2021 will mark NHRA’s 70th anniversary, which means that if you’ve ever wanted to head out to a race, now’s your chance to pull it off in a legendary year. Thankfully, the series has released next year’s schedule already so you can start plotting your trip.
I’ve been talking about heading to a drag race for years. I even had plans lined up for an event in Pennsylvania or Texas this year, depending on where I was located at the time... and then COVID-19 happened, and now I’ve committed to riding out the rest of 2020 up in Ontario.
So, 2021 is going to be my year. Just like I’ve been doing with MotoGP in 2020, I’m going to immerse myself in the world of drag racing in 2021. I don’t care where I have to go or what I have to do—I want to hit some of the coolest events. What should be at the top of my list?
There are a few new things for NHRA in 2021. First of all, it’ll be its first season with the Camping World sponsorship. While the Winternationals generally open the season, that event has been moved from March to April as a way to kick off a stretch of West Coast races. And Route 66 Raceway in Chicago won’t be hosting any races in 2021, so NHRA won’t be heading there next year.
While the TV schedule hasn’t been released yet, NHRA has confirmed that most events will take place exclusively on FOX Sports (and will have a far broader coverage), while a handful of other events will take place on FOX proper.
Full Schedule: Regular Season
March 12-14: Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals (Gainsville, Florida)
March 26-28: NHRA Southern Nationals: (Atlanta, Georgia)
April 9-11: Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationls (Pomona, California)
April 16-18: Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals (Las Vegas, Nevada)
April 23-25: NHRA Arizona Nationals (Phoenix, Arizona)
May 14-16: NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, North Carolina)
May 21-23: Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals (Houston, Texas)
June 4-6: Virginia NHRA Nationals (Richmond, Virginia)
June 11-12: NHRA New England Nationals (Epping, New Hampshire)
June 24-27: Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio)
July 16-18: Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals (Denver, Colorado)
July 23-25: NHRA Sonoma Nationals (Sonoma, California)
July 31-August 1: Flav-R-Pac Northwest Nationals (Seattle, Washington)
August 13-15: Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals (Topeka, Kansas)
August 19-22: Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (Brainerd, Minnesota)
September 1-5: NHRA U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Full Schedule: Countdown to the Championship
September 10-12: NHRA Nationals (Reading, Pennsylvania)
September 17-19: NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals (Charlotte, North Carolina)
September 24-26: NHRA Midwest Nationals (St. Louis, Missouri)
October 7-10: NHRA FallNationals (Dallas, Texas)
October 29-31: Dodge NHRA Nationals (Las Vegas, Nevada)
November 12-14: Auto Club NHRA Finals (Pomona, California)