The IHRA has shifted its 2026 Triple Crown Finale from Darana Memphis Motorsports Park to Darana Raceway Maple Grove Park, setting up what the sanctioning body is calling a “Triple Crown x2” weekend at one of drag racing’s most recognized facilities.
The move creates a four-day event at the Pennsylvania track from Sept. 10-13, featuring two complete IHRA Triple Crown races and some of the richest payouts in the sport. The format gives teams two opportunities to chase major-money victories during a single weekend while keeping the Triple Crown schedule intact.
IHRA officials said the change was driven by scheduling limitations and the lack of available dates to accommodate all planned Triple Crown events during the 2026 season. Rather than remove an event from the calendar, the organization consolidated the finale into a doubleheader format at Maple Grove.
“As much as the IHRA wanted to return to Darana Memphis Motorsports Park this season, scheduling constraints and the limited number of available weekends made it impossible to accommodate all Triple Crown events on the 2026 calendar,” the organization said in its announcement.
The revised schedule now places even more attention on Maple Grove, a facility with deep roots in professional drag racing and a long history of hosting national-caliber events. The track has remained one of the sport’s marquee venues for decades, routinely drawing large crowds and top-tier teams from across the country.
The expanded format also creates a demanding turnaround for racers and crew members. Teams will effectively race two standalone events in four days, forcing crews to manage equipment, maintenance and consistency under a compressed schedule.
The IHRA Triple Crown series opens June 19-20 at Darana Raceway in Hebron, Ohio. That event will establish the early championship picture before the series heads to Pennsylvania for the season-ending doubleheader.
Under the revised Maple Grove schedule, the first Triple Crown race will feature qualifying on Thursday, Sept. 10, followed by eliminations on Friday, Sept. 11. The second event begins qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 12, with eliminations scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13.
