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Axes, snowmobiles, a raucous “Zoo,” and getting in position to earn a chunk of the $400,000 regular-season champion bonus purse at the next race… It can only mean NHRA drivers are in Minnesota’s Northwoods for the Brainerd Nationals this weekend. The Pro Mod Snowmobile class adds a quirky twist to the customary drag-racing national event, showing off their wheeled skis at nearly 140 mph. But the three professional classes—Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock—are the centerpiece of this penultimate race of the regular season. Drivers remained undistracted, for now, by the infamous Zoo campgrounds that’s the gathering point for the group that most recent Funny Car winner J.R. Todd called “some of, if not the, rowdiest fans on the tour.” And they put on a fun but intense Battle for the Axe challenge Friday night. During the second professional qualifying session in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series on Friday, the low qualifiers of the round in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock earned a special cash bonus, thanks to the tourism organization Visit Brainerd & Baxter—plus a custom chainsaw-carved axe trophy. The local woodcarving company I Saw It in Mn fashioned the trophies throughout the day, while fans watched the rustic artwork in action in the Manufacturers Midway throughout the day Friday. The artists also built a custom NHRA bench at the track, providing a place for the rotating Friday-night provisional No. 1 qualifiers to sit at the end of the track until they’re replaced. Earning the axes Friday night were Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), and Matt Latino (Pro Stock). Brainerd International Raceway owner Kristi Copham said, “We are incredibly grateful to Visit Brainerd & Baxter for providing the purse and helping us continue a special Friday night with the Battle for the Axe. It is a fun way to reward outstanding performances on the racetrack while celebrating the community that welcomes us all weekend.” And what northern Minnesota event would be complete without, courtesy of the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce, an appearance by Babe the Blue Ox, the legendary companion of Paul Bunyan—joined by BIR’s own Nitro Babe? In Copham’s words, it’s “unmistakably Brainerd.” But we digress. This race traditionally is the last before the Labor Day classic US Nationals, where the regular-season champions are crowned, significant bonus checks are issued, and teams get their playoff mindsets for the six-race Countdown locked in. “It’s crunch time now,” Top Fuel racer Justin Ashley said. “At this point in the season, everyone is positioning themselves for a strong run during the Countdown. The objectives are twofold: first and foremost, to win Brainerd, and secondly, to gather more data for the home stretch.” Shawn Langdon leads Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel teammate Doug Kalitta by five points in the standings, and they appear to be the only ones to duke it out for the No. 1 playoff seeding that brings an extra 10 points to begin the runoffs. “Every race from here on out really counts. It’s obviously very important to do well this weekend and to do well at Indy to set yourself up for the Countdown,” Langdon said. “We’re kind of full steam ahead with everything at this point. Our plan is to go out there, do the best we can with everything, and try to win the regular-season championship. At this point, it’s about making sure all of your stuff is right—your parts and pieces, your crew guys. The car’s been running well. We just need to continue doing what we’re doing. We don’t really need to change anything. We need to keep plugging along and hopefully hold onto it through these last two races of the regular season.” In Funny Car, points leader Ron Capps is the winningest active NHRA driver at Brainerd, with seven victories. His most recent Brainerd win came in 2023, and with three victories this season , he said he’s hoping to maintain his consistency. “Consistency is something you always hope to have by the time you get to Brainerd, and we feel like we have that. Everyone knows the US Nationals in Indianapolis is coming up after that, and with that being points and a half, a lot can happen. For us to be leading in the points at this point in the season is a feather in the cap.” Last year, six-time Pro Stock champ and Duluth, Minnesota, native Greg Anderson won here over KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn for his fourth triumph. The points leader, Anderson, is trying to hold off Glenn, who’s second. Qualifying continues Saturday, with eliminations Sunday. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 11 p.m. ET Friday and 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday. Eliminations, which will start at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, will air that night at 8:30 ET. Susan Wade has lived in the Seattle area for 40 years, but motorsports is in the Indianapolis native’s DNA. She has emerged as one of the leading drag-racing writers with nearly 30 seasons at the racetrack, focusing on the human-interest angle. She was the first non-NASCAR recipient of the prestigious Russ Catlin Award and has covered the sport for the Chicago Tribune, Newark Star-Ledger, and Seattle Times. She has contributed to Autoweek as a freelance writer since 2016.