Atlanta Dragway was built in 1975 by Gene Bennett on land in Banks County, Georgia, that had originally been graded for a small airport. The track opened to public competition in 1976. It became NHRA-sanctioned in 1980 under owner Norman Pearah. In 1987 Pro Stock driver Gary Brown purchased the facility with partners; NHRA itself acquired Atlanta Dragway in 1993 and retained ownership through the circuit's final racing season.
The track sat at 500 East Ridgeway Road, Commerce, Georgia, approximately 75 miles northeast of Atlanta. Its racing surface was concrete, and the distance was an eighth-mile — 0.125 miles — rather than the quarter-mile used at some older NHRA venues, though the professional categories still recorded full-run elapsed times.
The Southern Nationals' first running in 1981 placed it in the early years of NHRA's modern national tour. Over the following four decades the event cycled through every major title-sponsor era: the R.J. Reynolds Winston years through 2001, the Powerade period from 2002 to 2008, Full Throttle Energy Drink from 2009 to 2012, Mello Yello from 2013 to 2020, and the Camping World Drag Racing Series in 2021, which hosted the final edition of the event.
A significant moment in the event's history occurred in 2008, when Ashley Force Hood became the first female driver to win a Funny Car national event — that victory came at Atlanta Dragway during a Southern Nationals weekend, giving the venue a permanent place in the sport's record of landmark results.
NHRA announced the 2021 Southern Nationals as the final major professional event at Atlanta Dragway, retiring the venue from its national touring schedule at the close of that season. The track subsequently passed through several redevelopment proposals. In February 2026 the International Hot Rod Association acquired the property, announcing plans to stage the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series World Finals at the circuit in October 2026 — returning competitive drag racing to Commerce under a different sanctioning body.
Forty years as a fixed round on the NHRA national tour placed the Southern Nationals among the sport's most durable events. Atlanta Dragway's location gave the event a strong regional identity across the American Southeast, a region with deep grassroots drag racing culture. The 2021 closure ended one of the longest unbroken venue runs in NHRA history.
[[atlanta-dragway|Atlanta Dragway]] — the host venue, Banks County, Georgia
[[nhra-top-fuel|Top Fuel]] — premier nitro dragster class
[[nhra-funny-car|Funny Car]] — nitro flip-top class
[[nhra-pro-stock|Pro Stock]] — naturally-aspirated door-slammer class
[[ashley-force-hood|Ashley Force Hood]] — first female Funny Car winner, 2008 at Atlanta