Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team have already achieved many milestones in the Funny Car driver’s rookie season but their participation in this week’s NHRA Brainerd Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway or the entire season may not have happened if it weren’t for his performance there last year.
It was at Brainerd in August 2025 that Vandergriff made the first of two starts for injured Top Fuel driver Shawn Reed. Vandergriff hadn’t raced since the 2019 season, so it had been more than five years since he’d driven in competition and having spent that season and the one previous as a trackside reporter for NHRA on FOX.
“Life is crazy and what a difference a year can make,” said Vandergriff. “Last year, under unfortunate circumstances, I was fortunate enough to get back into the race car and I still thank Shawn Reed and Shawn Reed Racing for the opportunity. It was a long time out of the seat, and I was just so honored and excited to get back in the seat at Brainerd. I had never driven at Brainerd before and, looking back on it, it was the best weekend of my life up to that point. I was getting the opportunity to drive again. Now, coming into Brainerd with John Force Racing, my life has changed drastically in an extremely positive way. Last year in Brainerd was good so our goal is to make this year even better by coming home with the Wally.”
The third generation drag racer made the best of the opportunity. He qualified third and then earned the round one win against Kyle Satenstein (3.778 seconds to 3.851) before bowing out in the second round to Clay Millican (3.715 seconds to 3.726).
“I think it opened a lot of eyes when I won that first round in Brainerd,” Vandergriff said. “I think people realized, hey, maybe he can do this still and I proved to myself that I can still do it. Deep down, I knew I could, but you never know until you get back in. So, winning that first round proved to a lot of people and to myself that I still had it.”
His performance at Brainerd and two weeks later at the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals helped catapult him into where he is today, driving for John Force Racing and just 54 points out of first place with two races remaining on the regular season championship schedule.
“I had confidence in myself, in Chris Cunningham and Jason Bunker (crew chiefs) and this entire Cornwell Quality Tools Funny Car team,” said Vandergriff. “I knew if we hit the ground running, like we did in pre-season testing, we were going to have a good shot at it. Being at John Force Racing, we have everything we need to win and be competitive, so I think I knew that we’d be near the top. Now that we’re here, within striking distance of first place, I think it’s a little more real now. I think we’re exactly where we should be. We’ve won two races and I think we are a top contender for not just the regular season championship, but the overall championship as well.”
Qualifying will feature two rounds at 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Aug. 21 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 12:00 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 23.
Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday and 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, and eliminations at 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
The post Brainerd a Key Turning Point in Jordan Vandergriff’s Career first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
