Photo courtesy of ProMedia

A brand-new sanction, ownership changes, and a renewed emphasis on working-class sportsman competitors are among the developments expected to make this year’s drag racing season one for the ages.

It’s a good time to be a drag racer. Besides the wealth of innovative technologies that are flooding all levels of the sport, drag race sanctions are ramping up for what looks to be an exciting 2023 season for fans and racers alike. 

To find out what to expect, we talked to a wide variety of sanctions to hear what they have planned for the months ahead. What we found is a vibrant scene that stands poised to bring more excitement than ever to the sport. 

Several series are returning to well-liked venues for the first time in years, following a generally strong 2022 season for car counts and spectator attendance. At the same time, some sanctions are celebrating noteworthy anniversaries, which speaks volumes for the longevity and staying power of these vital organizations. 

Along with this, many sanctions are shifting their attention toward the popular, working-class sportsman segments of drag racing, with plans to give those competitors even better choices and more opportunities to race. Specifically, small-tire classes are becoming more important, and a number of sanctions are shifting attention to actively attract these racers. 

Taking this trend even further, a long-running sanction with origins that stretch back to nearly the beginning of the sport is reinventing itself as a lively renegade for the online crowd. Meanwhile, another storied sanction is in an exciting moment of transition, with its purchase by a respected member of the motorsports community.

But perhaps most compelling of all these trends is the launch of an all-new sanction that has ambitious aims to rethink every aspect of organized drag racing, culminating in plans for a series that stretches across the nation and into Canada. 

Fresh faces. New ideas. Bold energy. It’s too early to say for sure, but it’s quite possible this could be the start of an exciting new era for the sport, one in which drag racers of all types will have more opportunities, better competition, and greater rewards for their efforts.

NHRA

Drag racing’s biggest sanction moves its season opener across the country for 2023 and returns to a popular Midwest venue for the first time in several years. The San Dimas, California-based National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has 20 categories of competition and 120 sanctioned tracks across North America. Although best known for its marquee Camping World professional series—which rivals NASCAR and some major-league stick-and-ball sports in some metrics—NHRA offers something for just about every kind of drag racer. 

For 2023, the NHRA Camping World Series will start the season at Gainesville, Florida, instead of Pomona, California, as it has for years. According to NHRA, the move was driven in part by the uncertain economy, which prompted the sanction to look at ways to ease the logistical burden on teams. “In 2022, we started in Pomona, went to Phoenix, came back to Gainesville, and then went back to Las Vegas,” said Joshua Hachat at NHRA. “That added another trip out west for everyone. Starting in Gainesville makes things more efficient and more affordable for teams.” 

The series will, however, return to Pomona later in the season, with the famed California track retaining two spots on the 2023 roster. Also on the schedule is a stop at Route 66 Raceway for the first time in several years. This well-liked Chicago-area venue had fallen from the tour in 2020 and has been missed by fans and racers alike. “We hadn’t raced at Route 66 for several seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Hachat. “The track hadn’t been touched in three years, so we ran a divisional race there as a test run to see how it would work. That gave us the confidence that we could run a national event there again. It’s exciting to have a major market like Chicago and this wonderful facility back.”

IHRA

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) begins a new chapter in its history after being bought by race-car builder Larry Jeffers in 2022. Included in its immediate priorities under Jeffers’ direction are increasing purses, adding tracks to the roster, creating a separate championship class for motorcycles, and bringing more publicity to individual racers. 

Based in House Springs, Missouri, following the change of ownership, the IHRA is strongest in the South, Southeast, East, and Midwest regions of the US, as well as parts of Canada. With a wide array of classes, including junior dragsters, door cars, and dragsters, it has plenty to offer drag racers of all types.

For 2023, IHRA is evaluating its payout structure for races. Although no specifics were available when this issue went to print, the sanction hopes to increase purses significantly. “We’re going to revamp all of the team final purses and the World Finals purse,” said Mel Roth at IHRA. “The World Finals already paid $20,000 to win with $300 tow money. So everyone that earns the right to run for the world championship gets a $300 check. We’re looking to increase that as well.”

At the same time, the sanction is working to recruit more tracks, while keeping its current roster of venues intact. “We’ve added new tracks,” said Roth. “Wilkesboro Dragway in North Carolina is a new one for us, and then we’re adding a brand-new track that just opened in West Virginia called Almost Heaven Motorsports Park.”

Along with these changes, the sanction will integrate its motorcycle classes into the overall National Championship structure. “Before, if you were a motorcycle racer and you won the points championship at your track, you’d get invited to the World Finals, but you’d have to run against cars there,” explained Roth. “So motorcycle racers had no incentive to run a whole season or try to run for a championship.”

Rounding out IHRA’s changes for 2023 is a renewed emphasis on publicizing and promoting its sportsman racers. “You know, 99% of our racers do it for the love of the sport, not for the money,” said Roth. “So a photo, a mention, or a high five can mean more for them than round money. For us, racers aren’t just another name—we’re going to make sure they’re first and foremost.”

PDRA

The Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) will celebrate a major anniversary in 2023, while growing some recently added classes and returning to a well-liked venue after a hiatus. Based in Fredericksburg, Virginia, PDRA typically holds nine events a year, in the Midwest, Upper South, and East. Classes are offered for door cars, dragsters, and motorcycles, all racing in an eighth-mile format.

The upcoming season marks the 10th anniversary for the PDRA. Although our source at the sanction couldn’t yet reveal how they are going to celebrate it, plans are in the works to commemorate the occasion with plenty of flair. 

For 2023, PDRA will expand its Pro Street and Super Street classes, making them part of the sanction’s top SUMMIT Racing ProStars Championship, instead of being stand-alone classes. Besides making the classes more appealing for racers, the move is expected to attract new competitors to the PDRA ranks.

“Both classes will have six races next year and race for a championship,” said Tyler Crossnoe at PDRA. “That adds a different clientele to PDRA—brings in a small-tire group. A lot of those guys and girls are looking forward to racing with PDRA next year. Some will be chasing championships for the first time in their careers.”

At the same time, the sanction is making an effort to return to some tracks that have been off the roster for a while, including US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, and possibly others. 

NMCA & NMRA

The National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) is among the longest running major organizations dedicated to drag racing street-legal cars. The sanction offers national event competitions for a wide range of racers, from grassroots sportsman to all-out Pro Mod competitors. Although headquartered in Santa Ana, California, NMCA and NMRA (National Mustang Racers Association) race primarily in the Midwest, Upper South, and Southeast.

For 2023, the NMCA and NMRA season opener moves from its traditional spot at Bradenton, Florida, to Orlando, Florida. “This is the 25th anniversary of the NMRA series,” said Rollie Miller at NMCA and NMRA. “We’re going to kick that off at Orlando Speed World in March with our Spring Break Shootout event. We’re planning on a lot of special activities to celebrate that occasion.”

WDRA

Kicking off its inaugural season in 2023, World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) is a new sanction that was created with the aim of completely reinventing the business of drag racing, from concessions to tech inspection and more. Founded by drag racer and medical-device business owner Don Scott, this Springfield, Illinois-based sanction plans an ambitious national roster, with the goal of racing throughout the continental US and parts of Canada. 

The sanction’s focus is primarily on bracket sportsman racing, with regional champions going on to compete in a national championship at the end of the season. At the time of publication, WDRA had signed more than 40 tracks for 2023. The sanction plans to have a solid mix of grassroots tracks and big venues lined up. “We’re hoping for a third of our tracks to be the so-called ‘mega-facilities,’” said Scott. “Those are the guys who are on our track advisory council with me and they’re driving this. But if a third of our tracks are the big ones, that means two-thirds of our race tracks will still be Saturday night, grassroots bracket-racing tracks. So we’ll have more grassroots than we do premier facilities as a percentage.”

AHRA

The American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) plans to build on the success of its innovative No Name Nationals for 2023, while at the same time refining its "everyman" appeal. The AHRA is one of the oldest sanctions in the US but has undergone sweeping changes over its history. The current iteration of the AHRA is based in Lascassas, Tennessee, and focuses on bracket competition for sportsman racers.

In 2022, the AHRA launched the No Name Nationals, a drag competition for YouTube content creators. The event was created to encourage Internet influencers to chronicle the buildup of cars for the race and the actual competition itself. Central to the No Name Nationals format are wild, creative classes that encourage originality. “We had a class we created just for the Coleman CT100U mini bike, which we called the Monkey Bike Challenge,” said Dallas Brown of the AHRA. “We had stuff from the Monkey Bikes all the way up to motorhomes participating in the event.”

For 2023, AHRA will continue to evolve this event, with plans to refine the format and attract an even broader range of content creators/car builders. “At the first No Name Nationals, 85% of the participants had never gone down a track before,” said Brown. “This thing can make a big impact.”

MWDRS

The Mid-West Drag Racing Series (MWDRS) will add a second race date to one of its tracks for 2023 and is considering rules changes for one of its top classes. Based in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, this sanction was created to give Midwestern teams an alternative to East- and West-Coast series. Competitors can choose from a wide range of classes, including Pro Mods and Funny Cars, with an eight-race series through the Midwest and parts of the Southwest.

For 2023, MWDRS is taking a look at its rules for Funny Cars. “We’re talking about whether or not we’re going to allow some of the changes that NHRA has made,” said Keith Haney at Mid-West Drag Racing Series. “We’re considering allowing coil-over-plug ignition and a few other things to help advance those cars.” The sanction is also adding a second race in St. Louis for the upcoming season. 

OSCA

Outlaw Street Car Association (OSCA) is planning to reorganize its class structure, while putting more emphasis on small-tire cars for 2023. Based in Henderson, Kentucky, this sanction focuses mainly on sportsman door cars, in a six-race series that competes mostly in the Upper South.

For 2023, OSCA will pare down its classes, combining some and eliminating others in an effort to concentrate the number of competitors and keep purses high. “Everyone wants to race in a bigger field, and we all want to race for more money,” said Brent Carver of OSCA. “I think when guys try this they’ll say, ‘Hey, now we’re running for $3,000 instead of $600.’”

The sanction is also planning to continue increasing its emphasis on small-tire cars, a process that began in the 2022 season. “This year we’ve definitely had the best season we’ve ever had,” said Carver. “We have a class that we call Limited Small Tire. It’s for that grudge car, that no-time car that runs at a lot of places but really can’t compete with the big hitters when they go onto a prepped race track like ours are. 

“We also have a class called Small Tire 5.30—no wheelie bars, 28x10.5 tires, factory roof and quarters, but on a 5.30 index. And that little class has really started to go. It’s great racing because it’s fast, it’s still small tire, and it’s still heads up. But there’s a cap on it.”

Sources

American Hot Rod Association
ahraonline.com

International Hot Rod Association
ihra.com

Mid-West Drag Racing Series
midwestdragracingseries.com

National Hot Rod Association
nhra.com

National Muscle Car Association
nmcadigital.com

National Mustang Racers Association
nmradigital.com

Outlaw Street Car Association
outlawstreetcars.com

Professional Drag Racers Association
pdra660.com

World Drag Racing Alliance
racewdra.com