The NHRA’s 75th anniversary season continues to gain momentum, and one of the biggest opportunities to showcase the sport to a massive national audience will take place this fall at World Wide Technology Raceway.
NHRA announced that the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, scheduled for Oct. 2-4 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, will air on FOX adjacent to a FOX football broadcast. The high-profile television window has become one of the most valuable opportunities for NHRA to introduce drag racing to new fans while highlighting the intensity of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
The broadcast marks the sixth consecutive year that an NHRA Countdown event will be featured alongside a FOX football broadcast. The strategy has proven highly successful, generating record audiences and exposing NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competition to millions of sports fans across the country.
St. Louis Joins NHRA’s Most-Watched Broadcast Platform
The World Wide Technology Raceway event serves as the third race in the six-race Countdown to the Championship and has become one of the most important stops on the NHRA schedule.
Known for packed grandstands, passionate fans, and some of the quickest and fastest runs in NHRA history, the St. Louis-area facility has earned a reputation as one of the premier venues in professional drag racing. The FOX broadcast provides an opportunity to showcase not only the racing but also the facility and region to a nationwide audience.
“We are thrilled that FOX has selected the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals to be a part of an amazing broadcast day in conjunction with their football broadcast,” said Chris Blair, World Wide Technology Raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager. “This opportunity showcases our track, our city, our region and the incredible fans that make WWT Raceway so special. There’s nothing like NHRA Drag Racing, and we are thrilled to share this spectacular event to a global audience and new potential fan base.”
FOX Partnership Continues Delivering Record Audiences
The football lead-in strategy has produced remarkable results for NHRA in recent seasons.
Last year’s playoff broadcast from Texas Motorplex delivered the highest television audience in NHRA history, attracting 2.065 million viewers with a peak audience of 3.631 million viewers. Those numbers demonstrated the sport’s ability to connect with mainstream sports audiences when placed in premium broadcast windows.
By featuring the Midwest Nationals in the same coveted programming position, NHRA and FOX are hoping to build on that success during the sanctioning body’s milestone anniversary season.
Most markets will air NHRA coverage from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET following FOX football broadcasts earlier in the day. In select markets, NHRA coverage will air from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET before transitioning directly into football coverage.
The unique scheduling arrangement creates a powerful platform for the sport and its championship contenders during one of the most critical stretches of the season.
Countdown To The Championship Spotlight
As the third event in the Countdown to the Championship, the Midwest Nationals often serves as a turning point in title battles across Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. With only four playoff races remaining after St. Louis, every qualifying point and every elimination round carries heightened significance.
The combination of championship pressure, elite competition, and a national FOX audience creates an ideal showcase for NHRA’s biggest stars.
World Wide Technology Raceway has consistently delivered memorable moments throughout its history, including record-setting performances and dramatic playoff battles. The facility’s smooth racing surface and favorable fall weather conditions routinely produce some of the fastest speeds and quickest elapsed times seen all season.
The announcement comes as NHRA continues an aggressive broadcast schedule throughout the remainder of the 2026 season. Coverage on FOX began with the sold-out inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway and launches a stretch of five regular-season events that will air on the broadcast network before the Countdown begins.
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