For 66 years, Michigan race fans have watched NHRA’s biggest events happen somewhere else. In September, that finally changes when the Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by Mopar opens the Countdown to the Championship at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
NHRA officials confirmed Thursday that Dodge and Mopar will serve as title and presenting sponsors for the Sept. 18-20 national event. The race marks the first NHRA national-event stop in Michigan since Detroit Dragway hosted one in 1960.
That number jumps off the page. Sixty-six years is long enough for generations of Michigan drag racers to grow up hearing stories about the old days without ever seeing NHRA’s premier series land in their own state.
Now the sport returns with playoff pressure attached to it. The Martin event becomes the opening race of NHRA’s six-event Countdown, which means teams will unload with championship math already hanging over every qualifying run.
Around the Midwest, U.S. 131 Motorsports Park already carries the kind of reputation racers respect. The place fills up, the starting line gets talked about in the pits and fans stay planted on the hill from the first pair to the last.
NHRA has added new facilities during its 75th anniversary season, but this one feels different because Michigan has always been tied to Detroit horsepower culture. Factory muscle, engine builders and drag racing history all run through the state’s bloodstream.
“Having Dodge and Mopar step into the role of title and presenting sponsor for our debut event at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park is incredibly exciting,” said Brad Gerber. “This race has huge importance as the first event in the Countdown to the Championship, and partnering with two iconic brands like Dodge and Mopar, which have a deep-rooted history in the area and in NHRA drag racing, elevates it even further. It’s a great way to launch the playoffs at a new venue, and we’re looking forward to delivering a standout weekend for everyone involved.”
For Dodge, the event lands at the right time. The company continues leaning heavily into its performance identity while celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Charger.
“Let the Countdown begin,” said Matt McAlear. “We are thrilled to partner with Mopar to bring NHRA National event racing back to Michigan for the first time in 66 years, at the same time we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Dodge Charger. Dodge performance is rooted in drag racing then and now, and it will be a great weekend to kick off the NHRA playoffs.”
The return to Michigan also puts Dodge squarely in front of one of drag racing’s strongest regional fan bases. NHRA fans have always shown loyalty to the brands willing to spend money in the sport, and manufacturers know it.
That relationship continues through Tony Stewart Racing, where Matt Hagan and Leah Pruett carry Dodge and Mopar colors in nitro competition. Tony Stewart also continues building laps and credibility in Top Fuel after winning the 2025 regular-season championship.
Pruett’s return to full-time Top Fuel competition has already added another storyline to the season. Hagan remains one of the category’s constants, a four-time Funny Car champion who has spent his entire career driving Dodges.
By the time teams arrive in Martin, the playoff picture should already be taking shape. Every point earned during qualifying and eliminations will matter because the Countdown has a habit of turning one bad weekend into a season-long problem.
Dodge and Mopar plan a large midway presence during the event with interactive displays and current performance vehicles, including the SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger. More activities tied to the race weekend are expected to be announced later this summer.
The event will feature competition in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, along with Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series categories and the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown. Winners will receive NHRA’s diamond Wally trophy commemorating the sanctioning body’s 75th season.
For longtime Michigan drag racing fans, though, the biggest takeaway may simply be this: after more than six decades, NHRA national-event racing is finally coming back home.
