Tue, 27 Oct 2026, 19:45 PM Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Powered by Dodge Brings Title Ramifications

Courtesy of Tom Blattler, TB Communications As Well as Special Muscle Car Reveal and Events Surrounding the NHRA Nevada Classic

• As NHRA national series season winds down, title contenders will be rolling the dice in the penultimate 2026 race at the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge this weekend
• The Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway plays host to one of the most popular series events as pro racers battle for the coveted NHRA Mission world championships on Oct. 29-Nov. 1
• Pro classes including Top Fuel and Funny Car will be featured in the straight-line classic which brings drivers from 48 states and several countries seeking prestigious "Diamond Wally" trophies
• Mopar and Dodge driver Matt Hagan leads the highly competitive Funny Car category in points with his 12,000-horsepower Tony Stewart Racing Dodge//SRT Hellcat machine after four 2026 wins
• The legendary Mopar brand, closing in on nine decades as a high-performance leader on the drag strip and street in 2027, brings a variety and special events for the "Nevada Day" NHRA weekend
• Making its public debut will be the Mopar '27 Dodge Charger, the latest limited-edition muscle car package that blends distinctive Mopar styling, modern muscle car attitude and factory engineered personalization • Mopar's 90th anniversary logo will be highlighted on the TSR Dodge Funny Car of Hagan, the four-time world champion, and the TSR Dodge Top Fuel dragster of Leah Pruett at Las Vegas
• Television host and brand ambassador Chris Jacobs will serve as Grand Marshal for the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge event when pro qualifying opens at 2 p.m. Friday
• Doug Habegger, a top dealership service technician from Tom Kelley Chrysler, Dodge, JeepR, Ram in Decatur, Indiana will serve as the honorary starter during the final eliminations on Sunday at The Strip
• Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Match, featuring competitors in SIXPACK-powered Charger Scat Pack race, will crown the overall winner in the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge
• New 600-horsepower 2027 Dodge Charger Super Bee Launch Edition will also be on display during race weekend at the Direct Connection Display in the Nitro Alley at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - North America's top drag racing stars will be rolling the dice this weekend (Oct. 29 - Nov. 1) near the famed Las Vegas Strip as the 330 mile per hour warriors contend for the coveted NHRA Mission Drag Racing world championships at the 26th annual Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge classic in the NHRA's 75th anniversary season.

As the penultimate event in the 20-race NHRA national drag racing series, the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge brings the fastest vehicles at the racing facility annually and this year's edition will supply plenty of straight line action with the nitro-burning, 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars. The final event of the 2026 season is set for November 12-15 with the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

It is only fitting that the popular Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts motorsports' fastest and quickest vehicles as the six-race NHRA "Countdown to the Championship" comes to a close for the 2026 national tour with the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge being the 19th round of the campaign.

Motorsports Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and his wife, Leah Pruett, driving of the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge//SRT dragster. Stewart and Pruett have yet to race head-to-head this year, but it might occur this weekend with a solid Top Fuel field.

Pruett's teammate, four-time NHRA world champion and defending Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals winner Matt Hagan, leads the highly competitive Funny Car division. Hagan is a six-time winner at The Strip, and a seventh victory could help secure a fifth world crown as he currently leads the Funny Car points standings.

This weekend in the NHRA's 19th round of the 2026 drag racing tour the Mopar's 90th anniversary logo will be emphasized on the TSR Dodge Funny Car of Hagan and the TSR Dodge Top Fuel dragster of Pruett as the TSR pair seek to score "Diamond Wally" trophies in the 75th season of the famed drag racing association. Former NHRA Funny Car world champions Cruz and Tony Pedregon will be the NHRA "Legends" honored throughout the weekend, and fans will be able meet the Pedregon brothers.

Mopar will display the Mopar '27 Dodge Charger during the race weekend, before the new muscle car takes center stage at the 2026 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 3-6. The annual limited production package from Mopar celebrates the brand's 90th anniversary and combines unique styling, carbon-fiber details and functional performance enhancements to the all-wheel-drive Dodge muscle car.

"Mopar is coming to Las Vegas ready to put performance in the spotlight," said Darren Bradshaw, senior vice president, Stellantis Parts and Services - North America. "Race fans will be the first to get up and close to our new limited-edition Mopar '27 Dodge Charger before the action heats up on the track, bringing high horsepower, adrenaline and an all-out drive to win that perfectly capture the spirit of our brands."

In addition to the action on the track at The Strip, Mopar and Dodge activities will be featured off the track including famed TV host and automotive enthusiast Chris Jacobs serving as Grand Marshal. Jacobs, a long time Dodge and Mopar fan, has hosted the popular television shows, "Overhaulin'" with Chip Foose and "Long Lost Family". He has also served as host for NFL Network and several special live broadcasts which have won multiple Emmy Awards. His current duties include hosting Mecum Collector Car Auctions seen on ESPN, as well as serving as brand ambassador for companies like Radford Racing School, Hagerty & Griot's Garage.

Joining Jacobs in an honorary participant role in the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge will be Doug Habegger, a top dealership service technician from Tom Kelley Chrysler Dodge JeepR Ram who will serve as the honorary starter during the four rounds of qualifying and the final eliminations on Sunday.

Habegger earned the opportunity by being a top performer determined through measures that include certified technical training, Monthly Training Requirements, repair performance, repair volume and Mopar Top Tech program participation.

The Dodge Direct Connection Grudge Match, which began at the Roadkill Night Powered by Dodge event. In August, will wrap up at The Strip in between pro qualifying sessions on Saturday. The four final competitors will do battle in their race-modified, SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack cars to crown the overall Grudge Match winner.

The new 2027 Dodge Charger Super Bee Launch Edition, a SAE-certified 600-horsepower evolution of the SIXPACK-powered Charger that creates the quickest, fastest and most powerful SIXPACK Charger and the most powerful Dodge Super Bee ever, will also be on display during race weekend. Fans are encouraged to get a "close-up" view of the new Mopar '27 Charger and the new Charger Super Bee at the Direct Connection Display in the NHRA Nitro Alley Midway. Charger vehicles will also take part in a pre-race parade to kick off the elimination rounds on Sunday.

The Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge will also present exciting Sportsman competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the Summit Racing Series by Hoosier E.T. Finals, where world champions will be crowned in several divisions. The weekend also marks the final race of the thrilling JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by Elite Motorsports.

Action for the pro categories at this weekend's Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge begins on Friday, Oct. 30, with two rounds of qualifying at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. PDT. Saturday's (Oct. 31) qualifying rounds are scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m. PDT. Final eliminations are set for Sunday, Nov. 1, at 11 a.m. PST. The final eliminations will be televised on Sunday on Fox Sports 1 at 5 p.m. EST/2 p.m. PST.

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