in the longshot department, Ida Zetterström, a semifinalist in her NHRA debut in Brainerd, comes with a healthy +5,055 price.

FUNNY CAR

As a Funny Car driver, Austin Prock has been everything the John Force Racing team had hoped for and more when he stepped in for Robert Hight this season. Prock has delivered four wins and seven finals in 13 events this season, and there have only been four events where he hasn’t been the championship leader. As such, Prock is a solid favorite to score his first Indy win with opening odds of +473.

Matt Hagan, Sonoma winner Bob Tasca III, and defending Indy winner Ron Capps are also labeled as Funny Car favorites, while J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman, and Daniel Wilkerson aren’t far behind.

Recent Brainerd champ Blake Alexander stands out as perhaps the most attractive longshot with a price of +1,801 before the start of qualifying.

PRO STOCK

A total of six drivers have won Pro Stock races this season, and it’s no surprise that they represent the top six picks on the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals leaderboard. Incoming points leader Greg Anderson is the favorite, but by a slim margin over Erica Enders, Dallas Glenn, Aaron Stanfield, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Troy Coughlin Jr.

As far as drivers who could win, but haven’t yet this season, Matt Hartford, Deric Kramer, and Jerry Tucker represent solid mid-field picks. Tucker is particularly interesting because he’s been to one final and three semifinals, and he’s been the low qualifier twice, including the most recent event in Brainerd.

Brainerd runner-up Mason McGaha comes with a price tag of +2,921, while Camrie Caruso, returning from a broken leg suffered in a devastating crash earlier this year in Phoenix, is priced at +6,394.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

Reigning world champ Gaige Herrera is once again the favorite at -192 odds, but it’s worth noting that the RevZilla/Vance & Hines rider did not win either of the West Coast races in Seattle or Sonoma. Regardless, Herrera still has six wins on the season, and he’s the defending U.S. Nationals winner.

Matt Smith, who was dominant in Sonoma, is ranked second, followed by Chase Van Sant, who won his first Pro Stock Motorcycle event recently in Seattle. As for longshots, Richard Gadson, John Hall, Jianna Evaristo, Angie Smith, and Hector Arana Jr. all fall into that category, and all five can be had for a very attractive price.

Opening odds provided by Alt Sports Data (Odds are subject to change).

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