GAINESVILLE, FL – To start the 75th anniversary celebration, NHRA will open the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season in grand style at famed Gainesville Raceway for the 57th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on March 5-8.

NHRA will pay homage to some of its legendary names during the milestone year, starting in Gainesville with appearances from icons like Kenny Bernstein, Joe Amato, Don Prudhomme, Shirley Muldowney, Darrell Gwynn and drag racing pioneer “Big Daddy” Don Garlits at the famed venue. Along with that, Garlits’ popular “Swamp Rat Alley” will return for the weekend, featuring a trio of historic Garlits cars (Swamp Rat 1-B, Swamp Rat 8 and Swamp Rat 28A).

Each played a big role in NHRA’s 75 years, including these memorable highlights:

• Swamp Rat 1-B:
• Swamp Rat 1-B set a new speed record of 182.54 mph in Houston on June 10, 1959. Garlits had a massive fire in the car just 10 days later, but it was repaired and continued to set speed marks.
• Top speed: 204.54 mph
• Low elapsed time: 8.23-seconds
• Swamp Rat 8:
• This legendary dragster debuted at Bakersfield in one of the largest Top Fuel fields in history (120 entries). After some initial struggle, the car impressed during the 1965 season, posting big numbers after Garlits made some tuning adjustments.
• Top Speed: 208.32 mph
• Low elapsed time: 7.55
• Swamp Rat 28 A:
• Built as a lightweight, high-gear-only Top Fuel car, Garlits never found much success with it. He saved all the parts and pieces from the original car and recreated it, with a running model now at the Motorsports Hall of Fame in Daytona Beach.
• Top Speed: 255.54 mph
• Low elapsed time: 5.92

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INDIANAPOLIS – NHRA announced the introduction of the Wally Parks 75th Anniversary Appreciation Fund for 2026’s milestone season, a special initiative that will pay out $500,000 over the course of the celebratory year and recognize teams in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series who continue to carry forward Parks’ illustrious legacy.

In all, more than $27 million in purse and payouts will be awarded to teams during the 20-race schedule for 2026’s 75th anniversary season.

The multi-million dollar payout, which is also an increase from 2025, includes the event purse for drivers in the Mission Foods and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series on the national event tour, as well as the year-end championship purse for the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, payouts for the All-Star Callout races in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in the four professional categories and other incentive programs.

It also includes payouts for the regular season championship, which was introduced last season in the four professional categories (Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle) and will continue in 2026. Continue reading →

List includes Bernstein, Garlits, Muldowney, Prudhomme, Amato, Gwynn and Frey to open NHRA’s milestone 75th anniversary season

GAINESVILLE, FL – An incredible list of NHRA legends will help kick off NHRA’s 75th anniversary season, as some of the biggest names in NHRA history will be appearing at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on March 5-8 at famed Gainesville Raceway.

Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Shirley Muldowney, Joe Amato, Darrell Gwynn and Bob Frey are all slated to appear in Gainesville, a spectacular contingent of NHRA legends to open the milestone year in style.

Throughout the weekend, fans will have the chance to meet and interact with each legend, who each played instrumental and iconic roles in NHRA’s 75-year history. A full list of weekend appearances by the impressive group of legends will be released soon, while a comprehensive list of legends appearing at all 20 national events will be released in the coming weeks.

In Gainesville, it won’t get much bigger than the seven scheduled to appear to ring in NHRA’s 75th anniversary season.

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Tickets also available for NHRA’s first-time appearances at South Georgia Motorsports Park and Maryland International Raceway

INDIANAPOLIS – Tickets are now on sale for the first two races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series prepares for its full national-event debuts at both U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and Rockingham Dragway.

The inaugural NHRA Great Lakes Nationals in Martin, Mich., takes place Sept. 18-20 to open the six-race playoffs, while the NHRA Nationals at The Rock takes place a week later, Sept. 25-27, in Rockingham. With heavy demand and ample excitement for NHRA’s debut at the two facilities during its 75th anniversary season, fans are encouraged to get their tickets early to a pair of must-see events.

To purchase tickets, fans can visit www.nhra.com/tickets.

Tickets are also on sale for two other tracks making their NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series debuts in 2026, with the return of the NHRA Southern Nationals taking place at South Georgia Motorsports Park on May 1-3 for the first time and the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals following on May 29-31 at Maryland International Raceway.

Combined, NHRA will hold races at four new national event facilities during the 2026 campaign, further displaying NHRA’s growth during the milestone 75th season that includes a premier list of national event tracks in 19 markets across the country. Continue reading →

INDIANAPOLIS – Even as NHRA prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary season in 2026 and highlight some of the sport’s biggest legends, the 2027 season is already shaping up for another year-long epic celebration with one of motorsports’ most iconic figures.

NHRA announced today that the 2027 season will honor the sport’s winningest star, legendary 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force, with a year-long “50 Years of Force” celebration at each stop on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour.

To be part of “50 Years of Force,” fans can renew their tickets onsite for a 2027 race throughout the upcoming 75th anniversary year in 2026, which features 20 races across the country. Fans who renew their tickets onsite will also receive a special commemorative 16-time championship ring honoring the Hall of Fame legend.

“John Force is a true icon in motorsports and a name synonymous with NHRA Drag Racing, and celebrating ’50 Years of Force’ in 2027 will be a tribute to one of the most influential figures our sport has ever seen,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell said. “Coming off what’s going to be an absolutely huge year in 2026 with our 75th anniversary, we encourage all of our fans to renew their tickets for 2027 to be part of this unforgettable celebration. Continue reading →

Champs Austin Prock and Doug Kalitta take part in New York City media tour to kick off the NHRA’s upcoming 75th season

NEW YORK – Heading into its 75th anniversary season, the celebratory kickoff to the milestone year gets underway with the highly-anticipated premiere of “Chasing Speed,” a six-part docuseries that premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET on VICE TV.

Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta and Funny Car world champ Austin Prock helped celebrate the start of NHRA’s 75th season and the debut of “Chasing Speed” by ringing the Opening Bell on the New York Stock Exchange, opening a full day of media to celebrate the docuseries and the 75th season in the Mission Drag Racing Series in 2026.

Chasing Speed delivers a genuine, unfiltered look at the biggest stars in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, telling their stories and each of their dreams for greatness. In doing so, the six-part docuseries, which will air each week leading into the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on March 5-8 at legendary Gainesville Raceway, pulls the curtain back on the raw speed, pressure and ample personalities in the NHRA.

From 340-plus-mph record runs to championship battles fought one pass at a time, Chasing Speed follows the teams and drivers chasing glory across the 2025 NHRA season. You’ll see the intensity behind the scenes, the stakes on the starting line, and the culture that’s fueled 75 years of drag racing history. Continue reading →