Overview The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the National Hot Rod Association's professional tour, where Top Fuel dragsters making 11,000 horsepower pass 330 mph in under 3.7 seconds, and fans with a ticket can walk the pits and watch crews rebuild engines between rounds. Four pro classes race it: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. The 2026 schedule had 20 national events, from Gainesville in March to the finals in Pomona in November, and after the regular season the leading drivers in each class lock into the last six races with their points pulled close together. Wally Parks founded the NHRA in 1951. On site A national event runs qualifying rounds before Sunday's final eliminations. At the starting line the cars stage in front of the Christmas Tree, the timing box and the Starter's V, with guardwalls running down the strip; at the 4-Wide Nationals in Concord four cars leave at once. Many events also run Top Alcohol, Pro Mod and sportsman classes. The pits stay open to ticket holders, and Nitro Alley, the fan midway, carries sponsor displays and racing simulators where fans take the wheel themselves. The U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis runs over Labor Day weekend. Audience Many fans race too: the NHRA counts more than 30,000 licensed competitors and more than 40,000 members. Drivers sign autographs and talk with fans in their own pit areas, so fans spend the gaps between rounds a few feet from the cars. Track record The pro series' first season was 1974. In the 1950s the top marks were 140 mph in 9 seconds. In 2020 the NHRA signed a multiyear deal with FOX Sports to televise its series, including primetime Friday qualifying shows, and in 2024 Mission Foods became the flagship sponsor of the pro series. Racers compete for a share of more than $3 million in prize money. Brand presence Individual national events carry partner names: in 2026, 13 of the 20 ran under a title partner, several with a presenting partner as well. A national event's title partner gets the starting-line signage on the Christmas Tree, timing box, guardwalls and Starter's V, a 25-by-80-foot Nitro Alley display, jumbotron spots, PA reads and 100 credentials a day. Broadcast buys add a spot in Saturday qualifying on FOX Sports and on-screen placement in Sunday eliminations. Smaller brands sample and demo from 10-by-10 Nitro Alley spaces.