Legendary Bristol Dragway is set to resume its role as one of the nation’s busiest dragstrips in 2025. The track that’s more commonly known in the high-performance world as Thunder Valley will offer a wide variety of compelling events, some new events and all of the action will be anchored by its tradition-rich 24th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
The fan-favorite Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals will return to its early-June weekend, just before Father’s Day, June 6-8. One of the crown jewel events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the 24th edition of the high-horsepower festival of speed will once again entertain huge crowds with 330 mph Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, as well 200 mph Pro Stocks and Pro Stock Motorcycles and the always wild and unpredictable Pro Mods.
Every ticket is a pit pass at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, providing guests with unparalleled access to drivers and teams throughout the weekend. Single day tickets start at just $35 and kids (12-under) tickets are free for Friday and only $10 per child on Saturday and Sunday in the main grandstand areas with a paid adult.
You can get up close and personal with all the top stars of the NHRA, including Tony Stewart, Antron Brown, Justin Ashley, Doug Kalitta and Brittany Force in Top Fuel; Austin Prock, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, Cruz Pedregon and JR Todd in Funny Car; Greg Anderson, Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock; and Gaige Herrera, Matt Smith and Steve Johnson in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
While the NHRA’s incredibly fast race cars are sure to grab your attention, that event alone isn’t the only reason for a high-performance enthusiast to be super excited about what Bristol Dragway has in store in 2025.
If high-flying Monster Trucks is your thing, we’ve got you covered. On May 10, the Overdrive Monster Trucks will invade Bristol Motor Speedway’s infield. You will literally feel the ground shake as these behemoth machines pull off some amazing acrobatics and compete for the victory. The event includes some amazing fan experiences, like the Track Party two hours prior to the event where drivers mingle with fans and sign autographs and the famed Ride Experience, where you can crawl into 12,000-pound truck and see what it’s like when the throttle is mashed. Many of the most popular Monster Trucks in motorsports compete with the Overdrive series, including Aftershock, Black Stallion, Dirt Crew, Krazy Train, Maximus, Toxic, the Virginia Giant and Storm Damage to name a few.
In August, the Professional Drag Racers Association will return to historic Bristol Dragway for the PDRA Thunder Valley Throwdown, Aug. 20-23. Featuring 12 classes of high-horsepower divisions, including several wheel-standing doorslammer classes, with just about every competition combination covered, the race is one of eight stops in the PDRA’s season-long Million Dollar Tour.
The sport’s next generation of stars (ages 6 to 17) will continue to take center stage at Bristol Dragway in July for one of their biggest events of the season. The region will welcome more than 500 young racers and their families for a week full of racing activities beginning July 11 with the Jr. Dragster Nationals presented by Mike Bos Chassis Craft, and culminating July 14-19 with the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Eastern Conference Finals.
The BTE World Footbrake Challenge XIX returns on July 3-6, while the BTE Labor Day Footbrake Challenge will be held Aug. 28-31. Racers in both events will duel for the largest payouts in Thunder Valley history. These two races will feature some of the best sportsman and bracket racers in the country.
One of the most popular bracket racing events in the country, the Rad Torque Fall Fling presented by Optima Batteries returns to the Thunder Valley schedule for the 16th time, Sept. 23-27. The most successful Super Pro racers in the country will converge at Bristol Dragway for the opportunity to win lucrative purses.
The DER Series, Bristol Dragway’s NHRA Summit Racing Series, where local racers compete for the chance to race on the NHRA national stage, are scheduled for six big weekends, including March 28-30, May 16-18, June 13-15, June 27-29, Aug. 15-17 and Sept. 19-21.
The popular Thunder Valley Street Fights, where participants are able to run their registered street cars down the historic Bristol Dragway strip, will be held during five nights in 2025, including March 22, April 26, May 3, June 21, and Aug. 9.
“We have fun for all ages ready to go at one of the most storied speed factories in the country, a track that was christened “Drag City U.S.A.” in the early days,” said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway & Dragway. “We can’t wait to welcome the world’s fastest race cars with the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series back this summer for the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, June 6-8. There’s going to be plenty of great racing going on throughout the season and we hope to see everyone out here enjoying the fun.”
In addition to all of this drag racing action, just across the street at the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway there are also several major events happening in 2025 that have been previously announced. As a reminder, those include the Food City 500 NASCAR weekend April 11-13; the MLB Speedway Classic baseball game featuring rivals the Atlanta Braves vs. the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, Aug. 2; and the Bass Pro Shops Night Race NASCAR weekend, Sept. 11-13, which will showcase the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 16 elimination race in the Cup Series as well as Playoff racing action in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series too.
To keep up with the latest information on Bristol Dragway and Bristol Motor Speedway and to purchase tickets, please visit the Bristol Motor Speedway website or call 423-BRISTOL.
2025 Bristol Motor Speedway & Dragway Schedule
March 22 Thunder Valley Street Fights
March 28-30 DER Series
April 11-13 Food City 500 NASCAR weekend (speedway)
April 26 Thunder Valley Street Fights
May 3 Thunder Valley Street Fights
May 10 Overdrive Monster Trucks (speedway infield)
May 16-18 DER Series
June 6-8 Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals (NHRA Mission Foods Series)
June 13-15 DER Series
June 21 Thunder Valley Street Fights
June 27-29 DER Series
July 3-6 BTE World Footbrake Challenge XIX
July 11-13 Junior Drag Week: Jr. Dragster Nationals presented by Mike Bos Chassis Craft
July 14-19 Junior Drag Week: NHRA Jr. Dragster Eastern Conference Finals
Aug. 2 MLB Speedway Classic, Atlanta Braves vs. Cincinnati Reds (speedway)
Aug. 9 Thunder Valley Street Fights
Aug. 15-17 DER Series
Aug. 20-23 Professional Drag Racers Association Series Thunder Valley Throwdown
Aug. 28-31 BTE Labor Day Footbrake Challenge
Sept. 11-13 Bass Pro Shops Night Race NASCAR weekend (speedway)
Sept. 19-21 DER Series
Sept. 23-27 Rad Torque Fall Fling presented by Optima Batteries
