ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (Sept. 26, 2026) – A clear and sunny day with temperatures barely reaching 80 degrees allowed John Force Racing’s four teams to improve on their performances in the final two qualifying sessions in preparation for the first round of the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock at Rockingham Dragway.
Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team rebounded nicely from Friday’s first two qualifying attempts, setting low elapsed time in both of Saturday’s. The Bandero Café tripped the lights in the first session with a run of 3.892 seconds at 334.82 mph and followed it up with a final run of 3.924 seconds at 331.86 mph. The No. 2 qualifier will face No. 15 qualifier John Smith (4.205 seconds at 251.68 mph) in Round 1.
Jack Beckman and the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet SS Funny Car team ran identical 3.911-second passes in Friday’s qualifying sessions, which qualified the team in the No. 4 spot. They pushed a bit too hard in Saturday’s first qualifying session but rallied with a 3.926-second run at 327.51 mph in the final session. Beckman will face No. 13 qualifier Daniel Wilkerson (3.982 seconds at 325.85 mph) in Round 1.
Josh Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel team clicked off a rock solid 3.744-second run at 334.32 mph in the first qualifying session Saturday to move into the No. 5 position and overpowered the track in the fourth and final session. Hart will face No. 12 qualifier Will Smith (3.786 seconds at 330.40 mph) in Round 1.
Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team struggled in the first three qualifying sessions so, in Sunday’s final session, the Funny Car rookie kept his foot on the accelerator pedal despite the car making significant moves left and right as it approached the finish line. The move paid off with a run of 3. 970 seconds at 276.07 mph, earning the No. 11 qualifying position. Vandergriff will face No. 6 qualifier Chad Green (3.920 seconds at 327.27 mph) in Round 1.
Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“This Bandero Cafe Chevy SS nitro Funny Car team made Saturday ours. I knew we could do it. Neff, Jonnie, all our guys have what it takes. We watched our teammate, Jack Beckman, go down the track the pair in front of us and we backed him up with our run. We earned six bonus points today, we’re the No. 2 qualifier going in tomorrow and we don’t have to race Jordan first round, so that’s another plus. I’m gonna sleep a lot better tonight.”
Quote from Jack Beckman, HendrickCars.com Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“The HendrickCars.com Chevy ran two 3.91s and a 3.92 in pretty different conditions during our four qualifying runs. The 3.91 was low in Q1 and that 3.91 in Q2 was third low of the session and wasn’t anywhere close to what we were shooting for. But we learned on that run that this track was better than we gave it credit for. We pushed too hard in Q3 and smoked the tires but, in Q4, we were right there, just two thousandths of a second off low ET. I think that Q3 run, where we push too hard, might be the one that helps us tune to win the race tomorrow. Sometimes the ones that don’t look perfect are the ones that tell us what we need to do or how far we can go.”
Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster:
“I feel good about how our Speedmaster car is running and weather conditions will be similar tomorrow. Grubnic called his shot in Q3 like we did at the beginning of the season and it went right down Broadway like we expected. Before Q4, he told me we ‘We’re going to try something but I may not get away with it.’ I like that type of communication. It means a lot to me as a driver so I can plan my mindset when I go up there. It’s been a very, very good day so I’m confident about tomorrow. We’ll just focus on one pass at a time and turn on four win lights.”
Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car:
“It was an eventful qualifying session for the Cornwell Quality Tools Chevy team. I think I held it a little long on that Q4 run because I knew we needed to make a full pass but it got to a point where I had to come out of it because it got too sideways. Maybe it was my fault, maybe it was the track. Whatever the case, it was still a 3.97 with an early shut off so we’re feeling really good about tomorrow.”
TV Schedule
Television coverage on Sun., Sept. 27, includes qualifying on FS1 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET before eliminations action at from 3 – 6 p.m. ET on FS1.
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