Can State Capitol Dragway in Louisiana Save Their 2026 Season, or Is Over 5 Decades of Racing History in Jeopardy?
News broke over the weekend that State Capitol Dragway in Louisiana may not have a 2026 racing season, putting over 55 years of continuous operation at risk.
The Louisiana track opened in 1969, and operated under both NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) and IHRA (International Hot Rod Association) sanctioning, and had even posted about events coming up as part of a 2026 season. And while the track hasn’t elaborated much on the January 17th announcement, racers and fans can’t help but worry if this could lead to a permanent track closure.
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When the track first opened in the fall of 1969, it got immediate attention with a Louisiana State Championship sporting a $4,000 purse. Before the track has even been in operation for a month, a Top Fuel dragster has clocked a 6.73-second run, not far off the 6.68 NHRA national record that was held for some part of the 1969 season.
By 1974, the track was onto its third owner, Norman Pearah, who had promoted events for three years previous to purchasing the track. Under his tenure, the NHRA Cajun Nationals national event came to the facility from 1977 to 1990, giving Louisiana fans a healthy dose of nitro-style racing.
After the final NHRA national event, the loans on the track were reportedly defaulted on, and the track changed hands again. Since that time, the track switched to IHRA sanctioning, and they hosted the Mardi Gras Nationals for several years.
The track was most recently under WDRA (World Drag Racing Alliance) sanctioning until they merged with IHRA at the conclusion of the 2025 season. It hosted multiple drag racing events each year, from test and tunes to no-prep style events, gassers and their popular ‘Battle On The Bayou’ event.
Although it has not been reported on as the cause of the closure, it came to light in the 1990s that the track’s shut down area was in fact leased from a separate land owner. Some have speculated that this could be the reason for the lack of a 2026 season, but State Capitol Dragway hasn’t commented further.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of State Capitol Dragway.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com