CONCORD, N.C. (April 26, 2026) – Jack Beckman took advantage of a competitor’s misfortune in Round 2 of the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals to advance to the Funny Car final round and then went on to earn himself and his John Force Racing HendrickCars.com Chevrolet SS Funny Car team the runner-up spot at zMax Dragway near Charlotte.
Beckman’s John Force Racing teammates Jordan Vandergriff (Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car) and Alexis DeJoria (Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car) were second-round finishers and Top Fuel teammate Josh Hart (HendrickCars.com Dragster) bowed out in the first round of the lone three-round, 4-wide competition on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule.
The 2012 NHRA Funny Car World Champion spun the tires early and finished third in his second-round matchup with Matt Hagan, Vandergriff and Dave Richards but Richards’ car made contact with the retaining wall before crossing the finish line, forcing his disqualification and moving the HendrickCars.com team to the final round against Hagan, Ron Capps, and J.R. Todd.
Beckman had his best reaction time of the event (0.058) and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car ran 3.917 seconds at 329.50 mph but it wasn’t enough to get around Capps’ 3.905-second run at 334.90 mph. The runner-up finish is the team’s best showing in the season’s first four races and advanced them from 10th to eighth in the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car point standings.
“It was an eventful race day for John Force’s Funny Cars and it was really cool to get HendrickCars.com into our first final round of the year,” said Beckman. “We had a heck of a run: we had a great car, then we struggled. We found our car, then we struggled again but we were right where we needed to be in the final round. So, we’ll take a runner-up finish, we’ll take the points to go with that and we’ll move up in the standings some. That means when we unload five days from now, we know we have a car we can leave with the trophy there so we’re getting closer.”
Vandergriff was the quickest in his Round 1 quad, with the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car running 3.874 seconds at 326.63 mph to advance to the second round. The 4-Wide Nationals #2Fast2Tasty Challenge winner lined up against Hagan, Beckman and Richards but smoked the tires almost immediately, slowing to a run of 9.698 seconds at 72.35 mph. The team maintained fifth place in the point standings.
“That was definitely not what we were looking for there in the second round,” said Vandergriff. “It was maybe a little too much, a little too less, whatever it was. It’s a little disheartening when it shakes a little liked that. I checked all three lanes and was like, ’Okay, I might as well stay out of this one.’ But overall, it was a great weekend. Getting my first Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty win in a quad that included J.R. Todd, Matt Hagen, and Ron Capps was really huge for this Cornwell Quality Tools team. We have some momentum and we’re going to carry it into South Georgia next weekend.”
DeJoria was the second quickest in her Round 1 quad, with the Bandero Chevrolet SS Funny Car running 3.962 seconds at 324.36 mph. In her Round 2 matchup against Capps, Todd and Chad Green, she ran 3.980 seconds, but crossed the finish line at just 296.89 mph. The teamed moved up one spot, to sixth, in the point standings.
“The Bandero Chevy ran a little slower than we than we wanted to in the second round,” said DeJoria. “It didn’t drop a cylinder, but it was pushing me down track and I was getting really close to the center line. Luckily, it was at the very end of the run. I was giving the wheel input and it was just not reacting so, right before I thought I was going to cross the center line, I lifted and luckily missed it. In the end, it wouldn’t have mattered because we ran a 3.98. We’re doing good and just need to touch up on some areas to get going a little quicker. The performance is consistent. We’re getting down the racetrack. Now we just need to get to the finish line a little quicker.”
Hart was the low qualifier in his quad for the first round of eliminations, lining up against Tony Stewart, Billy Torrance and Tony Schumacher. The cars had performed their burnouts and were about to stage when a light rain at the top end forced NHRA to halt the proceedings. When racing resumed, the HendrickCars.com dragster ran 3.753 seconds at 333.16 mph, but it wasn’t enough against either Stewart’s, 3.727-second posting or Torrence’s 3.731-second run. Schumacher was unable to repair a mechanical issue that occurred as the cars were initially being shut off for the rain so he did not compete in the first round of eliminations.
“There are a lot of emotions on the starting line without all the extra chaos in that first round,” said Hart. “We’re running four wide, then we’re running three wide, then we’re running four wide again. I’m usually a lot better at focusing on what I have to do and usually we have a really, really strong car in those conditions but this time the combination, or lack thereof, in that realm put us out. I’m very disappointed for everyone involved with the HendrickCars.com program this weekend but I know that the John Force Racing group will get everything going again. I’ll refocus over the next couple of days and be ready when we get to Georgia next week.”
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after four of 20 races are: Doug Kalitta, 373; 2. Shawn Langdon, 350; 3. Leah Pruett, 297; 4. Tony Stewart, 296; 5. Josh Hart, 265; 6. Maddi Gordon, 238; 7. Justin Ashley, 208; 8. Billy Torrence, 187; 9. Antron Brown, 163; 10. Clay Millican, 146.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after four of 20 races are: 1. Ron Capps, 369; 2. Matt Hagan, 327; 3. J.R. Todd, 299; 4. Chad Green, 276; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, 262; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 235; 7. Spencer Hyde, 221; 8. Jack Beckman, 213; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, 170; 10. Dave Richards, 138.
NEXT RACE
The fifth of 20 races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the May 1-3 NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Ga.
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Beckman’s John Force Racing teammates Jordan Vandergriff (Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car) and Alexis DeJoria (Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car) were second-round finishers and Top Fuel teammate Josh Hart (HendrickCars.com Dragster) bowed out in the first round of the lone three-round, 4-wide competition on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule.
The 2012 NHRA Funny Car World Champion spun the tires early and finished third in his second-round matchup with Matt Hagan, Vandergriff and Dave Richards but Richards’ car made contact with the retaining wall before crossing the finish line, forcing his disqualification and moving the HendrickCars.com team to the final round against Hagan, Ron Capps, and J.R. Todd.
Beckman had his best reaction time of the event (0.058) and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car ran 3.917 seconds at 329.50 mph but it wasn’t enough to get around Capps’ 3.905-second run at 334.90 mph. The runner-up finish is the team’s best showing in the season’s first four races and advanced them from 10th to eighth in the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car point standings.
“It was an eventful race day for John Force’s Funny Cars and it was really cool to get HendrickCars.com into our first final round of the year,” said Beckman. “We had a heck of a run: we had a great car, then we struggled. We found our car, then we struggled again but we were right where we needed to be in the final round. So, we’ll take a runner-up finish, we’ll take the points to go with that and we’ll move up in the standings some. That means when we unload five days from now, we know we have a car we can leave with the trophy there so we’re getting closer.”
Vandergriff was the quickest in his Round 1 quad, with the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car running 3.874 seconds at 326.63 mph to advance to the second round. The 4-Wide Nationals #2Fast2Tasty Challenge winner lined up against Hagan, Beckman and Richards but smoked the tires almost immediately, slowing to a run of 9.698 seconds at 72.35 mph. The team maintained fifth place in the point standings.
“That was definitely not what we were looking for there in the second round,” said Vandergriff. “It was maybe a little too much, a little too less, whatever it was. It’s a little disheartening when it shakes a little liked that. I checked all three lanes and was like, ’Okay, I might as well stay out of this one.’ But overall, it was a great weekend. Getting my first Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty win in a quad that included J.R. Todd, Matt Hagen, and Ron Capps was really huge for this Cornwell Quality Tools team. We have some momentum and we’re going to carry it into South Georgia next weekend.”
DeJoria was the second quickest in her Round 1 quad, with the Bandero Chevrolet SS Funny Car running 3.962 seconds at 324.36 mph. In her Round 2 matchup against Capps, Todd and Chad Green, she ran 3.980 seconds, but crossed the finish line at just 296.89 mph. The teamed moved up one spot, to sixth, in the point standings.
“The Bandero Chevy ran a little slower than we than we wanted to in the second round,” said DeJoria. “It didn’t drop a cylinder, but it was pushing me down track and I was getting really close to the center line. Luckily, it was at the very end of the run. I was giving the wheel input and it was just not reacting so, right before I thought I was going to cross the center line, I lifted and luckily missed it. In the end, it wouldn’t have mattered because we ran a 3.98. We’re doing good and just need to touch up on some areas to get going a little quicker. The performance is consistent. We’re getting down the racetrack. Now we just need to get to the finish line a little quicker.”
Hart was the low qualifier in his quad for the first round of eliminations, lining up against Tony Stewart, Billy Torrance and Tony Schumacher. The cars had performed their burnouts and were about to stage when a light rain at the top end forced NHRA to halt the proceedings. When racing resumed, the HendrickCars.com dragster ran 3.753 seconds at 333.16 mph, but it wasn’t enough against either Stewart’s, 3.727-second posting or Torrence’s 3.731-second run. Schumacher was unable to repair a mechanical issue that occurred as the cars were initially being shut off for the rain so he did not compete in the first round of eliminations.
“There are a lot of emotions on the starting line without all the extra chaos in that first round,” said Hart. “We’re running four wide, then we’re running three wide, then we’re running four wide again. I’m usually a lot better at focusing on what I have to do and usually we have a really, really strong car in those conditions but this time the combination, or lack thereof, in that realm put us out. I’m very disappointed for everyone involved with the HendrickCars.com program this weekend but I know that the John Force Racing group will get everything going again. I’ll refocus over the next couple of days and be ready when we get to Georgia next week.”
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after four of 20 races are: Doug Kalitta, 373; 2. Shawn Langdon, 350; 3. Leah Pruett, 297; 4. Tony Stewart, 296; 5. Josh Hart, 265; 6. Maddi Gordon, 238; 7. Justin Ashley, 208; 8. Billy Torrence, 187; 9. Antron Brown, 163; 10. Clay Millican, 146.
The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after four of 20 races are: 1. Ron Capps, 369; 2. Matt Hagan, 327; 3. J.R. Todd, 299; 4. Chad Green, 276; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, 262; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 235; 7. Spencer Hyde, 221; 8. Jack Beckman, 213; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, 170; 10. Dave Richards, 138.
NEXT RACE
The fifth of 20 races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the May 1-3 NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Ga.
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