Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

The NHRA will mark its 75th anniversary season in 2026 with a 20-race Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule that will be headlined by the addition of two new national event venues, the first additions to the tour in over a decade.

The milestone campaign opens March 5-8 with the 57th annual Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway and concludes November 12-15 at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, where world champions in all four professional categories will be crowned.

South Georgia Motorsports Park near Valdosta, Georgia, joins the schedule May 1-3 as the Southern Nationals return to the state for the first time since 2021. Later that month, Maryland International Raceway will host its first NHRA national event on May 29-31, bringing nitro racing to a key new market just outside Washington, D.C. “The 2026 season will be one of the most exciting in NHRA history,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell says. “We’re celebrating our 75th anniversary by honoring our legacy while evolving the series with new venues and expanded reach.”

From Gainesville, the season heads west to the NHRA Arizona Nationals (March 20-22), the Winternationals in Pomona (April 9-12), and the 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte (April 24-26) before debuting at SGMP. Chicago’s Route 66 Raceway returns May 14-17 ahead of the Maryland debut, which begins a three-week East Coast swing including the New England Nationals (June 5-7) and Bristol’s Thunder Valley Nationals (June 12-14). The summer slate features fan favorites like the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk (June 25-28), the Western Swing through Sonoma and Seattle in July, and Brainerd (Aug. 20-23).

The 72nd annual U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park runs September 2-7, highlighting the anniversary season on drag racing’s grandest stage. The Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin with three straight race weekends, starting September 17-20 at Maple Grove Raceway, continuing through St. Louis and Dallas, and wrapping up with back-to-back playoff stops in Las Vegas (Oct. 29-Nov. 1) and Pomona.

Notable changes to the schedule beyond the addition of new tracks include the elimination of the traditional spring four-wide national event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Virginia Motorsports Park’s exit from the tour, and Sonoma and Seattle swapping dates on the Western swing. The September 25-27 weekend, traditionally held by the zMax Dragway in Charlotte as part of the Countdown, will be held at a venue to be announced later.

The NHRA plans additional 75th anniversary celebrations to be announced in the coming months. All 2026 races will air exclusively on FOX Sports, with select events featured on the FOX broadcast network.

2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Season Schedule