PEAK Motorsports Update- June 15, 2026

NHRA: Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

Bristol, TN

Monday, June 15, 2026: 

Rain wasn’t the only black cloud hanging over John Force Racing on Sunday at Bristol Dragway as all four of its teams were eliminated after the second round of competition in the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
 
The PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team of Jack Beckman and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team of Jordan Vandergriff were eliminated in Round 2 while the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team of Alexis DeJoria and the Speedmaster Top Fuel dragster team of Josh Hart bowed out in Round 1. Rain showers between the first two rounds halted the proceedings for a couple of hours before resuming.

Beckman was looking for his third trophy of the weekend in Thunder Valley. He won the final round of the rain-delayed NHRA New England Nationals against Vandergriff in the second round of qualifying Friday, doubled up on his John Force Racing teammate in the final round of Saturday’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and qualified third for the Thunder Valley Nationals.
 
The 38-time NHRA Funny Car event winner dispatched of Jeff Arend in Round 1, running 4.032 seconds at 320.20 mph to Arend’s 4.246 seconds at 254.28 mph. The first-round victory gave Beckman lane choice in Round 2 against Daniel Wilkerson, who grabbed the holeshot (.061 to .079) and held on to win with a run of 4.041 seconds at 319.52 mph to Beckman’s 4.065-second run at 319.07 mph.

Vandergriff beat DeJoria in Round 1 with the second-quickest run of the event at the time, 3.999 seconds, but lost lane choice for Round 2 to Ron Capps who ran 3.989 seconds. Vandergriff had a fantastic reaction time (.043 to Capps’ .065) but Capps ran low elapsed time of the meet with his run of 3.980 seconds at 327.43 mph to Vandergriff’s 4.040 seconds at 285.29 mph.

DeJoria and Vandergriff lined up against each other in Round 1, with Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car having lane choice over the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car as a result of DeJoria’s No. 2 qualifying position. Vandergriff’s reaction time was seven-thousandths-of-a-second quicker (.058 to .065) and the Cornwell Tools Chevy ripped off the quickest Funny Car run of the event to that point of 3.999 seconds at 322.88 mph to DeJoria’s third quickest run of the session at 4.028 second run at 326.24 mph.

In the first pair of cars down the track, the Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster had lane choice and Hart grabbed the holeshot by 14 thousandths of a second (.056 to .070) over Doug Kalitta. Unfortunately, an engine cylinder stopped firing shortly after the hit, slowing the run to 3.845 seconds at 321.12 mph to Kalitta’s 3.799 seconds at 330.31 mph.

The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after nine of 20 races are: 1. Shawn Langdon, 920; 2. Doug Kalitta, 806; 3. Leah Pruett, 693; 4. Tony Stewart, 533; 5. Antron Brown, 517; 6. Josh Hart, 500; 7. Maddi Gordon, 499; 8. Billy Torrence, 466; 9. Justin Ashley, 419; 10. Clay Millican, 365.
 
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after nine of 20 races are: 1. Ron Capps, 691; 2. Matt Hagan, 667; 3. J.R. Todd, 634; 4. Jordan Vandergriff, 619; 5. Jack Beckman, 589; 6. Chad Green, 561; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 524; 8. Spencer Hyde, 459; 9. Austin Prock, 437; 10. Daniel Wilkerson, 391.

The 10th of 20 races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the June 26-28 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.