BROWNSBURG, Ind. (APRIL 29, 2026) – The slow start to the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season for Jack Beckman took a sharp turn in the right direction last Sunday with his runner-up finish in the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals and it’s the spark from that strong showing that the PEAK SQUAD will carry to South Georgia Motorsports Park on May 1-3 for the renewal of the NHRA Southern Nationals.
The 37-time NHRA Funny Car winner finished third in his second-round quad at zMax Dragway near Charlotte, N.C. Dave Richards crossed the finish line second but was disqualified for his car making contact with the retaining wall before the finish line. That moved Beckman into the final round, where he had a 0.058 reaction time and ran 3.917 seconds at 329.50 mph to Ron Capps’ winning run of 3.905 seconds at 334.90 mph (0.054 reaction time).
The final-round appearance extended to 19 the number of consecutive seasons Beckman has raced in at least one final round in every season he has competed in the Funny Car class beginning in 2006.
Despite not taking the victory, the performance moved Beckman from 10th to eighth in the Funny Car point standings. The PEAK SQUAD is 10 points behind Spencer Hyde in seventh place, 22 behind John Force Racing teammate Alexis DeJoria in sixth and 52 behind JRF teammate Jordan Vandergriff in fifth.
The 2012 NHRA Funny Car World Champion’s runner-up finish last Sunday qualified the PEAK SQUAD to participate in this week’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. The race-within-qualifying event will take place Saturday, May 2, at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET during the third and fourth rounds of Funny Car qualifying.
In 13 previous NHRA Southern Nationals starts (2007-2019 at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga.), Beckman earned two wins (2009, 2011) a runner-up finish and No. 1 Qualifier in 2016, and an 18-11 overall round record.
John Force Racing Southern Nationals statistics
- Atlanta was the site of the first all-JFR final round (April 21, 1996), in which Tony Pedregon dealt John Force one of only six losses he suffered over the course of a 19-race season.
- On April 27, 2008, Ashley Force Hood became the first woman to win a Funny Car race in the NHRA series when she beat her dad in the Atlanta final.
- Overall, five different JFR drivers won 14 times in the Atlanta version of the Southern Nationals, the last win in 2018 when Courtney beat Matt Hagan.
- John Force raced in the final round of the final race at Atlanta in 2021, losing to Bob Tasca III.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after four of 20 races are: 1. Ron Capps, 369; 2. Matt Hagan, 327; 3. J.R. Todd, 299; 4. Chad Green, 276; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, 262; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 235; 7. Spencer Hyde, 221; 8. Jack Beckman, 213; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, 170; 10. Dave Richards, 138.
Quotes
Is there any extra motivation in trying to win an inaugural event?
“There’s only one first but, in many cases, we’ve had a whole bunch of ‘last’ aces. But you know for a fact if you win the inaugural, that never changes. I won the inaugural race at zMax Raceway. In 2008. It’s an awesome trophy that can never be taken away. There’s only one first.”
Is there any adjustment you have to make from four wide back to two, or is it just muscle memory?
“It’s an un-adjustment, right? For a few years we had two 4-Wide races and, for a few years, they were back to back. So, there was a chance to get into a rhythm for 4-Wide. It’s a one and done now so there’s really no adjustment needed.”
How do you prep for an inaugural NHRA national event with minimal or possibly zero information about the track to work with?
“I tested at South Georgia a couple times 15 years ago. A lot of people will ask about going into this certain racetrack, and the unique thing about drag racing is the racetracks aren’t all that unique. They’re all 60 feet wide with each of the two lanes 30 feet wide, excluding the four-wide tracks, straight, level, and one thousand feet long for the nitro categories. But they all have idiosyncrasies and unique characteristics.
“We have our tracks specialist, Lanny Miglizzy. When he gets to a track, he’s probably been there 20 times or more so he usually starts off with the notes he had last year. But we don’t have notes on Valdosta so the great thing about that is it’s equal for everybody. We’re going to roll in to South Georgia and it’s gonna be new to all of us. For the first time in NHRA’s 75-year history, we have four national events on tracks that we have not raced NHRA national events on before so it’s going to be really interesting.”
What are your thoughts on the Southern Nationals being part of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series again?
“It’s a big deal. I raced in Atlanta (Commerce, Ga,.) multiple times until the track closed but, as a kid growing up reading National Dragster, those places seemed faraway and legendary. Atlanta was always a unique track because it had a wall on the right side. You can always tell from the starting line pictures that was the Southern Nationals. Now we’re going to have the Southern Nationals at a different venue but I think it’s important to be in that marketplace. There are a lot of friendly folks in that area so I’m glad we’re giving them an opportunity to not have to travel as far to see us race.”
Track & TV Schedules
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 3 and 5:30 p.m. ET on Friday, May 1, with the final two rounds Saturday, May 2, at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 3.
Television coverage includes qualifying on FS1 from 9:30 – 11 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 2, a second qualifying show Sunday, May 3, from 1 – 2 p.m. ET and eliminations from 7 – 10 p.m. ET.
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