Recent NHRA Gatornationals winner Chad Green was seeking another Funny Car trophy this weekend at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park in triple digit heat with his 12,000-horsepower CGM Bond-Coat Ford Mustang.
Racing at the hottest track surface (140-plus degrees) seen in decades, Green and CGM team were ready for the tough conditions when qualifying opened on Friday morning at the racing facility south of Phoenix. Led by crew chiefs Joe Serena and Dean Marinis, the Midland, Tex., driver quickly moved into the top half of the 16-car Funny Car field with a 4.017 clocking and came back on Saturday with a 3.990 for the third starting position.
In the first round of Sunday’s competition, Green’s Ford Mustang kept that strong performance against Dylan Winefsky with a 4.011 run at 320.97 miles per hour. Green advanced to the quarterfinals against Paul Lee, but a supercharger issue off the starting line cost Chad a chance for the win.
Despite the second-round loss, Green still leads the in the current NHRA Mission Funny Car point standings with the next event set for April 10-12 at the famed NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. Green is a former winner at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds track, winning the In N Out World Finals in 2023.
“We were pleased how our race car performed in the heat at Phoenix,” said Green, an Odessa, Tex., businessman when he isn’t driving a nitro-burning Funny Car. “The conditions were extremely difficult for all of the nitro teams all three days. But our team was managing the track surface as well as possible. We had a chance to win the race at Phoenix, just like at Gainesville. But we had a blower issue in the second round, and the car smoked the tires right off the starting line. It’s a shame, because we had a good race car.
“We’ll look at the issues and prepare for another strong run at Pomona. We have won there before and we can do it again. I think the temperatures will be much cooler in a few weeks in Southern California than what we dealt with at Phoenix. We were happy to have Blake (Alexander) back in the Pronto car at Phoenix too.”
Alexander, the four-time NHRA national event winner from Charlotte, made his NHRA return after a five-month layoff with his popular Pronto Auto Services Dodge Hellcat. Blake is in his second season with CGM team after scoring a runner-up finish and several semifinal appearances in 2025.
Unfortunately, Alexander had the difficult task of taking on the No. 1 qualifier, Spencer Hyde, in the opening round of eliminations Sunday at Firebird Motorsports Park. Racing in the right lane proved to be tough with a bump in the pavement at the 300-foot mark, and Blake held a starting reaction margin against Hyde. However, Alexander’s Dodge Hellcat lost traction when it hit the track bump. Despite the early exit, Alexander was pleased with his team’s progress in the heat.
“The heat was definitely an issue for us and all of the teams at Phoenix,” said Alexander. “But it felt good to be back in the race car again after the long layoff and working with the CGM crew. It felt a little rusty in the car, but I had some decent (starting line) lights. We were shy on horsepower in the first qualifying run and then we had to make a few clutch adjustments. That was the hottest track temperatures I think I have ever raced on in my career, and the surface was so tricky. I wasn’t sure if the traction would be there with a 12,000-horsepower car. I’m looking forward to better weather and track temperatures in a few weeks at Pomona (April 10-12).”
Green and Alexander will return to NHRA national event competition at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, Calif., on April 10-12. Action is set for Friday, April 10, with qualifying rounds at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. PDT. Saturday’s (April 11) qualifying will take place at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. PDT, with final eliminations on Sunday, April 12, at 11 a.m. PDT. Fox Sports 1 will telecast Sunday’seliminations at 3:30 p.m. PDT/6:30 p.m. EDT.
