Nitro, Noise, And Nostalgia: Cacklefest Ignites The 2026 Winternationals

The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals return to the In‑N‑Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, kicking off a season that carries more weight than usual. The 2026 campaign marks the 75th anniversary of the National Hot Rod Association, founded in 1951 by Wally Parks. With the Cacklefest making its return to Pomona, the opener immediately feels bigger than a typical season start.

The organization is celebrating the milestone by bringing some of the most influential machines in drag‑racing history back into the spotlight. It’s the kind of weekend where the past and present meet in a way you don’t see very often anymore. It’s a reminder that the sport’s roots still have a place alongside its newest technology.

Pomona’s Legacy

Pomona has been part of the NHRA’s story for more than seven decades. The dragstrip first hosted NHRA national events in 1953, and the Winternationals became a fixture in 1961. Since then, the track has been the backdrop for countless record runs, championship‑clinching passes, and mechanical breakthroughs that pushed the sport forward.

Every major era of drag racing has rolled through this place. Early front‑engine dragsters, the first Funny Cars, the aerodynamic revolution of the ’80s, and today’s 11,000‑horsepower monsters have all left their mark on this strip of pavement. This year’s Winternationals carry even more significance.

Along with the NHRA’s 75th anniversary, the event marks the 1,000th Funny Car race in series history. Funny Car debuted in the mid‑1960s and quickly became one of the most popular classes thanks to its wild body styles and unpredictable behavior. Celebrating that milestone at Pomona feels fitting, considering how much of the class’s history was written here.

To honor these achievements, the NHRA is bringing back a tradition that predates most of the modern equipment in the pits: the Push Start Cacklefest. The moment those engines light, the entire atmosphere shifts. It’s a nod to the era when getting a nitro car started was an event in its own right.

Understanding The Cacklefest

A Cacklefest is a live demonstration of how early nitro dragsters were started and run during the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. Before electric starters and portable battery carts, teams relied on push vehicles. A truck would ease into the back of the dragster, roll it forward, and once the driver dropped the clutch, the engine would bark to life.

During a Push Start Cacklefest, restored front‑engine dragsters and fuel altereds are pushed down the return road or the track itself. Once the engine fires, the nitromethane begins to burn, and the car settles into the sharp, uneven rhythm that gave the event its name.

A nitro engine at idle can top 120 decibels loud enough to rattle the grandstands, and when several of them are running at once, the sound becomes impossible to ignore.It’s not a race, but it’s a vivid reminder of how drag racing looked and sounded long before computers and data systems entered the picture.

The cars run exactly as they did decades ago, with no modern electronics smoothing out the rough edges. What you see and hear is the sport in its raw, original form, preserved the way longtime fans remember it.

Historic Machines Returning To Pomona

Saturday’s Cacklefest lineup includes several cars that helped define the sport’s early decades.The Burkholder Brothers Fuel Altered remains one of the most recognizable cars of its era. Fuel altereds were known for their short wheelbases and erratic behavior, and the Burkholder machine is a perfect example of why the class earned its reputation for being wild.

Glenn Way’s Groundshaker Jr. Fuel Altered is another important piece of nostalgia. Built during a time when innovation often meant trial and error, the car reflects the fearless engineering and driving style that shaped the 1960s. “Kansas John” Wiebe’s Top Fuel dragster adds even more historical weight to the event.

Wiebe was a strong competitor in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period when Top Fuel technology was evolving quickly. Seeing his dragster run nitro again is a tribute to a driver who helped push the class forward. The Honda of Wilmington dragster, driven by Danny Ongais, brings a different kind of legacy.

Ongais, ranked among the NHRA’s Top 75 Drivers, earned the nickname “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” for his aggressive driving style. His career stretched far beyond drag racing, with appearances in Formula One, IndyCar, and endurance racing. Few drivers have matched his versatility, and his dragster remains a significant part of motorsports history.

Why The Cacklefest Matters

For longtime fans, the Cacklefest is a direct link to the early days of drag racing. It brings back the era when spectators stood close to the guardrails, when drivers relied on instinct rather than data, and when the sport was defined by creativity and experimentation.

For newer fans, the event provides important context. Today’s Top Fuel dragsters produce more than 11,000 horsepower, reach 330 mph in under 3.7 seconds, and depend on advanced engineering and computer‑assisted tuning. The cars featured in the Cacklefest were built in garages with basic tools and driven by feel.

Seeing both eras represented at the same event highlights how far the sport has come. It also shows just how much of the sport’s identity was shaped long before wind tunnels and laptops entered the pits. Standing trackside, it becomes clear that the foundation laid by those early builders still influences the NHRA today.

Moments like that are what make the Cacklefest stand out from everything else happening during the weekend. It reminds fans that the sport wasn’t built overnight. It grew from decades of trial, error, and determination. Even with all the advancements in speed and safety, the heart of drag racing is still rooted in the same passion that drove those early builders to experiment in their garages.

A Weekend Worth Experiencing

The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals will deliver everything fans expect from a major NHRA event: 300‑mph passes, championship‑level matchups, and the first big battles of the season. But the Cacklefest is positioned to be one of the weekend’s standout moments, offering a rare opportunity to see the machines that helped build the NHRA from the ground up.

Tickets are available through the official NHRA portal. Fans looking for an upgraded experience can choose the Top Eliminator Club, which includes reserved seating, access to hospitality, driver appearances, and complimentary meals. Children 12 and under receive free general admission with a paid adult ticket, making this an ideal chance to introduce younger fans to the sport’s history.

It’s an easy way for families to share the experience without stretching their budget. For many kids, this may be their first time seeing nitro cars up close, and it’s the kind of memory that sticks with them for years. For many families, events like the Winternationals become yearly traditions, the kind that get passed down just like old photos or stories from the garage.

The mix of modern racing and historic machinery gives younger fans something exciting to latch onto while older fans get to revisit the cars and drivers they grew up watching. It’s one of the few sporting events where multiple generations can sit side by side and enjoy the same thing for completely different reasons.

What’s Next

As the Winternationals return to Pomona for the 2026 season, the NHRA is honoring its past while launching its future. The combination of modern competition and vintage nitro machinery creates a weekend that stands apart from any other on the schedule. It’s the kind of weekend that reminds everyone why Pomona has always been the heart of the NHRA season.

When the engines fire and the nitro fumes drift across the track, fans will see more than a race. They’ll see the sport’s history come alive. For anyone who appreciates drag racing’s roots, this year’s event is one worth being part of. It’s the kind of moment that reminds people why this sport still matters after all these years.