A new, multi-discipline motorsports festival is coming to the heart of the Midwest in 2026 as Midwest Drift and Drags makes its debut at Cordova Dragway June 12th and 13th, blending drifting, drag racing, roll racing, car show action, and an Aussie-style burnout pit into one all-inclusive weekend.
Co-promoter Jeff Hintz said the event represents the next evolution of a grassroots effort that has been growing for a decade.
“Myself and Nick Hansen are the two people that are the primary catalyst behind this,” Hintz explained. “We’ve partnered with Jordan Sharp for drag racing, OTL for drift and Nth Moto for roll racing, but we’ve been putting on events for 10 years. What started as a Mustang-only club get-together eventually grew into an all-makes-and-models event, and now we wanted to do something bigger, broader, and more inclusive.”
That decision led to Midwest Drift and Drags, which will mark the group’s first event under the new banner while celebrating its 10th year of event promotion. Hintz emphasized that the goal is simple: grow car culture and bring major-event energy to a region that’s often overlooked.
“These types of events don’t tend to come to the Iowa area or the central Midwest,” Hintz said. “They usually focus on major metropolitan areas or larger venues. Being right on the Iowa-Illinois border at Cordova gives people from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, even Ohio, a central place to converge.”
The on-track and on-property activities are designed to appeal to a wide range of enthusiasts. For the first time ever, Cordova Dragway will host drifting, with a planned 75,000-square-foot drift pad built in partnership with Off the Line Performance.
“There’s never been a drift event at Cordova Dragway before,” Hintz noted. “That alone is huge.”
In addition to drifting, competitors will have access to Cordova’s quarter-mile dragstrip with multiple classes, including small-tire, all-wheel-drive DCT, and other index-style categories. Roll racing, another first for the facility, will also be offered.
“We’re also coupling that with a car show,” Hintz said. “You get that group that wants to show their rides but also be active with them, whether that’s drifting, drag racing, or roll racing.”
Perhaps the most unique attraction is the Aussie-style burnout pit, a format rarely seen in the Midwest.
“I honestly can’t think of a time an Aussie-style burnout pit has been this close to our region,” Hintz said. “We’re bringing in some of the big names in that world, and it’s something people would normally have to travel a lot farther to experience.”
The event is already drawing strong industry support. Hintz credited Off the Line Performance, Ames Ford Performance, Zombi Garage, New Edge Autosports, Nth Moto, HPT Turbo, American Racer and Jolt Systems as key partners helping bring the vision to life.
“Those sponsors are making a real commitment,” Hintz said. “Because of that, we’re able to offer real payouts – $5,000 for the Aussie-style burnout pit and more than $16,000 total across the drag racing and drift.”
Midwest Drift and Drags is set to go live this week, with ticket sales and full event details launching Friday at 11:30 a.m. Central via the event’s website and official Facebook event page. Tickets available on TheFOAT.com.
Additional information, schedules, and links will be released with the official event announcement later this week.
