On April 17, the IHRA announced that the association, in coordination with management at Montgomery (Ala.) International Dragway, made the decision to relocate the third race of the 2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series and
IHRA Small Tire BRATZ Series from Montgomery.
The event, which was scheduled for May 7–9, will now take place at Darana Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, (National Trail Raceway), and will now be branded as the IHRA Spring Nationals.
A test session will be held at the Hebron facility on Wednesday, May 6.
According to IHRA officials, the decision to move the scheduled race in Montgomery comes after a recent shooting at the Montgomery facility.
While the situation is unrelated to IHRA’s operations, they agreed, along with the track leadership at Montgomery (Ala.) International Dragway, that relocating the event is the most responsible course of action out of an abundance of caution.
In a press release, the IHRA stated the following:
“The safety of our racers, their families, crews, partners, fans, and staff remain our top priority. This decision reflects our commitment to providing a safe and professional environment for everyone involved.”
As the third race of the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series season, the Spring Nationals remains a key stop on IHRA’s national schedule, and championship points will continue as planned.
As a result of the relocation, changes have been made to the existing event schedule at Darana Raceway to accommodate the IHRA national event weekend.
“To support the IHRA National Series, we’ve adjusted our schedule by moving our points race weekend to June 12–14 and canceling the Darana Triple 5’s event,” said Derrick Beach, General Manager of Darana Raceway.
The IHRA said it will communicate additional details, including schedule updates and ticketing information, directly with racers, teams, and ticket holders.
All current ticket holders will be contacted via email with options to receive a refund or transfer their tickets to another IHRA event.
For any questions, contact info@ihra.com.
