Beutler breaks through, Picht wins again at NHRA Brainerd Nationals

Jack Beutler earned his first NHRA national event Wally while Jamey Picht added another Stock Eliminator victory to highlight the Sportsman action at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

BRAINERD, MN – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series took center stage at Brainerd International Raceway as racers battled their way through the NHRA Brainerd Nationals, with 8 Sportsman champions ultimately leaving Minnesota with Wally’s.

From first-time winners to repeat Brainerd champions, the weekend produced plenty of memorable moments across the Sportsman ranks. Two of the weekend’s standout performances came from Jack Beutler and Jamey Picht in Super Stock and Stock Eliminator.

Jack Beutler made his trip to Brainerd one to remember, earning his first NHRA national event Wally with a victory in Super Stock. Beutler worked his way through the field to set up a heads-up final-round matchup against Division 7 racer Mike Graham. With the Wally on the line, Beutler delivered, taking the victory with a 10.181-second pass against Graham’s 10.340. The win marked a major career milestone for Beutler, who officially added his name to the list of NHRA national event champions with his first trip to the winner’s circle.

While Beutler celebrated his first, Jamey Picht continued adding to an already impressive 2026 season. Picht claimed the Stock Eliminator title when final-round opponent Dirk Olson left the starting line .005-second too soon, handing Picht his second national event victory of the season. The victory also earned Picht his second special 75th anniversary NHRA Wally of the year and helped move him into the Top 10 in the Stock Eliminator national points standings.

Joining them in the winner’s circle was Cody Lane (Comp), Jeff Cheney (SC), Greg Maaninga (SG), Richard Hill (SST), Kendra Larson (TD), and Curt Fredrich (TS).

Read the race recap below to learn more about the winners!

NHRA Brainerd Nationals

Competition Eliminator

Cody Lane took home his 10th NHRA National event Wally after defeating Anthony Schmiedl in the final round. Lane had the starting line advantage, .026 to .139, and had not trouble getting to the stripe first to head to the winner’s circle. He ran a 7.348 at 171 mph on his 7.78 index.

Kelly Rutz and Bruno Massel were the semi-finalists.

Super Stock

Jack Beutler defeated Mike Graham in the final round to take home his first ever NHRA National event Wally of the weekend. In the GT/KA heads up final, Graham had the starting line advantage but Beutler had the power. He ran a 10.181 at 128 mph on the 10.90 index to claim the win.

John Harder and Brad Haugaard were the semi-finalists.

Stock Eliminator

Jamey Picht took home his second NHRA National event Wally after defeating Dirk Olson in the final round. Olson clicked it -.005 at the hit to hand the win over to Picht. Picht was .005 and coasted to an 11.140 at 99 mph.

Al Corda was the semi-finalist.

Super Comp

Jeff Cheney added his fifth NHRA National event Wally to his collection after defeating Jim Glenn in the final round. Glenn had the starting line advantage, .004 to .016, but Cheney was able to get to the stripe first. He ran a 8.947 at 168 mph for the trophy.

Steven Michaels and Travis Nygaard were the semi-finalists.

Super Gas

Greg Maaninga won his first NHRA National event Wally in the final round, defeating Dale Evans to head to the winner’s circle. Evans clicked it -.002 at the hit to hand the win over to Maaninga. Maaninga was .039 and ran a 9.917 at 145 mph to head to the winner’s circle.

Keith Kuehn was the semi-finalist.

Super Street

Richard Hill won his first NHRA National event Wally in the final round, defeating Donnie Durenberger to head to the winner’s circle. Durenberger clicked it -.020 at the hit to hand the win over to Hill. Hill was .002 and coasted to an 11.225 at 105 mph.

Christopher Takacs was the semi-finalist.

Top Dragster

Kendra Larson took home her third NHRA National event Wally, all three of them at Brainerd, after defeating Bob Fischer in the final round. Larson had the starting line advantage with her .000 reaction time and ran a 6.929 at 191 mph to get to the stripe first by .023.

Donna Patterson and Rusty Baxter were the semi-finalists.

Top Sportsman

Curt Fredrich defeated Christopher Roe in the final round to take home his fourth NHRA National event Wally. Roe turned it -.001 at the hit, handing the easy ride to the winner’s circle over to Fredrich. He was .029 and ran a 6.587 at 209 mph on his 6.58 dial-in.

Michael Freischel was the semi-finalist.

An avid racer herself, Megan Strassweg, 28, sees her two worlds collide with DragChamp – journalism and drag racing. Megan resides in Evansville, IN, and she pilots a 2015 American Dragster in the NHRA North Central Division 3 Super Comp series, along with some local bracket racing on the side. Her passion for racing began early, having grown up at the racetrack, and she remains committed to the sport.

You can reach Megan on Facebook or email at megan@dragchamp.com