Atlanta Dragway No Longer Expected To Reopen In 2026
In a bit of unfortunate news to report, it has become increasingly obvious that due to the rather substantial operational and financial issues at the IHRA, plans to reopen Atlanta Dragway are not expected to materialize this year, if ever. After much fan fare over the zoning approval and acquisition by the IHRA, it appears most likely drag racing fans hoping to see a return of a former pillar of the Atlanta car scene are back to the drawing board.
While not official statement has been made, the lack of progress, and to the best of our knowledge, no permits being filed with less than 2 months before the first promised event means there is little to no chance this is happening. Further supporting the belief is that Atlanta Dragway was not ever officially placed on the IHRA calendar for 2026 and nearly all IHRA events across all series have been canceled with just one exception.
If you are not familiar with the issues going on at the IHRA, we definitely recommend reading Hagerty’s media excellent and in depth article on why the IHRA purchase so many race tracks and how it all came crashing down.
With the IHRA effectively ceasing operations and likely folding completely, the question now becomes – did the IHRA purchase Atlanta Dragway outright and will someone else attempt to purchase, was it just a lease as has been rumored, which now reverts to it’s original owner? We’re planning a deep dive into what is happening and who realistically may have a shot at purchasing the property.
For now, it appears any dreams of a return to drag racing at Commerce are gone.
