The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series made its highly anticipated debut at South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP), and the inaugural NHRA Southern Nationals delivered a weekend packed with record-breaking performance, milestone victories, and breakout moments.
Langdon Backs Up Record Run With Victory
Langdon grabbed national attention on Friday with a blistering 345.00-mph pass, the fastest run in NHRA history. But the Kalitta Air driver didn’t stop there. He followed it up with a consistent and calculated performance on race day, defeating teammate Doug Kalitta in the final round to secure his second win of the 2026 season.
Langdon’s final-round run of 3.808 seconds at 333.16 mph was enough to hold off Kalitta, who posted a 3.954-second pass.
“This is very satisfying. I mean, it’s always a good weekend when you can wake up in the morning and feel like you can win,” Langdon said. “A lot of hard work went into the offseason of trying to improve a lot of things with their car and it’s paying big dividends right now. All three Kalitta cars are fantastic right now.
“You get a little taste of 345 [mph] and then today, it was different. You had to check your ego a bit and understand that you have to make changes and take what the racetrack gives you. I didn’t exactly particularly like that scenario [ of racing Doug in the final] because I wasn’t really hitting the tree well today, but we got it done.”
The win pushed Langdon into the Top Fuel points lead, edging out Kalitta in what’s shaping up to be a tight championship battle.
Vandergriff Breaks Through With First Funny Car Win
One of the biggest stories of the weekend came in Funny Car, where Jordan Vandergriff earned his first career NHRA victory in just his fifth start with John Force Racing. Vandergriff defeated No. 1 qualifier J.R. Todd in the final round with a 4.007-second run at 314.17 mph in his Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car.
The moment was emotional, and memorable, as Vandergriff celebrated by running up the track, honoring a tradition made famous by his uncle.
“I’m still kind of taking in just how special this is. This moment is something I thought of for a very long time, since my last final in 2019, when I lost to Billy Torrence in Dallas,” Vandergriff said. “You know, running up the track was something I always thought about doing because my uncle did it out of pure joy when he won his first, and I just had to do it. I was contemplating it in the car before the run, and I was like, I’m doing it, no matter what. Hopefully, this is just the first of many, and it’s a good one to start.”
Vandergriff’s path to victory included wins over Jeff Arend, Spencer Hyde, and Hunter Green, showcasing consistency with multiple 3.90-second runs throughout eliminations.
Dallas Glenn Survives Chaos In Pro Stock
Pro Stock saw one of the most unpredictable elimination days in recent memory, but reigning world champion Dallas Glenn rose to the occasion. Glenn captured his second win of the season, and the 23rd of his career, after defeating Troy Coughlin Jr. in the final round with a 6.642-second pass at 211.39 mph.
“Today was definitely pretty weird. This is probably the weirdest elimination day of Pro Stock car that I can remember,” Glenn said. “I’ve seen bad rounds before, but never continuously all through the day. It’s a combination of the track not quite being what we’re used to and the air being really good. The air is good enough where we should be able to go 6.45 out here. It was not a good day to be a crew chief.
“I was shocked to win the way that I did, but as long as the planets aligned a little bit, with a little luck, that definitely played a role today. If anybody makes a clean run against me on either one of those two runs, first round, and semis, I’m dust.”
Despite inconsistent track conditions, Glenn capitalized on opportunities and extended his lead in the Pro Stock standings.
Matt Smith Dominates In Pro Stock Motorcycle
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith delivered a dominant performance, earning his first win of the 2026 season with a victory over Richard Gadson. Smith ran 6.724 seconds at 202.06 mph on his Denso Auto Parts Buell to secure his 43rd career win.
“This is not only rewarding for me, but it’s just rewarding for our team, because we worked so hard this winter to find a little bit of power,” Smith said. “We found some power and we’re showing it. We’ve been No. 1 qualifier for three races in a row now. We just hadn’t shown up on Sunday and I’m glad we showed up today.
“We got our lucky break in the first round. I had a bye and as soon as I brought the engine up, the toggle switch on the fuel pump went out so we lost lane choice. As soon as I saw this [75th anniversary NHRA Wally trophy] I knew I wanted one. I’m glad we didn’t have to wait long to get it.”
After multiple No. 1 qualifying performances earlier in the season, Smith finally converted that speed into a race-day victory.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series now turns its attention to the next stop—the Route 66 NHRA Nationals near Chicago.
Top Fuel — Shawn Langdon, 3.808 seconds, 333.16 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 3.954 seconds, 314.61 mph.
Funny Car — Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 4.007, 314.17 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.784, 169.89.
Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.642, 211.39 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.643, 208.59.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Matt Smith, Buell, 6.724, 202.06 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.834, 193.24.
Super Stock — Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 9.518, 134.51 def. Casey Smith, Ford Mustang, 8.902, 143.17.
Stock Eliminator — Michael Brand, Ford Mustang, 8.767, 151.83 def. Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 10.974, 119.06.
Super Comp — Sherman Adcock, Dragster, 8.888, 173.29 def. Lauren Freer, Dragster, 8.880, 186.59.
Super Gas — Tracy Barnes, Chevy Corvette, 9.920, 166.42 def. Chris Lewis, Chevy Camaro, 9.890, 168.35.
Top Dragster — James Brown, Dragster, 6.631, 202.85 def. Chris Roe, Dragster, 6.901, 194.02.
Pro Modified — Jason Collins, Chevy Camaro, 5.731, 252.99 def. Mike Thielen, Ford Mustang, 9.682, 93.34.
Junior Dragster Shootout — Matthew Petersen, Halfscale, 7.980, 76.32 def. Mila Figueroa, Mike Bos, 8.966, 71.32.
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