Jordan Vandergriff and Cornwell Tools Achieve Michigan Miracle in NHRA Great Lakes Nationals Win

Highlights

Jordan Vandergriff won the inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals.
Victory marked Vandergriff’s third 2026 Countdown to Championship win.
No. 16 qualifier won this race for the first time in 23 years.
Jack Beckman set fastest Funny Car run of 2026 season.
Next event: NHRA Nationals at Rockingham, September 25-27.
Event delayed by rain but completed with intense competitive racing.

Jordan Vandergriff delivers the inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals Funny Car victory for Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS, prevailing after rain-disrupted eliminations and intense competition.

It is his third win of 2026 and a timely Countdown strike. From No. 16 on the qualifying sheets, he becomes the first to win from there in 23 years.

Weather pushes eliminations back, but momentum shifts when Austin Prock red-lights against Vandergriff in Round 1, handing the No. 16 car a reprieve during a rain-affected schedule that reshaped Sunday running.

Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team celebrate at the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals — Image Credit: Drag Illustrated

Vandergriff then outpaces Daniel Wilkerson in Round 2, 3.871 seconds to 3.911, a composed and efficient run that confirms the team’s improving handle on conditions.

Vandergriff’s 3.858s at 329.43 mph stands as the event’s fastest Funny Car pass.

The semifinal is razor-thin. Vandergriff posts 3.896 to J.R. Todd’s 3.899, edging the lane by thousandths to book a place in the final.

Matt Hagan wins the launch in the decider, but strikes the tires. Vandergriff keeps it straight and fires a 3.858 at 329.43 mph to seal victory.

Cornwell Tools team in action during the inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals — Image Credit: John Force Racing

Post-race, Vandergriff credits the crew for diagnosing a persistent issue and stabilizing performance. The focus now shifts to consistency as his Funny Car points bid intensifies in the Countdown.

First No. 16 qualifier to win an NHRA national event in 23 years.

Jack Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS outfit headline performance metrics. He clocks 3.832 at 337.08 mph in Round 1, the season’s fastest Funny Car run and his career-best pass.

Beckman follows with 3.841 in Round 2, then loses a semifinal to Hagan on a holeshot, despite near-identical numbers, underlining competitive parity among the frontrunners.

Beckman records the season’s quickest Funny Car run: 3.832s at 337.08 mph.

Alexis DeJoria advances from Round 1 after Hunter Green’s misfortune, but tire shake in Round 2 forces an early pedal, conceding to Hagan as conditions tighten.

In Top Fuel, Josh Hart starts strongly but encounters tire problems in Round 2. He targets a reset at the NHRA Nationals at Rockingham Dragway after a difficult Sunday.

This was round 16 of 20 on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series calendar. The Rockingham event runs September 25–27 and shapes an increasingly pivotal phase of the Countdown.

Visual Summary

FINISH

QUAL

✨

3.858s
@329mph
💥

Championship

Countdown

HISTORIC SHOCK

First No.16 Qualifier to Win
Here in 23 Years

Vandergriff blazes from the bottom to the top on a rain-soaked day.

FASTEST BLAST

Beckman’s 3.832s run:
Quickest of 2026

Falls to Hagan in semis on reaction time heartbreak.

Matt Hagan
Lost Traction

🏁

J. Vandergriff
Victory!

Against the rain.
Against the odds.
Vandergriff launches himself into championship contention.

Rockingham awaits: The battle is just heating up.

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.