PHOENIX, AZ – March 20, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Making just her second career Top Fuel start on Friday at Firebird Motorsports Park, rookie sensation Maddi Gordon took the provisional No. 1 spot to kick off this weekend’s 41st annual FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs.
Spencer Hyde (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the second of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Gordon went 3.844-seconds at 329.42 mph in her 12,000-horsepower Carlyle Tools dragster, putting her on track to earn her first career No. 1 qualifier if it holds. Racing in warm conditions, Gordon made the only 3-second run in the Top Fuel ranks during the first session on Friday, doing so a race after advancing to the semifinals in her professional debut at NHRA’s season-opener in Gainesville.
“I was really, really stoked to go down that first pass,” Gordon said. “That was just so exciting after you hear all those cars smoking the tires ahead of us. But you know what? I got so much faith in Rob [Flynn] and Troy [Fasching]. They have done a stellar job of getting down those hot racetracks and I couldn’t be more proud to drive for them.
“Before Gainesville, a month and a half ago, I had never even warmed up a dragster with a blower on it, so there’s so many firsts in the past month and a half. I learn something new every single pass I get on the racetrack. The more I know, I feel like I can be a better driver because I just have so much to learn.”
Defending event winner Shawn Langdon rebounded with a solid 3-second run to close out the day and is currently second with a run of 3.925 at 307.30. Antron Brown is third after going 3.985 at 297.09.
A year ago in Phoenix, Funny Car’s Spencer Hyde failed to make the field, but that won’t be an issue this year, as the reigning Rookie of the Year bolted to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday thanks to a run of 3.979 at 317.64 in his 12,000-horsepower Head, Inc. Ford Mustang.
It puts Hyde on track for his second career top spot and already makes his weekend better than a year ago at Firebird Motorsports Park. That was his second career start in the Funny Car ranks – he also didn’t qualify in Gainesville to open 2025 – but Hyde quickly got on track, putting together a solid season as NHRA’s top rookie.
After last year’s struggles, he was plenty pleased with Friday’s results.
“We had a tough start last year, and I learned that driving a Funny Car is not easy. It’s the most humbling thing I’ve ever driven,” Hyde said. “These things are hard to drive all the time. You just never know what they’re going to throw at you. Driving them is challenging when it’s hot and greasy; they’re moving around out there and they take a little bit to settle in.
“On our [3.97] it never really settled in, but we slipped it through there and made a good run, good enough to be No. 1. Second run I was pointing a little bit too far right, and made a pretty big correction early, and it actually dropped the [cylinder] and was trying to push me over the lane, but I kept it off the wall, made a good full run, and was second low the session, so we’re pretty happy.”
Jack Beckman took the second spot with a 3.982 at 323.97 and Matt Hagan delivered a 3.998 at 321.04 to sit third.
In Pro Stock, defending event winner Greg Anderson impressed in the heat, making the quickest run in both sessions, including a run of 6.552 at 206.99 in his HendrickCars.comChevrolet Camaro to open the day. If that holds up, Anderson would collect his first top qualifier of the season and the 141st in his standout career.
It’s also a stark contrast to Gainesville, where the six-time world champion struggled throughout qualifying and just slipped into the field. He turned things around in eliminations, advancing to the final round, but Anderson was thrilled with the qualifying turnaround on Friday.
“Without a doubt that morning run, because of the track being cooler, is going to be the best qualifying run of the weekend,” Anderson said. “You better get right on that first one, so a lot of pressure. You just can’t go up there, you know, and shoot for the moon, because if you don’t make it down, you may not qualify.
“Just from the first session to the afternoon session, we lost about four or five-hundredths of ET, and that’s going to be probably 30-40 horsepower, just like that. You have to do other things to make the engine think it has power – gear ratio and things like that. You have to get all of the round pegs in the round holes, but it’s hard to do.”
Greg Stanfield is currently second after going 6.558 at 209.10 and Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s 6.562 at 209.10 puts him third through two sessions.
Qualifying continues at 9:30 a.m. locat time on Saturday at the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs at Firebird Motorsports Park.
CHANDLER, AZ — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 41st annual FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs at Firebird Motorsports Park, second of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Maddi Gordon, 3.844 seconds, 329.42 mph; 2. Shawn Langdon, 3.925, 307.30; 3. Antron Brown, 3.985, 297.09; 4. Leah Pruett, 3.997, 297.22; 5. Josh Hart, 4.053, 296.44; 6. Billy Torrence, 4.104, 277.60; 7. Doug Kalitta, 4.119, 257.78; 8. Tony Stewart, 4.191, 213.23; 9. Jaren Mott, 4.193, 211.03; 10. Will Smith, 4.196, 260.36; 11. Justin Ashley, 4.251, 225.33; 12. Tony Schumacher, 4.282, 209.72; 13. Shawn Reed, 4.523, 182.28; 14. Clay Millican, 4.556, 179.28; 15. Cameron Ferre, 8.305, 71.58.
Funny Car — 1. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.979, 317.64; 2. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.982, 323.97; 3. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.998, 321.04; 4. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 4.011, 288.21; 5. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.017, 313.44; 6. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.021, 311.49; 7. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 4.044, 306.05; 8. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.049, 324.12; 9. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 4.081, 298.47; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.088, 278.23; 11. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.103, 286.80; 12. Dylan Winefsky, Charger, 4.216, 272.89; 13. Todd Lesenko, Charger, 4.255, 256.70; 14. Austin Prock, Mustang, 4.427, 295.46; 15. Blake Alexander, Charger, 4.504, 205.88; 16. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.602, 194.72. Not Qualified: 17. Ron Capps, 5.239, 142.67.
Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.552, 208.42; 2. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.558, 209.10; 3. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 209.10; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.568, 208.91; 5. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.572, 208.26; 6. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.573, 208.46; 7. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.575, 209.23; 8. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.580, 208.39; 9. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.581, 209.04; 10. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.583, 208.84; 11. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.592, 208.55; 12. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.593, 208.59; 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.596, 208.55; 14. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.598, 209.62; 15. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.599, 208.14; 16. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.618, 206.48. Not Qualified: 17. Stephen Bell, 6.624, 207.11; 18. Mason McGaha, 6.625, 208.14; 19. Joey Grose, 6.631, 207.62; 20. Shane Tucker, 6.639, 207.05.
To purchase tickets to the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information on NHRA, please visit www.NHRA.com.
About Mission Foods
MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/
About NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Source: National Hot Rod Association
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