Midway through the Countdown to Four, several drivers have established themselves as candidates to make the big step to the Countdown to One.

In Top Fuel Doug Herbert made the biggest move with his runner-up effort, landing in fifth place, 43 points out of the top four.

Countdown leader Tony Schumacher was upset in the first round, but didn’t lose too much ground because Larry Dixon and Rod Fuller lost in the early rounds, and Brandon Bernstein used a semifinal finish to hold on to his top four spot.

A semifinal effort for Robert Hight increased his series lead in Funny Car, while Jack Beckman’s runner-up finish strengthened his hold on a top four finish. Winner Gary Scelzi bumped Tony Pedregon and non-qualifier Mike Ashley out of the top four.

In Pro Stock, Dave Connolly raced to another victory and appears to have the momentum over rival KB Racing’s Greg Anderson.

A victory for Andrew Hines gave the three-time defending POWERade Series champ the points lead in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Surprise Countdown contender Craig Treble raced to the semifinals in Memphis and could advance to the Countdown to One with a solid finish at Dallas.