MARTIN, Mich. (Sept. 19, 2026) – Despite persistent rain through the morning and early afternoon, and the threat of more throughout the day, the final two qualifying sessions for the inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals were completed and John Force Racing’s four teams are set for Sunday’s first round of eliminations at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
Jack Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team qualified second with a Q3 run of 3.861 seconds at 332.10 mph. Coming off their U.S. Nationals win two weeks ago, the PEAK SQUAD will face No 15 qualifier Jeff Diehl (4.073 seconds) in Round 1.
Josh Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel team struggled in the first three qualifying sessions before a fantastic run in Q4, 3.671 seconds at 329.19 mph, to earn the No. 2 qualifying spot. Hart will face No. 15 qualifier Shawn Reed (3.801 seconds) in the first round.
Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny car team also used their fourth and final qualifying attempt to make their best run of the day, crossing the finish line in 3.898 seconds at 333.09 mph. The Bandero Café team will line up against No. 11 qualifier Hunter Green (3.970 seconds) in Round 1.
Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team struggled throughout the two days of qualifying to end up 16th on the eliminations ladder. The Cornwell Tools team will race No. 1 qualifier Austin Prock (3.859 seconds) in Sunday’s first round of competition.
Final eliminations are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“At this point last night, I wouldn’t have bet a dime we would get one run in today. Kudos to NHRA. They did a Herculean effort to get two complete nitro sessions in today. The PEAK SQUAD did exactly what we needed to do in Q3 to run 3.86, which puts us in the No. 2 spot. We’re coming off a third-place qualifier at Indy, which we converted to a winner’s circle visit. Tomorrow’s forecast is a little bit dicey so we might be dodging raindrops but I’ve just become comfortable with the saying, ‘It is what it is’. The stuff we don’t have control over, we just chill out, tow our cars up when the track is dry and sticky and ready to race. And I think that the PEAK Chevy has a great shot again tomorrow.”
Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster:
“It was lightly misting on my windshield but it looked like Star Wars as I went down the track. That run was a true demonstration of how awesome and resilient John Force Racing’s Speedmaster Top Fuel program is. John Collins, David Grubnic, this entire crew, nobody ever lost faith in our goals. We all just kept working and working no matter how many times we got kicked in the teeth. We had a great run going in Q3 but the car shut off right before the finish line. We were just so bummed out because, by the numbers, it was definitely on a mission. I am so grateful to NHRA. They did a great job keeping the track prepared and we were able to finally get in a run we deserved in Q4.”
Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“We weren’t sure if we were going to make that last round. There was a lot of condensation in the air and I could see it falling as I was sitting in the car but NHRA figured it out. We were able to run a 3.898 at 333 mph which was the best run of the weekend for the Bandero Café Chevy. We’re sitting in the No. 6 spot and we’ve made three good runs so I’m feeling pretty strong about our chances tomorrow. Mike Neff and Jonnie Lindberg (crew chiefs) really have a handle on things.”
Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“I’m very confident that Chris Cunningham, Jason Bunker and this entire Cornwell Quality Tools team will have it figured out and we’ll be ready for Round 1 tomorrow morning.”
TV Schedule
Television coverage includes qualifying on FS1 at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday before eliminations action at 2 p.m.
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