Jordan Vandergriff went into the semifinal round of the Texas NHRA FallNationals against Matt Hagan knowing a win would move John Force Racing’s Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team one round closer to the 2026 NHRA Funny Car point leader but a loss would extend Hagan’s lead over the second-place Vandergriff with just two races remaining.
The late afternoon race was over as soon as it began, however, as the Cornwell Tools Chevy smoked the tires at the step while Hagan crossed the Texas Motorplex finish line in 3.931 seconds at 335.10 mph.
Jack Beckman’s PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team and Alexis DeJoria’s Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team both bowed out in round two while Josh Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel team were eliminated in round one.
Vandergriff defeated No. 11 qualifier Blake Alexander in the opening round with a run of 3.877 seconds at 338.37 mph – his career best speed – to Alexander’s 3.913 seconds at 332.47 mph. In round two, the Cornwell Tools Chevy ran 3.9232 at 332.01 mph, giving Vandergriff lane choice in the semifinal against Hagan, while Austin Prock was disqualified for a red light.
“It was a tough semifinal race against the points leader that didn’t go our way,” said Vandergriff. “We had a huge chance to make up some ground, but when you shoot for it, sometimes you miss – and we missed it this time. But we’re not out of it yet. We’re still in second in the points and we still have a shot at it. We have two races left, and if we go win both of those, then let the chips fall where they may. I have full confidence in Chris Cunningham, Jason Bunker, this entire Cornwell Quality Tools team and in myself that we can get the job done.”
Beckman defeated No. 16 qualifier Terry Haddock in the first round of eliminations, running 3.884 seconds at 335.12 mph to Haddock’s 4.000 seconds at 315.21 mph. In the quarterfinals against Ron Capps, the PEAK Chevy overpowered the track and smoked the tires almost immediately after the hit, allowing Capps to take the win.
“That’s about it for our championship hopes,” said Beckman. “Is there a kernel of hope left there? Yes, but we can’t control it. So, we will go to the next two races with the intent of winning every single round, leaving with the trophies and having a fantastic offseason. It’s super frustrating to be the No. 1 qualifier, run consistently quick like that, and then have our PEAK Chevy not go five feet in the second round before it blew the tires off. Daniel (Hood) and Tim (Fabrisi) will have that remedied by the time we roll into Las Vegas. We have such a great race car. I’m not going to let one run get us down.”
DeJoria defeated No. 13 qualifier Dave Richards in round one with a pass of 3.902 seconds at 331.56 mph to Richards’ 3.953 seconds at 332.84 mph. The Bandero Café Chevy lined up against J.R. Todd in the second round and ran 3.890 seconds at 314.66 mph, but lost on a holeshot to Todd’s run of 3.930 seconds at 333.75 mph.
“We have a very strong Bandero Café Chevy right now and I’m so blessed to be able to race under the JFR banner with a great group of guys I get to call my teammates,” said DeJoria. “We continued our excellent runs through qualifying like we did last race and earned some valuable bonus points. To run three consecutive 3.87-second runs during qualifying is just unheard of. We ran a 3.90 in the first round today and a 3.89 in round two, but I just got beat on a holeshot. It’s unfortunate because the fans here are great and I’ve lived in Austin for quite a while, so I call the Texas Motorplex one of my home tracks. We haven’t been able to win here yet, but I’ll be back.”
No. 8 qualifier Hart had lane choice in round one against No. 9 qualifier Will Smith in their first-round matchup. The Speedmaster Top Fuel dragster ran 3.778 seconds at 338.04 mph, but wasn’t able to get around Smith, who ran 3.746 seconds at 334.65 mph.
“That was just a good old fashioned drag race,” said Hart. “I cut a 60 light to his 40 light. He went 3.74 and we went 3.77. So for the fans, I’m sure it was a good race and if you’re going to lose, that’s definitely the way you want to lose. It was just a nice, clean drag race. The JFR Speedmaster team does a fabulous job and those guys deserve the praise. They live the life, work countless hours and give us an honest shot every time we pull up to the starting line.”
The 19th of 20 races on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule is the Oct. 30-Nov. 1 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
