John Force Racing Targets Big Wins At Inaugural NHRA Southern Nationals In Georgia

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series leaves the chaos of four-wide racing behind in Charlotte and heads south to Adel, Georgia for the NHRA Southern Nationals. John Force Racing will be at full strength in Georgia and all of its drivers are hunting for big wins in the Peach State.

Hart Wants To Get Back To Winning At SGMP

After a strong but ultimately short-lived run at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, Josh Hart and the John Force Racing Speedmaster Top Fuel team are heading to South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP) with one goal, bounce back and make history at the inaugural NHRA Southern Nationals.

The NHRA Southern Nationals return to the schedule in 2026 with a new home, and for drivers, that adds another layer of motivation.

“I like South Georgia Motorsports Park so I’m really happy that they’ve added it into the circuit. It’s just proof that NHRA is expanding. Nothing would be nicer than putting that inaugural trophy on my mantle.”

One of the biggest storylines heading into SGMP is the unknown. With this being the first NHRA national event at the facility, teams have little to no data to rely on. That uncertainty can shake up the field—and Hart sees it as an opportunity.

“You can do as much research as you want, but until you make that first run, you don’t really know what the track’s going to be capable of so it really levels the playing field.”

For a competitive team like Hart’s, that reset could be exactly what they need to make a move in the standings. Hart sits just outside the top four in points, within striking distance of drivers like Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett. A strong showing in Adel could quickly shift the standings, and reestablish his early-season momentum.

 Vandergriff Heads to South Georgia Hungry For A win

Jordan Vandergriff’s rookie Funny Car campaign has quietly turned into one of the more impressive storylines of the season. Through four races, he’s stacked together a series of strong performances: semifinal finishes at Gainesville and Pomona, a second-round showing at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, a Friday No. 1 qualifier at Pomona, and his first Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win in Charlotte.

Heading into Adel, Vandergriff has added motivation.

“The motivation for me is that it’s technically my home state race since I live up the road from Adel in Atlanta. It’s close to home and it’s close to my heart. It’s a new track so our Cornwall Quality Tools team will have to figure it out just like everybody else.”

That combination of familiarity and unknowns could play in his favor. While teams won’t have data to rely on, Vandergriff approaches a new track with a methodical mindset.

“With every track, especially South Georgia this year, I do a couple of things. I always go up and look at the starting line. I get views down both lanes, kind of crouch down and see where my eye line’s going to be. A big thing, too, is going down to the top end of the racetrack, seeing where the turnoffs are, and what the shutdown area looks like if there’s anything tricky or different down there, how big the gap is to get off the track. It’s the shutdown area, too. Everything, not just the racing surface, comes into account.”

 Vandergriff has already proven he can run with the top names in Funny Car. Now, at a brand-new venue with no clear advantage for any team, the opportunity is there to take the next step.A win in Adel would cement his place as a legitimate contender in the Funny Car ranks.

SGMP And DeJoria Have A History

For Alexis DeJoria, the NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park represents a return to a place that helped shape her early career.

Now, more than a decade removed from her first runs at the Georgia facility, DeJoria and the John Force Racing Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team head into the May 1–3 event with momentum, perspective, and a chance to make history at the track’s inaugural NHRA national event.

Long before she became a six-time NHRA Funny Car winner, DeJoria was making her mark in Top Alcohol Funny Car, and South Georgia Motorsports Park was part of that journey. Back in March of 2011, she qualified second at the NHRA Southeast Division event with a 5.446-second run at 267.91 mph and advanced to the semifinals before her day ended.

“I raced there but that was a long time ago. I only can remember my grandmother leaning against the fence watching me, both my grandma and my grandpa, God rest his soul. My grandma is turning 98 next month and my lasting memory is my grandparents looking through the fence, watching me run that car down the racetrack.”

With South Georgia Motorsports Park hosting its first NHRA national event, the stakes are elevated.

“I raced at South Georgia Motorsports Park back when I was in Top Alcohol Funny Car so I do have a little bit of history there. But, with it being the inaugural national event, everybody’s gonna want to win the very first one there. I’m very excited to go back to South Georgia and to have a new track on the NHRA national event schedule.”

A new track, a historic event, and a personal connection to the facility all combine to create a unique opportunity. If everything comes together, the weekend in Adel could add another memorable chapter to her career, this time, in a place that already means something special.

Beckman Ready To Build On Charlotte Success

Jack Beckman’s 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season didn’t start the way he wanted, but if the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals were any indication, the PEAK SQUAD may have found its footing at the perfect time.

Now, with a runner-up finish in Charlotte fueling momentum, Beckman heads to South Georgia Motorsports Park looking to capitalize at the inaugural NHRA Southern Nationals and continue his climb up the Funny Car standings.

Like every team in the field, Beckman enters the inaugural event at South Georgia Motorsports Park with limited data. But for him, that’s part of the appeal.

“I tested at South Georgia a couple times 15 years ago. A lot of people will ask about going into this certain racetrack, and the unique thing about drag racing is the racetracks aren’t all that unique… But they all have idiosyncrasies and unique characteristics.

“We have our tracks specialist, Lanny Miglizzy… But we don’t have notes on Valdosta so the great thing about that is it’s equal for everybody. We’re going to roll in to South Georgia and it’s gonna be new to all of us. For the first time in NHRA’s 75-year history, we have four national events on tracks that we have not raced NHRA national events on before so it’s going to be really interesting.”

Beyond the new venue, the return of the Southern Nationals itself carries weight.

“It’s a big deal. I raced in Atlanta (Commerce, Ga.) multiple times until the track closed but, as a kid growing up reading National Dragster, those places seemed faraway and legendary… Now we’re going to have the Southern Nationals at a different venue but I think it’s important to be in that marketplace. There are a lot of friendly folks in that area so I’m glad we’re giving them an opportunity to not have to travel as far to see us race.”

With momentum finally building and a new track presenting fresh opportunities, Beckman enters the Southern Nationals in a much different position than he did just one week ago.

The early-season struggles haven’t disappeared—but they’ve been replaced with something more important: confidence. And in a sport where thousandths of a second can decide everything, that might be the biggest advantage of all.