BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Oct. 14, 2026) – Jordan Vandergriff made his first final-round appearance at the 2019 FallNationals in Top Fuel and the driver of John Force Racing’s Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car has been waiting seven years to take his success one step further in the Oct. 16-18 Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Vandergriff qualified sixth and eliminated Clay Millican, Lee Callaway and Austin Prock to reach the final round against Billy Torrence. Vandergriff grabbed the holeshot but hazed the tires soon after, with Torrence getting past him before the 1/8-mile mark to take the win.
The Atlanta-area resident is currently second in the 2026 NHRA Funny Car point standings after 17 of 20 races. The Cornwell Tools team kicked off the Countdown to the Championship with a win at Michigan from the No. 16 qualifying position and finished runner-up two weeks ago at St. Louis. They have earned three victories so far this season (South Georgia, Sonoma, Michigan) and three runner-up finishes (Epping, Brainerd, St. Louis).
The FallNationals is the second of three races in October where Cornwell Tools will participate in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month fundraising. From October 1-31, every purchase of any Cornwell Quality Tools Pink product item will result in an annual minimum donation of $15,000 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
The popular “Battle for the Saddle” will again be on the line at the FallNationals, with a $15,000 bonus to be awarded to the low qualifier of Friday’s night qualifying session in Top Fuel and Funny Car.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after 17 of 20 races are: 1. Matt Hagan, 2,402; 2. Jordan Vandergriff, 2,330; 3. Austin Prock, 2,296; 4. Jack Beckman, 2,279; 5. J.R. Todd, 2,270; 6. Ron Capps, 2,240; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 2,215; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,174; 9. Chad Green, 2,123; 10. Spencer Hyde, 2,117.
Quotes
You’re three plus rounds out of first place so, with three races remaining and 1.5x points at Pomona, what’s the game plan?
“The Cornwell Quality Tools team is right where we should be and where we deserve to be. The point standings show we’re the second-best car in the world but our mindset is that we’re the best and it’s been that way ever since our first win in Georgia. We know we can win any race so, going -to the Dallas and Las Vegas races before the points-and-a-half at Pomona, we just have to control what we can and that is winning rounds. I realized in St. Louis that, as long as we won rounds, we handled our own destiny. We made the final and stayed where we should. So, the focus is just to win every single round possible.”
What was your process to move on from the final round at St. Louis?
“Losing to anybody in the final is obviously not what we wanted, but the fact that we were in the final is obviously huge for this Cornwell Quality Tools team. We earned the second most points and beat the points leader going into the final round so we gained some ground. Going into the final round, you just want a chance at it and we just happened to get beat by what was a better car that day. It’s not lost on me that the other car over there is a good car and they’re right where they should be, too. I think it’s going to come down to the wire with us, Hagan, Prock, Beckman and Todd and I’m looking forward to the fight. “
Go back to when you got the call from John Force to make this happen. You’re a very confident individual but how real did you make it back then that you would be where you are right now?
“After I got the call from John and got the opportunity, I actually sat down and I thought about how the year could possibly go. I remember telling people at the pre-season Gainesville test that I had a few goals for the year. One was to win a race and the second was to win the championship. I remember people kind of looked at me like ‘Okay, buddy, you haven’t even run a race yet.’ I got that look from a few people but I just wanted to picture that in my mind because, if I wasn’t, then what was I really doing? Am I going to picture finishing fourth or fifth in the championship chase? No, I got the opportunity from John Force to drive for John Force Racing with the Cornwell Quality Tools Funny Car team. The previous two years, it was championships or nothing for that car. So, I wanted to come into this year, whether it was delusional or not, envisioning myself in that position. This year has gone up and down, back and forth. We’ve had great races and we’ve had bad races but, now that we’re 17 races in and find ourselves second in the Countdown to the Championship, I think that delusional dream of mine might pay off in the end.”
What are your memories of your first career final round, at Dallas in Top Fuel back in 2019?
“I am so happy to have the chance to race at Dallas again because the 2019 final round has stuck in my mind ever since. I’ve watched the final over and over and over again. It was the best day of my life up until now even though we lost. It was something that I never even thought was going to be possible. It didn’t go the way I planned so I need to take revenge on this racetrack. It’s not even the other competitors. It’s the Texas Motorplex that has held a cloud over my head for the last seven years and I want that damn cowboy hat.”
Weekend Appearances
Vandergriff will participate in the 2nd annual Tony Stewart Bowling Tournament Benefiting Speedway Children’s Charities on Wed., Oct. 14, from 7 – 10 p.m. CT at Lucky Strike in Euless, Texas (1901 W. Airport Freeway). He will be signing autographs as part of the Texas Motorplex Fan Fest on Thurs., Oct. 15, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. CT at Railyard Park (455 S. College Street) in Waxahachie, Texas. Vandergriff will also be signing autographs Sat., Oct. 17, from 9:30 – 10 a.m. CT at the Cornwell Tools display on the NHRA midway.
Track Schedule
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:15 and 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 16, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 12 p.m. CT on Sunday, Oct. 18.
TV Schedule
Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, leading into eliminations at 3 p.m. ET.
Race Results
| Dallas | Race Result | Round by Round Results | Qualified | Event Record |
| 2019 (TF) | Runner-up | Beat Clay Millican, Lee Callaway, Austin Prock; lost to Billy Torrence | 6th | 3-1 |
Wins: 0
No. 1 Qualifiers: 0
Event Record: 3-1
2026 Results
| Event | Qualify | Round by Round | Round Record | Points Position |
| Gainesville | 8 | Beat Jack Beckman, John Smith; lost to Chad Green | 2-1 | 4 |
| Phoenix | 5 | Beat Alexis DeJoria, lost to Matt Hagan | 3-2 | 7 |
| Pomona1 | 3 | Beat Daniel Wilkerson, Chad Green; lost to Ron Capps | 5-3 | 5 |
| Charlotte | 2 | Won 1st quad; lost in 2nd quad | 6-4 | 5 |
| Valdosta | 3 | Beat Jeff Arend, Spencer Hyde, Hunter Green, Ron Capps | 10-4 | 4 |
| Chicago | 10 | Lost to Chad Green | 10-5 | 5 |
| Maryland | 4 | Beat Dave Richards, Chad Green; lost to Jack Beckman | 12-6 | 5 |
| Epping | 1 | Beat Jeff Arend, Chad Green, J.R. Todd; lost to Jack Beckman | 15-7 | 4 |
| Bristol | 13 | Beat Alexis DeJoria; lost to Ron Capps | 16-8 | 4 |
| Norwalk | 11 | Lost to J.R. Todd | 16-9 | 5 |
| Sonoma | 1 | Beat Jason Rupert, Matt Hagan, Austin Prock, Daniel Wilkerson | 20-9 | 2 |
| Seattle | 9 | Beat Spencer Hyde; lost to J.R. Todd | 21-10 | 4 |
| Brainerd | 1 | Bye, beat Alexis DeJoria, J.R. Todd; lost to Matt Hagan | 24-11 | 2 |
| Indianapolis | 7 | Beat J.R. Todd; lost to Austin Prock | 25-12 | 4 |
| Martin | 16 | Beat Austin Prock, Daniel Wilkerson, J.R. Todd, Matt Hagan | 29-12 | 2 |
| Rockingham | 11 | Beat Chad Green; lost to Austin Prock | 30-13 | 2 |
| St. Louis | 7 | Beat Cruz Pedregon, Alexis DeJoria, Matt Hagan; lost to Austin Prock | 33-14 | 2 |
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