Make plans now to attend the 4th Annual Great American Bracket Races Back to School Jr. Dragster Spectacular on August 7-9, 2026 at Gulfport Dragway.
GULFPORT, MS- Attention Junior Dragster racers! Don’t miss out on the 4th Annual Great American Bracket Races Back to School Jr. Dragster Spectacular, happening August 7-9, 2026 at Gulfport Dragway. This exciting weekend of racing includes twin $5K races with BOGO entries on Saturday and Sunday, plus a Christmas on the Coast Gamblers race on Friday, and the highly anticipated USA Jr. Dragster Tournament of Champions!
Registration opens on July 1, 2026, at 6 PM and the event is capped at just 125 racers!
Get more details below!
Friday Test N’ Tune & Gamblers Race
Friday will feature a $30 Test n’ Tune session from 6pm- 8:30pm and a Gamblers race where you can win entries into the 5th Annual Jr. Dragster Christmas on the Coast event. The entry fee for the Gamblers race will be $30 with a $20 1st round buyback. The winner will claim a Christmas on the Coast twin $5Ks and $20K entry! The runner-up will win a Christmas on the Coast Twin $5K entries! semi-finalists will take home $50. The gamblers race will be an all run format with one time run and no cap on entries! Racers will pay at the gate.
Twin $5K’s!
The main events, racers will compete each day for $5,000 and the runner-up will take home $1,000. There will be a 1st round buyback available for $75 if needed. Winner and Runner-up purses are based on 100 paid 1st entries. 1st or 2nd round buybacks and/or double entries can be implemented in case of short fields.
BOGO Entries!
Buy one two-day (Saturday and Sunday) entry for $250 and get one FREE! Two racers may split the BOGO offer if they would like. The event will be capped at 125 racers, so act fast to get your spot! Registration opens on July 1st at 6PM central and can be found at www.greatamericanbracketraces.com. $50 will be due at pre-registration and the remaining $200 will be due at the gate.
If all 125 spots are sold, an additional max of 25 spots can be sold with 100% entry fees added to and split between 5K races.
Age Group Bonuses
There will also be an age group bonus for the 6–9 and 10–12 year-old categories: winners in each group will earn $400!
Age Group Separation/ Merging
- 6-12 class will be called separately to the lanes with their own bye runs, with the last racers remaining merging into the 12-17 class. 12 year olds in 6-12 class can dial no faster than 8.90.
- Within the 6-12 class, 6-9 will be called to the lanes separately.
- If there are an odd number of 6-9 and 10-12 there will be one bye run in each group.
- $400 bonus for last racer standing in 6-9 and 10-12.
- The last racer standing in 6-9 will merge into the 10-12.
- If a 12 year old wins the 6-12 class, when merging into 12-17 class he/she may dial no faster than 8.90 for the duration of the race.
- If a 6-12 racer elects to race up in 12-17 they can at no point race in the 6-12 class.
- Minor format adjustments may be made based on number of entries in the 6-9 and 10-12 age groups to keep integrity of the race in place and will be published on July 25, 2026.
Minimum Dial-Ins
- 6 Year Old: 12.90
- 7-9 Class: 11.90
- 10-12 Class: 8.90
- 12-17 Class 7.90
- Racers with IHRA AA/JD Elite License may dial 7.50. Must have wing on Jr. Dragster
Wild Cards
Wild Cards will be available on Saturday and Sunday. Racers can buy up to 3 wild cards at $10 for 1, $20 for 2 or $25 for 3. The winner will advance to round 3 and round 4 if 1st or 2nd round buybacks. The wild card winners can never be the wait-n-see bye at any time during the race, even if the remaining entries have already had a bye run.
USA Jr. Dragster Tournament of Champions
Back for 2026 is the $3,000-to-win, FREE-entry, no-buybacks Great American Bracket Races USA Jr. Dragster Tournament of Champions! This race is open to the first 64 racers who have won at least one qualifying championship. To participate, all racers must also be entered in both Saturday and Sunday’s $5K main events.
Championships that Qualify:
- King of the Coast Points Championship
- Tournament of Champions Win
- Southeast Jr Series Points Championship
- Southwest Jr Series Points Championship
- Midwest Jr. Super Series Points Championship
- WDRA, IHRA, NHRA Local Track Points Championship, Bracket Finals or World Finals.
- NHRA Eastern Conference of Western Conference Championship
All racers who compete in the Jr. Dragster Tournament of Champions will need to provide documentation certifying championship win.
Tournament of Champions registration opened on June 9th, and spots are still available! If you choose to participate in the Tournament of Champions, please note that registration for the Saturday and Sunday $5K races is included on the same form.
Click here to register for the Tournament of Champions!
Schedule
Friday
- 12pm… Gates Open
- 6PM-8:30PM… Open Test n’ Tune ($30)
- 9PM… Christmas on the Coast Gamblers
Saturday
- 8AM… Gates Open
- 9AM… Time Trial (1)
- Round 1 to Follow
- Tournament of Champions begins Saturday night
Sunday
- 8AM… Gates Open
- 9AM… Round 1
- Tournament of Champions completed Sunday
Crew/Spectator Admission
- Friday Attendance $10
- 1 Race Attendance $15
- Complete Event Pass $40
Contact (228) 863-4408 or visit their website at www. greatamericanbracketraces.com for more information.
For more Jr. Dragster news from DragChamp, click here.
