One Year After Top Fuel Return, Vandergriff Battles for Funny Car Title

Jordan Vandergriff enters the 72nd NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park firmly in Funny Car title contention.

Driving John Force’s Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS, he tackles the regular season finale before the Countdown to the Championship.

NHRA’s 75th anniversary celebrations heighten the stakes and spotlight at drag racing’s “Big Go.”

The rise is rapid. One year after a brief Top Fuel stand-in at Brainerd and Indy, he now fronts a full Funny Car campaign.

Results deliver credibility: wins at Valdosta and Sonoma, plus runner-up finishes at Epping and Brainerd.

Consistency places him second, seven points behind Matt Hagan, with Ron Capps and J.R. Todd close. The regular-season title pays $150,000 and defines playoff seeding.

After Indy, NHRA resets points for six Countdown rounds, rewarding regular-season form yet compressing gaps across the seeded contenders.

The Cornwell Tools group has translated 12,000-horsepower into repeatable performance across conditions, limiting errors and optimizing early incrementals.

That platform underpins his recent form and points climb, reflected in a Vandergriff Funny Car points update published earlier in the summer.

Operationally, qualifying is crucial. Four sessions from Friday to Sunday shape lane choice for Monday eliminations at a track that often evolves dramatically.

Fans get free parking all weekend. Qualifying airs on FS1, with Monday finals on FOX, broadening the audience reach.

Anniversary programming adds depth. Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Joe Amato, and Shirley Muldowney appear across the weekend.

Historic push-start cackle cars and Fuel Altereds run Friday and Sunday. The Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge continues its wheelstanding showcase.

Entry strength is notable, with big nitro fields at Indy complementing stacked Lucas Oil sportsman ladders.

Recent winners shape expectations. Justin Ashley won Top Fuel last year, and Erica Enders took a landmark 50th Pro Stock victory.

This season, Doug Kalitta and Greg Anderson set the pace in their classes, while Gaige Herrera surges in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

The paddock remains open. Pit access and the Manufacturers Midway provide meet-and-greets, displays, and merchandise.

Outlook for Vandergriff centers on execution. Clean launches, disciplined shutdowns, and lane management could convert pace into the regular-season crown.

Momentum would be valuable, yet a points reset ensures a finely balanced championship fight across six demanding playoff events.

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Nicholas Rivera

Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.