INDY - Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

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Mon, 07 Sep 2026, 11:03 AM

Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

INDIANAPOLIS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals:


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    9 Spencer Hyde                            6 Paul Lee                     
E1                   0.077  4.119 252.57     ****WINNER****  0.056  3.925 326.87
 Qualified:             #4  3.944 319.45                       #13  4.037 324.05

10:27 a.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 67 degrees, relative humidity 78 percent, barometer 30.11 inches, adjusted altitude 1,914 feet, track temperature 89 degrees.
Hyde is 2 - 0 against Lee in prior events.
Spencer Hyde is 16 - 16 in Rd. 1. Paul Lee is 0 - 2 against Hyde in Rd. 1.
Lee gets out of the gate first and starts pulling away. Hyde was falling back, started mixing up cylinders, then the car nosed over late in the run. Lee makes his first run in the 3's this weekend.

Paul Lee's incremental times: 60ft-0.885 sec., 330ft-2.258, 660ft-3.182/280.66 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Jack Beckman                          170 Jeff Arend                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.069  3.885 328.94                     0.094  4.019 320.28
 Qualified:             #3  3.937 326.79                       #14  4.076 303.78

Beckman is 22 - 5 against Arend in prior events.
Jack Beckman is 37 - 4 in Rd. 1 when #3. Jeff Arend is 4 - 11 against Beckman in Rd. 1 races.
Beckman gets the advantage off of the line and goes down the groove with the quickest pass of the weekend. Arend makes his quickest run this weekend but was falling behind all the way through the run.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.875 sec., 330ft-2.240, 660ft-3.148/284.62 mph.

Jeff Arend's incremental times: 60ft-0.909 sec., 330ft-2.321, 660ft-3.259/276.07 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Austin Prock                         8002 Julie Nataas                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.057  3.917 330.15                     0.087  4.515 195.85
 Qualified:             #2  3.921 317.87                       #15  4.089 309.70

Prock is 1 - 0 against Nataas in prior events.
Austin Prock is 40 - 11 (78.4%) in Rd. 1 in FC.
Prock gets off the line first, makes a good run, but was mixing up cylinders late in the run. Nataas was moving around early in the run and backed off of the throttle about 700 feet out.

Austin Prock's incremental times: 60ft-0.885 sec., 330ft-2.264, 660ft-3.181/283.91 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   28 Ron Capps                             241 John Smith                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.081  3.908 333.66                     0.063  4.759 181.74
 Qualified:             #1  3.914 332.18                       #16  4.089 305.36

Ron Capps's 1st race at this event was 1995 in TF. He is 36 - 3 in Rd. 1 when qualified #1.
John Smith qualified #16 and beat Capps in Rd. 1 at Gainesville this year.
Capps is 2 - 1 against Smith in prior events.
Smith gets out of the gate first but Capps reeled him in before they reached the sixty foot mark. Smith had problems about 800 feet out and the car nosed over, not sure why. Capps went down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

Ron Capps' incremental times: 60ft-0.880 sec., 330ft-2.258, 660ft-3.175/283.67 mph.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   14 Matt Hagan                           4494 Hunter Green                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.068  3.917 333.25                     0.120  4.002 322.65
 Qualified:             #5  3.947 331.77                       #12  4.024 313.95

Green is 1 - 0 against Hagan in prior events.
Other than the shortened year of 2020 Matt Hagan has won 3 or more races in 13 consecutive years.
Hunter Green is making his 14th start.
Hagan gets the holeshot and goes down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend. Green makes his quickest pass of the weekend in the loss.
Matt Hagan's incremental times: 60ft-0.881 sec., 330ft-2.252, 660ft-3.181/280.08 mph.
Hunter Green's incremental times: 60ft-0.907 sec., 330ft-2.310, 660ft-3.247/277.09 mph.

Hagan will have lane choice over Lee in the next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  771 Alexis DeJoria                          7 Chad Green                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.077  3.937 326.16                     0.064  3.977 321.73
 Qualified:             #6  3.947 329.26                       #11  4.002 317.87

Alexis DeJoria wins 60% of her Rd. 1 races when she has lane choice.
Chad Green beat DeJoria in the Final round at Gainesville this year.
Green is 5 - 3 against DeJoria in prior events.
Green gets the advantage off of the line, stays in front for about 300 feet, then DeJoria drives by and pulls away for the win with her quickest pass of the weekend.

Beckman will have lane choice over DeJoria in the next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   24 Jordan Vandergriff                    373 J.R. Todd                    
E1   ****WINNER****  0.044  3.908 331.61                     0.058  3.908 336.07
 Qualified:             #7  3.948 327.59                       #10  3.981 327.74

Vandergriff is 3 - 2 against Todd in prior events.
Jordan Vandergriff is 11 - 2 in Rd. 1 this year.
J.R. Todd set Top Speed in Brainerd, the 17th Top Speed of his career (and that's tied for 17th most in FC).
A good side-by-side, both down the groove with their quickest passes of the weekend. Vandergriff gets the holeshot, extends his lead until the 660 foot mark, then Todd started making up ground. todd continues to gain ground but ran out of racetrack.
Jordan Vandergriff's incremental margins: 60ft(0.010), 330 ft(0.015), 660ft(0.017). MOV: 0.0141 seconds (approximately 7 feet).
Jordan Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.894 sec., 330ft-2.266, 660ft-3.176/284.75 mph.
J.R. Todd's incremental times: 60ft-0.890 sec., 330ft-2.267, 660ft-3.179/284.99 mph.

Vandergriff will have lane choice over Prock in the next round.


 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   71 Cruz Pedregon                           5 Daniel Wilkerson             
E1                   0.156  5.071 145.63     ****WINNER****  0.081  3.942 324.59
 Qualified:             #8  3.970 319.98                        #9  3.974 321.96

Pedregon is 3 - 1 against Wilkerson in prior events.
Cruz Pedregon wins 72% of his Rd. 1 races when he has lane choice.
Daniel Wilkerson is 32 - 34 in Rd. 1.
Wilkerson gets the advantage off of the line then Pedregon starts making up ground. Pedregon gets about 400 feet out, hazes the tires, then has to give up on the run. Wilkerson pulls away with his quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.
Daniel Wilkerson's incremental margins: 60ft(0.063), 330 ft(0.058), 660ft(0.443). MOV: 1.2045 seconds (more than 100 feet).
Daniel Wilkerson's incremental times: 60ft-0.887 sec., 330ft-2.274, 660ft-3.196/281.66 mph.

Capps will have lane choice over Wilkerson in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink