FuelTech Turns Velopark Into Latin America’s Next Major Drag Racing Destination

For decades, the influence shaping Brazilian drag racing flowed primarily from the United States. American cars, parts, tuning philosophies, and race formats helped define how the sport developed across South America.

Now, that relationship is running in both directions.

FuelTech has become one of the most recognizable brands in American drag racing, with its technology powering record-setting cars and championship-winning programs. The Brazilian company’s reach continues to grow, but its most ambitious motorsports project isn’t a new ECU, ignition system, or data-acquisition package.

FuelTech bought a racetrack.

The company’s acquisition and redevelopment of Autódromo FuelTech Velopark in southern Brazil has created something much larger than a corporate test facility. It is becoming a legitimate international drag racing destination capable of attracting competitors, fans, and industry leaders from across the Americas.

That growing reputation recently brought Pro Line Racing’s Eric Dillard and Faster Motorsports’ Junot Medina roughly 5,000 miles from the center of American drag racing to Nova Santa Rita, Brazil. They weren’t there to compete. They wanted to see firsthand what FuelTech was building.

FuelTech Gives Its Racing Brand A Permanent Home

FuelTech acquired the facility now known as Autódromo FuelTech Velopark in October 2025. The track is located in Nova Santa Rita, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state.

For a company that spent more than two decades earning its reputation through racers, race teams, and high-performance vehicles, purchasing the facility represented a major change in direction.

The company quickly set out to transform the existing property into a facility capable of meeting international expectations.

Autódromo FuelTech Velopark now features covered grandstands in multiple sections, a full food court, a dedicated vendor midway with more than 20 partner companies, the BR Sport VIP area, and a children’s zone designed to make the events more appealing to families.

Those upgrades make the facility more comfortable for spectators, but the most important improvements may be the ones racers feel rather than see.

Competitors with experience at tracks throughout South America have described the Velopark racing surface and its preparation as being on par with leading facilities in the United States. That kind of praise carries weight because it comes from drivers who understand exactly how a properly prepared track should feel beneath a high-horsepower race car.

American Drag Racing Experience Meets Brazilian Flavor

FuelTech’s American operation played an important role in the effort to elevate Velopark. The objective was to blend lessons learned through years of U.S. drag racing experience with the energy and culture of Brazil’s motorsports community.

“We envisioned bringing this iconic venue up to a true international level,” said Luis de Leon, COO of FuelTech USA. “Taking all the experience from the USA, the homeland of drag racing, along with our own experience as race car drivers, we wanted to take this type of event to the next level. From the racing surface to the spectator amenities, the live feed, and the racer promotion, we felt we could do something unique, giving a Brazilian spice to this amazing sport. And here we are.”

That vision extends beyond the track surface. FuelTech has placed an emphasis on presentation, racer promotion, event production, sponsor activation, and the overall spectator experience.

The result is an event atmosphere that feels much larger than a typical regional race.

The FT BR Sport Drag Cup Arrived With Serious Momentum

The facility’s flagship championship is the Copa FT BR Sport de Arrancada, also known as the FT BR Sport Drag Cup.

The five-round 2026 series features more than two dozen categories, ranging from Pro Mod to turbocharged front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive divisions. The championship also includes motorcycles and junior racing categories, giving the program an unusually broad mix of vehicles and competitors.

The first event immediately demonstrated the demand for this type of championship.

A total of 167 drivers from Brazil and Argentina entered the opening round, and competitors broke 14 track records during the weekend. Racers also competed for the largest purse ever offered in Brazilian professional drag racing.

Participation increased during the second round, which attracted a record 180 entries. Teams from Uruguay joined racers from Brazil and Argentina, giving the championship representation from three countries.

Across the opening two races, competitors earned more than half a million Brazilian reais, approximately $100,000, in cash, parts, and prizes. Each event also drew more than 10,000 spectators through the gates.

Those numbers move the FT BR Sport Drag Cup beyond the realm of a strong local series. The championship is already developing the gravitational pull of a continental event.

Racers Are Crossing Borders To Be Part Of It

The scale of the competition is reflected in the effort teams are making to attend.

Some racers travel more than 800 miles to compete at Velopark. One team from Buenos Aires arrived with an entourage of more than 40 people. Another operation turned its pit space into a full camp, complete with music and a barbecue between rounds.

A successful racing series needs more than fast cars and a strong purse. Racers must want to attend, fans must feel like the event is worth their time, and sponsors need an environment where their presence has value.

FuelTech appears to be creating all three.

The championship still has three rounds remaining after its late-July event, with the season building toward a December finale.

Velopark Gives FuelTech A Real-World Technology Laboratory

Owning a racetrack also provides FuelTech with opportunities that traditional sponsorships cannot match.

The company can use the facility to develop, validate, and refine its products in real racing conditions. Engineers can evaluate hardware and software while working directly with racers and vehicles at a track FuelTech controls.

“This actually makes a lot of sense for us,” said Anderson Dick, FuelTech’s founder and global CEO. “Over the last 23 years, FuelTech has gone from a company born in a university, student-development environment to a global reference in technology and innovation. We have a very strong calling for motorsport, especially drag racing and road race competition, so we saw a real opportunity in having a track of our own — not only to develop products, but to test, validate, and refine our technologies in real conditions.

“Beyond that, we understand the influence a well-run racetrack can have on the market. With this structure, we can apply our marketing and business strategies directly to the events held at the track, helping to move the market, create new opportunities, and encourage motorsport in general. That impact isn’t limited to Brazil — the goal is to contribute to the growth of the sport at an international level, generating direct benefits for FuelTech, for the market, and for our operations in both Brazil and the United States.”

FuelTech’s corporate footprint already connects the two countries. The company maintains its headquarters in Porto Alegre, Brazil, while operating its American facility in Ball Ground, Georgia.

Many FuelTech components used in American race cars are rooted in engineering and development work performed in Brazil. Velopark gives racers from the United States a physical destination where they can see that side of the company’s operation.

Eric Dillard Returns To A Transformed Velopark

For Eric Dillard, the trip carried additional significance.

It had been more than 10 years since the Pro Line Racing co-founder last visited the facility. His first trip took place before FuelTech acquired the property and before he was even using the company’s electronics.

The track he returned to was dramatically different.

“We had a blast at the event,” Dillard said. “It was my first time back to Velopark in more than 10 years, and I was very impressed with the presentation across the board. The event had great energy and was very well supported, from the racer support to the VIP area and vendor presence, it made for a wonderful event. It had me so excited I wanted to have a car there to race. Hats off to FuelTech on an amazing job promoting and managing the event. We will definitely be back soon.”

That may be one of the strongest endorsements the project could receive. Dillard has spent years around some of the quickest and most sophisticated doorslammer programs in the world. For Velopark to leave him wanting a race car on the property says plenty about the facility and the event FuelTech has created.

American Racers Have An Open Invitation

The next rounds of the Copa FT BR Sport de Arrancada are scheduled for July 31 through August 2 and September 11-13.

FuelTech can arrange VIP access for American enthusiasts interested in attending. The experience can also include an exclusive tour of the company’s Brazilian headquarters, where many of its products are designed, developed, and manufactured.

That creates a unique motorsports trip for racers and enthusiasts who have spent years using FuelTech equipment.

Visitors can tour the company’s operation, attend an international drag race, and experience a racing scene that was heavily influenced by the United States but has developed its own identity.

For information about attending a round of the Copa FT BR Sport de Arrancada, visiting Autódromo FuelTech Velopark, or arranging a tour of FuelTech’s headquarters, contact FuelTech at (855) 595-3835.