2026 Heads Up Hustle: Three Days Of Drag-And-Drive And Heads-Up Racing

Drag-and-drive racing has grown into one of the most unique forms of motorsports. While the general formula remains the same, promoters continue finding new ways to put their own spin on the format. The Heads Up Hustle blends traditional drag-and-drive competition with heads-up drag racing, creating an action-packed event that delivers plenty of racing in a compact three-day schedule.

Larger drag-and-drive events like Hot Rod Drag Week, the Sick events, and Rocky Mountain Race Week span five days and require competitors to log hundreds of street miles between tracks. The Heads Up Hustle offers a shorter alternative. Racers still complete plenty of driving and visit unique checkpoints, but all of the action is wrapped up in just three days.

The event’s class lineup offers something for nearly every type of racer. Competitors can choose from index classes, Full Size Truck, Hard Tire, naturally aspirated classes, Street Car, Stick Shift, a run-what-you-brung-style class, and several others. If you’ve wanted to try drag-and-drive racing but weren’t ready to commit to a week-long event, the Heads Up Hustle is an ideal place to get started.

For the 2026 Heads Up Hustle, competitors raced at Darana Dragway-West Salem and Darana Dragway -Milan. The first two days of competition serve as qualifying for the heads-up eliminations held on the final day. Racers work to post the best possible two-day average, which determines their position on the elimination ladder.

John Pranger secured the No. 1 qualifying position in the 13.00 Index class with a 13.006-second average. In the final, Pranger faced No. 2 qualifier Tyler Adams, but a red-light start handed the victory to Adams.

The 11.50 Index final featured Zack Szcserba and Scott Glassbrook. Szcserba earned the win after finishing on the favorable side of a double breakout.

In the 10.00 Index category, No. 1 qualifier Caleb Kars squared off against No. 2 qualifier Christopher Thomas Reiter. Kars red-lighted at the start, giving Reiter the victory.

The 8.50 Index final proved to be the closest race of the entire event. Top qualifier TJ Linebaugh met Jeremy Ortiz in the championship round, where Ortiz edged Linebaugh by just 0.0056 of a second at the finish line.

In the Full Size Truck final, No. 1 qualifier Ralph Rugg drove to a 12.157-second pass to defeat Jon Davis, who ran a 12.639.

A total of 10 racers qualified for the Hard Tire eliminations. Kevin Adams not only claimed the No. 1 qualifying position but also capped off the weekend with a victory over Zachary Schaaf in the final after posting a 10.176-second run.

The Daily Driver final paired No. 2 qualifier Frank Veneziano against Chris Vanderwalker. Veneziano picked up the win after Vanderwalker left too early and turned on the red light.

Jeremiah Kirby entered the N/A Big Block eliminations as the No. 1 qualifier with an impressive 8.020-second average. Unfortunately, his Chevelle was unable to make the call for the final, allowing Jay Grabiak to score the victory.

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The N/A Small Block final became a family affair as Tim Grabiak lined up against his sister, Riely Grabiak. Tim’s 10.364-second pass proved enough to earn the win.

Vance Cooper entered the Stick Shift class as the top qualifier thanks to a 9.122-second average and powered his way into the final against Gregory Black. Cooper sealed the victory with a stout 8.994-second run.

The Street Car final featured the two quickest cars at the event. Jon Moore squared off against Warren Hurt and drove to a winning 7.880-second pass to close out the 2026 Heads Up Hustle in style.