Jeff Arend
KGC Construction Funny Car Driver for Jim Dunn Racing
NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto
June 5-7 | Epping, New Hampshire
Event Recap
Jeff Arend, driver of the Jim Dunn Racing KGC Construction Funny Car:
- Earned No. 13 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (6.117 ET at 111.14 mph)
- Fell to No. 16 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q2 on Friday, Arend ran a 12.248 ET at 78.03 mph.
- Maintained No. 16 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Arend ran a 12.364 ET at 82.33 mph.
- Secured No. 16 qualifying position in Q4 on Saturday (4.152 ET at 264.18 mph)
- Eliminated following Round 1 on Sunday:
- Round 1: 4.104 ET at 286.38 mph, lost to Jordan Vandergriff (3.947 ET at 326.24 mph)
Notes of Interest
- Arend represented KGC (Kindness General Contractors) Construction this weekend in Epping. KGC, is a full service general contracting firm designed to manage and facilitate a complete range of construction projects. They are responsible for a diversified portfolio of projects with a wide range of construction value and provide customers with what is most important to them: short schedules, unmatched quality and superior flexibility. At KGC, they understand that every project, regardless of size, requires a commitment to quality, attention to detail, and the ability to act and react with speed, efficiency and intelligence. They strive to provide a hassle-free experience to all their clients and look to form lasting partnerships built on mutual respect and trust.
- In celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary, Jim Dunn Racing ran a special patriotic scheme at the NHRA New England Nationals. Arend will sport the same scheme at next weekend’s SUPERGRIP NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
- The NHRA announced a sellout on New England Dragway on Saturday. It marked the second straight sellout on Saturday during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, following a sellout at the NHRA Potomac Nationals in Maryland. It marked the fifth overall sellout day this season.
- The NHRA will race their third event in a row, having competed May 29-31 at Maryland International Raceway and June 5-7 at New England Dragway. The third event on the “East Coast Swing” will mark the SUPERGRIP NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Jim Dunn Racing chose to sit out the inaugural Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway.
- The final round in both Top Fuel and Funny Car were postponed due to weather and will be completed on Friday in Bristol.
Jeff Arend, Driver of the Jim Dunn Racing KGC Construction Funny Car
“We learned a lot in Epping after smoking the tires three times in a row, which is very unlike us lately. Finally, in Q4 after some big changes, we made it down there with a planned half-track run. If you know Big Jim (Dunn), he was happy but said ‘I don’t believe it until we do it again!’. We did during the first round and actually picked up some time between the 330-660 foot incremental. Now we have a good baseline for Q1 in Bristol and should be able to adapt quickly to the elevation. ‘Thunder Valley’ is such a great place to run at and we are all looking forward to it.”
Next Up
The next event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule is the SUPERGRIP NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 12-14 at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tennessee.
