HOT ROD Power Tour & HOT ROD Drag Week Celebrate Route 66 in 2026
America’s largest traveling car show & the world’s toughest competition to find the ultimate street-legal drag car to honor Route 66’s centennial anniversary…
The HOT ROD Power Tour and HOT ROD Drag Week are heading to Route 66 in 2026. The two wildly popular traveling events will stop at several cities along the legendary highway, company officials stated in a press release.
The 32nd annual HOT ROD Power Tour will take place from June 8-12, 2026. The team is gearing up to hit five venues: Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois; Village of Rantoul in Rantoul, Illinois; World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, Missouri; Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri; and Tulsa Raceway Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
America’s largest traveling car show puts on a display more than 6,000 cars and trucks of all years, makes and models for tens of thousands of automotive enthusiasts and fans, noted the release.
Hot Rod Power Tour 2026 Schedule:
- Kickoff/Day 1: June 8 – Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, IL
- Day 2: June 9 – Village of Rantoul, Rantoul, IL
- Day 3: June 10 – World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis, MO
- Day 4: June 11 – Missouri State University, Springfield, MO
- Day 5: June 12 – Tulsa Raceway Park, Tulsa, OK
More HOT ROD Power Tour Registration details will be released in early 2026.
The 22nd Annual HOT ROD Drag Week
The 22nd annual HOT ROD Drag Week will take place from Sept. 13-18, 2026. This year, the crew will take off from and end at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois, and hit several raceways in between: Byron Dragway in Byron, Illinois; Cordova Dragway in Cordova, Illinois; and World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, Missouri.
The world’s toughest competition to find the ultimate street-legal drag car puts competitors through a grueling test over five days of drag racing, requiring racers to drive their vehicles on a specified route from city to city, approximately 1,000 miles, while securing the quickest possible elapsed time across the five days, event organizers said.
Hot Rod Drag Week 2026 Schedule:
- Tech Inspection, Registration, Test ‘N’ Tune – Sept.13 – Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, IL
- Day 1: Sept. 14 – Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, IL
- Day 2: Sept. 15 – Byron Dragway, Byron, IL
- Day 3: Sept. 16 – Cordova Dragway, Cordova, IL
- Day 4: Sept. 17 – World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis, MO
- Finals/Day 5: Sept. 18 – Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, IL
HOT ROD Drag Week registration opens in February with more details to come.
Centennial Anniversary of Route 66
In other Route 66 news, America’s Automotive Trust also recently announced that the seventh rendition of The Drive Home will feature nine vehicles journeying across Route 66 in its entirety in honor of its centennial anniversary.
