Jordan Vandergriff bags first Wally
- Jordan Vandergriff won Funny Car at the NHRA Southern Nationals on May 3 in Adel, Georgia, beating J.R. Todd for his first pro Wally. (nhra.com) - The John Force Racing rookie ran 4.007 seconds at 314.17 mph in the final, capping a weekend that followed his first #2Fast2Tasty win. (draglist.com) - It matters because Vandergriff is brand-new to JFR’s Funny Car seat and already turning early promise into a real NHRA event win. (nhra.com)
Funny Car racing is brutal on rookies. The cars are violent, the field is deep, and even getting to a final can take forever. That’s why Jordan V(nhra.com)last round at South Georgia Motorsports Park — he beat J.R. Todd and grabbed the first professional Wally of his career. (nhra.com)## What happened in Georgia? Vandergriff won Funny Car at the 41st NHRA Southern Nationals in Adel, Georgia, one of four pro-class vi(nhra.com)ck Motorcycle. The Funny Car final was the headline for him — a 4.007-second run at 314.17 mph that held off Todd and turned a promising start to 2026 into a real event win. (nhra.com) ### Why is “first Wally” a big deal? A Wally is the NHRA’s event trophy, and drivers talk about it li(nhra.com)pro category — back in Top Fuel in 2019 — and he left that race without the trophy. This time he closed it out. That changes the story from “talented new driver” to “winner.” (johnforceracing.com) ### Why does Vandergriff count as a rookie here? Because this is his first season driving Funny Car for John Force Racing, and that (nhra.com)cember 2025. He arrived with nitro experience, but not with a full Funny Car résumé at this level. So even though he isn’t new to drag racing, he is new to this seat, this category, and this spotlight. (nhra.com) ### How fast has this come together? Pretty fast, honestly. NHRA’s own driver page already(johnforceracing.com)and a win in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Charlotte before this weekend. The Southern Nationals trophy looks like a breakthrough, but it also looks like the next step in a climb that was already underway. (nhra.com) ### Why does John Force Racing matter so much? Because JFR is not a small team hoping to catch one lucky break. It’s one of the sport’s powerhouse operations, with a huge h(nhra.com)ets judged quickly. Vandergriff’s result matters because it suggests the team’s bet on him is paying off almost immediately, not in some vague “give it a year” way. (johnforceracing.com) ### What did he actually beat? He beat a stacked Funny Car field and then finished the job against Todd, who started the event as the No. 1 qualifier. That matters because first wins can sometimes come(nhra.com)nt at a national event in front of a sellout crowd. Basically, nobody has to squint at this result to make it look legitimate. (draglist.com) ### So where does this leave him? It leaves Vandergriff looking less like a development project and more like a real factor in the 2026 Funny Car season. One trophy does not make a title run, but first wins o(johnforceracing.com) class and starts threatening it. For a new JFR driver in May, that’s a very good place to be. (nhra.com)
