Antron Brown races Justin Ashley at Sonoma Raceway, 2023. Photo: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NHRA_Top_Fuel_Dragster_Finals_Sonoma_2023.jpg">TaurusEmerald</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons
The home of a drag race that bills itself as America’s oldest and longest-running has just signed on to NHRA’s membership program. The announcement is long on 2027 plans and short on the one thing racers need to book a trailer: dates.
NHRA says Cordova Dragway in Cordova, Illinois, has joined its Member Track Network as part of the West Central Division, also known as Division 5. In 2027 the track is slated to host two NHRA events: a Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional as part of the inaugural Sportsman Grand Nationals, and a Summit Racing Equipment E.T. Series Finals presented by Hoosier. NHRA posted the news on Oct. 20, and track owner Dan Crownhart said the team is eager to host “the nation’s best” sportsman racers.
This is a Sportsman story, and that’s the point
Nothing here touches the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. NHRA’s published 2027 schedule lists only Mission Foods events, and Cordova isn’t on it. The two Cordova dates sit in the Lucas Oil and Summit E.T. tiers, which is where most NHRA licenses are actually spent. That’s the bread-and-butter side of the sport, the same one that keeps the parts industry fed, and NHRA’s own Lucas Oil Series page describes a calendar of 47 divisional and 24 regional events. Adding a regional at a track with a built-in crowd is cheaper than inventing a brand from scratch.
What membership actually buys a track
The release lists the menu: eligibility to run the Summit Racing Series, the Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Street Legal and Jr. Street, the chance to host specialty events such as the Summit King of the Track, plus NHRA support programs, insurance benefits and national marketing. For an independent facility the insurance line is the quiet heavyweight, since liability coverage is routinely one of a drag strip’s biggest fixed costs. Marketing reach comes second. The racing itself, frankly, Cordova already knew how to do.
It also fills calendars. Maple Grove’s fall schedule, with no national event and no divisional points, shows how thin an independent track’s weekends can look without sanctioning-body events behind them. Membership is one way to fill that gap.
The questions the release doesn’t answer
First, dates. NHRA’s announcement gives none, and at the time of writing the track’s own site carries no 2027 schedule and no mention of NHRA. Cordova’s World Series of Drag Racing ran Aug. 28-30 this year, so where a Grand Nationals regional lands relative to that weekend matters for anyone planning a travel budget.
Second, sanctioning. IHRA’s track news page carries an undated item on a multi-year sanctioning renewal with the Cordova facility, built around Summit SuperSeries and bracket programs. Neither organization’s current material says whether those programs continue alongside NHRA membership. Nothing published says Cordova is leaving anyone, and I’d resist reading it that way. But a track that wants both crowds has to keep both sets of rulebooks straight, and tech inspection is where that gets awkward.
Third, the name on the door. “Sportsman Grand Nationals” is new, and I could not find a published class list, purse or points structure. The compliance side of NHRA competition is not forgiving, as the chassis tag suspension case showed, so racers should expect rules details before they expect hype.
What to watch
Watch the Lucas Oil Divisional Series schedule on NHRA.com for the first Cordova dates, and watch whether the track’s own calendar picks up NHRA branding ahead of the 2027 season. Until both appear, hold off on booking anything non-refundable. The marriage is announced; the wedding date is not.
Lead image: Antron Brown races Justin Ashley at Sonoma Raceway, 2023. Photo: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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