ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 16, 2026) – Jack Beckman and the PEAK SQUAD fought off chilly temperatures and strong winds to earn the $15,000 Texas Motorplex Back in the Saddle bonus and an additional $1,000 bonus from JEG’S for setting low elapsed time in Q2 and the quickest Funny Car run of the day during Friday qualifying for the NHRA FallNationals.
The John Force Racing PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car ran 3.852 seconds at 330.13 mph in Q2 under the lights to capture the top spot. Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team also used their Q2 pass to qualifiy in the No. 4 spot with a run of 3.873 seconds at 333.09 mph while Jordan Vandergriff qualified the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car in sixth place with his Q2 run of 3.881 seconds at 333.83 mph. In Top Fuel, Josh Hart wheeled the Speedmaster dragster to a Q1 run of 3.714 seconds at 337.64 mph to earn the No. 8 spot.
The final two rounds of qualifying are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 18.
Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“We were the sixth pair, and there are 10 pairs here with a huge Funny Car turnout here. So we ran well, but then we had to watch eight quality cars behind us, any one of which could have exceeded our run, and [Matt] Hagan came closest, but nobody exceeded us. So, it’s 15 grand from the Texas Motorplex, and then JEGS sweetened the pot with another 1,000 bucks. I just thought that was fantastic. We were pushing hard. I could feel it, but I had my hands full. The car started going right, and when you’re pushing that hard, any steering input is detrimental to performance, and too much steering input is going to upset the rear tires. So I moved it back into the groove. I thought I did a reasonable job, straightened it out and started going to the right again.”
Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“Well, as awkward as it feels being in your firesuit, sitting on a saddle like this. True Texas style, welcome to Tejas, baby. Whoo! I’m stoked to be up here. I’ve been looking at this saddle for years in the past, just going, Man, wouldn’t that be cool? But, hey, we’re here right now with a nice, smooth 87. I don’t know what our speed was. Do you know what our speed was? Anyway, but it felt really good. It was a great run, and the conditions are primed right now, so we’ll see how long this lasts. Uh, 333, that’s good speed. We’ve been good at the top end. Just, man, just jamming. We got another chance. We got a couple chances to get another win this season, and I would love to do it here at one of my home tracks.”
Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“It was a great Friday at the Texas Motorplex for this Cornwell Quality Tools Funny Car team. We’re focusing on being strong in qualifying over these last 3 races. We shook the tires in Q1 but we saw what we needed to see. I think we were trying to run a little quicker here in Q2 but we’ll take the 3.88. I think the team is happy with that and I know I’m happy with it. It fell fast. It was out there and it was clean and I knew when the parachutes hit that it was a good run. I’m happy to get that one under our belt and wei’re sitting sixth right now with a chance to go quicker tomorrow. The chatter around the Funny Car pits is that tomorrow might be even better so that 3.88 might not even be safe for ourselves.”
Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster:
“The Speedmaster team had a great A to B run in Q1 so I’m very, very happy with that. So, going into Q2, we took the ‘no risk, no reward’ attitude. We were trying to go 3.64 but we’re not quite there yet. We’re sneaking up on it, and I have nothing but confidence and faith in these guys. We’ll be fine with tomorrow’s better weather conditions. We still have the chance to move up in the qualifying order so very excited.”
TV Schedule
Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 18, leading into eliminations at 3 p.m. ET.
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ABOUT JOHN FORCE RACING
John Force Racing (JFR) is one of the most accomplished teams in motorsports history, earning 24 NHRA World Championships and more than 300 national event victories. Founded in California in 1974 by 16-time Funny Car World Champion John Force, the organization has set the standard for innovation, safety, and competitive excellence in professional drag racing. Racing operations are now located in Brownsburg, Indiana, along with Force American Made, its in-house design, fabrication, and manufacturing company. JFR fields championship-caliber entries in both Funny Car and Top Fuel, supported by industry-leading technology and longstanding partnerships with some of the most recognized brands in the sport. John Force Racing’s 2026 driver lineup includes 2012 Funny Car World Champion Jack Beckman (PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car), Josh Hart (Burnyzz Speed Shop/Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster), Alexis DeJoria (Bandero Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS Funny Car), and Jordan Vandergriff (Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car). Keep up with the team at www.JohnForceRacing.com.
