PEAK Motorsports Update- May 20, 2026

NHRA: Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals

Presented by PEAK - Joliet, IL

Wednesday, May 20, 2026: 

Alexis DeJoria carried the John Force Racing banner proudly at Route 66 Raceway on the way to their second runner-up finish of the season in the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK.

It was a mixed day of competition at Route 66 Raceway for the balance of the John Force Racing quartet. Josh Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel team earned a semifinals finish. Defending Route 66 Nationals Champion and this year’s Number One Qualifier in Funny Car, Jack Beckman, and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team bowed out in Round 2. Jordan Vandergriff, coming off his and the revamped Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team’s first career win two weeks ago at the Southern Nationals, lost in the first round for just the first time this season.

DeJoria left the starting line a mere six-thousandths-of-a-second behind Chad Green and made a strong run of 3.965 seconds at 328.86 mph, but it wasn’t enough to get around Green’s winning run of 3.945 seconds at 324.75 mph. The two teams met in the final round of this year’s season-opening Gatornationals with the same result.

To reach the finals, DeJoria defeated number five qualifier Spencer Hyde in Round 1, running 3.947 seconds at 326.48 mph to Hyde’s tire-spinning 9.969 seconds at 80.24 mph. In Round 2, she took out Dave Richards, who also spun the tires, with a run of 4.005 seconds at 327.98 mph. She then earned her second final round appearance of the season with a 4.006-second run at 326.56 mph to defeat Matt Hagan’s run of 4.061 seconds at 315.71 mph. DeJoria has six NHRA Funny Car titles in 18 final-round appearances.

The 2026 Gatornationals winner defeated No. 13 qualifier Justin Ashley in Round 1. Ashley is known as having the best reaction times in the Top Fuel category, but it was Hart who grabbed the holeshot (0.035 to 0.044) which made the difference, running 3.790 seconds at 338.26 mph to Ashley’s quicker 3.785 seconds at 322.11 mph. He then eliminated Tony Stewart in Rd. 2, running 3.782 seconds at 330.63 mph to Stewart’s tire-spinning 6.384-second run at 95.98 mph.

Hart had lane choice for his semifinal matchup against Shawn Langdon. He grabbed the holeshot (.047 to .068) and ran 3.823 seconds at 333.16 mph, but Langdon beat him to the finish line by 12-thousandths of a second with his run of 3.790 seconds at 332.10 mph.

Beckman defeated No. 16 qualifier Chris King in Round 1, running 3.945 seconds at 325.53 mph to King’s 4.233 seconds at 270.64 mph. The PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car had lane choice in Round 2 but smoked the tires right off the starting line, allowing Hagan to take the win with a run of 4.026 seconds at 324.75 mph to Beckman’s 12.291 seconds at 61.86 mph.

Jordan Vandergriff didn’t have lane choice in the opening round against eventual race winner Chad Green and lost the reaction time battle (0.068 to Green’s 0.056), then ran 3.952 seconds at 328.38 mph to Green’s 3.943 seconds at 324.12 mph.

The seventh of 20 races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the May 29-31 NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, MD.

NHRA: PEAK Street Car Shootout

In addition to NHRA-sanctioned racing, the Route 66 Nationals also hosted the PEAK Street Car Shoot Out. This competition showcased some of America's quickest street-legal race cars driven by the likes of Alex Taylor, Tom Bailey, Bryant Goldstone, Dave Schroeder and more. A special congratulations to the event winner and PEAK brand Ambassador, Nick Taylor! In the finals, Nick faced off against Bryant Goldstone, where he ran a winning 6.679 at 215.89 mph.