2026 IHRA Triple Crown at Darana Raceway, Hebron: Schedule, Drivers, Storylines & Live Coverage

Sponsored by Larry Jeffers Race Cars

The IHRA Triple Crown lands in Hebron, Ohio on June 19-20, opening the three-race series at Darana Raceway with five professional categories on the championship clock and a $1 million bonus riding on every one of them. Win all three Triple Crown races in your class and the seven-figure check is yours. Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Mod, Pro Stock, and Mountain Motor Pro Stock are all part of the program.

The 15-car Top Fuel field is anchored by names that read like a Funny Car-era class reunion: Mike Salinas, Scott Palmer, Spencer Massey, Lex Joon, Krista Baldwin, Jasmine Salinas, Shawn Reed and Bernie Plourd among them. The 15-car Funny Car field counts Del Worsham, Dale Creasy Jr., Jon Capps and Paul Lee in the lineup. Nitro Harley brings 18 deep. Top Fuel Motorcycle features Larry “Spiderman” McBride. The Hemi Shootout, Outlaw Pro Mod, Nitro Harley, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car and Nostalgia Pro Stock round out a card that turns Darana into a full nitro showcase. Hub powered by Larry Jeffers Race Cars. Refresh through Sunday.

2026 IHRA Triple Crown Winners – Race 1 of 3

Final Round Results – All Classes

Top Fuel – Tripp Tatum Beats Best Friend in Final

Tripp Tatum rallied past Gary Pritchett in the Top Fuel final – Pritchett left first (.033 to .041) but Tatum’s dragster ran a record 3.764 at 328.47 mph. Pritchett ran into trouble on the top end (3.859 at 274.39 mph). Tatum’s ladder to the trophy: 3.822 over Chuck Loftin in the quarterfinal, 3.770 / 329.43 mph over Jasmine Salinas in the semifinal, and the record-setting 3.764 in the final.

Funny Car – Paul Lee Closes Flawless Weekend With the Only 3-Second Run of Eliminations

Paul Lee was better at both ends of the track in the Funny Car final. Lee held a .042 to .068 starting line advantage on Del Worsham and laid down the only three-second run in Funny Car eliminations – 3.937 at 326.32 mph. Worsham came up just short at 4.018 / 323.04. Lee’s ladder: over Jon Capps in the quarterfinal, Joe Haas in the semifinal, Worsham in the final.

Pro Mod – Jason Harris Wins Top 2 Qualifier Showdown

Top two qualifiers Jason Harris and Jacob McNeal faced off in the Pro Mod final of a 31-car-strong field. McNeal had a .004 starting line advantage, but Harris held his .019 light and powered down the track in 3.567 at 210.58 mph for his Party Time car to live up to its name. McNeal came up just short at 3.599 / 205.95.

Mountain Motor Pro Stock – John DeFlorian Jr by .005

John DeFlorian Jr. won the $50,000 Mountain Motor Pro Stock purse and the special IHRA Triple Crown trophy by just .005 seconds over Jeremy Huffman in the final. Huffman had a .002 start; DeFlorian paired his .020 light with a 4.052 / 177.30 run. Huffman ran 4.076 / 175.99 – five feet too short.

Pro Stock – Taylor Dietsch Reverses Last Year, Beats Dad in the Final

Taylor Dietsch got the best of his father, Jason Dietsch, in the Pro Stock final. Taylor’s .083 RT and 4.865 at 148.66 mph in the black Mustang carried the win – Jason had trouble in the blue Mustang and crossed the stripe at 8.018 / 76.40. It was a reversal from last year’s race at Hebron, where Jason beat Taylor in the final.

Supporting Class Winners – Scruggs, Peery, Brown, Rhodes, Austin, Curl, Esz

Winners in all seven supporting classes: Mitch Brown (Top Fuel Motorcycle – beat Bob Malloy), Ryan Peery (Nitro Harley – .0074 over Bob Malloy at the stripe in a 4.09 vs 4.09 dogfight), Anthony Rhodes (Hemi Shootout – Comella red), Jason Scruggs (Outlaw Pro Mod – quickest of eliminations at 3.5013 / 215.93 in the semi, then 3.5328 / 215.93 in the final over DiDomenico), Jody Austin (Fuel Altered – held qualifying No. 1 to the trophy over son Cody and runner-up Kebin Kinsley), Rachel Curl (Top Alcohol Dragster – swept qualifying No. 1 to the win), Phil Esz (Top Alcohol Funny Car – 5.4562 / 259.37 over Stan Sipos).

Next Up

The Stakes – $1 Million Triple Crown

Storylines

Scrappers Racing – Father-Daughter Top Fuel Debut

Mike Salinas is back behind the wheel for the first time since stepping out at the beginning of 2024, and his daughter Jasmine Salinas will line up next to him in the second Scrappers Racing Top Fuel dragster. Both cars run the Valley Services banner. Veteran crew chief Todd Okuhara and assistant crew chief Adem Cave tune both 12,000-hp machines. The Salinas family originally targeted an earlier 2026 IHRA race for the dual-car debut, but that event got postponed, making Hebron the first time the father-daughter duo races side-by-side in the same class.

“Having my dad back in the driver’s seat with us and fielding a second Top Fuel car is a big deal for us, and something that we’ve been working tirelessly to make happen,” says Jasmine. “It’s been a long journey since he had to step out of the driver’s seat in 2024 and I’m glad that he’s worked hard to make his way back. We’re both excited to race for big money and look forward to the competition this weekend.”

Catch the Salinases at the Buckeye Lake Street Party Thursday night before they roll out to the lanes Friday. Full DI story.

Top Fuel Motorcycles – The Kings Are Back, 8-Bike Field

The 1,600+ horsepower Top Fuel Motorcycles are back at IHRA this weekend for what may be the biggest TFM field in many years – eight supercharged, nitromethane-burning bikes, fighting for $30,000-to-win at the eighth-mile. Larry “Spiderman” McBride headlines the field, hunting his 25th title with brother and tuner Steve McBride. The catch: eighth-mile racing doesn’t play to the McBrides’ usual long-track strengths, giving the other seven bikes real hope.

The bike-by-bike rundown: Mitch Brown brings his Dennis Bradley-co-owned bike with Brown’s own Monster Race Products billet head and FuelTech control (Pro Mod’s Todd Martin helps tune). Bob Malloy also runs the new Monster head + FuelTech on a Chuck Redfern-owned, Sam Wills chassis with a supercharged Puma I4 – plus a second entry on his record-setting Buell in Top Fuel Harley. Finland’s Jaska Salakari brings a blown DOHC 4-valve hybrid-fuel “Harsh” V-Twin of his own design – the only V-Twin platform to ever crack the 5-second quarter mile. Ohio’s Jason Pridemore has his home-built, blown Nitro Harley. Maine’s Micah Fenwick runs a John Alwine-designed, blown ATF-1 inline 4. Class newcomers Gerald Hunt (Canada, turbo Pro Extreme Motorcycle background) and Richard “Sandman” Deys (Upstate NY) both debut bikes purchased from David Vantine – McBride-built machines similar to Larry’s, with Hunt getting help from Pollard Nitrosports.

Special thanks to Wayne and Donna Pingel for keeping the class on the radar. Full DI story by Tim Hailey.

Mike Decker Debuts New LJRC-Built Pro Mod Camaro

Mike Decker rolls into Darana with a brand-new Larry Jeffers Race Cars-built Hart’s Charger Camaro Pro Mod. The Decker’s Salvage program tagged in Modern Racing and Wyo Motorsports to finalize the build and dial in the Wyo-powered combination on the dyno ahead of the event. First track passes happen Thursday’s test session, with the car’s competition debut Friday in Pro Mod qualifying. Brand-new car, brand-new combination, race-day green flag Saturday. That’s a big swing.

Jose Gonzales Brings New Pro Mod Camaro – Jason Collins Driving

Pro Mod veteran driver and team owner Jose Gonzales will have his new late-model Pro Mod Camaro on the property at Darana, with rising NHRA Pro Mod wheelman and two-time 2026 NHRA winner Jason Collins in the seat. Collins is fresh off a Bristol Pro Mod win the previous weekend at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals – making this his second start in three weekends. Gonzales / Collins / new car = one of the more interesting Pro Mod storylines on the IHRA card.

Meyer Sisters Make Their IHRA Triple Crown Debut

Megan Meyer arrives at Hebron in the GUNK dragster, with sister Rachel Meyer in the Hedinger’s Equipment ride – the family’s Dynamic Duo program lining up against a 15-car Top Fuel field. Their entry adds the kind of women-driven Top Fuel narrative the sport has not had at full strength since the Pruett-Force-Smith eras of the 2010s. Megan brings a championship-winning Top Alcohol Dragster pedigree forward; Rachel brings the next-generation rookie energy. Both ride for a family operation that has racked up multiple national-event Top Alcohol wins. They land in a field stacked with Mike Salinas, Spencer Massey, Lex Joon and Scott Palmer, so the show-up storyline starts immediately on Friday.

Spiderman in Top Fuel Bike

Larry “Spiderman” McBride headlines the Top Fuel Motorcycle field – the most decorated nitro Harley/TFM rider in the sport’s history. He pulls into Darana against Bob Malloy, Gerald Hunt, Jaska Salakari, Jason Pridemore, Micah Fenwick, Mitch Brown and Richard Deys for an 8-bike sprint at the eighth-mile.

The Nitro Harley Field is 18 Deep

Eighteen Nitro Harleys is the headline number that does not get said enough. Benny Stevens, Billy Jackson, Bob Malloy, Buddy Johnson, Cameron Gunter, Chris Smith, GT Tonglet, Jay Turner, Jimmy McMillan, John Toth, Jordan Peterson, Michael Balch, Rebel Glover, Rickey House, Ryan Peery, Spence Aguar, Tim Kerrigan, Tracy Kile. That is a fan-day Nitro Harley card.

A 15-Car Funny Car Field With Worsham, Creasy and Capps

The Funny Car entry shows up 15-strong, headlined by 2-time NHRA world champ Del Worsham, Alky FC mainstay Dale Creasy Jr., NHRA veteran Jon Capps, and PEAK Antifreeze’s Paul Lee. Add Alex Barker, Bobby Bode, Dan Hix, Dave Gallegos, Jack Wyatt, Jeff Diehl, Jody Austin, Joe Morrison, John Smith, Joseph Haas and Terrence Haddock and you get a card built for the type of side-by-side Funny Car racing fans came up on – body off, nitro on, fire-bottles-mandatory level of intensity.

Wheelstander Fire Truck. Yes, Really.

The crowd-favorite wheelstanding fire truck is on the entertainment card. Family-friendly, photo-friendly, and almost certainly the only place this weekend you can watch nitro Top Fuel cars run next to fire-pulling exhibitions on the same property. Tickets are $30 online for adults; kids 12 and under are free. Friday afternoon starting 3 p.m. is a $40-carload special.

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Street Party Recap – Buckeye Lake Lit It Up

Jess Milante Photo Gallery

Final Qualifying – The Field Is Set

Top Fuel – Final Qualifying (15 attempted, field of 8)

Shawn Reed tops a 15-car Top Fuel entry list cut to 8 with a 3.7671 / 332.35. Mike Salinas made his return at No. 6 (3.8210); daughter Jasmine Salinas No. 3 (3.7974). Seven cars bumped.

Funny Car – Final Qualifying (14 attempted, field of 8)

Dale Creasy Jr grabs the Funny Car No. 1 at 3.9626 / 319.15. Bobby Bode No. 2 (3.9767). Del Worsham third (4.0108). 14 attempted, field of 8 – 6 cars on the outside looking in.

Pro Mod – Final Qualifying (31 cars, 32-car ladder)

Jason Harris tops what is perhaps the strongest Pro Mod field IHRA has seen in 2026 – 31 cars deep on a 32-car ladder. Harris ran 3.5951 / 209.69 on the way to the No. 1. Jacob McNeal No. 2 (3.6152), Melanie Salemi No. 3 (3.6184). Eight cars in the 3.62s. Full field below.

Pro Stock – Final Qualifying (9 attempted, field of 8)

Taylor Dietsch tops Pro Stock at 4.9086 / 147.54. Brother Jason Dietsch No. 2 (4.9277). 9 cars attempted, one bumped from the 8-car field.

Mountain Motor Pro Stock – Final Qualifying (26 attempted, field of 16)

John DeFlorian Jr takes a deep MMPS field at 4.0783 / 176.54, .0086 over Jason Grima (4.0869). John Pluchino No. 3 (4.0873). 26 cars attempted the 16-car field – 10 sitting out.

Top Fuel Motorcycle – Final Qualifying (8 attempted, field of 8)

Larry “Spiderman” McBride tops the relaunched TFM card with a 3.8538 / 207.85. Mitch Brown No. 2 (3.9581) on the new Monster Race Products head. All 8 in the field. Spiderman in pursuit of TFM win number 25.

Nitro Harley – Final Qualifying (18 attempted, field of 16)

Bob Malloy sweeps the top of Nitro Harley at 4.0842 / 188.68. GT Tonglet No. 2 (4.1661), Chris Smith No. 3. 18 attempted, 16-car field – two left out.

Outlaw Pro Mod – Final Qualifying (20 attempted, field of 16)

Bubba Stanton held his Q1 No. 1 to lock the OPM field at 3.5343 / 213.17. Robert Davis No. 2 (3.5522 / 213.78 – top speed). Jason Scruggs No. 4 with the round’s fastest mph at 217.39. Mike Decker Jr‘s new LJRC build holds No. 6 at 3.5895. 20 attempted, 16 in.

Fuel Altered – Final Qualifying (11 attempted, field of 8)

Jody Austin takes the Fuel Altered No. 1 at 3.5933 / 213.57, edging son Cody Austin by .0111 (3.6044). Chuck Loftin No. 3 with top speed of 261.78 mph. 11 attempted, field of 8.

Friday Qualifying – Q1 Snapshot (Permanent Record)

Outlaw Pro Mod – Q1 (18 attempted, field of 16)

Bubba Stanton leads after Q1 at 3.5343 / 213.17, edging Robert Davis (3.5522 / 213.78 – top speed of the round) by less than two hundredths. Hank Stubbs No. 3 at 3.5876. Mike Decker Jr debuted the new LJRC-built / Modern Racing / Wyo Motorsports combination with a clean 3.5895 / 209.59 to slot in at No. 4 – first track pass for the new car. Jason Scruggs, Justin Swanstrom, John Sullivan all under 3.90. Bump spot for the 16-car field sits at 4.4980 (Paul Gibbs). John Vergotz (6.0467) and Joey Martin (7.5593) currently outside the field with three sessions to climb.

Top Alcohol Dragster – Q1 (8 cars)

Rachel Curl opens with a clean 5.2842 / 270.60 to lead Q1. Megan Lingner No. 2 at 5.3190 / 270.92 (.0007 red on the tree – doesn’t count in qualifying). Megan Smith No. 3 at 5.3528 with top speed of the round at 278.47 mph. Daniel Flewelling rounds out the top 4 at 5.4096.

Top Alcohol Funny Car – Q1 (6 cars)

Phil Esz takes Q1 with a 5.4683 / 257.73. Chip Beverett backed it up with the round’s top speed at 264.55 mph on a 5.5126. Stan Sipos No. 3 at 5.5223 / 264.08.

Fuel Altered – Q1 (10 attempted, field of 8)

Cody Austin tops Q1 at 3.6044 / 213.88. Chuck Loftin just behind at 3.6095 / 261.78 – top speed of the round. Levi Keenen rounds out the 3.6s at 3.6967. With 10 cars attempting and an 8-car field, current bump spot is Tim Barone at 4.5207. Dan Hix (5.8089) and Kebin Kinsley (10.5404) outside the field after Q1.

Weekend Schedule

Wednesday, June 17

· 12:00 p.m. Parking begins
· 3:00 p.m. Registration opens
· 6:00 p.m. Registration closes
· 8:00 p.m. Parking ends

Thursday, June 18 – Test Day + Street Party

· 8:00 a.m. Parking begins
· 9:00 a.m. Registration opens
· 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Testing (Triple Crown competitors, $500/car fee)
· 5:00 p.m. Registration closes
· 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. IHRA Triple Crown Street Party – Buckeye Lake Village
· 7:00 p.m. Autograph Session (mandatory for promoter bonus)
· 8:00 p.m. Parking closes

Friday, June 19 – Qualifying Day

· 7:00 a.m. Racer Gates open
· 8:00 a.m. Fan Gates open
· 10:00 a.m. Racing begins (Q-1 across all classes)
· 4:30 p.m. Funny Car Q-1, then Top Fuel Q-1, then Q-2 for the supporting classes
· 6:00 p.m. Racer Appreciation Dinner
· 7:00 p.m. Funny Car Q-2, then Top Fuel Q-2
· 10:00 p.m. Track Secure

Saturday, June 20 – Race Day

· 7:00 a.m. Racer Gates open
· 8:00 a.m. Fan Gates / Chapel Service
· 10:00 a.m. Opening Ceremonies, R-1 in all supporting classes
· 2:00 p.m. Funny Car R-1, Top Fuel R-1, Pro Stock R-2, Pro Mod R-3, plus supporting R-2 across the card
· 5:30 p.m. Funny Car R-2, Top Fuel R-2, Pro Stock R-3, Pro Mod R-4 (final), and supporting class finals
· 7:00 p.m. Funny Car FINAL, then Top Fuel FINAL

Driver Entry Lists

Top Fuel – 15 Cars

Funny Car – 15 Cars

Nitro Harley – 18 Riders

Top Fuel Motorcycle – 8 Riders

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Street Party – Buckeye Lake Village, Thursday June 18

Free event Thursday June 18 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the DORA District at Buckeye Lake Village. Driver meet-and-greets, vehicle showcases, autograph sessions, photos with the Triple Crown trophies, live music, vendors and official IHRA merch.

Locations: Buckeye Lake Village parking lot, Boat Yard, Buckeye Lake Brewery, Escape to Buckeye Lake parking lot, Margarita’s, Barrel Bar, Coffee Shack, Roadhouse Cycles parking lot.

Public parking: Buckeye Lake State Park, Our Lady Catholic Church, Boat Yard, Buckeye Lake Brewery, North Shore Bait & Tackle Shop.

More info: BuckeyeLakeVillage.com

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Tickets & How to Watch

By the Numbers

Track Info – Darana Raceway

Darana Raceway (formerly National Trail Raceway)
2650 National Rd SW
Hebron, OH 43025

Hebron sits just east of Columbus on US-40. The facility is one of the longest-tenured drag strips in the Midwest and now operates under Darana Raceway branding. Tower Radio: 88.5 FM. Camping available – 740-928-5706.

Drag Illustrated Coverage Hub

Drag Illustrated’s 2026 IHRA Triple Crown coverage rolls live from Hebron Wednesday through Sunday. Round-by-round qualifying results, eliminations, photo galleries, storylines and winner’s circle coverage refresh on this page. Powered by Larry Jeffers Race Cars.

This is a live event hub – refresh through Sunday for updates. Tag @DragIllustrated with your trackside photos.

This story was originally published on June 17, 2026.