BROWNSBURG, Ind. (July 29, 2026) – Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team will represent John Force Racing for the opportunity to earn the King of Nitro title at the 49th annual Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire on July 31 – Aug. 1 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
The unique nitro racing all-star event will showcase four of the best Funny Car teams and four of the best Top Fuel teams first racing in their own categories. The winner from each category will then go head-to-head in a Funny Car versus Top Fuel final round to determine who will be named the King of Nitro and take home the lion’s share of the $430,000 guaranteed purse.
The Funny Car banner will be held by Vandergriff, Ron Capps, Spencer Hyde, and Cruz Pedregon while Top Fuel will be represented by Antron Brown, Maddi Gordon, Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican.
“The King of Nitro title is on the line and I’ll be there representing John Force Racing and Cornwell Quality Tools against some of the best Funny Car and Top Fuel drivers in the world,” said Vandergriff. “It’s racing without all the pressure of earning NHRA championship point. We’re going to have a lot of fun and go fast but there’s also $430,000 on the line so we won’t be holding back. I want to be known as the King of Nitro at the end of Saturday night.
“I have never attended the Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire but, from everything I’ve heard, it’s quite the spectacle. It’s the show that everybody wants to see. The Bader family packs the house, has an unbelievable fireworks show, and does a fantastic job with everything else.”
Vandergriff is currently fourth in the 2026 NHRA Funny Car point standings after 12 of 20 races. With two races remaining in the regular season, they’re just 12 points behind J.R. Todd in third place, 17 behind John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman in second, and 54 to leader Capps.
This year’s Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire will have a global audience for the first time via live stream on FloRacing.
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The unique nitro racing all-star event will showcase four of the best Funny Car teams and four of the best Top Fuel teams first racing in their own categories. The winner from each category will then go head-to-head in a Funny Car versus Top Fuel final round to determine who will be named the King of Nitro and take home the lion’s share of the $430,000 guaranteed purse.
The Funny Car banner will be held by Vandergriff, Ron Capps, Spencer Hyde, and Cruz Pedregon while Top Fuel will be represented by Antron Brown, Maddi Gordon, Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican.
“The King of Nitro title is on the line and I’ll be there representing John Force Racing and Cornwell Quality Tools against some of the best Funny Car and Top Fuel drivers in the world,” said Vandergriff. “It’s racing without all the pressure of earning NHRA championship point. We’re going to have a lot of fun and go fast but there’s also $430,000 on the line so we won’t be holding back. I want to be known as the King of Nitro at the end of Saturday night.
“I have never attended the Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire but, from everything I’ve heard, it’s quite the spectacle. It’s the show that everybody wants to see. The Bader family packs the house, has an unbelievable fireworks show, and does a fantastic job with everything else.”
Vandergriff is currently fourth in the 2026 NHRA Funny Car point standings after 12 of 20 races. With two races remaining in the regular season, they’re just 12 points behind J.R. Todd in third place, 17 behind John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman in second, and 54 to leader Capps.
This year’s Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire will have a global audience for the first time via live stream on FloRacing.
###
Continue reading...
