| A longtime dream came true for Funny Car star Jordan Vandergriff, as he rolled to his first career NHRA win, defeating No. 1 qualifier J.R. Todd in the final round with run of 4.007 at 314.17 in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS. Immediately after winning for the first time – and doing so not far from the home for the Atlanta-area resident – Vandergriff popped out of his Funny Car and sprinted back up his lane, much like uncle Bob Vandergriff did after his victories in Top Fuel.
Vandergriff had been building to this, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Charlotte, and then putting together a strong raceday, taking out Jeff Arend, Spencer Hyde and Hunter Green to reach the final round. Vandergriff was the only driver to make four consistent runs on Sunday, going in the 3.90s in the first three rounds before another strong showing in the final round.
Racing in just his fifth event as a Funny Car driver for John Force Racing, it’s been a rapid ascent for Vandergriff, who has big hopes for the season and was thrilled to celebrate this moment on Sunday.
“I’m still kind of taking in just how special this is. This moment is something I thought of for a very long time, since my last final in 2019, when I lost to Billy Torrence in Dallas,” Vandergriff said. “You know, running up the track was something I always thought about doing because my uncle did it out of pure joy when he won his first, and I just had to do it. I was contemplating it in the car before the run, and I was like, I’m doing it, no matter what. Hopefully, this is just the first of many, and it’s a good one to start.”
Todd continues to perform well in 2026, advancing to the finals for the first time this season and the 50th time in his career thanks to round wins against Daniel Wilkerson and Alexis DeJoria. He also moved into the points lead, three points ahead of Ron Capps.
In Pro Stock, reigning world champion Dallas Glenn persevered on a challenging day in the class, getting a solid run in the championship round when he needed it, going 6.642 at 211.39 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to stop Troy Coughlin Jr.’s underdog run on Sunday.
Glenn picked up his second win of the season and the 23rd in his career, but this one was anything but conventional as the champ only made two clean runs on Sunday. He won a pedalfest in the opening round against Jeg Coughlin Jr. and again in the semifinals against Greg Stanfield, sandwiching a 6.587 at 210.34 in a second-round win against Matt Latino, who upset No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson in the opening round.
Glenn, the current points leader, and his KB Titan Racing team recovered from that to put together a quality run in the finals, leaving first on Coughlin and leading wire-to-wire to pick up the victory in front a capacity crowd.
“Today was definitely pretty weird. This is probably the weirdest elimination day of Pro Stock car that I can remember,” Glenn said. “I’ve seen bad rounds before, but never continuously all through the day. It’s a combination of the track not quite being what we’re used to and the air being really good. The air is good enough where we should be able to go 6.45 out here. It was not a good day to be a crew chief.
“I was shocked to win the way that I did, but as long as the planets aligned a little bit, with a little luck, that definitely played a role today. If anybody makes a clean run against me on either one of those two runs, first round, and semis, I’m dust.”
Coughlin, who qualified 15th, reached the final round for the first time this season with round wins against Eric Latino, Deric Kramer and Erica Enders.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Smith finished off a picture-perfect weekend on Sunday with his first victory of the 2026 season, defeating Richard Gadson in the final round with a run of 6.724 at 202.06 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell.
Smith and his team had qualified No. 1 at each of the first three races this season, but Sunday had been a different story until today, as Smith enjoyed a stellar day, including a run of 6.685 at 203.06 in a second-round victory against Chase Van Sant. He got past his wife, Angie, a round later to set up the matchup with the reigning world champion.
Gadson left first, but Smith, who was named to NHRA’s Top 75 Driver list before the season, tracked him down, showcasing a motorcycle that has been a step ahead of everyone in NHRA’s debut at South Georgia Motorsports Park. It led to Smith’s 43rd career win as he seeks a class-record seventh world championship this season.
“This is not only rewarding for me, but it’s just rewarding for our team, because we worked so hard this winter to find a little bit of power,” Smith said. “We found some power and we’re showing it. We’ve been No. 1 qualifier for three races in a row now. We just hadn’t shown up on Sunday and I’m glad we showed up today.
“We got our lucky break in the first round. I had a bye and as soon as I brought the engine up, the toggle switch on the fuel pump went out so we lost lane choice. As soon as I saw this [75th anniversary NHRA Wally trophy] I knew I wanted one. I’m glad we didn’t have to wait long to get it.”
Gadson, who remained in the points lead, advanced to his second final round this season after defeating Geno Scali, Clayton Howey and two-time world champion Gaige Herrera.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action May 14-17 with the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago.
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ADEL, Ga. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 41st annual NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park. The race is the fifth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Shawn Langdon; 2. Doug Kalitta; 3. Justin Ashley; 4. Clay Millican; 5. Leah Pruett; 6. Billy Torrence; 7. Maddi Gordon; 8. Antron Brown; 9. Shawn Reed; 10. Will Smith; 11. Cameron Ferre; 12. Josh Hart; 13. Tony Schumacher; 14. Dan Mercier; 15. Tony Stewart.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Jordan Vandergriff; 2. J.R. Todd; 3. Hunter Green; 4. Alexis DeJoria; 5. Chad Green; 6. Matt Hagan; 7. Spencer Hyde; 8. Daniel Wilkerson; 9. Austin Prock; 10. Cruz Pedregon; 11. Jeff Arend; 12. Jack Beckman; 13. Dave Richards; 14. Ron Capps.
PRO STOCK:
1. Dallas Glenn; 2. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 3. Greg Stanfield; 4. Erica Enders; 5. Matt Latino; 6. Deric Kramer; 7. Kenny Delco; 8. Brandon Miller; 9. Greg Anderson; 10. Aaron Stanfield; 11. Eric Latino; 12. Matt Hartford; 13. Shane Tucker; 14. Jeg Coughlin; 15. Cody Coughlin; 16. Cody Anderson.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Matt Smith; 2. Richard Gadson; 3. Gaige Herrera; 4. Angie Smith; 5. Clayton Howey; 6. John Hall; 7. Jianna Evaristo; 8. Chase Van Sant; 9. Ryan Oehler; 10. Steve Johnson; 11. Charles Poskey; 12. Geno Scali; 13. Kelly Clontz; 14. Marc Ingwersen; 15. Brayden Davis.
ADEL, Ga. — Sunday’s final results from the 41st annual NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park. The race is the fifth of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Shawn Langdon, 3.808 seconds, 333.16 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 3.954 seconds, 314.61 mph.
Funny Car — Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 4.007, 314.17 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.784, 169.89.
Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.642, 211.39 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.643, 208.59.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Matt Smith, Buell, 6.724, 202.06 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.834, 193.24.
Super Stock — Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 9.518, 134.51 def. Casey Smith, Ford Mustang, 8.902, 143.17.
Stock Eliminator — Michael Brand, Ford Mustang, 8.767, 151.83 def. Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 10.974, 119.06.
Super Comp — Sherman Adcock, Dragster, 8.888, 173.29 def. Lauren Freer, Dragster, 8.880, 186.59.
Super Gas — Tracy Barnes, Chevy Corvette, 9.920, 166.42 def. Chris Lewis, Chevy Camaro, 9.890, 168.35.
Top Dragster — James Brown, Dragster, 6.631, 202.85 def. Chris Roe, Dragster, 6.901, 194.02.
Pro Modified — Jason Collins, Chevy Camaro, 5.731, 252.99 def. Mike Thielen, Ford Mustang, 9.682, 93.34.
Junior Dragster Shootout — Matthew Petersen, Halfscale, 7.980, 76.32 def. Mila Figueroa, Mike Bos, 8.966, 71.32.
ADEL, Ga. — Final round-by-round results from the 41st annual NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park, the fifth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Antron Brown, 3.746, 331.94 def. Shawn Reed, 3.727, 333.58; Clay Millican, 3.812, 327.74 def. Tony Schumacher, 8.933, 83.50; Justin Ashley, 4.073, 254.81 def. Tony Stewart, 10.598, 66.69; Maddi Gordon, 3.728, 340.22 def. Will Smith, 4.056, 258.12; Doug Kalitta, 3.732, 338.94 was unopposed; Shawn Langdon, 4.151, 249.72 def. Cameron Ferre, 6.650, 103.35; Billy Torrence, 3.742, 335.82 def. Dan Mercier, 9.198, 88.29; Leah Pruett, 3.996, 287.78 def. Josh Hart, 7.296, 77.48;
QUARTERFINALS — Langdon, 3.812, 332.59 def. Brown, 13.197, 38.36; Millican, 5.026, 147.91 def. Torrence, 7.136, 142.97; Ashley, 4.035, 246.35 def. Gordon, 10.440, 80.96; Kalitta, 3.798, 333.00 def. Pruett, 3.864, 322.96;
SEMIFINALS — Langdon, 3.898, 316.90 def. Millican, 7.214, 82.81; Kalitta, 5.190, 288.58 def. Ashley, 5.450, 183.57;
FINAL — Langdon, 3.808, 333.16 def. Kalitta, 3.954, 314.61.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 3.925, 326.95 def. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 16.631, 35.73; Alexis DeJoria, Chevy Camaro, 3.946, 325.61 def. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 4.135, 237.80; Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.950, 330.63 def. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.154, 309.77; J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.944, 334.32 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.047, 303.30; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.988, 328.06 def. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 4.598, 183.24; Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.978, 322.81 def. Austin Prock, Mustang, 4.101, 319.82; Hunter Green, Charger, 4.007, 321.65 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, 6.470, 109.15;
QUARTERFINALS — H. Green, 4.076, 310.13 def. C. Green, 4.595, 184.77; Vandergriff, 3.956, 332.34 def. Hyde, 12.015, 63.76; DeJoria, 4.016, 314.68 def. Hagan, 10.211, 83.83; Todd, 3.972, 335.07 was unopposed;
SEMIFINALS — Todd, 6.188, 245.67 def. DeJoria, Foul – Centerline; Vandergriff, 3.964, 331.36 def. H. Green, 4.151, 306.53;
FINAL — Vandergriff, 4.007, 314.17 def. Todd, 4.784, 169.89.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 7.039, 209.23 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 8.137, 137.95; Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.568, 210.77 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 7.239, 186.12; Kenny Delco, Camaro, 7.079, 198.88 def. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 21.679, 34.14; Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 9.370, 142.96 def. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 10.485, 97.65; Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.532, 211.23 def. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 7.569, 203.46; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.609, 209.98 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.548, 211.23 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.512, 211.39; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.552, 211.33 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.584, 209.59;
QUARTERFINALS — Coughlin Jr., 6.632, 209.46 def. Kramer, 10.172, 96.03; Enders, 7.015, 208.84 def. Delco, 17.963, 44.36; Glenn, 6.587, 210.34 def. M. Latino, 6.562, 210.97; G. Stanfield, 7.345, 156.21 def. Miller, 24.517, 28.61;
SEMIFINALS — Coughlin Jr., 6.636, 206.83 def. Enders, 28.224, 22.05; Glenn, 8.121, 196.07 def. G. Stanfield, 8.437, 167.78;
FINAL — Glenn, 6.642, 211.39 def. Coughlin Jr., 6.643, 208.59.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE — Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.883, 196.96 def. Marc Ingwersen, Buell, 7.088, 191.38; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.779, 200.02 def. Brayden Davis, Buell, 9.392, 92.13; Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 7.091, 194.16 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 7.079, 157.65; Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.775, 199.58 def. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.806, 198.41; John Hall, 6.809, 200.74 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.907, 195.19; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.759, 201.40 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.940, 194.77; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.707, 199.52 def. Charles Poskey, Suzuki, 6.935, 195.53; Matt Smith, Buell, 24.124, 27.76 was unopposed;
QUARTERFINALS — A. Smith, 6.745, 198.96 def. Hall, 6.804, 200.80; M. Smith, 6.685, 203.06 def. Van Sant, 7.101, 170.00; Gadson, 6.770, 201.40 def. Howey, Foul – Red Light; Herrera, 6.775, 199.40 def. Evaristo, 6.847, 200.44;
SEMIFINALS — Gadson, 6.756, 201.46 def. Herrera, 6.783, 199.14; M. Smith, 6.729, 202.61 def. A. Smith, 6.867, 196.67;
FINAL — M. Smith, 6.724, 202.06 def. Gadson, 6.834, 193.24.
ADEL, Ga. — Point standings (top 10) following the 41st annual NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park, the fifth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
1. Shawn Langdon, 481; 2. Doug Kalitta, 477; 3. Leah Pruett, 352; 4. Tony Stewart, 332; 5. Josh Hart, 298; 6. Maddi Gordon, 296; 7. Justin Ashley, 280; 8. Billy Torrence, 244; 9. Clay Millican, 220; 10. Antron Brown, 218.
Funny Car
1. J.R. Todd, 411; 2. Ron Capps, 408; 3. Matt Hagan, 386; 4. Jordan Vandergriff, 383; 5. Chad Green, 340; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 297; 7. Spencer Hyde, 275; 8. Jack Beckman, 245; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, 201; 10. Dave Richards, 171.
Pro Stock
1. Dallas Glenn, 476; 2. Greg Anderson, 400; 3. Matt Hartford, 343; 4. Greg Stanfield, 326; 5. Matt Latino, 290; 6. Cody Coughlin, 289; 7. Erica Enders, 283; 8. Aaron Stanfield, 231; 9. Jeg Coughlin, 224; 10. Troy Coughlin Jr., 218.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Richard Gadson, 316; 2. Gaige Herrera, 265; 3. Matt Smith, 234; 4. John Hall, 204; 5. Clayton Howey, 201; 6. Angie Smith, 192; 7. Chase Van Sant, 178; 8. (tie) Jianna Evaristo, 136; Steve Johnson, 136; 10. Ryan Oehler, 124. |