FAIRFIELD, Ohio — The IHRA has announced the purse for the 2026 Outlaw Nitro Series season and championship, including the IHRA Triple Crown, which could award one driver who wins all three events.
The IHRA made the announcements on its Facebook page on Saturday afternoon.
The Nitro Series will consist of eight national events with $9 million in purses to nitro competitors and a season championship in all nitro categories.
The Top Fuel and Funny Car champions will each earn $200,000.
The season opens March 19-21 at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, N.C. and concludes Oct. 22-24 with the World Finals at a yet to be determined location.
The IHRA Triple Crown features three standalone events at popular facilities with a $4,362,000 event payout across the three races. A $1 million bonus will be paid to any competitor who captures all three Triple Crown races.
Triple Crown races will pay $150,000 to win in the Top Fuel and Funny Car divisions.
Triple Crown events will be run May 22-24 at Pennsylvania’s Maple Grove Raceway, June 18-20 at National Trail Raceway in Ohio and Sept. 18-20 at Memphis Motorsports Park.
In addition, the sanctioning body announced the return of Pro Mod Mania to Michigan’s Darana Dragway June 5-7. The event will pay a $275,000 Pro Modified purse.
According to the IHRA post, the entire payout for NHRA PRO Drag Racing classes in 2026 is to be $13,653,900.
2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series Schedule
- March 19-21 Darana Motorsports Park Benson, N.C.
- April 9-11 Virginia Motorsports Park Dinwiddie, Va.
- May 7-9 Montgomery Int’l Raceway Montgomery, Ala.
- July 9-11 Milan-Darana Dragway Milan, Mich.
- July 24-26 Empire Dragway Leicester, N.Y.
- Aug. 13-15 Darana Dragway 42 West Salem, Ohio
- Oct. 8-10 Darana-Heartland Motorsports Park Topeka, Kan
- Oct. 22-24 TBA
Triple Crown
- May 22-24 Maple Grove Raceway Mohnton, Pa.
- June 18-20 National Trail Raceway Hebron, Ohio
- Sept. 18-20 Memphis Motorsports Park Millington, Tenn.
National Television
Every round of the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series will be broadcast live and free on SPEED SPORT 1, SPEED SPORT 2 and IHRA.tv. Detailed broadcast times will be released soon.