NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

After a strong start on Wednesday with time trials and qualifying in Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge, racing continued at Indy on Thursday beginning with class eliminations and moving on to the first qualifying rounds in Comp, Right Trailers Top Dragster, and Right Trailers Top Sportsman. The ambitious scheduled was upended by a stubborn late-summer thunderstorm that interrupted class eliminations.

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Since 1968, the Dodge and Plymouth Hemi-powered package cars have been a part of the U.S. Nationals and what is now the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge has been a part of the Indy landscape since 2001. The event popular returns this weekend with 17 of the high horsepower muscle cars on hand to compete for, among other things, the SS/AH class title. On Wednesday, Stephen Comella drove to the top spot during the first session with a very impressive 8.299-second run, one of the quickest passes in recent memory. Five other drivers were in the 8.3s in what promises to be a very competitive field.

The second session, run on Thursday afternoon, featured plenty of improvements although no on was able to move Comella out of the top spot. Jason Line, Jimmy Daniels, Charlie Westcott, and Bucky Hess, four drivers who know a think or two about success at Indy, follow Comella in the order.

Under the lights, the Hemi cars returned for Q3 for a final tune-up before tomorrow's final eliminations where Comella made a slight improvement with an 8.291. Comella has plenty of company as Jason Line made his best run of the event with an 8.309. Anthony Rhodes (8.335), Bucky Hess (8.344), Charlie Westcott (8.358), and Jimmy Daniels (8.375) also made solid runs. 

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The big news of the day was the official unveiling of the 2026 schedule for the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series. The 20 race calendar includes two new venues, South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Ga., and Maryland Int’l Raceway in Budds Creek, Md. South Georgia track owners Raul and Jennifer Torres have been on hand for the first two days of the event while longtime Maryland Int’l Raceway track owner Royce Miller is also expected to make an appearance this weekend to discuss the exciting new developments.

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Thusday’s packed schedule also featured the first round of eliminations for Super Comp and Super Gas as some of the more than 800 competitors began to fall by the wayside. In Super Comp, 112 drivers took to the track for round one and Bo Butner emerged as the top qualifier with an 8.903 run, tying chassis builder Dean McIlvain. In addition to Butner, the remaining 56 drivers include world champions Steve Williams, John Labbous Jr., Christopher Dodd, Devin Isenhower, Colby Fuller and Doug Doll.

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After one round of qualifying in Comp Eliminator, veteran Doug Engels leads the way with a (-.666) 7.264 in his D/Econo Dragster. Engels is just two thousandths ahead of Don Thomas and his D/Dragster. There are five drivers currently six-tenths under their respective indexes including Rodger Brodgon, Jeremy Bailey, and Mike Farrell.

On Thursday, Comp racers also participated in the drawing for the Decell Power Systems Comp Clash, a special 16 car event that will take place on Friday at 12:45 p.m. 

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The final piece of business for the night was the first session of qualifying for racers in Right Trailers Top Sportsman. Chassis builder Bob Mandell leads the way a 6.230, just ahead of past world champion Darian Boesch, who ran a swift 6.248 in his Jerry Haas-built Camaro. Dennis Dowson also found the 6.2s at 6.292.