Chad Green has already proven twice this season that his CGM Funny Car program can finish the job on Sunday. Now, with the NHRA Countdown to the Championship drawing closer, the Texas businessman and racer wants to get back to that form at Brainerd International Raceway.
Green enters the NHRA Brainerd Nationals ranked sixth in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car standings after victories at the Gatornationals and Route 66 Nationals. The CGM team has used the three-week break between races to focus on the BP/Bond-Coat Ford Mustang and prepare for a strong finish to the regular season.
CGM Used The Break To Get Ready For The Championship Push
There are only a handful of opportunities left before the points reset for the six-race Countdown, so the last few regular-season events are about more than simply collecting another Wally. They are about making sure the entire program is ready for the most important part of the season.
Green says the CGM crew has spent plenty of time at its Indianapolis-area shop getting the Ford Mustang prepared for that stretch.
“We have been working really hard in the racing shop with a three-week break between races,” said Green. “It’s the back half of the season with the six-race Countdown coming up after Indy, and we want to be as ready as possible for the final swing. We need to win some more races to battle for the Funny Car World Championship.”
That’s the right mindset for a driver already sitting inside the top six. Green doesn’t need to prove his car can win. The two victories this season already took care of that. What the team needs now is another stretch of consistent elimination-round performance that can carry into the Countdown.
Green Wants To Turn Consistency Into Final-Round Results
The CGM Ford Mustang has been running consistently, but Green knows good numbers don’t matter nearly as much if they don’t turn into Sunday round wins.
That’s the area he wants to change at Brainerd.
“We thought running one car at Brainerd would help us as we collect parts for the Countdown and we’ll test on Monday to try some additional parts for the U.S. Nationals,” Green explained. “We have been running some consistent times lately, but we haven’t gotten to the final round recently. That is our plan at Brainerd. Looking for that third 2026 win now.”
That Monday test could prove just as important as the race itself. With the U.S. Nationals coming next and the Countdown following soon after, there isn’t much time left to experiment. Brainerd gives the team one more chance to race hard on the weekend, then use Monday to evaluate parts and combinations before Indianapolis.
One-Car Focus At Brainerd
Chad Green Motorsports has campaigned two Funny Cars through much of the 2026 season, but the operation will take a different approach at Brainerd. Only Green’s BP/Bond-Coat Ford Mustang will compete this weekend.
The decision gives the organization an opportunity to concentrate its resources on the primary car while also rebuilding parts inventory before the Countdown. Green’s son, Hunter, will return to the second CGM entry at the U.S. Nationals, driving the Bond-Coat Dodge//SRT Hellcat. That makes Brainerd something of a focused reset for the team before it returns to a two-car lineup at Indy.
Two Wins Have Kept Green In The Championship Conversation
Green has already put together one of the stronger seasons of his Funny Car career.
The Gatornationals victory gave CGM an early-season boost, and the Route 66 Nationals win proved the first trophy was no fluke. Those results have helped keep Green sixth in the standings and firmly in position to qualify for the Countdown. What happens next will determine whether he enters the playoffs simply as a participant or as a legitimate championship threat.
There’s a big difference between the two. The teams that enter the Countdown with a dependable tune-up, enough parts, and confidence from recent round wins are usually the ones that become dangerous when the points reset. That’s why the Brainerd weekend is about more than another race.
The NHRA Brainerd Nationals arrive at exactly the right time for Chad Green Motorsports. The team had three weeks to work in the shop. It will run a single-car program at Brainerd to concentrate resources. Then it will stay over Monday to test additional parts before heading toward the U.S. Nationals.
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