Sun, 23 Aug 2026, 13:04 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations

By Reporter

BRAINERD, Minn. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 44th annual NHRA Brainerd Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    5 Daniel Wilkerson                     3095 Bobby Bode                   
E1                   0.052  7.925 101.02     ****WINNER****  0.092  4.483 206.99
 Qualified:             #4  3.902 322.81                       #13  3.994 308.14

Weather conditions: air temperature 68 degrees, relative humidity 58 percent, barometer 30.07 inches, adjusted altitude 2,337 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.

Daniel Wilkerson is 0 - 2 against the Bode family. Bobby Bode beat Wilkerson in Rd. 1 at Indy in 2024.

Bode is 1 - 0 against Wilkerson in prior events.

Wilkerson with the starting line advantage, but was up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off.

Bode starts to get loose around half track, but holds on for the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  373 J.R. Todd                               9 Spencer Hyde                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.088  3.898 333.66                     0.080  7.852  77.86
 Qualified:             #5  3.903 327.66                       #12  3.988 284.93

J.R. Todd is 10 - 0 in Rd. 1 this year when he has lane choice. Spencer Hyde is 1 - 1 against Todd this year.

Todd is 3 - 1 against Hyde in prior events.

Hyde with the starting line advantage, but was dropping cylinders right at the hit and clicked it off.

Todd launched hard and kept it hooked to make his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. He will have lane choice over Bode in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   24 Jordan Vandergriff                         Bye
E1   ****WINNER****  0.083  6.044 110.47     
 Qualified:             #1  3.879 323.50                     Bye

Jordan Vandergriff's 21 round wins are tied for the most in FC this year (Capps). Since 2000 the #1 FC qualifier has won this race three times.

Vandergriff with the bye and he drives into tire smoke and clicks it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    1 Austin Prock                           34 Jack Wyatt                   
E1   ****WINNER****  0.060  3.947 327.27                     0.129 12.032  83.48
 Qualified:             #2  3.881 327.19                       #15  4.831 168.16

Austin Prock's 3.881 is his 2nd best qualifying run this year (3.863 at Norwalk). Jack Wyatt is making his 45th start.

Prock is 1 - 0 against Wyatt in prior events.

Prock with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win.

Wyatt with problems right at the hit and clicked it off

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   14 Matt Hagan                            703 Jim Campbell                 
E1   ****WINNER****  0.040  3.897 326.00                     0.105  9.727 112.27
 Qualified:             #3  3.899 326.40                       #14  4.297 215.93

Matt Hagan starts the day with 599 round wins. Only 4 FC drivers have won 600 or more rounds. Jim Campbell is making his 138th start.

Hagan is 7 - 2 against Campbell in prior events.

Hagan with the starting line advantage and make the quickest pass of race day. He makes his quickest pass of the weekend.

Campbell lost traction right at the hit and clicked it off.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    3 Jack Beckman                            7 Chad Green                   
E1                   0.068 No Time           ****WINNER****  0.086 No Time      
 Qualified:             #6  3.903 324.67                       #11  3.972 318.99

Jack Beckman set Low E/T in Seattle. He has set LET 40 times, tied for 6th most in FC. Chad Green is 1 - 2 against Beckman in Rd. 1

Beckman is 5 - 1 against Green in prior events.

Beckman with the starting line advantage, but then started to lose traction and pedaled it a couple times. The car was out the groove and then collected the centerline blocks to give Green the win. This is the second time Beckman has had a centerline violation, so this will cost him 20 points.

Green was up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off, but gets the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   71 Cruz Pedregon                          28 Ron Capps                    
E1                   0.101  3.919 319.98     ****WINNER****  0.082  3.934 325.14
 Qualified:             #7  3.906 320.51                       #10  3.930 322.27

The last time Ron Capps lost in Rd. 1 at 3 consecutive races was Phoenix, Pomona & Las Vegas, 2025. 3.906 is the best qualifying run for Cruz Pedregon since St. Louis last year. He beat Capps in Rd. 1 in Seattle.

Capps is 56 - 31 against Pedregon in prior events.

Capps with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win in a close one. Ron Capps' MOV: 0.0042 seconds (approximately 24 inches). He will have lane choice over Prock in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  771 Alexis DeJoria                        139 Dave Richards                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.075  3.927 328.14                     0.104  5.358 135.63
 Qualified:             #8  3.915 326.08                        #9  3.924 327.66

Alexis DeJoria qualified #8 and the #8 FC qualifier is 24 - 19 in Rd. 1 at this event. This is the 89th start for Dave Richards.

DeJoria and Richards have each won 4 times against the other in prior events.

DeJoria with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. She will have lane choice over Vandergriff in the next round.

Richards is up in smoke early and clicked it off.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink