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STORY PHIL HUTCHISON, DRAG ILLUSTRATED AND COURTESY IHRA COMMUNICATIONS

IMAGES GEOFF SCULLEY  

The second IHRA event of 2026 was, if any indication, a major step forward for the sanctioning body. After a well-attended event in Benson NC, the Fairfield Ohio group took their traveling show to Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie VA south of Richmond.

The IHRA is not going to overtake the NHRA in popularity in just a few races, but the group is making strides in racer and fan enjoyment. The well-funded IHRA is offering a great product that seems to be attracting more and more racers at each event.

At the IHRA Nitro Series in Virginia Top Fuel, Funny Car, two Pro Mod classes and Mountain Moter Pro Stock were on hand along with IHRA Sportsman, Snowmobiles and Fuel Harleys. Something for everyone plus a Ferris Wheel for the family.  

TOP FUEL

Scott Palmer knew he needed to find something. The second stop on the 2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series tour brought an eight-car Top Fuel field to Virginia Motorsports Park, and Gary Pritchett had been the quickest car all weekend, earning the No. 1 qualifying position at 3.033 seconds and 287.78 mph behind the wheel of the Foley Lewis Racing, United Garage Door Company Top Fuel dragster. Pritchett had already proven he could close the deal by winning the season opener at Galot Motorsports Park.

Palmer and his crew went to work. And when asked where he found the extra, Palmer didn’t overthink it.

“Darren Mayer blower,” he said. “That’s it. That simple.”

Palmer credited adjustments to the blower and the clutch setup from Chris Nachtmann at CNC Performance Engineering – known around the pits as “Cupcake” – as the difference in the final round.

“Those are the two things I made adjustments on and it won us the race,” Palmer said.

The adjustments worked. Palmer ran 3.075 at 270.54 mph in the final to collect $50,000 and the coveted Ironman trophy, making him the first repeat Top Fuel winner in seven IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series races dating back to the 2025 season.

Pritchett had the better reaction time, an .062 to Palmer’s .072, and was pulling away at the 330-foot mark. But the car went away in the back half of the run, slowing to a 3.183 at 208.78, and Palmer’s PBR-sponsored dragster drove around him and through the lights.

The loss stings for Pritchett, who entered the weekend as the points leader and was looking to become the first driver to go back-to-back in IHRA Top Fuel since Dale Cox Jr. in 2009.

Palmer, though, wasn’t about to apologize. He and Pritchett are close, and that made the final feel more like a family affair than a grudge match.

FUNNY CAR

Nearly a dozen Funny Cars were on hand at VMP and in the finals it was perennial IHRA champ Del Worsham up against long time racer Dale Creasy Jr. Worsham was #1 qualifier at a 3.228 at 281.01 mph. Worsham beat Dan Hix in R1 and an exploding Terry Haddock in the semis. Haddock’s car was singed but the driver was fine.

Creasy Jr. from the #3 hole, beat Joseph Hass and Jacob McNeal to get to the final against Worsham.

Creasy Jr waited to the last race of the weekend to record Low ET of the event with a 3.194 beating Worsham’s close 3.260 for the IHRA Ironman trophy

OUTLAW PRO MODIFIED

Stubbs, near lane, left too soon in the finals of Outlaw giving Stanton the VMP win

Bubba Stanton put three runs on the board in eliminations at Virginia Motorsports Park that looked like they came off a bracket car: 3.514, 3.515, 3.501. The last one was not only the quickest Outlaw Pro Mod pass of the weekend, but also in IHRA Outlaw Pro Mod history, and delivered the Potts Camp, Mississippi, veteran his first Ironman trophy of the 2026 season at the second stop on the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series tour.

“I’m very happy with the car,” said Stanton, who defeated Hank Stubbs in the final round. “The car has been flawless all weekend. This is the second race out with it, and it took me a little bit to get it worked out, but now we’ve got the car worked out, it just wants more.”

The car is a new Quarter-Max Racing-built fifth-generation Camaro with a screw-blown Hemi, unveiled at PRI late last year and still being dialed in on race weekends. Two races in, it’s already in the winner’s circle.

PRO MOD

The best story coming out of the Pro Mod final at the second stop on the 2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series tour at Virginia Motorsports Park wasn’t the win light. It was who was standing on both sides of it.

Tony Wilson, driving Ed Burnley’s Harts Charger-equipped “Iron Man” ‘69 Camaro, put together his best weekend of driving in the class to take home the Pro Mod Ironman trophy and $50,000. His tuner? Jason Harris. His final-round opponent? Also Jason Harris.

Wilson nailed a .012 reaction time in the final and ran 3.586 at 209.04 mph to seal it. Harris, who had been solid in the 3.50’s all weekend from the No. 3 qualifying spot in his “Party Time” ‘69 Camaro – a tribute to the late Harold Denton, the beloved Pro Stock legend who passed away in 2024 – had trouble on the starting line when his fuel pressure sensor went haywire and the RPMs wouldn’t come up. He went .133 on the tree and the car never had a chance to do what it had done all day, slowing to a 3.661 at 173.74.

But the way Harris handled it afterward said everything about the relationship between these two teams.

Wilson, near lane, against Travis Harvey in earlier action at VMP

“I don’t know what happened to mine,” Harris said after walking up to Wilson in the winner’s circle. “It’s like when I hit it, it wouldn’t come up. The fuel pressure sensor was going crazy. But that’s okay. He deserved it. They worked hard. You should have seen their pits. Their pits were destroyed. Stuff everywhere. They had a lot of problems, but the better car won today. That’s the way it goes.”

Wilson, from Kannapolis, North Carolina, qualified eighth in the 21-car field with a 3.594 and proceeded to kill the tree all weekend long, posting reaction times of .008 and .012 in the later rounds while running consistent 3.58’s. He became the eighth consecutive first-time winner in IHRA Pro Mod and the 65th different winner in the history of the class.

MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK

Johnny Pluchino came into the second stop on the 2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series tour as the man to beat in Mountain Motor Pro Stock. He left Virginia Motorsports Park having removed any remaining doubt.

Pluchino wheeled his Kaase-powered, Ross Environmental Services 2013 Ford Mustang to a 4.014 at 180.21 mph in the final round to defeat Jordan Ensslin’s 4.032 at 178.54, resetting both the IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock ET and speed records in the process. The previous marks – a 4.019 at 180.02 set in qualifying by Matt Giangrande – didn’t survive the weekend.

“I think he was pretty good on the bulb there,” Pluchino said of Ensslin, who had the better reaction time with an .015 to Pluchino’s .022. “I saw a lot of purple, but it’s all right. We set the record, ET record, speed record, and we got that thing. It’s pretty beautiful.”

It was the second consecutive IHRA victory for Pluchino, who also won the season opener at Galot Motorsports Park, making him the first back-to-back Mountain Motor Pro Stock winner since Chris Powers. The 24-car field at Virginia Motorsports Park was the quickest in IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock history, with the bump spot for the 16-car field landing at a 4.089.

Other Winners

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

New Jersey racer Jackie Fricke took advantage of problems with Oregon racer Joey Severance’s dragster in the Top Alcohol Dragsters final. She posted a winning run of 3.609 seconds at 227.34 mph after Severance had an outstanding .019 reaction time but slowed early in the run.

Ten Alcohol Dragsters were at VMP with Indiana engine builder Jamie Noonan on the pole with a 3.453 and Ryan Harris from Buford Canada on the bump with a 3.635.

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR

TA/FC also featured ten cars shooting for the quick eight as Florida racer Chip Beverett’ 3.612 was #1 qualifier with NHRA hitter DJ Cox #2 with a 3.625. Eventual winner Phil Esz slid into #3 with a 6.635.

In the finals Beverett got the better light but Esz caught and passed the Florida driver with 3.592 at 213.77 mph. Beverett was right there with a 3.611 in the loss.

FUEL ALTERED

The errant Altereds continue to impress with the 1/8 mile IHRA racing to their liking. Garrettsville Ohio racer Paul Miller took his car to a second in a row win beating an up in smoke Ryan Hill in the finals. Hill from Rensselaer Indiana was #1 qualifier 3.596

Small Tire BRATZ Series

Cory Reed, far lane, keeps it going winning his second BRATZ race in a row in Manny Buginga’s Mustang

Cory Reed wheeled Manny Buginga’s “Freddy” Mustang to his second consecutive IHRA Small Tire BRATZ Series victory at the second stop on the 2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series tour at Virginia Motorsports Park, following up his season-opening win at Galot Motorsports Park with another sweep through the bracket. He beat Adrian Herrera in the opening round, outran Dustin Mewbourn in the second, took out small-tire heavyweight Bill Lutz in the semifinals, and closed the deal against Tom “Jimmy Dale” Gunner in the final to collect the Ironman trophy.

NITRO HARLEY

The Nitro Harley elimination saw Jason Leeper from Spencer Indiana recover from an earlier crash to roll down the track in 4.212 seconds at 186.05 mph in the final. Leeper was .037 better at the start than final-round opponent Mike Beland from Maiden NC.

SNOWMOBILE

Anthony Mini and Rob Lowe faced off again in the Snowmobile final. Mini won a second straight time with a .063 to .095 advantage at the start combined with his 4.448-second pass at 159.36 mph.

TOP DRAGSTER

Pritchett, near lane, came close but Davies took the Top Dragster win

Maryland racer Jessica Pritchett, wife of Top Fuel racer Gary Pritchett, came all so close in the finals of Top Dragster losing to Ohio racer Dane Davies in the finals. Both drivers had nearly identical reaction times, and it was Davies’ 4.085 on a 4.05 dial with winner over Jessica’s 4.144 on her 4.11 that made the difference.

TOP SPORTSMAN

In the final of Top Sportsman, it was both cars dialed in a 4.09. Runner up Bob Mandell from Tennessee ran closer to the dial with a 4.097 in his classic ’55 Chevy but Mike Alexander Jr from Mechanicsville VA in his Corvette had the better light wining with a slower but winning,4.107.

SUPER STOCK

It was a pair of quick cars in the finals of Super Stock with the ’85 Corvette of Tracy Robbins up against the small block ’96 Mustang of George Wright. Robbins from Youngsville NC had the easy win as Wright left too soon giving the Corvette the title.

STOCK

Many time NHRA champ Dan Fletcher who now calls North Carolina home after a career in New York, drove his F/SA ’69 Camaro to the win over Ron Jewell from Holley NY.

Jewell had a terrible 0.096 light against Fletcher, and it cost him as he ended up running below his 10.70 dial with a 10.684 as Fletch was 10.946 on his 10.93 dial.

The win in VA makes two for two for Fletch in IHRA Stock in a show that featured three dozen cars.

QUICK ROD

Mitchell Harkey from Salisbury NC made it two in a row with a win over Corey Manuel in the final. The win, following up his Benson victory, had Harkey winning with a 8.906 on the class 8.90 index as Manuel from Stocksdale NC, had the better light, lost with a 8.939.

SUPER ROD

Price, far lane, grabbed the Super Rod win at Virginia

 Former NHRA D1 champ Rich Price drove his Corvette roadster to a win over David Morris. Price from Royersford PA got the break when Morris, from Clover SC. went too quick in the finals running a 9.895 on the 9.90 index as Price took the win with a 9.930. Morris had a great light but pushed it too far on the top end.

HOT ROD

It was two NED racers in the finals as Lawrence Paden from Chester Springs PA up against Tony Iacono III from Shamong NJ. Paden had the better reachtion time and won with a 10.951 to Iacono’s better but losing 10.931 on the 10.90 index.

PRO STOCK

Tony Scott scored his third straight win in Pro Stock with a win over Taylor Dietsch in the final. Dietsch had a .026 better light, but Scott’s Camaro powered down the track in 5.819 seconds at 140.59 mph to earn the victory.

 

The IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series will be in action at Montgomery International Dragway on May 7-9.