SEGA G-Force Nationals Deliver Big Crowd And Wild Racing At Farmington

It had been four years since Southeast Gassers Association racers rolled into Farmington Dragway, and based on the crowd that packed the Mocksville, North Carolina, facility, fans were more than ready for their return.

The G-Force Racing Transmissions Nationals served as the sixth race of the 2026 SEGA season and delivered everything fans expect from old-school heads-up gasser racing. Wheelstands, manual transmissions, tight racing, and even lightning in the distance created the backdrop for SEGA’s first trip to “The Farm” since 2022.

The championship picture also continued to develop. Ben Christopher added another A/Gas victory, Ted McKee remained nearly unstoppable in B/Gas, Rob Walden knocked off Super Stock points leader Jerry Dean, and a wild C/Gas final ended with both finalists being disqualified.

Ben Christopher Keeps Rolling In A/Gas

If someone wants to win the 2026 SEGA A/Gas championship, they’re going to have to figure out how to stop Ben Christopher.

Christopher arrived at Farmington with three victories through the opening five events and four final-round appearances. His only failure to reach a final ended with a semifinal appearance. That impressive run continued immediately at Farmington. Christopher put the Happy Daze Chevy II at the top of the qualifying sheet with a 5.21-second pass. Leslie Horne was second at 5.29.

With 15 cars qualified, Christopher’s No. 1 position gave him a first-round bye. He then defeated Dean Jonas in round two to set up a semifinal battle against Kenneth Phillips, who had won the previous event at Rockingham Dragway. Christopher and Phillips delivered one of the tightest races of the event. Christopher’s 5.34 was just enough to defeat the 5.35 from Phillips’ Corvette gasser and send Happy Daze into another final round.

Waiting for him was defending A/Gas champion, Chase Howard. Both drivers ran in the 5.20s, but Christopher once again had the better hand. Howard recorded his quickest pass of the weekend with a 5.26, but Christopher answered with a 5.22 to collect his fourth victory of the season.

Ted McKee Is Nearly Unstoppable In B/Gas

As impressive as Christopher has been, Ted McKee has somehow been even more dominant in B/Gas.

McKee entered Farmington having won every 2026 event except the Bama Brawl at Holiday Raceway, and even there he reached the final. The Rocky Top Missile Chevy II immediately established itself as the car to beat at Farmington. McKee qualified No. 1 with a 5.62, nearly a tenth quicker than second-place qualifier Michael Oden.

McKee worked his way through the eight-car B/Gas field and reached yet another final.

His opponent was Kelvin Cannon, who produced a milestone weekend of his own. After years of gasser racing, Cannon qualified third at 5.76 and drove the Loose Cannon ’33 Willys Panel into his first SEGA championship final. Cannon tried to run him down, but the Rocky Top Missile stopped the clocks with a 5.60 to Cannon’s 5.75. McKee left Farmington with another win and an even stronger grip on the B/Gas championship battle.

C/Gas Final Ends With A Double Disqualification

While Christopher and McKee continued their winning ways, C/Gas produced the strangest finish of the weekend.

Defending C/Gas champion and current points leader Jerren Perdue qualified No. 1 with a 6.09 in his Ghost of Fulton’s Past Chevy II wagon. Ernie Smith’s Saturday Night Special Chevy II grabbed the No. 2 position with a 6.11.

SEGA Technical Director John Leidich earned his first career round victory in C/Gas before being eliminated by Perdue. Tony Tatgenhorst fell to Randy Keifer, while multi-time champion Todd Oden was eliminated by Jimmy Huff.

Keifer then used a slight holeshot advantage to defeat Perdue in a battle of wagons. Smith appeared to have the performance advantage against Huff in their semifinal. Smith had been consistently running in the 6.10s while Huff was producing passes in the 6.40 range. But mechanical problems don’t care what the previous time slips say.

Smith’s rearend failed during the run, allowing Huff to advance with a 6.58. That left Keifer’s Spine Tingler II Pontiac wagon against Huff’s flat-black-and-gold Ford Falcon Hoopty Wagon in the final.

Keifer left first and reached the stripe first, seemingly earning the C/Gas victory. Then came technical inspection. SEGA’s post-race technical inspection turned the C/Gas results upside down.

The winning car is weighed following the final, and Keifer’s Pontiac came across the scales below the required minimum weight. It was weighed a second time and was again found to be light, resulting in Keifer’s disqualification.

That seemingly handed the victory to Huff. His Falcon was weighed and passed the minimum-weight requirement.

But there was another problem. Huff had returned to his pit before going to victory lane and completing the required post-race technical procedures. Huff later acknowledged the mistake, writing that he knew better.

That resulted in his disqualification as well. Instead of simply transferring the win to the other lane, SEGA’s rules produced a double disqualification. The C/Gas final therefore ended without a single declared top-prize winner. It was a perfect reminder that in drag racing, a win light doesn’t necessarily make the result official.

Rob Walden Stops Jerry Dean In Super Stock

Super Stock has developed into a battle between Jerry Dean and Rob Walden, and the two found themselves together in another final at Farmington.

Dean entered the event holding both the points and performance advantage. His 6.42 qualifying pass extended a No. 1 qualifying streak that has stretched across multiple events. Walden was second with a 6.66, while the remainder of the field qualified in the seven-second range.

Dean defeated Dean Hall and John Wisz, while Walden dispatched Ronnie Jones and Kenny Phillips to create another showdown between the championship’s top two competitors. Dean had already won four of the season’s first five events. His only loss had come against Walden at Brainerd Motorsports Park.

At Farmington, lightning struck twice.

Dean couldn’t put all of his Super Stocker’s performance to the ground at the starting line. Walden left cleanly, stayed ahead, and recorded a 6.61 to defeat Dean’s 6.69. Dean still owns the championship advantage, but Walden continues to prove he’s capable of stopping the Last Rebel II when given the opportunity.

The return to Farmington Dragway delivered plenty for SEGA fans to talk about.

Christopher now owns four A/Gas victories through six races. McKee has been even more dominant in B/Gas, with his only non-winning weekend still ending in the final round. Walden remains one of the few racers capable of stopping Dean’s Super Stock dominance, while C/Gas demonstrated just how quickly an apparent victory can disappear during post-race inspection.

Most importantly, SEGA’s return to Farmington brought the series back in front of a crowd that had been waiting since 2022 to see these cars again. Judging by the packed facility, they didn’t forget what they’d been missing.