INDIANAPOLIS, IN – March 26, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – NHRA officials announced today that its historic event at Beech Bend Raceway will head back to its roots, returning to the National Hot Rod Reunion name for its race on June 18-20 and further celebrating the rich history and heritage of the event during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season.
Along with the name change, NHRA also announced that Broc Porter will spearhead running the event for the first time, expanding the relationship between the NHRA Motorsports Museum and Porter’s Beech Bend Raceway. Porter and his wife, Rebecca, operate the track that has been in the family since 1984.
“This is an opportunity to build this race back to what it was when it first arrived in the early 2000s,” Porter said. “This race helped put Beech Bend on the national map and has been a great event for us for many years. We want to see it continue and grow back into a prominent event that honors the legacy of both Beech Bend and NHRA drag racing.”
The National Hot Rod Reunion marks the sixth event of the season in the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series, which celebrates the thrilling action of nostalgia drag racing in a variety of classes. Proceeds from the event will benefit the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona.
Porter is receiving guidance from Blake Bowser, who has spearheaded a resurgence at the NHRA’s California Hot Rod Reunion featuring Nitro Revival while continuing to grow the legendary Good Vibrations March Meet.
The annual trip to Beech Bend Raceway has long been a popular stop for fans and race teams, and this year will be especially memorable, returning to the National Hot Rod Reunion name during NHRA’s milestone year.
The National Hot Rod Reunion features three spectacular days of nostalgia racing, hot rods, show cars and a swap meet at a historic facility steeped in drag racing history.
The event also includes a show and shine car show and popular cacklefests throughout the weekend, plus much more. On the track, fans will be thrilled by some of the best nostalgia racing in the country, with nostalgia Top Fuel dragsters offering a memorable dose of nitro-burning action at more than 240 mph.
Drivers will be competing for event wins, with eliminations on Sunday culminating a weekend that will feature a full lineup of nostalgia competitions, exhibitions, fan experiences, tributes and a festival-like atmosphere that pays tribute to the legends and pioneers of NHRA drag racing.
“This is great for the long-term outlook of this event,” said Jason Galvin, NHRA Sportsman Manager. “Broc and Rebecca operate a world-class facility. It’s located in the hot-rodding hotbed of America and, obviously, the 75th anniversary tie-in sets this up to be a booming resurgence for the Hot Rod Reunion brand and a great weekend for the NHRA Museum as well.”
For more information on NHRA, including the full 2026 schedule, visit www.nhra.com.
About NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Source: National Hot Rod Association
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