Spencer Hyde will have an added challenge, and an added opportunity, when the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car rolls into Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, September 4-7.
Hyde earned the eighth and final position in the PlayNHRA All-Star Funny Car Callout, putting him in an eight-car field of some of the biggest names in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Joining Hyde in the specialty event will be Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, J.R. Todd, Austin Prock, Alexis DeJoria and Chad Green.
The callout puts a unique twist on the traditional race weekend. The eight Funny Car drivers will make their first-round selections during a callout ceremony on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, with each driver selecting his first-round opponent. For Hyde, the event marks his first specialty race since joining the NHRA Funny Car ranks.“I am excited to be in the callout,” said Hyde. “I wasn’t sure if we would make it but I am glad we hung on for that eighth spot. This will be my first specialty race and I remember watching specialty races in the past and thinking they were pretty cool.”
The drivers will also participate in an autograph session Sunday at 9:30 a.m. before the first round of the PlayNHRA All-Star Funny Car Callout gets underway at 12:45 p.m. The winner of the specialty event will take home an $80,000 payday.
With the first-round matchups determined by the drivers themselves, Hyde won’t know who he will face until the selections are made Saturday morning. Regardless of his opponent, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year is confident in his chances.
“There are seven other Funny Cars in this deal and with the callout you don’t know who you are going to get,” said Hyde. “I feel good about racing any of those cars and we’ll just have to see who we get. I know it will make Sunday pretty exciting and this is what makes Indy special.”
The PlayNHRA All-Star Funny Car Callout adds another layer of excitement to an already action-packed U.S. Nationals weekend, NHRA’s traditional Labor Day weekend showcase and one of the most prestigious events on the drag racing calendar.
Hyde and the Head Racing team, backed by Hyde Construction, OUTLAW Light Beer and the Caine Group, will also compete in the traditional Funny Car eliminations throughout the weekend as they look to close out the regular season on a strong note at the historic race known as ‘The Big Go.’
The Funny Car class will make one qualifying run on Friday, September 4 and then two more qualifying runs on both Saturday and Sunday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The top 16 quickest Funny Cars will battle it out for the Diamond Wally starting on Monday, September 7 at 10 a.m. ET. Qualifying and the All-Star Funny Car Callout show will be on FS1 and eliminations will air on FOX. For tickets or more information on the NHRA U.S. Nationals visit nhra.com.
This story was originally published on September 3, 2026. 
