SELLOUT CROWD at Debut NHRA Nationals at the Rock

ROCKINGHAM, NC – September 26, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – NHRA officials announced a sellout on Saturday for the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock.

The race marked the fourth of four new facilities during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season. Fans packed the grandstands of Rockingham Dragway on Saturday during the second day of qualifying at the 16th event of the 2026 NHRA season.

“This is just incredible,” said Dan VanHorn, Rockingham Dragway co-owner. “These teams are just off the charts. All the weather, the rain, the brand-new facility, brand new surface, and they’re getting down and making us look good, and the NHRA is making us look good and we’re all just really proud.”

It is the tenth sellout day of NHRA’s milestone season, including the season opener at the NHRA Gatornationals, as well as all four of the new tracks on the circuit, including South Georgia Motorsports Park, Maryland International Raceway and US 131 Motorsports Park.

Eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday at the NHRA Nationals at The Rock at Rockingham Dragway. Sunday’s television coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

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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