HOT ROD Drag Week
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Byron Dragway
7287 N. River Road
Byron, IL 61010
Spectator Admission: $20
Children 12 & Under: FREE with a paid adult
Spectator tickets for the Byron Dragway stop are available at the gate only.
HOT ROD Drag Week returns to Byron Dragway on Tuesday, September 15, as hundreds of the quickest street-legal cars in the country roll into Byron, Illinois for Day 2 of HOT ROD Drag Week 2026 Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive.
Drag Week is unlike just about any other drag racing event in the world.
Competitors aren’t simply trying to be fast at the dragstrip. They have to prove their cars can survive on the street, too.
Over five consecutive days, competitors race at multiple dragstrips while driving their race cars from track to track on a prescribed route covering approximately 1,000 miles. There are no support vehicles following along to haul the cars or spare parts. Racers have to carry what they need and keep their cars alive throughout the week.
The result is one of the ultimate tests of horsepower, reliability and ingenuity in motorsports.
Six Cars That Could Run a 5-Second Average at HOT ROD Drag Week 2026
HOT ROD takes a look at six contenders capable of making history during Drag Week 2026. See the cars to watch before Drag Week arrives at Byron Dragway on Tuesday, September 15.
Read the Article on HOTROD.com →Day 2 Comes to Byron Dragway
The 2026 edition of HOT ROD Drag Week begins at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet before competitors make the drive to Byron Dragway for the second day of competition.
On Tuesday morning, the Drag Week field takes over Byron Dragway as competitors attempt to record their best elapsed time before packing up, leaving the track and continuing their journey to the next stop.
Fans can expect an incredible variety of machinery, ranging from surprisingly quick daily-driven street cars to some of the fastest street-legal drag cars in the world.
Turbochargers. Superchargers. Nitrous. Small-tire cars. Big-tire cars. Vintage muscle. Late-model performance cars. Home-built combinations. And purpose-built machines producing thousands of horsepower.
There’s no carefully scripted show here. It’s hundreds of racers trying to get down the track, get their timeslip and keep their car alive for another day.
And that’s what makes Drag Week special.
Event Schedule
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
HOT ROD Drag Week Day 2 competition at Byron Dragway.
Because Drag Week competitors are arriving after completing the previous day’s racing and required street route, the flow of cars and on-track activity is different from a traditional drag racing event. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and spend the day experiencing both the racing and the activity throughout the pits.
Spectator Admission
Adults: $20
Children 12 & Under: FREE with a paid adult
IMPORTANT: Spectator tickets for Day 2 at Byron Dragway will be sold on-site at Byron Dragway only.
No advance spectator ticket is required for the Byron stop.
Location
Byron Dragway
7287 N. River Road
Byron, IL 61010
Located in Northern Illinois near Rockford and approximately 90 miles west of Chicago, Byron Dragway has been a longtime stop for HOT ROD Drag Week and once again welcomes the event in 2026.
HOT ROD Drag Week 2026 Schedule
Sunday, September 13
Tech Inspection, Registration & Test ‘N’ Tune
Route 66 Raceway – Joliet, Illinois
Monday, September 14 – Day 1
Route 66 Raceway – Joliet, Illinois
Tuesday, September 15 – Day 2
Byron Dragway – Byron, Illinois
Wednesday, September 16 – Day 3
Cordova Dragway – Cordova, Illinois
Thursday, September 17 – Day 4
World Wide Technology Raceway – Madison, Illinois
Friday, September 18 – Day 5 / Finale
Route 66 Raceway – Joliet, Illinois
What Is HOT ROD Drag Week?
HOT ROD Drag Week is a five-day drag racing and endurance competition designed to determine some of the quickest and most capable street-legal cars in the world.
Racers compete at the dragstrip each day before driving their race cars to the next track. Over the course of the event, competitors can cover approximately 1,000 miles of public roads in addition to making passes at five days of competition.
There are no support vehicles to rescue them along the way.
Break something? Fix it.
Need parts? Figure out how to get them.
Then get back on the road and make it to the next track.
To complete Drag Week, a car has to be more than fast — it has to survive.
That combination of extreme performance, endurance and the camaraderie between competitors has made HOT ROD Drag Week one of the most unique events in American drag racing.
See Drag Week at Byron!
You don’t have to travel the entire route to experience HOT ROD Drag Week.
Come to Byron Dragway on Tuesday, September 15 and watch hundreds of street-legal race cars battle the quarter-mile during Day 2 of HOT ROD Drag Week 2026.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Byron Dragway – 7287 N. River Road, Byron, IL
$20 Spectator Admission
Kids 12 & Under FREE with a paid adult
Spectator tickets available at the gate only.