Competition Plus Team
Since our inception, we have been passionately dedicated to delivering the most accurate, timely, and compelling content in the world of drag racing. Our readers depend on us for the latest news, in-depth features, expert analysis, and exclusive interviews that connect you to the sport’s pulse.
MARTIN ABANDONS NHRA PLAN, COMMITS TO FULL NITRO IHRA FUNNY CAR RUN IN 2026
Will Martin thought his 2026 season was settled until one hard look at the numbers changed everything. The second-generation racer, son of Jam-Air Special Funny Car driver John Martin, is abandoning NHRA’s reduced-nitro Alcohol Funny Car plan and jumping fully into IHRA nitro Funny Car competition.
Martin said the shift came after months of conversations with NHRA leadership about its proposed “baby big show” platform. He said the concept sounded promising until the economics became impossible.
“We’ve had multiple meetings with NHRA over the past few months,” Martin said. “And no matter how I look at this thing, it doesn’t pencil out and it makes zero sense.”
Martin said he committed to the program long before IHRA relaunched in 2025. Once IHRA re-established itself, he said every calculation changed.
“And now that IHRA exists, the landscape has changed,” he said. “We are actually going to forgo and skip NHRA and go run four to six races at IHRA depending on funding in big show trim.”
Martin runs his own heating and air company and said the sport cannot be a financial drain. He said he and his wife spent seven years building a first-class alcohol program, only to feel overlooked by NHRA.
“We built that alcohol car with every dollar and cent we could scratch together,” Martin said. “We ran clean, looked professional and didn’t even get so much as a mention with anything we ever did by NHRA.”
Martin said he repeatedly asked NHRA why they wanted teams to build new combinations if they weren’t prepared to support them. He said the answers raised more questions than solutions.
“They basically asked me why they should get behind me from a marketing standpoint,” Martin said. “I told them, ‘I’m the only guy who built exactly what you wanted, and now you can’t figure out what to do with it.’”
Even with the travel demands of being based in California, Martin said his team has committed to IHRA for 2026. He expects to be competitive immediately under tuner Jason Bunker.
“We will be there four to six times next year in big show trim,” he said. “Hopefully we go hurt some feelings.”
Martin said the financial contrast between the two sanctioning bodies is the central issue. He pointed to his father’s 1989 season as an example of when independents could make the numbers work.
“In 1989, it cost my dad $350,000 to run the NHRA tour, but he brought in $175,000 by match racing,” Martin said. “The outlay was only $175,000, and that’s a lot different than today.”
Today’s costs, he said, have moved NHRA out of reach for teams without major funding. The price per weekend, he added, makes independent participation unrealistic.
“The average number to run an NHRA Mission Foods race is between $125,000 and $150,000 per event,” Martin said. “How does it make sense to run an alcohol Funny Car that pays $1,700 to qualify?”
Martin said even the “mini big show” setup requires nearly the same investment as a full nitro Funny Car. The differences in parts, he said, don’t justify the cost to operate them on a reduced purse.
“To go to big show trim, you put a cannon on it, put a six-disc clutch in it, and take the insert out of the blower,” Martin said. “And the fluids for a weekend cost roughly $7,500.”
IHRA’s format, he said, creates a more sustainable path. Higher qualifying payouts and a shorter race weekend reduce risk and cost while still rewarding performance.
“You show up at IHRA, you get $7,500, and if you qualify, it’s $15,000,” he said. “I think there’s going to be a lot more steeper competition in IHRA next year, but I think it’s the opportunity.”
Martin compared NHRA to WWE and IHRA to AEW, saying one is corporate and the other is challenger-driven. He said competition benefits racers and improves the sport.
“NHRA is to drag racing what WWE is to wrestling, and IHRA is the AEW of wrestling,” Martin said. “Competition is good, competition is healthy.”
He emphasized that every piece of his operation came from hard work and sacrifice, not inheritance. He believes IHRA gives independents a fighting chance.
“Everything we have, my wife and I have worked for with our own two hands,” Martin said. “We can get there, but it’s about making it sustainable.”
Martin said NHRA’s longer schedules, potential for eight runs a weekend and increased travel all elevate the cost and risk. IHRA’s shorter format creates what he considers a more realistic model.
“Most carnage happens from 660 on, and NHRA gives you the potential to make eight runs,” he said. “The IHRA deal is two days, two qualifying sessions and five potential runs.”
He said IHRA’s owner, with a background in mechanical and infrastructure industries, appears motivated by passion rather than profit. Martin believes that approach resonates with racers like him.
“He’s doing this for the love of the sport, whether he makes money or not,” Martin said. “People involved with mechanical infrastructure are usually the movers and shakers because they can get things done.”
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Competition Plus Team
Since our inception, we have been passionately dedicated to delivering the most accurate, timely, and compelling content in the world of drag racing. Our readers depend on us for the latest news, in-depth features, expert analysis, and exclusive interviews that connect you to the sport’s pulse.
Sign up for our newsletters and email list.
MARTIN ABANDONS NHRA PLAN, COMMITS TO FULL NITRO IHRA FUNNY CAR RUN IN 2026
Will Martin thought his 2026 season was settled until one hard look at the numbers changed everything. The second-generation racer, son of Jam-Air Special Funny Car driver John Martin, is abandoning NHRA’s reduced-nitro Alcohol Funny Car plan and jumping fully into IHRA nitro Funny Car competition.
Martin said the shift came after months of conversations with NHRA leadership about its proposed “baby big show” platform. He said the concept sounded promising until the economics became impossible.
“We’ve had multiple meetings with NHRA over the past few months,” Martin said. “And no matter how I look at this thing, it doesn’t pencil out and it makes zero sense.”
Martin said he committed to the program long before IHRA relaunched in 2025. Once IHRA re-established itself, he said every calculation changed.
“And now that IHRA exists, the landscape has changed,” he said. “We are actually going to forgo and skip NHRA and go run four to six races at IHRA depending on funding in big show trim.”
Martin runs his own heating and air company and said the sport cannot be a financial drain. He said he and his wife spent seven years building a first-class alcohol program, only to feel overlooked by NHRA.
“We built that alcohol car with every dollar and cent we could scratch together,” Martin said. “We ran clean, looked professional and didn’t even get so much as a mention with anything we ever did by NHRA.”
Martin said he repeatedly asked NHRA why they wanted teams to build new combinations if they weren’t prepared to support them. He said the answers raised more questions than solutions.
“They basically asked me why they should get behind me from a marketing standpoint,” Martin said. “I told them, ‘I’m the only guy who built exactly what you wanted, and now you can’t figure out what to do with it.’”
Even with the travel demands of being based in California, Martin said his team has committed to IHRA for 2026. He expects to be competitive immediately under tuner Jason Bunker.
“We will be there four to six times next year in big show trim,” he said. “Hopefully we go hurt some feelings.”
Martin said the financial contrast between the two sanctioning bodies is the central issue. He pointed to his father’s 1989 season as an example of when independents could make the numbers work.
“In 1989, it cost my dad $350,000 to run the NHRA tour, but he brought in $175,000 by match racing,” Martin said. “The outlay was only $175,000, and that’s a lot different than today.”
Today’s costs, he said, have moved NHRA out of reach for teams without major funding. The price per weekend, he added, makes independent participation unrealistic.
“The average number to run an NHRA Mission Foods race is between $125,000 and $150,000 per event,” Martin said. “How does it make sense to run an alcohol Funny Car that pays $1,700 to qualify?”
Martin said even the “mini big show” setup requires nearly the same investment as a full nitro Funny Car. The differences in parts, he said, don’t justify the cost to operate them on a reduced purse.
“To go to big show trim, you put a cannon on it, put a six-disc clutch in it, and take the insert out of the blower,” Martin said. “And the fluids for a weekend cost roughly $7,500.”
IHRA’s format, he said, creates a more sustainable path. Higher qualifying payouts and a shorter race weekend reduce risk and cost while still rewarding performance.
“You show up at IHRA, you get $7,500, and if you qualify, it’s $15,000,” he said. “I think there’s going to be a lot more steeper competition in IHRA next year, but I think it’s the opportunity.”
Martin compared NHRA to WWE and IHRA to AEW, saying one is corporate and the other is challenger-driven. He said competition benefits racers and improves the sport.
“NHRA is to drag racing what WWE is to wrestling, and IHRA is the AEW of wrestling,” Martin said. “Competition is good, competition is healthy.”
He emphasized that every piece of his operation came from hard work and sacrifice, not inheritance. He believes IHRA gives independents a fighting chance.
“Everything we have, my wife and I have worked for with our own two hands,” Martin said. “We can get there, but it’s about making it sustainable.”
Martin said NHRA’s longer schedules, potential for eight runs a weekend and increased travel all elevate the cost and risk. IHRA’s shorter format creates what he considers a more realistic model.
“Most carnage happens from 660 on, and NHRA gives you the potential to make eight runs,” he said. “The IHRA deal is two days, two qualifying sessions and five potential runs.”
He said IHRA’s owner, with a background in mechanical and infrastructure industries, appears motivated by passion rather than profit. Martin believes that approach resonates with racers like him.
“He’s doing this for the love of the sport, whether he makes money or not,” Martin said. “People involved with mechanical infrastructure are usually the movers and shakers because they can get things done.”
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MARTIN ABANDONS NHRA PLAN, COMMITS TO FULL NITRO IHRA FUNNY CAR RUN IN 2026
Will Martin thought his 2026 season was settled until one hard look at the numbers changed everything. The second-generation racer, son of Jam-Air Special Funny