PEAK Motorsports Update- September 22, 2026

NHRA: Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals - presented by MOPAR

Martin, MI

Tuesday, September 22, 2026: 

Jordan Vandergriff and John Force Racing’s Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team caught a big break in the first round of the rain-delayed inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals in Martin, Michigan, but then proceeded to drop the hammer on the rest of their opponents en route to the team’s third win of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season that kicked off the six-race Countdown to the Championship.
 
Jack Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team had three strong runs, including his career fastest speed and this season’s quickest Funny Car run, as well as the identical time (to the thousandth of a second) and speed in their semifinal loss to Matt Hagan. The day for Alexis DeJoria’s Bandero Café Chevrolet Funny Car team and Josh Hart’s Speedmaster Top Fuel team came to an end in the second round. 

In the Funny Car finals, Matt Hagan had lane choice against Vandergriff and grabbed the holeshot by two hundredths of a second (.015 to .037) but struck the tires immediately after, while Vandergriff streaked to victory with the team’s quickest run of the day, 3.858 seconds at 329.43 mph.
 
Vandegriff’s third victory of his rookie Funny Car season (South Georgia, Sonoma, Martin) was the first time in 23 years that a number 16 qualifier went on to win the event.
 
The big break of the day came in the opening round when Vandergriff lined up against number one qualifier Austin Prock. Vandergriff smoked the tires off the line but Prock red-lighted, giving the automatic win to Vandergriff. In Round 2, Vandergriff outran Daniel Wilkerson by four hundredths of a second (3.871 seconds to 3.911 seconds) and the semifinal race against J.R. Todd was even closer (3.896 seconds to 3.899 seconds).
  
The victory makes Vandergriff the ninth John Force Racing driver to win a Countdown to the Championship race and, in doing so, earned the organization’s 45th Countdown event. He joins John Force (7 Countdown wins), Robert Hight (16), Brittany Force (7), Austin Prock (7), Mike Neff (2), Courtney Force (2), Jack Beckman (2) and Ashley Force Hood (1). 

Beckman ran the quickest Funny Car run of the 2026 season (3.832 seconds) and the fastest run of his career (337.08 mph) to take the Round 1 win against Jeff Diehl. In Round 2, the PEAK SQUAD continued to impress, running 3.841 seconds at 334.08 mph as Ron Capps spun the tires at the hit. In the semifinal against Hagan, both cars ran 3.864 seconds at 333.09 mph, with Hagan’s 0.029-second reaction time earning the victory over Beckman’s 0.041 reaction time.

Alexis DeJoria lined up against Hunter Green in Round 1, taking the win with a run of 3.884 seconds at 335.07 mph while Green’s car suffered an engine explosion that fortunately took place behind DeJoria. In the second round against Matt Hagan, the Bandero Café Chevy shook the tires one hundred feet or so into the run, which forced DeJoria to back out of the throttle and handed Hagan the win.

In the opening round of Top Fuel, Josh Hart smoked the tires early in the run but his competition, Shawn Reed, cut a red light which automatically disqualified his run and sent Hart to the second round. In Round 2 against Spencer Massey, the Speedmaster dragster shook the tires early into the run, forcing Hart to get out of the throttle, while Massey took the win.

The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after 15 of 20 races are:

1. Shawn Langdon, 2,217
2. Doug Kalitta, 2,206
3. Tony Stewart, 2,138
4. Antron Brown, 2,115
5. Leah Pruett, 2,112
6. Josh Hart, 2,093
7. Billy Torrence, 2,077
8. Maddi Gordon, 2,074
9. (tie) Justin Ashley, 2,046
Will Smith, 2,046

The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after 15 of 20 races are:

1. Matt Hagan, 2,208
2. Jordan Vandergriff, 2,185
3. Jack Beckman, 2,154
4. Ron Capps, 2,145
5. J.R. Todd, 2,139
6. Austin Prock, 2,099
7. Alexis DeJoria, 2,088
8. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,069
9. Chad Green, 2,055
10. Spencer Hyde, 2,033

The 16th of 20 races on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule is September 25-27 NHRA Nationals at the Rock at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina.