HYDE LEAVES ROCKINGHAM FOCUSED ON ST. LOUIS AND NEXT COUNTDOWN RACE
By: Head Racing
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (September 27, 2026) — Spencer Hyde, driver of the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car, has officially added the final new national event track to his NHRA resume. This weekend, he qualified in the No. 12 position at the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock at Rockingham Dragway. The 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year highlighted one of his sponsors, The Caine Group, a local North Carolina company.
“I love it here in North Carolina, and I was fortunate enough to meet Jim and Janet Russell back at the fall Charlotte race last year,” said Hyde. “We got hooked up with them and put a deal together for Charlotte this year, and then they had so much fun they wanted to come back and do something for Rockingham too. We didn’t do a full car wrap for this event. We just did a tier-two level sponsorship, which was great. They wanted to continue to honor their late son Caine, who loved racing. I just wish we could perform better for them, but we’re happy that they’re here to support.”
The NHRA is celebrating their 75th anniversary this season, and a big part of what has made this year special is the addition of four new tracks hosting national events. Rockingham is the final new track on tour and is known for its grandstands. The left-side grandstands are built into a hill, and fans enter the track by looking down the grandstands at the dragstrip.
“The grandstands here were packed,” said Hyde. “I love the whole left side of the track, the big hill that the grandstands are carved out of. I think that’s the coolest thing. And even when the grandstands are full, the pits seem busy. There are people everywhere here. And from what I understand, a lot of these people showed up and bought tickets at the gate, which is really cool. So obviously, this is a hotbed for drag racing, and I hope we keep coming back here.”
Hyde’s best run of the weekend was his fourth and final qualifying pass on Saturday, a 3.976 second, 319.15 mph run that was enough to put him in the No. 12 spot against J.R. Todd on race day. In the first round, Todd grabbed a slight starting line advantage, and the only full-time Canadian driver in the Funny Car class could not catch up before the finish line stripe.
“We now head to St. Louis, to finish out this three-in-a-row stretch in the Countdown,” said Hyde. “We’re going to keep trying to make the Caine Group, Hyde Construction and OUTLAW Light Beer proud. There are four races left in our playoffs, and this Head Racing team will make every one of them count.”
Hyde and the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car will be back in NHRA competition next week at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals on October 2-4 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, just outside of St. Louis. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, October 2 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, October 3. The third race day of the 2026 Countdown to the Championship will be contested on Sunday. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Midwest Nationals visit nhra.com.
Qualifying Results – Funny Car
Q1: 4.4555, 192.88 mph; Qual. 10
Q2: 8.7520, 63.18 mph; Qual. 13
Q3: 4.0350, 306.12 mph; Qual. 12
Q4: 3.9763, 319.15 mph; Qual. 12
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
J.R. Todd, Jupiter, Fla., DHL Toyota GR Supra, (0.0247), 3.9117 sec, 336.57 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car, (0.0494), 4.4697 sec, 202.16 mph
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Funny Car
- Matt Hagan, 2321
- Jordan Vandergriff, 2237
- J.R. Todd, 2215
- Ron Capps, 2211
- Jack Beckman, 2195
- Austin Prock, 2177
- Alexis DeJoria, 2151
- Daniel Wilkerson, 2120
- Chad Green, 2089
- Spencer Hyde, 2065
