Round two brought the heat. From May 15 to 17, 2026, the NOPI Drag Racing Association Championship Series rolled into South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Georgia. It was the middle event of a three-race season, and the points chase got serious.
Virginia had set the board. South Georgia was where contenders either built on a strong start or fought their way back into the conversation. For the old-school NOPI crowd and the new generation alike, this was the weekend the 2026 season turned into a real title fight.
The Midseason Battle
A three-event championship leaves little room for a bad weekend. Every qualifying round at SGMP mattered, and every round win could swing the standings before the season finale in Maryland.
The rules made South Georgia even more important. Competitors had to attend all three championship events to be eligible for a 2026 title, so anyone chasing a championship needed to be in Adel. Nobody could sit this one out and hope to make it up later.
The weekend ran on a full NOPI schedule. Drifting took over Friday afternoon and evening. Saturday brought three rounds of drag racing qualifying, at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., plus car show judging in the afternoon. Sunday was all about eliminations, starting at 10 a.m., with the car show awards at 5 p.m.
The Racing: Class-by-Class Highlights
Official NDRA points from the South Georgia round show who made the biggest moves. Points reward qualifying and round wins, so the top scorer in each class had the strongest weekend at SGMP.
XFWD
XFWD was the tightest fight in the series. Bradley Dillon scored 105 points at South Georgia, the most in the class that weekend, and jumped into the championship hunt. Chris Sellars added 86 and Andrew Fernandez 68.
Wilson Tavarez scored 67 points of his own. That was enough to keep him on top of the standings heading into the finale, but with three drivers within striking distance.
XAWD vs XRWD
Abel Ochou owned the weekend in XAWD vs XRWD. His 128 points at SGMP tied for the biggest score of the weekend in any class, and they moved him to the top of the class standings with 216 points.
XWORLD
XWORLD saw the same kind of statement. Adriana Noonen matched Ochou's 128 points, the biggest score in the class, and took control of the standings with 214 points after two events. David Vicuna put up 83 points to stay in the hunt, and Tony Marx added 64.
The Index Classes
In the Index classes, Daniel Calderon led 10.50 Index with 106 points, and Rafael Ciprian followed with 88. Calderon's South Georgia weekend proved to be the turning point in his run to the 10.50 championship.
Jonathan Rios topped 9.50 Index for the weekend with 45 points, and Joey Torres led 11.50 Index with 46. Both kept building toward the titles they would lock up in Maryland.
Beyond the Strip
South Georgia brought more than drag racing. Drifting ran Friday afternoon and evening, the car show competed for trophies and cash prizes, and automotive vendors lined the grounds.
General admission included paddock access, so fans could walk the pits, talk to racers and see the cars up close between rounds. The drag racing side covered bracket, index and competition classes, giving racers of every level a place on the property.
That mix is what keeps NOPI events different from a regular test-and-tune. Racers, show car owners, drifters and families all have a reason to be there, and everybody ends up talking cars.
Halfway Home
When the smoke cleared in Adel, the 2026 championship picture looked very different than it did after Virginia. Ochou and Noonen had taken control of their classes. Calderon had moved to the front in 10.50 Index. In XFWD, Tavarez still led, but Sellars, Fernandez and Dillon were all close behind.
The numbers told the story. After two rounds, Tavarez led XFWD with 194 points, with Fernandez and Sellars tied at 151 and Dillon on 149. Calderon led 10.50 Index with 189 points to Michelle Santos' 171. Joey Torres led 11.50 Index with 154, and Jonathan Rios led 9.50 Index with 129.
That set up exactly what a championship series should deliver: a finale where the titles were still on the line. Two events down, one to go, and every contender knew the 2026 titles would be won or lost at MIR.
Looking Ahead
From South Georgia, the NDRA headed north to Maryland International Raceway for the 2026 Championship Finals. The season is now complete, and NOPI is already looking ahead to its next run.
To everyone who made the trip to Adel, thank you. NOPI is back, car culture lives on, and from Nostalgia to New Era, the best part of the story is still the people who show up.
Photo Credits
No photos from this event were available in the NOPI Media Library at the time of writing.