The desert horsepower wars are officially underway. The MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge thundered into action Thursday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, launching four days of high-powered competition as NHRA’s sportsman racers opened the battle for national event glory.
Thursday’s opening day featured a packed schedule of NHRA sportsman racing, with competitors taking part in qualifying, time trials and elimination rounds on the Las Vegas quarter-mile.
The action was anything but tame as racers delivered spectacular wheels-up launches and tire-smoking burnouts, filling the starting line with clouds of rubber smoke before unleashing their horsepower on the quarter-mile. From front wheels hanging high in the air to rear slicks fighting for traction, the sportsman competitors put on an impressive display of power and performance.
The horsepower wasn’t limited to the dragstrip. Aircraft from nearby Nellis Air Force Base provided plenty of excitement overhead, with numerous impressive flyovers adding another dimension to the day’s action. While the racers were unleashing horsepower on the ground, the Air Force was putting on its own high-powered show in the skies above The Strip.
Stock, Super Stock, Super Comp and Super Gas completed their first two rounds of eliminations, while Top Dragster and Top Sportsman completed their opening rounds. Competition Eliminator also took to the quarter-mile for two qualifying sessions.
But there was more than national event glory on the line.
The Deecell Power Systems NHRA Comp Clash brought a serious payday into the spotlight, with Competition Eliminator racers battling for a massive $20,000 winner’s prize in the specialty race-within-a-race.
Competition Eliminator is no ordinary drag racing category. Featuring an incredible variety of engine combinations, vehicle designs and performance indexes, the class brings together some of the sharpest minds and toughest competitors in sportsman drag racing. Every fraction of a second matters, and with $20,000 hanging in the balance, the pressure is turned all the way up.
Thursday’s program included three rounds of Comp Clash eliminations, cutting down the field and bringing the remaining competitors another step closer to the big-money showdown.
The NHRA’s professional categories will unleash their machines on the Las Vegas quarter-mile on Firday as Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle begin qualifying for the penultimate national event of the season.
The ground-pounding Top Fuel dragsters and nitro-burning Funny Cars will bring their unmistakable combination of earth-shaking horsepower, header flames and raw acceleration to The Strip, turning the desert air into a thunderstorm of nitromethane-fueled fury.
Meanwhile, the sportsman racers will continue their elimination battles, with every round bringing competitors closer to a coveted NHRA national event victory.
With $20,000 at stake in the Comp Clash, professional qualifying ready to erupt and the Pro Mods preparing to unleash their horsepower, the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge is just getting warmed up.
This story was originally published on October 30, 2026. 
