Photo courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

NHRA officials announced this week a change for the upcoming Virginia NHRA Nationals that will see all three qualifying sessions in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series taking place on Saturday, June 22, leading into eliminations the following day at Virginia Motorsports Park.

The two-day NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series event will feature three qualifying sessions on the same day in the professional categories (Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle) for the first time. Official times for Saturday’s three qualifying sessions and Sunday’s first round of eliminations will be released next week.

NHRA worked closely with the race teams to help offer a new experience for the fans at the Virginia event.

Racing action in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, featuring some of the sport’s top drivers, will begin on Friday, June 21.

This year’s Virginia NHRA Nationals marks the first NHRA race at the standout facility since 2022, as fans at Virginia Motorsports Park, regarded as one of the quickest and fastest tracks on the NHRA circuit, will also see the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge for the first time during the last two qualifying sessions on Saturday. The Challenge is a unique bonus event that brings competitive racing to Saturday and offers a bonus purse and bonus championship points.

Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won during NHRA’s last appearance at Virginia Motorsports Park, capping off a record-setting weekend at the facility and giving fans a glimpse at what could happen in 2024. Racing on one of the smoothest surfaces on the NHRA tour, Force shattered the track record with a run of 3.654-seconds at a track-best 335.82 mph.

Reigning Funny Car world champion and Virginia native Matt Hagan of Tony Stewart Racing set both ends of the track record with an impressive blast of 3.853, also going 335.82, while Angie Smith broke track records in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a run of 6.756 at 201.37. Larry “Spiderman” McBride also captivated fans in Virginia in 2022 at his home track in Top Fuel Motorcycle, going 268.38 mph and making the fastest motorcycle pass in drag racing history.

Along with action in all four NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series categories, the Virginia Nationals will also feature the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock, and Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle.