IHRA did more than release a schedule Thursday at the PRI Show, using a press conference to outline a redefinition of what the sanctioning body intends to be in 2026 and beyond. At the center of that plan sits the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series, positioned as both the anchor and what their officials believe is a cultural standard for a much broader motorsports platform.
Rather than framing its future around drag racing alone, IHRA officials presented a strategy built on unification. Offshore powerboat racing, snowmobile racing, tractor pulling, stock car competition, a new sportsman program, and a small tire drag racing series are all being folded into a single sanctioning structure.
That expansion, officials emphasized, is not designed to dilute the nitro program but to elevate it. The Outlaw Nitro Series is being used as the model for how IHRA intends to operate across every discipline it sanctions.
“We’re building a unified future for motorsports,” said IHRA announcer and Nitro Series voice Brent Carver. “Drag racing, power boats, stock cars, snowmobiles, pro polling.”
Carver’s remarks framed the Outlaw Nitro Series as the the concept. After a 2025 season focused on rebuilding trust, consistency, and racer confidence, IHRA leadership believes the nitro platform now provides the foundation needed to scale the organization outward.
The Outlaw Nitro Series delivered the first of that strategy with the release of the 2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series schedule. The 10-race calendar blends legacy venues with newly confirmed facilities, signaling both a return to familiar ground and an objective of controlled growth.
The season opens March 19–21 at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, North Carolina. Virginia Motorsports Park follows April 9–11, restoring a facility long associated with IHRA’s earlier eras.
The series then moves to Leicester, New York, from May 14–16, marking a return to the Rochester market. Hebron, Ohio, hosts the fourth race June 18–20, before the tour heads to Milan, Michigan, July 9–11.
West Salem, Ohio [Dragway 42], follows Aug. 13–15, with Montgomery Motorsports Park in Alabama slated for Sept. 10–12. Two events remain listed as to be announced on Oct. 8–10 and Oct. 22–24, dates officials confirmed are firm while venues are still being finalized.
The season will conclude Nov. 5–7 with the IHRA World Finals at Memphis Motorsports Park. The Memphis announcement formally confirmed weeks of speculation.
Absent from a leaked version of the schedule circulated earlier this month was Atlanta Dragway. Sources indicated the second open date, originally reserved for a second Darana Motorsports Park event [Benson], was shifted earlier and may reflect another major track acquisition still under negotiation.
IHRA officials declined to name the venues tied to the remaining open dates but said announcements would follow once contracts are finalized.
Beyond the nitro calendar, IHRA reinforced its commitment to Pro Modified racing with the return of Pro Mod Mania. The standalone event is scheduled for June 5–7 at Milan, Michigan, and is expected to draw one of the largest Pro Mod fields of the season.
“If you have a pro mod anywhere in this country, if you’re not there, you should be,” Carver said. “We want the best of the best Pro Mod Mania.”
The Outlaw Nitro Series weekend structure will also expand in 2026 with the introduction of the Small Tire BRATZ series. The new 28×10.5 slick-tire class will run in conjunction with nitro events, sharing dates and facilities.
“It does run in conjunction with the Outlaw Nitro Series,” Carver said. “It’s the same events, it’s the same weekends.”
IHRA officials said the class is designed to broaden participation without disrupting the nitro-focused event format. Technical rules and specifications will be published on ihra.com.
The press conference also introduced a new IHRA Sportsman Series, a move aimed at reinforcing the organization’s grassroots pipeline. The schedule includes division-level events culminating in a Sportsman World Finals.
Sportsman dates are set for Cordova, Illinois; Milan, Michigan; West Salem, Ohio; Montgomery, Alabama; Dunn, North Carolina; Ferris, Texas; and Memphis, Tennessee. The Sportsman World Finals are scheduled for Oct. 22–24 in Tennessee.
While the schedule announcements drew attention, Carver spent much of his remarks emphasizing philosophy over logistics. He described professionalism, consistency, and racer-first operations as non-negotiable standards across all IHRA programs.
Carver pointed to uniform facility presentation, event operations, and competitor support as hallmarks of the 2025 nitro season. That consistency, he said, is what IHRA intends to replicate across every discipline it sanctions.
Carver also highlighted safety as a central pillar of the organization’s expansion. Investments in fire systems, safety equipment, and training were described as foundational rather than optional.
“We want to give you the best, safest, racer focused professional family community events that we possibly can,” Carver said.
That emphasis on racer experience, officials believe, is what some say separates the Outlaw Nitro Series from other touring models. From logistics to amenities, IHRA leadership has prioritized building goodwill within the pits as much as entertainment value in the grandstands.
The breadth of Thursday’s announcements underscored how much IHRA is staking on the Outlaw Nitro Series as its identity driver. Rather than treating nitro as one program among many, the sanctioning body is using it as the template for governance, presentation, and competitive standards.
By anchoring its expansion to a stabilized nitro platform, IHRA positioned 2026 as a pivot point rather than a rebuild. The message its management delivered from PRI was clear: the Outlaw Nitro Series is no longer just a racing tour, but the foundation of a unified motorsports sanction with global ambitions.
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