2026 CHRR Race Report (Race #5 of 5)

Maher Sweeps the Season Finale at Famoso

The California Independent Funny Car Association closed its 2026 season at the California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports. Eleven blown-alcohol Funny Cars from California, Oregon and Sweden battled for eight positions on the 7.10 quarter-mile index.

Already crowned the 2026 CIFCA Champion, James Maher finished the season in dominant fashion. Maher qualified No. 1, earned the weekend’s best package and defeated Rick Alvarado in the final round to give the Junior Vibes team its fourth consecutive CIFCA victory.

Qualifying

Tony Trimp led the opening qualifying session with a 7.158 in the Rough-N-Ready 1965 Mustang. Kevin Sarginson followed closely at 7.164, while James Maher opened with a 7.193.

Qualifying also produced a piece of CIFCA history. Ken Breneisen recorded a perfect .000 reaction time, earning the Enderle Fuel Injection Best Reaction Time Award. Kevin Sarginson later matched him with another .000 light during Q2, but Breneisen received the award because he recorded his perfect light first.

Combined with Todd Ross’ .000 reaction time earlier in the season at Funny Car Fever, 2026 marked the first time in CIFCA history that three perfect reaction times were recorded during the same season.

Maher delivered his best run during Q2. His .017 reaction time and 7.112 elapsed time—only .012 over the index—produced a .029 total package. The run earned Maher both the System 1 Filtration No. 1 Qualifier Award and the CP Carrillo Best Package Award.

Jim Maher improved to a 7.142 to take the No. 2 position in the Good Vibrations 1974 Mustang II. Trimp’s 7.158 held for third, followed by Sarginson’s 7.164 and Breneisen’s 7.165. Only .053 second separated second through fifth.

Rick Alvarado gave the Reunion crowd a show during qualifying and captured the Mike’s Transmission Burnout Contest.

The Control Cables Longest Tow Award went to Bob Edwards and Rick Nicholas with the Outta Time Funny Car after making the trip from Oregon.

Final Qualifying Order

1. James Maher — 7.112 at 186.21 mph

2. Jim Maher — 7.142 at 187.53 mph

3. Tony Trimp — 7.158 at 174.24 mph

4. Kevin Sarginson — 7.164 at 189.47 mph

5. Ken Breneisen — 7.165 at 180.07 mph

6. Rick Alvarado — 7.194 at 182.07 mph

7. Rick Nicholas — 7.324 at 183.56 mph

8. Christian Marshall — 7.336 at 155.22 mph

Joacim Ljungberg’s 7.459, Joe Caudle’s 7.532 and Shaun Bryan’s 7.641 fell outside the eight-car field.

First Round

Following qualifying, the Good Vibrations team discovered that Jim Maher’s Hemi had pushed out a head gasket. The No. 2 qualifier was unable to make the first-round call, moving first alternate Joacim Ljungberg into the field.

Ljungberg came to Famoso from Sweden wanting to find out exactly how fast the Raw Valley Motorsports Firebird could go—and he proved it in the opening round. Ljungberg unleashed a 6.240 at 227.56 mph, but the run was far below the 7.10 index. Rick Alvarado advanced with an excellent 7.111 at 182.92 mph, only .011 over the index.

Tony Trimp controlled his matchup with Rick Nicholas from start to finish. Trimp left first with a .053 reaction time and won with a 7.233 against Nicholas’ 7.314.

James Maher and Ken Breneisen produced a close race decided on the starting line. Maher’s .028 reaction time gave him the advantage over Breneisen’s .144. Breneisen ran the quicker elapsed time, 7.136 to Maher’s 7.216, but Maher’s holeshot carried him to the win by .036 second.

Kevin Sarginson advanced in the final pairing of the round. Sarginson recorded a .119 light and a 7.166, while Christian Marshall charged to a 7.016 at 197.58 mph but broke out on the 7.10 index.

Semifinals

Maher faced Trimp in the first semifinal. Trimp left too soon with a -.003 red light, immediately handing the win to Maher. Maher ran it through to a 7.098 at 193.50 mph, but Trimp’s starting-line foul had already decided the race.

The other semifinal delivered the closest race of the weekend. Sarginson left with a .057 reaction time and gained a .197-second starting-line advantage over Alvarado’s .254 light. Alvarado chased him down with a 7.105 against Sarginson’s 7.303, making up .198 second on the racetrack and reaching the finish line first by just .001 second.

Final Round

The final round match up James Maher and the Junior Vibes 1984 Tempo against Rick Alvarado and the Mighty Mouse 1937 Topolino.

Maher delivered when it counted, leaving first with a .046 reaction time to Alvarado’s .168. Maher reached the finish line first with a winning 7.198 at 188.32 mph. Alvarado ran quicker with a 7.088 at 191.12 mph, but his .012-second breakout sealed the California Hot Rod Reunion victory for Maher.

Special Awards

- System 1 Filtration No. 1 Qualifier — James Maher, 7.112

- CP Carrillo Best Package — James Maher, .029 package

- Enderle Fuel Injection Best Reaction Time — Ken Breneisen, .000

- Mike’s Transmission Burnout Contest — Rick Alvarado

- Control Cables Longest Tow — Bob Edwards and Rick Nicholas, Outta Time

CIFCA Final Championship Standings Presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports

James Maher completed his fifth CIFCA championship season with 4,374 points. After finishing runner-up at the season opener, Maher and the Junior Vibes team won the final four races of the season.

The battle for third came down to only two points. Rick Alvarado secured third with 2,142 points, narrowly defeating Ken and Denise Wynn’s Bad Intentions team at 2,140. Harvey Williams and Rough-N-Ready Racing completed the top five with 1,834 points.

1. James Maher — Junior Vibes — 4,374

2. Jim Maher — Good Vibrations — 2,764

3. Rick Alvarado — Mighty Mouse — 2,142

4. Ken and Denise Wynn — Bad Intentions — 2,140

5. Harvey Williams — Rough-N-Ready Racing — 1,834

The Reunion victory gave Maher and Junior Vibes four consecutive CIFCA wins, back-to-back California Hot Rod Reunion victories and a perfect three-for-three record at Bakersfield. It also added another Wally to Maher’s collection to close an unforgettable fifth championship season.

CIFCA thanks Famoso Dragstrip, the California Hot Rod Reunion staff, every participating team and the series partners who supported the 2026 season: Control Cables, CP-Carrillo, Enderle Fuel Injection, Good Vibrations Motorsports, Mike’s Transmission, Olson Products, Stith Printing and System 1 Filtration