2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season
Season
Races20
Start dateMarch 8
End dateNovember 15
Awards
Drivers' championTBD (Top Fuel)
TBD (Funny Car)
TBD (Pro Stock)
TBD (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Rookie of the YearTBD

The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season was announced back on August 28, 2025.[1]

It is currently the on going 71st season of the National Hot Rod Association's top drag racing competition. This season also celebrates the 75th anniversary of the NHRA from their founding.[2] The NHRA is scheduled to host 20 national events this season. Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock will compete in all 20 events, which is planned to be one (Top Fuel and Funny Car) or three (Pro Stock Car) more than in 2025. Pro Stock Motorcycle will compete at 14 events, the same as 2025. There will also be All-Star Call Out races for each of the 4 pro classes, which are based on a format used by the Discovery television program Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings, where the drivers select their opponents in early rounds.[3] Nineteen tracks will host NHRA races, including three new national event tracks in well-established drag racing markets and one hosting its first ever national event but on the schedule for the first time since 1998. On December 12, 2025, Maple Grove Raceway owner Kenny Koretsky announced his intentions to sell the track to the IHRA, removing Maple Grove from the map after 40 years.[4] The NHRA promptly announced on December 15, 2025 that U. S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan would replace Maple Grove on the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule.[5]

The 2026 season also is the first since John Force announced his retirement late in the prior year after more than 40 years as a driver. [6] In addition, Brittany Force announced in 2025 she would be stepping away from her Top Fueler to start a family. Replacing her for 2026 will be Josh Hart.[7] After the conclusion of the 2025 season, the Prock family announced a surprise exit from John Force Racing, with Jordan Vandergriff being named to drive the Cornwell Tools Funny Car on December 12, 2025, during the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show.[8] In January 2026, the Prock family announced their move to Tasca Racing, with Austin driving Bob Tasca III's Ford Mustang for 2026.[9] JFR also announced that Alexis DeJoria would be joining the team in a 3rd Funny Car, ending her tenure at JCM after 1 year.[10][11]

In order to join JFR, Josh Hart sold off his personally owned Top Fuel team, Josh Hart Racing, over to Richard Freeman, who is the owner of the Pro Stock powerhouse, Elite Motorsports.[12] Freeman then announced a technical alliance with Tony Stewart Racing,[13] and that the dragster would be driven by Tony Stewart himself, as Leah Pruett would return to the Top Fuel seat at TSR after 2 seasons away.[14] In a move many months in the making, Ron Capps Motorsports will be expanding to enter a Top Fuel car in 2026, with Maddi Gordon behind the wheel. [15] In another expansion move, SCAG Racing announced the addition of another Top Fuel car to be driven by Will Smith.[16]

The Top Fuel Call Out, which was held at the Gatornationals, had their field set on November 1, 2025, which was at the conclusion of the Nevada Nationals, the last professional race qualifying session of the 2025 season. Champion Doug Kalitta won the top seed and called out his opponent among Shawn Langdon (No. 2), Justin Ashley (No. 3), Tony Stewart (No. 5), Clay Millican (No. 6), Steve Torrence (No. 7, may skip the event; would be replaced by Josh Hart, No. 10), Shawn Reed (No. 8), and Antron Brown (No. 9, replaces Brittany Force, who retired).

Schedule

The national event schedule was released on August 28, 2025. Then that was followed up by the Pro Stock & Pro Stock Motorcycle classes as well the Callouts all getting confirmed on October 2, 2025. The schedule was then revised when Rockingham was added on November 10, 2025. Then following the sale of Maple Grove Raceway announced December 12, 2025, that was followed by the NHRA removing the track on December 15, 2025, and announced its replacement. The TV schedule was added to this page on February 13, 2026 the same day it was announced.

2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Schedule [17]
Date Race Site TV [18] Winners
Top Fuel Funny Car Pro Stock Pro Stock Motorcycle
March 5–8 AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals TFCO Gainesville Raceway
Gainesville, Florida		 FS1 Josh Hart (I) Chad Green (I) Matt Hartford (I) Richard Gadson (I)
March 20–22 FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals Presented By NGK Spark Plugs Firebird Motorsports Park
Chandler, Arizona		 Shawn Langdon (I) Ron Capps (I) Dallas Glenn (I) N/A[a]
April 9–12 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip
Pomona, California		 Tony Stewart (I) Matt Hagan (I) Greg Anderson (I) N/A[a]
April 24–26 NHRA 4-Wide Nationals 4 Lanes zMAX Dragway
Concord, North Carolina		 Doug Kalitta (I) Ron Capps (II) Matt Hartford (II) Gaige Herrera (I)
May 1–3 NHRA Southern Nationals South Georgia Motorsports Park
Adel, Georgia		 Shawn Langdon (II) Jordan Vandergriff (I) Dallas Glenn (II) Matt Smith (I)
May 14–17 Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals Presented By PEAK Route 66 Raceway
Joliet, Illinois		 Shawn Langdon (III) Chad Green (II) Aaron Stanfield (I) Matt Smith (II)
May 29–31 NHRA Potomac Nationals Presented By JEGS Maryland International Raceway
Mechanicsville, Maryland		 FOX Shawn Langdon (IV) Austin Prock (I) Greg Anderson (II) Angie Smith (I)
June 5–7 NHRA New England Nationals Presented By bproauto [b] New England Dragway
Epping, New Hampshire		 Leah Pruett (I) Jack Beckman (I) Dallas Glenn (III) N/A[a]
June 12–14 Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Bristol Dragway
Bristol, Tennessee		 FS1 Antron Brown (I) Matt Hagan (II) Matt Hartford (III) Gaige Herrera (II)
June 25–28 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals PSCO Summit Motorsports Park
Norwalk, Ohio		 FOX Maddi Gordon (I) Ron Capps (III) Aaron Stanfield (II) Richard Gadson (II)
July 17–19 DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals Presented By PowerEdge PSMCO Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, California		 FS1 Doug Kallita (II) Jordan Vandergriff (II) Greg Stanfield (I) NC[c]
July 24–26 Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals Pacific Raceways
Kent, Washington		 FOX Doug Kallita (III) J.R. Todd (I) Greg Anderson (III) N/A[a]
August 20–23 NHRA Brainerd Nationals Brainerd International Raceway
Brainerd, Minnesota		 FS1 Doug Kallita (IV) Matt Hagan (III) Greg Anderson (IV) N/A[a]
September 2–7 Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals 1.5 FCCO Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
Brownsburg, Indiana		 FS1 & FOX
Countdown to the Championship
September 17–20 Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals Presented By MOPAR U. S. 131 Motorsports Park
Martin, Michigan		 FS1
September 25–27 NHRA Nationals at The Rock Rockingham Dragway,
Rockingham, North Carolina
October 2–4 NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals World Wide Technology Raceway
Madison, Illinois		 FOX [d]
October 14–18 Texas NHRA FallNationals Texas Motorplex
Ennis, Texas		 FS1
October 29 – November 1 MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Powered By Dodge Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 12–15 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals 1.5 In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip
Pomona, California
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pro Stock Motorcycle did not compete at this event.
  2. ↑ Because of rain the Top Fuel and Funny Car winners got decided on Friday in Bristol during the 2nd qualifying session
  3. ↑ Non-championship speciality event for Pro Stock Motorcycle with only the top eight in the speciality round points participating.
  4. ↑ This race is regionalized depending on when viewers get an NFL game October 4 so it will shown at 2 pm eastern or 4:30 pm eastern

Schedule Changes

The 2026 schedule features several key changes to it. The Winternationals in Pomona was pushed back two weeks from its 2025 date. Sonoma and Seattle swapped dates from 2024.[2]

The Las Vegas race in April was removed and it got replaced by a round in Adel, Georgia at South Georgia Motorsports Park, 2,200 miles east. It will be the first NHRA event in Georgia since 2021, as well as the return of the Southern Nationals which was previously held at Atlanta Dragway, one of four former NHRA national event circuits Darryl H. Cuttell, owner of a rival sanctioning body, acquired in the off-season.

The DMV race moves from Virginia Motorsports Park (also acquired by Cuttell from the Franklin family) to Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland, which is 117 miles north of Dinwiddie.

The race that was in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, from Maple Grove Raceway was removed after the Koretsky family also sold their track to Cuttell. Then it was that announced U. S. 131 Motorsports Park, on December 11, 2025, would become an NHRA-sanctioned track, with that followed by an announcement that it was the replacement on December 15, 2025 for the series schedule.

The fall North Carolina race moves from Concord over to Rockingham Dragway, which is 82 miles southeast in Rockingham, North Carolina.

The Las Vegas race will be a standard two-lane race, making the April Charlotte round the only four-lane race of the season.

Additional rules for specially marked races

4 Lanes: The National event in Charlotte will compete with cars in four lanes.

  • All cars will qualify on each lane as all four lanes will be used in qualifying.
  • Three rounds with cars using all four lanes.
  • In Rounds One and Two, the top two drivers (of four) will advance to the next round.
  • The pairings are set as follows:
    • Race One: 1, 8, 9, 16
    • Race Two: 4, 5, 12, 13
    • Race Three: 2, 7, 10, 15
    • Race Four: 3, 6, 11, 14
    • Semifinal One: Top two in Race One and Race Two
    • Semifinal Two: Top two in Race Three and Race Four
    • Finals: Top two in Semifinal One and Semifinal Two
  • Lane choice is determined by times in the previous round. In first round, lane choice determined by fastest times.
  • Drivers who advance in Rounds One and Two will receive 20 points for each round advancement.
  • In Round Three, the winner of the race will be declared the race winner and will collect 40 points. The runner-up will receive 20 points. Third and fourth place drivers will be credited as semifinal losers.

1.5: The U.S. Nationals and In-N-Out Burger Finals will have their race points increased by 50% . Drivers who qualify but are eliminated in the first round receive 30 points, and each round win is worth 30 points. The top four receive 10, 9, 8, and 7 points, respectively, for qualifying positions, with the 5–6 drivers receiving 6 points, 7–8 drivers receiving 5 points, 9–12 receiving 4 points, and 13–16 receiving 3 points. Also, the top four, not three, drivers after each session receive points for fastest times in each round (4-3-2-1).

TF/FC/PS/PSM CO: All-Star Call Out competition for that category.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge

The Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge is a collaboration that was created between both the NHRA and Mission Foods as it was introduced in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.[19] The challenge spices up Saturday qualifying schedule at regular-season events. Semifinalists from the previous race compete anew, culminating in a final during the last qualifying session. Winners gain a purse, as well as bonus points. At the U. S. Nationals (Monday finals), the event takes place on Saturday.

Bonus points are awarded as follows:

  • Winner (3)
  • Runner-up (2)
  • Quickest losing semifinalist (1)

Bonus points earned from the challenge will be added to a driver’s total points at the start of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

2026 Mission #2FAST2TASTY Challenge Schedule[20]
DateRaceWinners
Top FuelFunny CarPro StockPro Stock Motorcycle
March 21FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals Presented By NGK Spark PlugsDoug Kalitta (I)J.R. Todd (I)Dallas Glenn (I)N/A[a]
April 11Lucas Oil NHRA WinternationalsDoug Kalitta (II)Matt Hagan (I)Dallas Glenn (II)N/A[a]
April 25NHRA 4-Wide NationalsClay Millican (I)Jordan Vandergriff (I)Greg Anderson (I)Gaige Herrera (I)
May 2NHRA Southern NationalsNot Held [b]
May 16Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals Presented By PEAKShawn Langdon (I)Alexis DeJoria (I)Erica Enders (I)Gaige Herrera (II)
May 30NHRA Potomac Nationals Presented By JEGSShawn Langdon (II)Austin Prock (I)Aaron Stanfield (I)Angie Smith (I)
June 6NHRA New England Nationals Presented By bproautoDoug Kalitta (III)Jordan Vandergriff (II)Greg Anderson (II)N/A[a]
June 13Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley NationalsDoug Kalitta (IV)Jordan Vandergriff (III)Matt Hartford (I)Richard Gadson (I)
June 27Summit Racing Equipment NHRA NationalsShawn Langdon (III)Austin Prock (II)ASCO[c]Richard Gadson (II)
July 18DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals Presented By PowerEdgeShawn Langdon (IV)Ron Capps (I)Dallas Glenn (III)ASCO[c]
July 25Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest NationalsAntron Brown (I)Daniel Wilkerson (I)Greg Stanfield (I) N/A[a]
August 22NHRA Brainerd NationalsDoug Kalitta (V)J.R. Todd (II)Greg Anderson (III)N/A[a]
September 5Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Overall Winners
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Vehicle class did not compete at this event.
  2. ↑ Late Friday night weather and a long delay in track drying and maintenance forced cancellation of the challenge.
  3. 1 2 Class will not participate in the Challenge at this round because of the class All-Star Call Out taking place

References

  1. ↑ "NHRA announces historic 2026 schedule for 75th Anniversary season". NHRA. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "NHRA adds Georgia, Maryland to 2026 schedule". ESPN.com. August 28, 2025. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  3. ↑ Wade, Susan. "How NHRA Is Thinking Outside the Box for Big-Money Callout Specialty Race". AutoWeek. Hearst Publications. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  4. ↑ "IHRA Acquires Maple Grove Raceway". Speed Sport. Turn 3 Media. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  5. ↑ "NHRA to kick off 2026 Countdown to the Championship with debut at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park". NHRA.COM. NHRA. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ https://johnforceracing.com/blog/john-force-announces-retirement-after-unparalleled-nhra-career/
  7. ↑ staff, Posted by NHRA com. "John Force Racing signs Josh Hart to drive its Top Fuel dragster". NHRA. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  8. ↑ staff, Posted by NHRA com. "John Force Racing and the Prock family part ways". NHRA. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  9. ↑ Burgess, Phil. "Prock team will compete in Tasca Racing Ford Funny Car in 2026 season". NHRA. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  10. ↑ staff, Posted by NHRA com. "John Force Racing expands with signing of Alexis DeJoria in third Funny Car". NHRA. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  11. ↑ John Force Racing. "John Force Racing Announcement at PRI Show". YouTube. John Force Racing. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ staff, Posted by NHRA com. "Elite Motorsports prepares to step into nitro ranks with purchase of Top Fuel team". NHRA. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  13. ↑ staff, Posted by NHRA com. "Tony Stewart Racing and Elite Motorsports form alliance in NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series". NHRA. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Tony Stewart Finds Full-Time Funding for Top Fuel Efforts for 2026 and Beyond". Autoweek. October 21, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  15. ↑ "21-Year-Old Maddi Gordon Steps Up to NHRA Top Fuel with Ron Capps Motorsports". Autoweek. November 4, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  16. ↑ staff, Posted by NHRA com. "Scag Racing expands with second Bluebird Top Fuel entry; Will Smith was named as driver". NHRA. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  17. ↑ staff, NHRA.com. "NHRA announces historic 2026 schedule for 75th Anniversary season".
  18. ↑ staff, NHRA.com. "NHRA, FOX Sports announce 2026 NHRA TV schedule for 75th anniversary season".
  19. ↑ "Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge to debut during 2023 regular season". NHRA. January 19, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  20. ↑ ""Mission Tortillas Partnership NHRA"". NHRA. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
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