NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

As the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series launches into a new season, the sport does so with confidence, clarity, and renewed energy. Anchored by its 75th anniversary celebration and fueled by competitive depth, new and returning stars, and forward-looking initiatives, NHRA enters the year nitro-fueled for success.

75th anniversary celebration: NHRA’s 75th anniversary season will be more than a celebration and recognition of a legacy built on innovation, leadership, and opportunity. From a new-look diamond-themed Wally to special events and guests, the milestone season will be one to behold.

Fan interaction: Throughout the season, fans will get the chance to meet many of the sport’s legends as their accomplishments and legacies are celebrated at tracks across the schedule. Through fan-driven initiatives like the Top 75 Moments program and expanded historical storytelling, NHRA is reconnecting longtime supporters while introducing new fans to the people, milestones, and breakthroughs that shaped the sport.

New docuseries: Fans will have more opportunities than ever to engage with the sport, from the upcoming docuseries Chasing Speed, which will debut Jan. 21, to a forthcoming mobile game, and enhanced digital experiences on social media and the web.

Milestone Funny Car event: Just as Top Fuel did last season, the Funny Car class will hit its milestone 1,000th event in 2026. Details on the celebration will be announced in the near future.

Wide-open championships: As the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season prepares for launch in Gainesville in early March, the championship picture across NHRA’s Professional categories is refreshingly open. Competitive parity continues to improve, giving more teams legitimate opportunities to contend for wins, Countdown to the Championship berths, and championships. For fans, that means unpredictable outcomes and season-long storylines that remain compelling from the Gainesville opener to the NHRA Finals in Pomona.

New venues for 2026: The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will debut at four new facilities this year. South Georgia Motorsports Park, Maryland International Raceway, Rockingham Dragway, and U.S. 131 Motorsports Park will also have their first-ever NHRA national event, bringing plenty of excitement and anticipation along with it.

Silly Season: The NHRA offseason has been anything but quiet, and that activity speaks volumes as teams have remained engaged, finalizing team lineups, securing sponsorships, and refining new partnerships as the new season approaches. While most of the major announcements have been made, there are still some significant shoes waiting to drop.

Team shakeups: The departure of two-time and reigning NHRA Funny Car world champion Austin Prock — along with his family crew chief tandem of father Jimmy and brother Thomas — from John Force Racing has thrown the Funny Car landscape into an uproar. JFR wasted no time in naming Jordan Vandergriff the successor to Prock in the Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet to battle against the Procks and their soon-to-be-announced 2026 alliance with another top team as well as four-time world champ Matt Hagan.

Top Fuel title battle resumes: While the hierarchy of the Top Fuel field continues to be fronted by the dual Kalitta Motorsports threats of Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon and perennial title contender Justin Ashley, new and returning partnerships could threaten that dominance.

The return of Leah Pruett: Leah Pruett’s return to Top Fuel competition represents one of the most powerful stories of the season, not only for what it adds competitively, but for what it represents personally and professionally. Pruett rejoins the category as a proven race winner and championship contender, and her return reinforces NHRA’s support of athletes balancing family and elite performance, setting a powerful example across motorsports.

Stewart joins new Elite team: Pruett will return to the Top Fuel seat in 2026 with Tony Stewart Racing, but she’ll be racing against – not with – her husband, Tony Stewart, who will take over the controls of the new Elite Motorsports Top Fuel entry.

JFR team expansion: With the retirement of Brittany Force at the end of 2025, Josh Hart will step into the seat of the team’s 340-mph dragster and bring new energy to one of the sport’s hallmark teams, which this year will field four teams.

New blood in Top Fuel: Three-time Funny Car world champion Ron Capps, who got his start in the Top Fuel ranks, will re-enter the class with new driver Maddi Gordon, a third-generation Top Alcohol Funny Car racer who will wheel Ron Capps Motorsports’ Carlyle Tools dragster.

Pro Stock wars will continue: The championship races in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, which last year were both highlighted by intra-team title battles – KB Titan Racing’s Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderspn in Pro Stock and Vance & Hines’ Richard Gadson and Gaige Herrera in Pro Stock Motorcycle – will also have new energy as first-time world champs Glenn and Gadson will find out just how tough it is to defend a title. KB Titan’s rivals from Elite Motorsports will no doubt be going all out to prevent another lopsided title battle with Matt Smith Racing’s fleet of two-wheelers and lay siege upon the Vance & Hines monopoly of the past three seasons.