Julie Nataas scores first round win, builds confidence in Funny Car debut at Bristol By Rob King

Nataas, a former Top Alcohol Dragster world champion, became the 11th woman in NHRA history to qualify for a Funny Car field – an achievement made even sweeter by turning on her first win light against John Force Racing’ s Jack Beckman.

“ It wasn’ t a perfect weekend by any means, but I wanted to come here and be competitive— get down the track, go rounds, and learn,” said Nataas.“ Getting that first round win in my first race was huge for us, and I know there’ s more to come.”

After a tricky opening pass on Friday, where the Airmine Toyota hazed the tires early against former teammate Hunter Green, the team rebounded quickly in session two. Nataas laid down a clean 4.03-second run at 317 mph alongside Chad Green – her first full pull in competition and a confidence boost heading into Saturday.

Saturday, she remained consistent with another 4.04 at 314 mph to start the day alongside Ron Capps. The final qualifying session delivered a bit of history as Nataas and Alexis DeJoria staged for the first side-by-side all-female Funny Car run since 2018. Both cars struggled for traction, cementing Nataas’ round-one match up with Beckman.

Sunday brought another milestone as Nataas scored her first professional round win in NHRA Funny Car competition, defeating veteran Jack Beckman. Beckman, who wins an impressive 77 % of first-round matchups when starting from the top half of the field, was out first but lost traction early. Nataas kept her car straight down the groove with a 4.053, lighting her first Funny Car win bulb.

In round two, Nataas faced Daniel Wilkerson, but an early tire smoker ended her day.

“ The right lane is very challenging to tune for. Del and the team gave it all they could in those conditions,” she said.“ I learned a lot this weekend, and I know the team did too. Every lap we make, we get better.”

While still in the lower. 100s, Nataas’ s reaction times were consistent throughout the weekend, leaving the rookie confident that with more laps, her well-known starting line prowess will soon translate fully to the Funny Car seat.

The weekend also brought special recognition for Nataas’ s crew chief and team owner, Del Worsham, who was named the 2025 Legend of Thunder Valley by Bristol Dragway. Worsham, who has seen success as both a driver and tuner at Bristol, was joined by friends and family, bringing an extra layer of excitement and energy to the pit.

“ To me, Del and Connie are racing royalty,” Nataas said.“ I am so lucky to have them alongside me at the start of this journey as mentors, coaches, and partners. When Del mentioned he was getting this recognition, I knew it was the perfect race for us to start with.”

After hopping out at the top end following the first-round win, Nataas announced that she secured continued funding from Airmine to race at the next stop on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

“ This was the first step for us,” Nataas said.“ Now I want to keep improving – both in the car and on the sponsorship hunt. The goal is to come out even stronger in Norwalk with hopes of attracting sponsors that will get our GR Supra on track more often this season.” DI

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NHRA AND DAVE DEANGELIS

24 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 195