| MARTIN, MICH. (September 21, 2026) — Reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year Spencer Hyde and the Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car team continued their strong 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series campaign this weekend at the inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR at US 131 Motorsports Park. Despite persistent rain that disrupted the schedule throughout the weekend and ultimately forced the NHRA to postpone Sunday’s planned eliminations until Monday, Hyde and the Jim Head-led team delivered one of their most consistent qualifying performances of the season. Three of Hyde’s four qualifying runs were solid A-to-B runs, highlighted by his Friday evening pass of 3.9169 seconds at 331.13 mph. The run was not only Hyde’s quickest pass of the weekend, but also the fastest run of his 2026 season to date. The performance placed Hyde No. 9 in the Funny Car qualifying order for Monday’s eliminations. Spencer Hyde will carry momentum to Rockingham Dragway for the second Coundown race, photo credit Innovation Creative ExpertsHyde backed up that performance with another strong run during Saturday’s third qualifying session, posting a 3.9333-second pass at 327.99 mph. The run was the third quickest of the session and earned Hyde one valuable bonus point towards the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series championship. The Michigan event also marked the beginning of the six-race Countdown to the Championship. Hyde entered the playoffs among the championship contenders and leaves Michigan 10th in the Funny Car standings with five Countdown races remaining. On Monday, Hyde faced Daniel Wilkerson in the opening round. Both drivers are searching for their first NHRA Funny Car victory, and the two delivered a highly competitive side-by-side race. Hyde had a slight reaction-time advantage and the Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car was competitive down the track, but Wilkerson ultimately posted the quicker elapsed time to advance. However, Hyde’s .0236-second reaction time established a new personal benchmark for the sophomore year Funny Car driver. “Obviously, we wanted to go rounds today, but there are a lot of positives for us to take away from this weekend,” said Hyde. “That 3.91 on Friday was a huge run for us, and to go 331 mph was really exciting. It was our fastest run of the season, and then we backed it up with another 3.93 on Saturday and picked up a bonus point. That’s the kind of consistency we’re looking for, especially in the Countdown.” Spencer Hyde wowed the fans throughout the weekend behind the wheel of the Jim Head-tuned Funny car, photo credit Innovation Creative ExpertsWhile Hyde’s race day ended in the first round, the weekend provided plenty of positives for the Canadian driver and his team as they prepare for another event next weekend. “The first round was a really good drag race with Dan,” said Hyde. “We were right there with him, and it came down to a very small margin. I’m proud of the way our team performed, and that .0236 reaction time was pretty cool. That’s something I’ll take a lot of confidence from. We’re proving that we can run with these guys, and now we just need to keep putting all the pieces together.” The Michigan weekend was also a memorable one for the fans, who endured repeated rain delays, a changing schedule and a Monday race day while continuing to support the first NHRA national event at US 131 Motorsports Park. “The fans here were incredible,” said Hyde. “They dealt with some crazy weather all weekend, and they still showed up, stayed engaged and supported us. For this to be the first NHRA national event at this track, I think everybody involved should be proud of what they accomplished. We loved seeing the fans stick it out, and hopefully we gave them some good racing to watch when we finally got on the track.” Supported by Hyde Construction, OUTLAW Light Beer and The Caine Group, Hyde and Head Racing will have little time to regroup before heading to North Carolina for another first-of-its-kind event. This weekend was the beginning of a three weekend in-a-row run for the team. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads to Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina, next weekend for the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock. “I think we’re heading to Rockingham with a lot of momentum,” said Hyde. “We’ve got five races left in the Countdown, and we know we have a car that can run in the 3.9s and go over 330 mph. That’s encouraging. Now we get to go to another new track and another new NHRA national event, and we’re excited to be part of that history, particularly during the NHRA’s 75th anniversary. We’ll keep building on what we learned here and go after some rounds next weekend.” Hyde and the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car will be back in NHRA competition next week at the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock on September 25-27 at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, September 25 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, September 26. The second race day of the 2026 Countdown to the Championship will be contested on Sunday. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Nationals at The Rock visit nhra.com. Qualifying Results – Funny Car Q1: 3.9623, 317.57 mph; Qual. 5 Q2: 3.9169, 331.13 mph; Qual. 5 Q3: 3.9333, 327.99 mph; Qual. 6 Q4: 8.2909, 81.68 mph; Qual. 9 Bonus Points: +1 (third quickest of Q3) Race Results First Round Daniel Wilkerson, Springfield, Ill., Scag Power Equipment Ford Shelby Mustang, (0.0237), 3.9098 sec, 328.23 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car, (.0236), 3.9200 sec, 328.95 mph Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Funny CarMatt Hagan, 2208Jordan Vandergriff, 2185Jack Beckman, 2154Ron Capps, 2145J.R. Todd, 2139Austin Prock, 2099Alexis DeJoria, 2088Daniel Wilkerson, 2069Chad Green, 2055Spencer Hyde, 2033 |
