Sun, 18 Oct 2026, 13:58 PM Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations |
By Dave Rowe |
ENNIS, Texas - Results of round 1 eliminations in Funny Car at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 373 J.R. Todd 9 Spencer Hyde E1 ****WINNER**** 0.057 3.940 329.60 0.089 3.917 324.00 Qualified: #5 3.874 337.13 #12 3.922 323.9312:25 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 64 degrees, relative humidity 56 percent, barometer 30.36 inches, adjusted altitude 761 feet, track temperature 100 degrees.
J.R. Todd has recorded Top Speed 20 times in the Funny Car class, with 10 of those performances coming this year.
Spencer Hyde is 1-3 against Todd this year.
Todd is 5 - 1 against Hyde in prior events.
A good side-by-side, both down the groove with all the candles lit. Todd gets the advantage off of the line but Hyde starts making up ground quickly. Hyde pulls even at the 660 foot mark, then Todd is able to pull away and takes the stripe for the win.
J.R. Todd's
incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(0.030), 330 ft(0.014), 660ft(0.000). MOV: 0.0090 seconds
(approximately 4 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 771 Alexis DeJoria 139 Dave Richards E1 ****WINNER**** 0.083 3.902 331.56 0.091 3.953 332.84 Qualified: #4 3.873 333.09 #13 3.925 333.68Alexis DeJoria has won 18 rounds this year, compared with 12 for the entire 2025 season.
Over the last 20 years, the No. 13 Funny Car qualifier has a 4-16 Round 1 record at this event.
DeJoria is 5 - 4 against Richards in prior events.
DeJoria gets the holeshot and extends her lead all the way through the run. Richards keeps her honest, going right down the groove with a clean straight pass.
DeJoria will have lane
choice over Todd in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 14 Matt Hagan 4494 Hunter Green E1 ****WINNER**** 0.064 3.918 332.20 0.096 9.466 91.42 Qualified: #2 3.855 334.80 #15 3.985 321.31This is the third time Matt Hagan has qualified No. 2 based on speed and the first time since 2017. His 615 round wins rank fifth all-time in the Funny Car class.
Hunter Green is making his 16th career start and his seventh start this year.
Hagan and Green have each won 1 times against the other in prior events.
Green goes up in smoke at the hit and is off of the throttle before he gets 100 feet out. Hagan goes
straight down the groove with a good pass to take the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 121 Terry Haddock 3 Jack Beckman E1 0.148 4.000 315.21 ****WINNER**** 0.082 3.884 335.12 Qualified: #16 4.033 310.97 #1 3.852 330.13Jack Beckman is 33-3 in Round 1 when he qualifies No. 1.
The last time the No. 16 Funny Car qualifier won a round at this event was in 1990, when T. Grose accomplished the feat.
Beckman is 8 - 0 against Haddock in prior events.
Beckman gets out of the gate first, makes the quickest pass of the round so far, and extends his lead all the way through the run. Haddock made a little move to the left just before the finish line but he still makes his quickest pass of the weekend.
Jack Beckman's incremental times: 60ft-0.873 sec.,
330ft-2.241, 660ft-3.151/285.42 mph.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Austin Prock 71 Cruz Pedregon
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.063 3.883 331.74 0.098 3.897 326.61
Qualified: #14 3.930 300.20 #3 3.855 323.83
This is the second time Cruz Pedregon has qualified No. 3 based on speed, with the first occurring in
2022. Austin Prock swept this event in 2025 and is 3-0 against Cruz in Round 1.
Prock is 6 - 1 against Pedregon in prior events.
A good side-by-side, both down the groove with clean, straight passes. Prock gets the advantage off of the line, Pedregon made up a little ground early, but Prock hung on and took the stripe for the win.
Austin Prock's incremental margins: 60ft(0.047), 330 ft(0.043), 660ft(0.043). MOV: 0.0490
seconds (approximately 23 feet).
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 256 Blake Alexander 24 Jordan Vandergriff E1 0.074 3.913 332.47 ****WINNER**** 0.064 3.877 338.37 Qualified: #11 3.914 327.92 #6 3.881 333.83Jordan Vandergriff wins 94% of his Round 1 races when he has lane choice.
Blake Alexander is 1-7 in Round 1 this year.
This is the first time Alexander and Vandergriff have faced each other in eliminations.
Another good drag race, both with weekend best runs. Vandergriff gets the holeshot, then starts pulling away after they get past the 330 foot mark. Alexander runs his quickest of the year in the loss and Vandergriff runs a career best speed in the win.
Jordan Vandergriff's incremental times: 60ft-0.887 sec., 330ft-2.258, 660ft-3.153/290.66 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
6 Paul Lee 5 Daniel Wilkerson
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.043 4.095 255.87 -0.112 15.435 61.91
Qualified: #10 3.912 328.37 #7 3.896 329.98
Daniel Wilkerson is 13-17 this year, while Paul Lee is 8-8.Wilkerson is 4 - 3 against Lee in prior events.
It sounded like Wilkerson may have double-stepped it leaving the line and he goes red. Lee was on a decent pass but he lost traction about 800 feet out and had to back off of the throttle.
Wilkerson will have
lane choice over Prock in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 28 Ron Capps 7 Chad Green E1 ****WINNER**** 0.082 3.922 330.11 0.080 3.976 299.72 Qualified: #8 3.899 324.61 #9 3.910 330.32Ron Capps has five round wins in his last seven races.
Since Brainerd, Chad Green is 0-4 in Round 1.
Capps is 9 - 5 against Green in prior events.
A coin flip off of the line, Capps gets out in front early. Green gets close at the 660 foot mark, then it looks like he may have started hazing the tires and the car drifted to the left.
Beckman will have lane choice over Capps in the next round.
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