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One week ago, the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., turned out to be a major mixed bag of jumbled results for points leaders, underdogs and non-Countdown contestants when the four professional POWERade categories finalized the proceedings on Sunday afternoon.

And this weekend, the same jigsaw puzzle of success and defeat which highlighted last week's action in Memphis could dominate the headlines at the ultrafast Texas Motorplex and the 22nd O'Reilly Fall Nationals (final eliminations Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle championships are hanging in the balance as the third of four national events within the Countdown to Four playoff bracket spins to life in Ennis, Texas, outside Dallas.

Here's a preview.

Top Fuel
Melanie Troxel missed the Countdown and won in Memphis. Doug Herbert made the Countdown and was runner-up there. Tony Schumacher took over the points lead after the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and was upset in Memphis in Round 1 after icing low qualifier honors. And although Schumacher remains at the top of the standings, only a mere 47 points separate him from No. 4 Brandon Bernstein (last year's event champion).

Outside the top four, Herbert, Bob Vandergriff Jr., J.R. Todd and Whit Bazemore are truly in make-or-break territory. Should any of these drivers leave Dallas with sizable deficits as they subsequently travel to the final Countdown to Four event in Richmond, Va., their title aspirations will be teetering on life support.

Meanwhile in the top four, there's no safe place with only slightly more than two rounds of points keeping Schumacher, Hot Rod Fuller, Larry Dixon and Bernstein apart.

The Motorplex is a wickedly fast racing venue but weekend weather forecasts call for sunny and hot conditions -- track temperatures of 125 degrees will be a surety on the all-concrete surface -- and big heat frequently leads to big upsets.

Just as we saw in Memphis.

Funny Car
Robert Hight advanced as far as the semifinals in Memphis and was stopped cold by "Fast Jack" Beckman. Although Beckman ultimately lost to teammate Gary Scelzi in the final, he has moved to second in the points and will be a driver to be watched and a contender to be wary of this weekend. In fact, both Beckman and Scelzi jumped three full spots in the Countdown to Four points standings in Memphis and that's a ton of momentum to carry into Dallas.

But Hight -- the 2007 Dallas champ -- will be tough to move out of the way for the No. 1 spot. Although he has been winless since Atlanta in April, he and tuner Jimmy Prock are usually still on the board late on race day and the new Countdown format rewards round wins along with race wins. Hight's team owner and prime motivator, John Force, knows that all too well, and with a single round win on his stat sheet since the Countdown to Four began at Indy, Force is desperate to break out of his rut at the Motorplex -- a venue where the 14-time champion has enjoyed some of his most raucous performances.

Pro Stock
Dave Connolly and Greg Anderson are the new poster twins for the 2007 POWERade championship. Connolly has won three straight races and in two of them beat Anderson in the final round. Connolly's points lead over Anderson is a mere 33 points -- roughly a round and a half -- but it's significant to point out that Anderson's unquestioned performance superiority evidenced over the past four seasons is no longer so daunting.

Here's the deal: Connolly's teammate, Jeg Coughlin Jr., is third and a hefty 135 points behind him.The news gets progressively worse for the other drivers trailing Coughlin in the Elite Eight. Catching Connolly or Anderson with so much ground to make up and only two races remaining before the championship field is whittled down to four would require the two top drivers to suffer a major meltdown in Dallas. Neither seems likely to do that and only a good solid charge from the rear flank by Allen Johnson, Kurt Johnson, Jason Line, Larry Morgan or Warren Johnson this Sunday combined with a dismal showing by Connolly and/or Anderson is going to put a different spin on what is now appearing to be a two-car sprint to the '07 Pro Stock crown.

If anyone else in the top eight has something to say about that, it's time for him to drink or step away from the fountain.

Pro Stock Motorcycle
Andrew Hines has blustered his way to the points lead for the first time this year and his victory last weekend in Memphis was punctuated with a chilling grace note for the rest of the Elite Eight to ponder.

He ran the low elapsed time of eliminations in the final round, a clear indication his "Screamin' Eagle" Harley-Davidson V-Rod is dialed in for the stretch drive.

With only one more race on the PSM Countdown agenda, the top four riders at present, Hines, Matt Smith, Craig Treble and Chip Ellis, know they are in control of their own destiny. Three-time champion Angelle Sampey is fifth -- 97 points behind the leader -- and it's only her vast experience, outstanding team and unquenchable desire for a fourth championship that make that 97-point shortfall a manageable gap to overcome.

Otherwise, don't be totally shocked to see the top four remain in place when the curtain falls in Dallas on Sunday.

Bill Stephens covers NHRA for ESPN.com