The CW Network And National Hot Rod Association Reach Multi-Year Broadcast Agreement for NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Events

Network to Air Final Seven Races of the Season, Including the Full Countdown to the Championship Playoffs Beginning in Fall 2027

BURBANK, CA - The CW Network and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) today announced a new multi-year media rights agreement for The CW Network to broadcast the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Beginning in Fall 2027, The CW will be the exclusive multiplatform home for the final seven races of the season, including the world's biggest drag race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, as well as the full six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

"The CW has quickly become a top-tier broadcast destination for motorsports fans, and we are thrilled to add NHRA events to our growing portfolio of CW Sports," said Mike Perman, Senior Vice President, CW Sports. "Beginning next fall, these seven adrenaline-packed NHRA playoff races will pair perfectly with the action of the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, making weekends on The CW the premier television home for all racing enthusiasts."

NHRA will make its CW debut on Monday, September 6, 2027, at the world's biggest drag race, the prestigious Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The race will kick-off a massive seven-race stretch broadcasting eliminations on the network and giving the Countdown to the Championship playoffs a larger household reach and its biggest spotlight yet. Race fans will be able to watch NHRA action on The CW Network on broadcast television, as well as stream them live via CW Sports on The ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited subscription.

"This partnership provides an incredible opportunity to showcase NHRA Drag Racing to the largest possible audience in our 75-year history," said NHRA President Glen Cromwell. "The CW gives our sport unprecedented reach and exposure at every event in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, while continuing to shine a major spotlight on our biggest race - the U.S. Nationals. We're excited to work with The CW to showcase our teams and drivers and help introduce the sport to a whole new audience."

NHRA events join a CW Sports lineup consisting of 700 hours of live programming per year, including all 33 races in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series; college football and men's and women's college basketball from the ACC, Mountain West and Pac-12 conferences; WWE NXT; Professional Bull Riding Team Series; AVP professional beach volleyball; and Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) events. The CW also will air the Arizona Bowl, Holiday Bowl, and Poinsettia Bowl at the conclusion of the 2026 college football regular season.

For more information on NHRA, including the full 2027 schedule or information on the rest of the current 2026 campaign, visit https://www.nhra.com.

###

About The CW Network
The CW is one of America's premier broadcast networks, delivering 18 hours per week of primetime entertainment and children's programming plus, on average, more than 13 hours of sports programming every weekend. CW Sports is the broadcast home to almost 700 hours of sports programming annually, including the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series; WWE NXT; college football and men's and women's basketball from the ACC, Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences; AVP beach volleyball, Professional Bull Riding Team Series; and Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) events. CW Sports content is available on the ESPN App to ESPN Unlimited Plan subscribers. CW Entertainment offers a variety of popular scripted and unscripted programming, including Wild Cards, Sullivan's Crossing, Police 24/7, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Scrabble, and Trivial Pursuit. The CW's primetime and other entertainment programming can be found on the CW App, available for free to consumers on all major platforms, and beginning Fall 2026 will be available in a CW-branded hub on The Roku Channel. The CW is owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), a leading diversified media company. For more information about The CW, please visit www.cwtv.com.

About NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA's Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA's streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

The CW Media Contacts:
Beth Feldman Rob Moynihan
[email protected] [email protected]