When the NHRA announced that the Southern Nationals would return in 2026 – this time at South Georgia Motorsports Park – it caught much of the drag racing world by surprise. For SGMP owner Raul Torres, though, the news represents both the culmination of years of persistence and the beginning of an even bigger challenge. Torres joined hosts Lee Craft and Dujunnea Bland on CompetitionPlus.com’s Power Hour podcast to talk about what the deal means for his family-owned facility, the fan experience, and the future of the Southern Nationals in Valdosta, Georgia.
“What an amazing opportunity. What a time to be alive in drag racing,” Torres said. “We were blessed with the opportunity NHRA has given us here and we’re going to run with it. To finish off our summer with that announcement at Indy is something we’ll never forget as long as we live.”
Torres described the announcement as a defining moment for SGMP, but one that came only after years of laying the groundwork. He explained that he and his team have spent the last two years visiting national event facilities, walking the grounds, and making notes on every small detail that separates a track from the rest of the pack.
“We love watching Brittany Force go 343 miles an hour, but we go there for other things aside from that,” he said. “We look at concessions, bathrooms, ingress and egress, how long it takes to get in and out. We walk the property, not drive it. We’ve taken so many lessons from other tracks and brought them home to South Georgia.”
Torres admitted that there was skepticism when he first began pushing for a national event. He laughed that NHRA leadership probably thought, “Who’s this guy who just bought a racetrack and wants a national event?” But his persistence paid off. He introduced himself on a Zoom call with NHRA executives two years ago, stayed in touch, and proved through Lucas Oil Series races, bracket events, and divisional finals that SGMP could deliver a professional, polished product.
“I’ve built relationships with Glenn Cromwell, Josh Peterson, Rob Park, and so many others. I’m not afraid to tell them what works and what doesn’t because I want what’s best for the industry, not just my racetrack,” Torres said. “And every time they’ve left here, they’ve been impressed with how prepared and organized we are. That gave them the confidence we were ready.”
Now, Torres is focused on what comes next. Hosting a race of this magnitude requires major upgrades, and he was clear that SGMP is already hard at work. “We need to have at least 10,000 seats, so new bleachers are at the top of the list,” he explained. “We’re moving the scoreboards, raising the wall, putting in top-end containment, and even closing off our return road. Just bleachers alone are $1.45 million. People don’t realize how much aluminum costs. But with a three-year agreement in place, plus two extensions, I can justify making that investment. This is a business, and we needed long-term stability to put that kind of money into the facility.”
To help fund those improvements, Torres has launched what he calls the Legacy Wall. Inspired by a visit to Florida State University for his daughter’s graduation, where donors’ names are etched into bricks around campus, SGMP is now offering fans the opportunity to leave their own mark. For $200, supporters can purchase a brick that will be permanently displayed on the wall near the winner’s circle.
“We’re a passion-driven business,” Torres said. “People come here because they love it, because they grew up racing. This is a way for them to be part of something historic while helping us take SGMP to the next level.”
While the NHRA Southern Nationals are the new crown jewel, Torres emphasized that SGMP remains a busy and diverse motorsports venue. The facility sits on 350 acres and regularly hosts Donald Long’s Lights Out and No Mercy events, Michael Hill’s promotions, bracket races, no prep events, and even a mud park and circle track.
“We race almost every weekend from January through May, and then again through the fall,” Torres said. “We’re not a corporate-owned facility. It’s mom-and-pop operated, and we treat every guest like family. But we also want to be the best of the best, a force to be reckoned with, and this national event is the icing on the cake.”
The challenge ahead is enormous, but Torres is optimistic. He said his team is already working long hours, often walking the staging lanes late into the night to study how fans and cars flow through the property. He noted that ingress and egress will be tightly managed, with a ticket cap to ensure fans don’t face hours-long waits on the highway.
“We get 10 to 12,000 spectators on a yearly basis with events like Lights Out,” Torres said. “So we can handle it, but we want to do it right. We’re not going to sell 40,000 tickets and have a disaster. We want people to leave looking forward to coming back the next year.”
For Torres, the return of the Southern Nationals is about more than just one weekend in 2026. It is a chance to prove that SGMP belongs on drag racing’s biggest stage and to show that independent, family-run facilities can rise to the highest level.
“I want to make sure no one ever regrets giving us this opportunity,” he said. “We’ve worked too hard, and the people of South Georgia have supported us too much, to do anything less than deliver one of the best events on the schedule. We’re ready to go to work and make history.”
This story was originally published on September 8, 2025. 
The post South Georgia Motorsports Park’s Raul Torres Opens Up on Return of NHRA Southern Nationals in 2026 first appeared on Drag Illustrated.