Street Outlaws Stars Set To Appear At Select NHRA Events In 2026

If you’ve been following the drag racing scene for the last decade or so, you know there has always been a bit of a divide. On one side, you had the polished, high-octane professional world of the NHRA. On the other, the gritty, late-night adrenaline of the Street Outlaws. For years, fans have debated, speculated, and dreamed about what would happen if these two massive worlds collided in a meaningful way.

Well, folks, grab a cold one and sit down, because the day we’ve been waiting for is finally on the horizon. In a move that feels like a genuine love letter to car culture, the NHRA dropped a bombshell announcement at the recent Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show that is going to shake up the tarmac in 2026.

Street Outlaws Comes To the Big Stage

Here is the scoop: Starting in the 2026 season, the NHRA is launching the “Right Trailers Outlaw Street Series presented by Xpel.” This isn’t just a one-off gimmick; it is a dedicated exhibition program that will run alongside select national events.

For a long time, the gap between “street” TV fame and professional track racing seemed unbridgeable. But if you look closer, it makes perfect sense. These guys and gals live for speed just as much as any Top Fuel pilot. The fact that the NHRA is opening its arms to the Street Outlaws family for its 75th anniversary season shows just how much the sport is evolving. It’s about giving the fans exactly what they want—more tire smoke, more rivalries, and more thunder.

The Legends Are Locking In

So, who can we expect to see tearing up the strip? The lineup is already looking like a “who’s who” of Monday night television. We are talking about heavy hitters like Shawn Ellington, known to the world as the driver of the sinister “Murder Nova.” If you have ever seen that black Chevy Nova launch, you know Ellington doesn’t come to play; he comes to dominate.

Then you have Ryan Martin in the Fireball Camaro. Martin has been an absolute juggernaut in the No Prep Kings circuit, earning championship after championship. His consistency is terrifying, and seeing him bring that precision to an NHRA national event is going to be something special. Scott Taylor, another seasoned veteran with a reputation for fearless driving, is also confirmed to compete at every event in the inaugural season.

What warms my heart about this news is the reasoning behind it. These drivers aren’t doing it just for a paycheck or cameras. As Martin put it, they are “racers at heart.” With some pauses in TV production for the Street Outlaws franchise, these guys didn’t want to park their rides. They wanted to keep racing, and they wanted to bring their massive fanbase over to mingle with the NHRA crowd. It’s a beautiful merging of families.

Real Cars, Real Relatability

One of the coolest aspects of this new series is the machinery itself. We all love the 11,000-horsepower nitro monsters, but there is something deeply relatable about the Street Outlaws rides. As Ryan Martin pointed out, if you pull up next to his Fireball Camaro at a stoplight in a standard 2010 Camaro, the dimensions are the same.

These are “steel roof and quarter-panel” cars. They look like the muscle cars we grew up dreaming about, the ones sitting in our driveways. They aren’t elongated fiberglass shells that barely resemble a road car; they are the real deal. Scott Taylor noted that this format is going to deliver a different kind of spectacle. It’s not Top Fuel, and it’s not Comp Eliminator. It’s something raw and different, and frankly, that is exactly what the sport needs right now.

What the Weekend Will Look Like

If you are planning to head to a track in 2026, here is what you can expect from the series. It’s going to feature eight-car qualified fields. They will run three rounds of qualifying to set the ladder, leading into the semifinals and finals on Sunday.

The best part? It sounds like the NHRA is keeping the barrier to entry low for fans. You won’t need a special pass to get a glimpse of these icons. The plan is for these teams to pit right among the pros, giving you the chance to walk up, see the cars, and maybe even shake hands with the drivers you’ve been watching on screen for years.

Excitement Is Building For 2026

This partnership proves that at the end of the day, whether you are running on a prep track or a sketchy back road, the passion is the same. 2026 is shaping up to be a banner year for drag racing, and I, for one, can’t wait to see the tree drop on this new chapter.