Jordan Vandergriff arrived at New England Dragway with eight Funny Car races on his resume. He’ll head into Sunday’s eliminations from the top spot after earning the first No. 1 qualifier of his career Saturday at the NHRA New England Nationals.
Joining Vandergriff atop their respective qualifying ladders were Shawn Langdon [Top Fuel] and Greg Anderson [Pro Stock]. Vandergriff, Doug Kalitta [Top Fuel] and Anderson added Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victories Saturday.
Vandergriff’s 3.913, 323.58 run in the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS moved him past teammates Alexis DeJoria and Jack Beckman in the final qualifying session. The run secured John Force Racing the first three spots on the Funny Car ladder.
DeJoria held the provisional No. 1 position after Friday’s sessions. Beckman took the spot away in the final qualifying round – but only until Vandergriff countered with the quickest Funny Car run of the weekend.
Looking for his second national event victory of the season, Vandergriff will open eliminations against Jeff Arend.
“Right now, we’re the best three Funny Cars on the property,” said Vandergriff. “Jack Beckman has helped me a lot with driving, and Alexis DeJoria has helped me with handling the emotions. Having teammates like that is huge. To be eight races into my Funny Car career with two Mission wins, a Wally, and now a No. 1 qualifier – it’s pretty incredible.”
Beckman qualified second at 3.921, 327.35, with DeJoria third at 3.929, 312.42.
Langdon came to Epping with three straight victories and four wins in the last six races. He’ll start Sunday from the No. 1 position for the second consecutive event.
His first run Friday of 3.77 set the early pace, and he bettered that in the night session with a 3.709, 334.98 in the Kalitta Air dragster.
“The focus is getting everything back to normal and going rounds,” Langdon said. “The main thing is outrunning the winner of the 8-9 matchup and keeping lane choice for the second round. The great thing about this team is that if Doug wins, we win. If I win, we win. We have two really good race cars and we’re all pulling in the same direction.
“We learned something from that run and that’s valuable. We’ll take the information, come back tomorrow, and try to put ourselves in a position to win the race.”
Leah Pruett qualified second at 3.712, 335.73, with Josh Hart third at 3.724, 337.92.
Kalitta added another Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory to the Kalitta Motorsports total Saturday. He defeated Langdon in the final round with a 3.776, 333.82. Kalitta and Langdon have combined to win five of the six Mission Challenge races contested this season.
“We missed the run last night in the money round, but we recovered really well today. We got down the track in the first session and then stayed hooked up in that final session when it got pretty tricky,” Kalitta said.
“The Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge is a great deal for the fans. It’s a great idea, and Shawn and I have both been fortunate enough to win a few of them. It’s definitely nice to come away with a win.
“The Mission race adds something extra. It raises the intensity and gives you another opportunity to practice under real race conditions.”
Greg Anderson ended Saturday with two trophies and the quickest Pro Stock car on the grounds. The six-time champion earned his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
Anderson’s Friday pass of 6.508, 210.67, remained untouched through Saturday’s final qualifying session. He wrapped up his duties Saturday by defeating Troy Coughlin Jr. in the final round of the Mission Challenge race, marking his second victory in the specialty event this season.
“I did not do a great job as a driver, but I think I did a good job with the shifting. The racecar bailed me out today,” Anderson said. “You can’t win without some good luck. It doesn’t matter how good your car runs or how well you drive, you have to have some fortunate breaks.
“I believe I’ve had the fastest car all year long and it’s bailed me out a lot of times. Sometimes you win by your driving, sometimes you win by horsepower. Today, horsepower got the job done. We’ve got some homework to do before tomorrow. I feel like I have the racecar that can win tomorrow. We just need to figure out a couple of things.”
Matt Latino qualified second with a 6.525, 210.77, and Eric Latino was third with a 6.534, 210.57.
For the second consecutive Saturday, NHRA racing drew a sellout crowd. Fans jammed into New England Dragway just as they had a week ago at the Potomac Nationals in Maryland. Saturday’s Epping crowd represented the fifth in NHRA’s 75th anniversary season. The season-opening Gatornationals and both weekend days at South Georgia Motorsports Park also reached capacity.
“New England Dragway fans are known for being one of the best on the NHRA circuit, and we couldn’t agree more,” said New England Dragway president Paul Lorenti. “To see a sold-out Saturday crowd during our 60th season and NHRA’s 75th anniversary is truly special.
“Thank you to our fans, racers, teams, sponsors and staff for making the NHRA New England Nationals such an exciting weekend. We’re proud to host our 13th NHRA national event and even prouder to call New England home.”
NHRA officials also announced an earlier start for Sunday’s eliminations because of concerns about the weather forecast. Spectator gates open at 8 a.m. First round for Top Fuel is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EDT, followed by the Funny Car and Pro Stock categories.
#2FAST2TASTY – VANDERGRIFF GETS ANOTHER MISSION WIN, JOINING KALITTA AND ANDERSON AS MULTI-WINNERS
Jordan Vandergriff has spent most of 2026 proving he belongs. On Saturday at New England Dragway, he proved he can win, securing his first career No. 1 qualifier and a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory in front of a sellout crowd at the NHRA New England Nationals.
Joining Vandergriff in Saturday’s winner’s circle were Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), who also claimed Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victories at the Epping, N.H., track.
For months, Vandergriff, the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet driver, has shown flashes of the talent that made him one of drag racing’s most anticipated Funny Car prospects. Saturday delivered the first major payoff.
Vandergriff defeated points leader Ron Capps in the final round of the specialty event, running 3.913 seconds at 323.58 mph to beat Capps’ 3.953, 328.14. The performance also secured the top qualifying position heading into Sunday’s eliminations.
The accomplishment continued a banner weekend for John Force Racing, which locked down the top three qualifying positions in Funny Car. At a time when every round carries championship implications, the organization once again demonstrated its depth.
“Right when I crossed the finish line and the parachutes hit, I thought, ‘God, that felt quick.’ To get the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win and the No. 1 qualifier in the same day is unbelievable,” Vandergriff said.
“I never thought I was going to get one of these No. 1 qualifier hats, but now I’ve got one. We’re one, two, and three [in qualifying]. That’s a testament to John Force, what he’s built, the equipment he has, and the people he has working for him.”
For Vandergriff, the No. 1 slot arrives at a point in the season where confidence and experience are beginning to merge.
While Vandergriff celebrated a career milestone in Funny Car, the familiar battle between Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon continued to characterize the Top Fuel category. The two Kalitta Motorsports teammates have turned the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge into their own private rivalry.
Kalitta defeated Langdon in the final round with a run of 3.776, 333.82, in his Mac Tools dragster as his opponent smoked the tires. The victory marked his third Challenge win of the season.
Together, Kalitta and Langdon have captured five of the six Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge events this year. Their dominance mirrors what they accomplished a season ago and has become one of the most consistent storylines in Top Fuel competition.
“We missed the run last night in the money round, but we recovered really well today. We got down the track in the first session and then stayed hooked up in that final session when it got pretty tricky,” Kalitta said.
“The Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge is a great deal for the fans. It’s a great idea, and Shawn and I have both been fortunate enough to win a few of them. It’s definitely nice to come away with a win. The Mission race adds something extra. It raises the intensity and gives you another opportunity to practice under real race conditions.”
If Kalitta’s victory represented business as usual in Top Fuel, Greg Anderson’s performance served as another reminder that the veteran racer remains a weekly threat in Pro Stock. Experience continues to matter in a category where races are often decided by thousandths of a second.
Anderson claimed his second Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory of the season with a 6.545, 209.17 run in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. He tracked down Troy Coughlin Jr. despite surrendering a sizable advantage of .044 seconds at the starting line.
The win also complemented Anderson’s No. 1 qualifying effort and positioned him for a potential weekend sweep.
Coughlin left first and briefly held the advantage, but Anderson’s car did what Anderson’s cars have done for decades — pull hard through the finish line and let the scoreboard settle the argument.
