NHRA Announces Earlier Start for Friday Qualifying at NHRA Southern Nationals

ADEL, GA – April 30, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – NHRA announced an earlier start for Friday qualifying in the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series at the NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

The first round of qualifying is now set for 11:15 a.m. ET, starting with Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock, leading into Funny Car and Top Fuel at 12 p.m. The second round of qualifying is slated for 1:45 p.m. with Pro Stock Motorcycle, followed by Pro Stock and then Funny Car and Top Fuel at 2:30 p.m.

This weekend marks NHRA’s national event debut at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

Racing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday and gates will open at 8 a.m.

To purchase tickets to the 2026 NHRA Southern Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket. For more information about the NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association 

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