Ricky Hord Opens 2026 With Gatornationals Victory In Factory Stock Showdown

The 2026 season of the NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series started exactly the way fans hoped it would with tight racing, manufacturer rivalry, and a great final round at the legendary Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.

When the smoke cleared, Ricky Hord stood in the winner’s circle for the third time in his career after defeating David Janac in a classic Chevrolet versus Ford matchup.

Hord, the No. 2 qualifier from Orlando, Florida, piloted his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to victory over Janac’s Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, delivering a strong statement to open the season.

The win is a continuation of a hot streak that began at the end of 2025 for Hoard when he closed the year with a victory in St. Louis.

The turnaround between seasons was anything but complicated.

“It hasn’t quite sunk in that we just won the Gatornationals,” said Hord. “After winning St. Louis at the end of the year, we took the motor out, sent it back the Stanfields [their engine program]. We put the car up on the jacks and turned the lights off. Last week, we took it off the jacks, put the motor in it and brought it back here. Our goal was to try and make the same kind of passes and go rounds. We are just going out there every run trying to be consistent, chip away at every pass and just do my best to drive off the starting line.”

Winning a national event in Factory Stock Showdown is never easy, especially with a field packed with experienced drivers and emerging talent.

Hord’s day started with a challenging first-round matchup against rookie Kyle Pawuk, the second-generation racer and son of two-time world champion Mark Pawuk.

Despite running the slower elapsed time, Hord’s quicker reaction allowed him to take the win with a 7.752-second pass, holding off Pawuk as he charged hard on the top end.

“We started building good momentum this weekend,” said Hord. “I felt really good in the car all weekend. I was happy to see Kyle come out and race. He deserved that win, but I was a little quicker on the tree. We’re so excited. We’re ready for the next race. We’re gonna just go back to the drawing board, make sure the car is all happy. Go back there and just make the small things better. We just want to make good A to B passes.”

The quarterfinal round brought another second-generation driver into Hord’s lane, Matt Hartman, son of Lee Hartman. Hartman left the starting line first, but Hord’s COPO Camaro had the horsepower advantage and reeled him in before the finish line. Hord’s 7.741-second pass at 177.25 mph secured the win and a trip to the semifinals.

In the semifinal round, Hord squared off against Richard Brierie, delivering one of his best performances of the day. Hord launched with a nearly perfect .019-second reaction time and never trailed, punching his ticket to the final round.

The final round matchup between Hord and Janac showcased exactly what the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class is all about, tight racing between Detroit’s modern factory drag cars.

Hord gained the early advantage on the starting line, posting a .047-second reaction time compared to Janac’s .052. That small edge proved decisive. At the finish line, Hord’s COPO Camaro stopped the clocks at 7.735 seconds at 178.28 mph, edging Janac’s strong 7.792-second, 180.69-mph run. The pass was Hord’s quickest of eliminations and locked in his third career Factory Stock Showdown victory.

Hord believes that a balance between manufacturers is critical to the class’s future.

“I believe that parity is very important in this class, and seeing all three manufacturers helps potentially bring more cars out. We had 16 cars here, which is a good turnout, but we can always have more,” added Hord.

While Hord captured the event victory, the Flexjet Factory Stock Bounty added another storyline to the weekend. Top qualifier Jonathan Allegrucci earned the $1,000 bounty with his opening-round win over reigning champion Mark Pawuk. With Hord taking the overall event victory, the bounty now shifts to him heading into the next stop on the tour.

The target will be squarely on Hord’s back when the series returns at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway outside of Charlotte, scheduled for April 24–26.