Nate Van Wagnen

With just two races remaining in the 2026 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series season, championship implications will be front and center when the series returns to Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, Aug. 27-29, for DragWars presented by Big Stuff Total Power Management. Tight points battles across several professional and sportsman categories, combined with the strong contingent of regional Pro Modified racers traditionally drawn to Benson, set the stage for a pivotal late-season stop on the seven-race tour.

Each year, the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series rewards its most consistent racers with a free-entry-fee, race-within-a-race shootout with big prize money and custom trophies on the line. This year's Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance fields will feature some of the biggest names in the series, including defending ProStars winners and world champions, on Thursday, Sept. 17. For the second consecutive year, ProStars serves as the lead-in to the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger, Sept. 17-20, at Virginia Motorsports Park.

The biggest weekend on the 2026 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series schedule is set to take over Virginia Motorsports Park as the series looks to crown world champions at the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger on Sept. 17-20. On top of that, the weekend festivities include the sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance as well as VMP's Night of Fire, adding up to four days of nonstop action.

As the NHRA celebrates its 75th anniversary this season, fans can expect to see plenty of familiar and even nostalgic elements – the return of legends, the celebration of the people and moments that made NHRA history, and even official uniforms that harken back to the “glory days” of the sport.

Drag Illustrated is now accepting nominations for its 2026 DI 30 Under 30 list, the magazine announced today. Nominations for the list will be accepted from Wednesday, Sept. 16, through Wednesday, Sept. 30.

John Vergotz Jr. had modest expectations for his PDRA Pro Nitrous debut at this past weekend's Brian Olson Memorial PDRA World Finals at Virginia Motorsports Park. In fact, it was really an opportunity to test and get ready for 2027, but the team led by class veteran John Vergotz Sr. put Vergotz Jr. and his '41 Willys in a position to win. Vergotz Jr. defeated a pair of world champions to reach the semifinals, providing a season-ending morale boost for the Erie, Pennsylvania-based Vergotz Racing team.

As the NHRA celebrates its 75th anniversary this season, fans can expect to see plenty of familiar and even nostalgic elements – the return of legends, the celebration of the people and moments that made NHRA history, and even official uniforms that harken back to the “glory days” of the sport.

Marcus Butner successfully defended his 2025 PDRA Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by Jerry Bickel Race Cars world championship when he clinched the 2026 title during eliminations at the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger at Virginia Motorsports Park in mid-September. After a late-season surge put him in the points lead going into the season finale, Butner held off three-time world champion Tommy Franklin to become just the third driver in Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series history to win back-to-back Pro Nitrous championships.

The Strange Engineering Outlaw Street Car Shootout season will come down to a pair of young guns this weekend at Cecil County Dragway, where Ty Kasper and “Quick” Nick Schroeder will battle for the Outlaw 10.5 championship in the series finale. It marks the end of Outlaw 10.5's first season back at Cecil County since 2020.

Blake Denton, the 2023 PDRA Super Street world champion, became a two-time world champion in the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series when he claimed his first Liberty's Gears Pro Street presented by KTR Drag Racing season title. He held off five other drivers who were in contention going into the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger at Virginia Motorsports Park in mid-September. Driving the nitrous-fed “Bonnie” '69 Camaro previously driven by the late Lizzy Musi, Denton won one event and notched multiple late-round finishes to secure the title.