EPPING, N.H. (May 31, 2026) — At a race where there is strong Canadian support, the only full-time Canadian Funny Car driver, Spencer Hyde, made a strong attempt at taking home a Diamond Wally at the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto. Hyde, the driver of the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car, entered race day at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire from the No. 13 spot in an extremely competitive Funny Car field.
“This was the second race in a quick three-in-a-row stretch to really kick off the summer,” said Hyde. “We’re now in the thick of the regular season, so I’m just trying to keep doing well enough to maintain a positive position within the Countdown.”
Spencer Hyde did not advance out of first round but heads to Bristol with positive momentum,
photo credit Innovative Creation Experts
Three out of the four qualifying passes Hyde made during qualifying were solid, with his best pass happening during the second round of qualifying on Friday, a 4.001 second, 319.75 mph run. This was enough for him to be paired against J.R. Todd in the first round of eliminations.
Despite Hyde being first off of the starting line, Todd, the 2018 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, was able to get around him when the Jim Head-tuned Nitro Funny Car smoked the tires.
“Unfortunately, the car didn’t go very far, and smoked the tires right away,” said Hyde. “Jim [Head] said we were shooting for a 3.90, and if the car had done what we were hoping, then we could have given J.R. a much better race. On to the next.”
One of the unique challenges that all of the teams had to deal with this weekend was the immense amount of pollen in the air and on the track. That did not stop the fans from showing up in droves, with Saturday announced as a sell-out crowd.
“I love coming here,” said Hyde. “This track has a real old-school feel, and the fans are always so great. Montreal isn’t far from here, so the Canadian fans also make themselves known, which is awesome.”
Now that Epping is in his rearview mirror, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year is looking ahead to the next race on the schedule in Bristol, Tennessee.
“I feel like pretty confident heading into Bristol, just because we seem to have a hot track tune up figured out,” said Hyde. “We did really well in Phoenix, and I expect conditions to be pretty similar in Thunder Valley. We’re hoping to get a win for Hyde Construction, OUTLAW Light Beer and the Caine Group.”
Hyde and the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car will be back in competition next week at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on June 12-14 at Bristol Dragway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, June 12 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, June 13. For tickets or more information on the Thunder Valley Nationals visit nhra.com.
Qualifying Results – Funny Car
Q1: 4.616 sec, 182.13 mph; Qual. 10
Q2: 4.001 sec, 319.75 mph; Qual. 9
Q3: 4.018 sec, 312.86 mph; Qual. 12
Q4: 10.565 sec, 77.38 mph; Qual. 13
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
J.R. Todd, Lawrenceburg, Ind., DHL Toyota GR Supra, (.086), 3.919 sec, 331.45 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car, (.077), 7.216 sec, 108.82 mph
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Funny Car
- Ron Capps, 617
- Jordan Vandergriff, 608/588
- J.R. Todd, 602
- Chad Green, 555
- Matt Hagan, 546
- Jack Beckman, 531/511
- Alexis DeJoria, 487
- Spencer Hyde, 401
- Austin Prock, 358
- Daniel Wilkerson, 296
HYDE PUSHES FORWARD IN SECOND RACE
OF THREE RACE STRETCH
EPPING, N.H. (May 31, 2026) — At a race where there is strong Canadian support, the only full-time Canadian Funny Car driver, Spencer Hyde, made a strong attempt at taking home a Diamond Wally at the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto. Hyde, the driver of the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car, entered race day at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire from the No. 13 spot in an extremely competitive Funny Car field.
“This was the second race in a quick three-in-a-row stretch to really kick off the summer,” said Hyde. “We’re now in the thick of the regular season, so I’m just trying to keep doing well enough to maintain a positive position within the Countdown.”
Spencer Hyde did not advance out of first round but heads to Bristol with positive momentum,
photo credit Innovative Creation Experts
Three out of the four qualifying passes Hyde made during qualifying were solid, with his best pass happening during the second round of qualifying on Friday, a 4.001 second, 319.75 mph run. This was enough for him to be paired against J.R. Todd in the first round of eliminations.
Despite Hyde being first off of the starting line, Todd, the 2018 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, was able to get around him when the Jim Head-tuned Nitro Funny Car smoked the tires.
“Unfortunately, the car didn’t go very far, and smoked the tires right away,” said Hyde. “Jim [Head] said we were shooting for a 3.90, and if the car had done what we were hoping, then we could have given J.R. a much better race. On to the next.”
One of the unique challenges that all of the teams had to deal with this weekend was the immense amount of pollen in the air and on the track. That did not stop the fans from showing up in droves, with Saturday announced as a sell-out crowd.
“I love coming here,” said Hyde. “This track has a real old-school feel, and the fans are always so great. Montreal isn’t far from here, so the Canadian fans also make themselves known, which is awesome.”
Now that Epping is in his rearview mirror, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year is looking ahead to the next race on the schedule in Bristol, Tennessee.
“I feel like pretty confident heading into Bristol, just because we seem to have a hot track tune up figured out,” said Hyde. “We did really well in Phoenix, and I expect conditions to be pretty similar in Thunder Valley. We’re hoping to get a win for Hyde Construction, OUTLAW Light Beer and the Caine Group.”
Hyde and the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car will be back in competition next week at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on June 12-14 at Bristol Dragway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, June 12 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, June 13. For tickets or more information on the Thunder Valley Nationals visit nhra.com.
Qualifying Results – Funny Car
Q1: 4.616 sec, 182.13 mph; Qual. 10
Q2: 4.001 sec, 319.75 mph; Qual. 9
Q3: 4.018 sec, 312.86 mph; Qual. 12
Q4: 10.565 sec, 77.38 mph; Qual. 13
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
J.R. Todd, Lawrenceburg, Ind., DHL Toyota GR Supra, (.086), 3.919 sec, 331.45 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car, (.077), 7.216 sec, 108.82 mph
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Funny Car
- Ron Capps, 617
- Jordan Vandergriff, 608/588
- J.R. Todd, 602
- Chad Green, 555
- Matt Hagan, 546
- Jack Beckman, 531/511
- Alexis DeJoria, 487
- Spencer Hyde, 401
- Austin Prock, 358
- Daniel Wilkerson, 296
Rain moved into the area before the final round. The Funny Car and Top Fuel finals will be run during the Thunder Valley Nationals.