Factory Stock Heads to Texas With Allegrucci’s Championship Secured

Hero photograph: Texas Motorplex in Ennis, photographed on September 2, 2017. Archive venue photograph for the 2026 finale preview. Photo: Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia 1280-pixel rendition; no further edits.

Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown reaches its final stop at Texas Motorplex with the 2026 championship already decided. Jonathan Allegrucci secured his first series title at World Wide Technology Raceway on October 4, then won the Midwest Nationals. The Texas NHRA FallNationals in Ennis, Texas, still has the ninth and final event trophy to award during its October 14–18 national-event program.

The final round also rewards paying attention to the supporting-class schedule. Factory Stock has its own qualifying sessions and begins eliminations on Saturday, giving spectators a reason to plan around the category rather than assume every decisive run happens on Sunday.

Allegrucci settled the title in St. Louis

In NHRA’s October 4 event report, Allegrucci’s Ford Mustang Cobra Jet beat Scott Libersher’s Chevrolet in the final, 7.640 seconds to a tire-spinning 12.567. It was Allegrucci’s fourth event victory and sixth final-round appearance of the season.

The championship had become secure as the semifinals played out. Allegrucci advanced past Doug Duell, while Libersher defeated Raymond Nash, Allegrucci’s closest title rival. Libersher was also the reigning U.S. Nationals winner.

The Texas trophy therefore carries its own value. It is the last opportunity this season to turn a strong qualifying performance into an event win.

Hartman supplies the performance target

The same St. Louis weekend produced a separate result that deserves careful attention. Lee Hartman won the weather-delayed Great Lakes Nationals final, a race that began at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan and was completed in Illinois. NHRA’s October 3 account credits his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak with a 7.511-second run at 176.67 mph, the quickest elapsed time recorded in Factory Stock Showdown competition.

Hartman defeated David Janac’s Mustang Cobra Jet to claim his first NHRA Wally. Both cars were prepared and tuned by Stanfield Racing. Hartman had already qualified No. 1 for the Midwest Nationals with a 7.548 on Friday before lowering the mark in the postponed final.

Those were two different contests at one venue. Hartman’s Great Lakes victory should not be confused with Allegrucci’s Midwest win. Together they give the Texas finale two useful reference points: championship consistency and outright elapsed-time potential.

The factory connection remains visible

NHRA’s season announcement identifies the category with Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks. Texas was added as the ninth round for 2026, extending the season beyond the St. Louis meeting.

For a new spectator, the recognizable body shapes are an accessible starting point. The competition cars have their own development histories, however. Chevrolet’s COPO retrospective traces its modern program from a 2011 concept to customer race cars in 2012, and distinguishes the supercharged combinations used in Factory Stock Showdown from the broader range of COPO packages raced in other categories. A Camaro badge alone does not identify the class or specification.

When to catch Factory Stock in Texas

The official FallNationals event guide places Factory Stock qualifying at noon and 3:20 p.m. on Friday, October 16, followed by a third session at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, October 17. First-round eliminations are listed for 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Times are local to Ennis, Central Daylight Time.

That Saturday elimination slot matters when planning a visit. Arriving only for Sunday means missing the opening round of the class’s last race. Check the live event guide before traveling and again at the track, since the running order can change.

Our watch list is straightforward: compare how the quickest qualifiers repeat their performance in eliminations, then follow which combinations keep advancing. St. Louis has already established the champion and supplied a new elapsed-time benchmark. Texas will decide who takes the final event win.

Reporting checked October 14, 2026. Photographs are credited archival context and do not depict the 2026 Texas race.