By SEMA News Editors
FIA Concludes Productive Rally US Candidate Event
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motorsports and the federation for mobility organizations worldwide, has announced the conclusion of the seven-day Rally US candidate event, marking an important step in the process for the FIA World Rally Championship's (WRC) potential return to the United States for the first time since 1988.
The potential return would represent one of the championship's most significant calendar developments in decades, reestablishing the WRC in one of the world's largest sport, media and automotive markets.
It would also create a major opportunity to grow rallying in North America, connecting the championship with new fans, partners and manufacturers in a country with a deep motorsports culture and an increasingly active rally community.
Organized in collaboration with the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), the seven-day candidate event took place from June 11-17, and saw FIA delegates from the sporting, safety and medical departments assess Rally US' preparedness and planning for a potential FIA World Rally Championship round, while working closely with local officials and operational teams involved in the event's development.
The seven-day program began at Southern Ohio Forest Rally, a round of the American Rally Association National Championship (ARA), where FIA delegates observed the delivery of an existing national-level rally and engaged directly with the U.S. rally community. The visit also allowed delegates to review sporting procedures, safety protocols, medical provisions and operational structures at a national-level event, working closely with ARA officials, local organizers and operational teams involved in the delivery of national-level events.
Following the visit to Southern Ohio Forest Rally, the delegation traveled south to Tennessee and Kentucky to examine key elements of the proposed WRC round. The four-day assessment program included sporting and safety reviews of proposed stage locations, a review of local medical facilities and visits to the proposed service park and ceremonial start locations in Knoxville and Nashville, where representatives from WRC Promoter also presented plans for fan activations, media production and wider promotional activity.
With the candidate event now complete, the FIA will finalize its delegates' reports and share its findings over the coming months. These findings will support the next stage of Rally US's proposed inclusion in the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, marking the completion of an important first step towards the WRC's return to the United States.
"Having the opportunity to work so closely with the FIA and WRC Promoter over this last week has been incredibly valuable to Rally US and America's return to the FIA World Rally Championship. The cooperation between the Rally US team, ACCUS, the ARA and their counterparts in the FIA and WRC Promoter has been really impressive. From the moment everybody arrived at Southern Ohio Forest Rally, where the delegation was able to see what a round of America's national championship looks like, all the way through a busy schedule of stage and location visits here in Tennessee and Kentucky, the positivity and cohesiveness has been fantastic," said Rally US promoter Matt Crews. "We've made great strides towards the ultimate goal of bringing the FIA World Rally Championship back to America and we're looking forward to the next steps now."
All photos courtesy of FIA.
FIA Seeks Partners for Sanctioned ESports Championships
FIA has also launched a "call for proposals" to find promoters and organizers of FIA-sanctioned Esports Championships.
As one of the most accessible and affordable forms of competition, Esports will play a major role in the FIA's plan to increase global motorsports participation and create new pathways into motorsports.
The call for proposals aims to identify suitable partners with whom the FIA can work on the continued development of its Esports strategy.
Proposals are expected to outline potential Esports Championship concepts, including:
- overall format.
- venues and locations for on-site finals.
- geographical scope.
- a commercial strategy that ensures long-term financial stability for Esports.
Sim racing is experiencing a massive growth in popularity, attracting not only casual gamers and motorsports enthusiasts but also professional racing drivers such as Max Verstappen and Esports competitors from all over the world.
The FIA MENA Esports Championship in 2025 generated 111 million views, and more than 6,000 drivers from 159 countries have already registered to take part in the first FIA Esports Global Rally Tour in May, with finalists competing live on stage at this year's FIA Awards in Shanghai in December.
The FIA's Esports strategy has the potential to unlock significant commercial opportunities while opening access to motorsports competition.
"Esports represents one of the most accessible and rapidly growing forms of competition, creating new pathways for people around the world to engage with [motorsports]. This call for proposal[s] marks an important milestone in the development of the FIA's Esports strategy as we identify opportunities that will support sustainable growth and attract new audiences and competitors," said H.E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA.
"The launch of this public call for proposal marks an important step in identifying experienced organizers and promoters capable of delivering FIA Esports Championships that meet the highest standards of excellence, integrity, innovation, and audience engagement," FIA Esports Commission President Niroshan Pereira said. "Through this initiative, we aim to establish a transparent and ambitious framework that will support the sustainable growth of competitive Esports under the FIA umbrella while fostering collaboration across the wider Esports ecosystem."
For more information, including how to fill out a call for proposal document, visit the FIA announcement.
Third Wave of NHRA Commemorative Tickets Features Legends
Set to close out the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season in style for its 75th anniversary campaign, NHRA officials announced the next group of commemorative tickets for the final four races of the regular season.
The special commemorative tickets will continue to feature NHRA legends past and present at the final four regular-season events during the celebratory year, including Brittany Force (Sonoma), Jim Dunn (Seattle), Ron Capps (Brainerd) and Shirley Muldowney, Joe Amato and Darrell Gwynn (Indianapolis).
The collector's item gives fans a chance to celebrate 75 years of NHRA Drag Racing and the memorable moments and legendary drivers that have filled the past seven-plus decades of NHRA action.
The special ticket for the next four races to close out the 2026 regular season will include these NHRA legends:
- Sonoma: Brittany Force will be the featured driver at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge on July 17-19 at Sonoma Raceway. Force, a two-time world champion, won at the popular track in 2022 en route to her world title and also made an incredible run of 343.16 mph at the track last year, setting the record at the time.
- Seattle: Jim Dunn will be on the featured commemorative ticket for the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals on July 24-26 at Pacific Raceways. Dunn, the legendary team owner, has been involved in the sport for more than 75 years. He was a two-time runner-up in Seattle and tuned his Funny Car to a win in 2008 with Tony Bartone behind the wheel.
- Brainerd: Funny Car’s Ron Capps will be the featured commemorative ticket for the NHRA Brainerd Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. Capps, a three-time Funny Car world champ, has enjoyed immense success at the facility, winning seven times at the track.
- Indy: Shirley Muldowney, Joe Amato and Darrell Gwynn will be on the collector’s ticket at the world’s biggest drag race, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, which takes place Sept. 2-7 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The race will honor the historic legacy of Muldowney, a three-time world champion; Amato, a four-time Top Fuel champ; and former Top Fuel great Gwynn.
Each commemorative ticket will be available for purchase online all year and will be distinctive to each race during NHRA's milestone 2026 campaign. Previous tickets have included legends like Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme, Don Garlits and Matt Hagan.
Next week’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals will feature Ohio native and NHRA legend Jim Head as one of the honored legends in Norwalk. The legendary driver and team owner will be on the commemorative ticket, while Doug and Connie Kalitta will also be honored during the race.
At the events, fans can scan the on-site signs to purchase the commemorative ticket. The one-of-a-kind souvenir and collector’s items will also be available for purchase with a clear display holder. Each commemorative ticket will only be offered this season during NHRA’s 75th Anniversary celebration.
The final group of commemorative tickets will be released in the coming weeks for the six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs (Michigan; Rockingham, North Carolina; St. Louis; Dallas; Las Vegas; and Pomona 2).
Next week in Norwalk, NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 26, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 27 at 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin at 11:00 a.m. EDT on Sunday, June 28.
To purchase tickets to Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, fans can visit NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket.
Image courtesy of NHRA
