{"id":103540,"date":"2026-05-04T13:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/photo-gallery-nhra-southern-nationals-take-over-south-georgia\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T13:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:44:08","slug":"photo-gallery-nhra-southern-nationals-take-over-south-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/photo-gallery-nhra-southern-nationals-take-over-south-georgia\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTO GALLERY: NHRA Southern Nationals Take Over South Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series broke new ground at\u00a0South Georgia Motorsports Park, as the longtime hub of outlaw and radial racing welcomed its first NHRA national event with the NHRA Southern Nationals. For decades, the Valdosta facility has been synonymous with some of the most iconic radial races in the sport, and that same energy carried over as the NHRA\u2019s professional categories \u2013 along with the\u00a0JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by Elite Motorsports\u00a0and the\u00a0Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series \u2013 took center stage. <\/p>\n<p>Even with heavy rain disrupting Saturday\u2019s schedule, the event delivered a weekend that felt equal parts historic and inevitable. Fans who stuck it out were rewarded with a headline-making performance from\u00a0Shawn Langdon, who recorded the first 345-mph run in NHRA history before racing to the Top Fuel victory on Sunday. In Funny Car, rookie\u00a0Jordan Vandergriff broke through for his first career win, while\u00a0Dallas Glenn\u00a0(Pro Stock) and\u00a0Matt Smith\u00a0(Pro Stock Motorcycle) added to their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s with wins of their own. The weekend also delivered a full-circle moment in Pro Mod, where\u00a0Jason Collins picked up his first NHRA victory at the same track where he once made waves in Pro 275 competition.<\/p>\n<p>Captured through the lens of <em>Drag Illustrated<\/em> contributing photographer and past DI 30 Under 30 honoree\u00a0Kaitlyn Ward, this gallery reflects both the scale of the moment and the personality of a facility finally hosting the sport\u2019s biggest stage. From record-setting speed to breakthrough wins, the images document a weekend that bridged eras \u2013 where radial roots met NHRA history in real time.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1064\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_4808_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94501\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1064\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_4928_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94500\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1064\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_5055_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94499\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1064\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_5094_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94498\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_6402_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94497\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1064\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_5108_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94496\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_7007_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94495\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_7573_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94494\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_8516_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94493\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_7881_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94492\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_8569_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94491\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1064\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_5187_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94490\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_7114_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94489\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_6378_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94488\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_7481_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94487\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_8134_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94486\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_8746_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94485\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_8197_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94484\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_8815_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94483\"><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1066\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_8957_Kaitlyn-Ward-photo_watermarked.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-94482\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"post-modified-info\">This story was originally published on May 4, 2026. <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/DI_flat_red-e1711481551475.png\" width=\"20px\" alt=\"Drag Illustrated\"><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/photo-gallery-nhra-southern-nationals-take-over-south-georgia\/\">PHOTO GALLERY: NHRA Southern Nationals Take Over South Georgia<\/a> first appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/dragillustrated.com\/\">Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series broke new ground at\u00a0South Georgia Motorsports Park, as the longtime hub of outlaw and radial racing welcomed its first NHRA national event with the NHRA Southern Nationals. For decades, the Valdosta facility has been synonymous with some of the most iconic radial races in the sport, and that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103540\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}