Wed, 29 Jul 2026, 10:44 AM Despite Strong Funny Car Runs at the NHRA Northwest Nationals

Courtesy of Tom Blattler, TB Communications Chad Green & Blake Alexander Suffer First Round Losses Sunday

Green and Alexander clock low 3.90-second passes in qualifying and eliminations

Chad Green

• The CGM Funny Car tandem of Chad Green and Blake Alexander enjoyed solid low 3.90-second runs at the NHRA Northwest Nationals but suffered first round losses Sunday

• Green, the businessman/racer Midland, Tex., ranked sixth in the national NHRA Mission Funny Car points entering the Seattle area event in the CGM Rottler Ford Mustang

• Green posted a solid 3.908-second to start fifth in the tough 16-car field at Pacific Raceways in Sunday's eliminations, but the Ford smoked the rear tires in the opening round

• Alexander, at the wheel of the Pronto Auto Services Dodge//SRT Hellcat, gave four-time world champion Matt Hagan a strong battle but was nipped at the finish line, 3.93 to 3.94

Chad Green

KENT, Wash. - The performance record for Funny Car drivers Chad Green and Blake Alexander this weekend at the popular NHRA Northwest Nationals drag races showed impressive 3.90s at Pacific Raceways.

Unfortunately, those strong runs didn't help the two Chad Green Motorsports racers in the first round of eliminations Sunday in the Northwest's biggest drag racing event of the year. Both Green and Alexander lost their opening matchups after entering the event with solid qualifying efforts.

Green, the 2026 Gatornationals and Route 66 Nationals Funny Car champion, qualified his potent CGM Rottler Ford Mustang in the fifth position with 3.908 seconds at 327.59 miles per hour.

However, as the favorite against veteran Paul Lee, Green had lane choice in the cooler temperatures, but the nitro-burning machine smoked the rear tires immediately off the starting line and Lee had an easy win. Despite the first-round loss, Green remains sixth in the NHRA Mission Funny Car points entering the next NHRA event, the Brainerd (Minn.) Nationals on Aug. 21-23.

"We need to check out the car after that first round," said Green. "We didn't expect to smoke the tires in the cooler conditions. We are getting closer to the Countdown after Brainerd and Indy, and we want to be ready to run for championship. Our crew will go through the parts now."

Blake Alexander

Alexander, back in the driver's seat in his 12,000-horsepower missile, came out quickly in Friday's qualifying with a sub-4 second run and produced a near upset in the first round of the Northwest Nationals competition on Sunday. The Charlotte-based driver had the tough chore of going against four-time world champion Matt Hagan in round one.

And Alexander gave the defending Northwest Nationals winner all he could handle with a strong 3.946-second pass to Hagan's 3.936.

Green brings his CGM Bond-Coat Ford Mustang to the Brainerd Nationals with nitro qualifying at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. CDT on Friday (Aug. 21). Saturday's (Aug. 22) qualifying will take place at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. CDT, with final eliminations on Sunday (Aug. 23) at 11 a.m. CDT. Fox Sports 1 network will telecast Sunday's eliminations at 8:30 p.m. EDT/5:30 p.m. PDT.

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