NHRA Drivers Meet Southern Maryland Fans Ahead of Historic Potomac Nationals Debut

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. — Hundreds of racing fans gathered Thursday evening at The Barns at New Market for a community meet-and-greet featuring NHRA stars ahead of the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway (MIR).

The free Fan Fest event, hosted in partnership with Visit St. Mary’s MD, the St. Mary’s County Department of Economic Development and NHRA, brought professional drivers face-to-face with local fans as excitement continued building for the national event’s Southern Maryland debut.

Families, motorsports enthusiasts and longtime Maryland International Raceway supporters filled the venue throughout the evening, meeting drivers, collecting autographs and taking photos with competitors from across NHRA’s Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle divisions.

Among the featured drivers and in addition to the Junior Dragster racers, attending the event were, Top Fuel points leader Shawn Langdon, Funny Car standout J.R. Todd, Pro Stock points leader Dallas Glenn, Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Richard Gadson, Tony Stewart, Leah Pruett, Matt Hagan and Southern Maryland native Kelly Clontz.

The event also included live music by Funkzilla, food vendors, Jr. Dragsters and a classic car show, creating a festival atmosphere ahead of the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals race weekend at Maryland International Raceway.

Fans lined up from the parking lot out to the street for autograph sessions and conversations with drivers and a rare opportunity to interact with nationally known racers outside the raceway environment.

Local Fans Welcome NHRA To Southern Maryland

Brandon Chew from Lexington Park attended the NHRA Fan Fest as a longtime Maryland International Raceway fan preparing for his first NHRA national event experience. Chew said he has been attending events at MIR since around 2012, including Midnight Madness, grudge racing, import-versus-domestic competitions and major specialty events. He attended the meet-and-greet to learn more about the professional drivers and experience the excitement leading up to NHRA’s inaugural Potomac Nationals.

“This is my first NHRA event ever. So, I feel like a 12-year-old kid,” Chew said. “I wanted to kind of get a feel for it, get out, meet the drivers. I’ve seen them on TV.”

Chew said he plans to attend this Friday’s qualifying races and is especially excited to see Top Fuel dragsters in person after years of watching NHRA broadcasts on television. He described feeling like a kid again as he looked forward to experiencing the speed, horsepower and sensory impact that fans often associate with Top Fuel competition.

“I’ve only ever seen it on TV. I’ve only ever seen the Top Fuel cars, some of the Pro Stock cars and things like that,” Chew said. “This is my first event. I want the full experience.”

Antonio Thompson of Bryantown attended the meet-and-greet to talk with the racers and obtain an autograph from Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett for his wife. A lifelong drag racing enthusiast, Thompson said he has been attending events at Maryland International Raceway since the late 1990s and comes from a racing family. His children compete in Junior Dragsters, and he described the racetrack as a major part of his family’s life.

“I love drag racing. Period,” Thompson said. “Just every aspect of it. The atmosphere, seeing the cars go down the track, seeing them rebuilding and prepping the cars, getting them ready in between rounds. Just every aspect of racing, I just absolutely love it.”

Thompson plans to attend Friday qualifying and said he is looking forward not only to the racing itself but also to seeing the drivers and the cars between rounds. He believes the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals will present challenges for teams because Maryland International Raceway is unique, but he is looking forward to experiencing the event at his home track.

“I’m excited that it’s so close to my home, because I normally have to travel far to go see it,” Thompson said. “It sends like a shockwave through your body. It’s an unexplainable feeling.”

Brady Clark from West Virginia, currently serving in the U.S. Army in the Washington, D.C., area, attended the NHRA Fan Fest hoping to meet drivers before race weekend, particularly NASCAR and NHRA driver Tony Stewart. Clark has attended NHRA events across the country and has been visiting Maryland International Raceway since 2015 for events such as the World Cup Finals and Pro Modified races.

“I’m hoping to meet the drivers for the NHRA event this weekend,” Clark said. “Never seen Tony Stewart before. That’s pretty neat.”

Clark said he is especially excited to see Maryland International Raceway host its first NHRA national event, noting that fans often travel five to eight hours to attend races of that caliber. He described NHRA racing as an experience that cannot be fully captured through television or written descriptions and praised MIR and its ownership for earning the opportunity to host a nationally televised event.

” You can’t put it in writing, and even watching videos, you can’t describe how it really is. The feel, the sound, the smell — it’s the craziest motorsport on Earth,” Clark said. “I’m really excited to see MIR actually have an NHRA national event.”

Union Pride Travels The NHRA Circuit

Race teams also emphasized the significance of NHRA’s first national event at Maryland International Raceway, a track long recognized within the drag racing community for its regional racing history and passionate fan base.

Chris Clontz, husband and crew chief for local NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Kelly Clontz, described his role as the behind-the-scenes support system that helps keep the team’s operation running both at home and at the racetrack.

A longtime steamfitter and member of Steamfitters UA Local 602, Clontz said he spends his workdays managing crews in the HVAC controls industry before returning home to prepare the race team’s truck, trailer and motorcycle for competition. He emphasized that Kelly receives much of the public attention as the rider and praised her success in NHRA while recognizing the support of family members, sponsors, crew members and industry partners all working together.

“I’m not one to get in the spotlight. I’m just the behind-the-scenes guy. She’s the one riding the bike,” Clontz said. “To go out there and perform at the level that we do with the people that back us and the companies and support system that we have, not just here locally but nationally, is very impressive to me.”

Clontz also spoke about the strong support the team receives from union members across the country. He said fellow union workers frequently introduce themselves at races, creating a sense of brotherhood that extends beyond the workplace and into the motorsports community.

“Everybody that comes up to the rope introduces themselves to me as a steamfitter or a pipefitter,” Clontz said. “We actually share brotherhood together.”

As Maryland International Raceway prepares to host its first NHRA national event, Clontz said the opportunity is special for local racers and fans alike. He encouraged newcomers to experience NHRA racing in person, describing Top Fuel competition as something that cannot be fully understood until it is felt firsthand.

“These kids nowadays, they need to see that. They need to come out and experience it,” Clontz said. “I think that’s very cool with the Junior Dragsters. This level is a whole different ball game.”

Clontz described Top Fuel competition as something that cannot be fully understood until it is felt firsthand.

“They’re 12,000 horsepower. It’s so tight, it’s so confined, it’s gonna echo. You’re gonna feel it,” Clontz said. “You’ll be a fan for life after that.”

Building Excitement For A Historic Race Weekend

Liz Mildenstein, executive director of Visit St. Mary’s MD, said the NHRA Fan Fest was possible through a partnership between Visit St. Mary’s MD, the St. Mary’s County Department of Economic Development, NHRA and Maryland International Raceway to build excitement ahead of the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals.

“We started working with NHRA a number of months ago and asked them what we could do to partner with them to draw attention to the event,” Mildenstein said. “We’re really thrilled to have it in the county, but we wanted to do something a little bit more just to get folks excited.”

Mildenstein said the community event introduces fans to the drivers and helps showcase Southern Maryland as a region prepared to host its first NHRA national event. She said the opportunity was worth pursuing because of the significance of bringing NHRA to St. Mary’s County.

“Even if you aren’t into drag racing, you’ll leave being a fan,” Mildenstein said. “The sights, the sounds, the smells, it just really creates a cool vibe.”

NHRA Takes Center Stage At Maryland International Raceway

For local fans, the event marked the beginning of a major weekend expected to draw national attention to Southern Maryland through FOX and FS1 race broadcasts and increased tourism activity throughout the region.

The NHRA Potomac Nationals begin Friday at Maryland International Raceway, with qualifying rounds continuing through Saturday and final eliminations scheduled for Sunday.

The event is part of NHRA’s 75th anniversary season and marks the first time a national NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series event has been hosted at Maryland International Raceway.

Fast Facts About NHRA Potomac Nationals

• Event: NHRA Potomac Nationals (NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series)
• Dates: May 29–31, 2026
• Location: Maryland International Raceway, 27861 Budds Creek Rd, Mechanicsville, Md. 
• Final Eliminations: Sunday, May 31
• Spectator Gates Open: 9 a.m. daily 
• Track Walk & Driver Introductions: 10 a.m. Sunday 
• Mission Foods Series Eliminations Begin: 11 a.m. Sunday
• Hotels: MIR hosting hotels
• Results:Live results page

Tickets And Information: Tickets, schedules, maps, camping and event information are available through the NHRA and Maryland International Raceway event pages.

Additional re-airings are expected on FS1 and FS2 following the event weekend. More information about Maryland International Raceway can be found at https://goracemir.com.

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