A pack of colorful Mazda Spec MX-5 race cars racing closely together on a sunny track with grandstands in the background.

The debut of the NASA Northwest Region, the newest in the NASA ecosystem, feels a bit like putting the last piece of the puzzle into place. It completes the picture and now gives motorsports enthusiasts all across the country the chance to become NASA drivers.

The region itself will be distinctive because it has four completely different tracks on its 2026 schedule and future years. NASA Northwest will hold events at The Ridge Motorsports Park and Pacific Raceways in Washington, and Portland International Raceway and Oregon Raceway Park in Oregon. Each track has a different character NASA Northwest members will enjoy. Be sure to bring your rain tires!

Illustrated track map of Portland International Raceway (PIR), one of the four key venues for the new NASA Northwest Region.
Caption The layout of Portland International Raceway, one of the premier tracks that will host events for the new NASA Northwest motorsports region.

“We have been working to establish a NASA Northwest Region for quite some time, and it is exciting to see it all come together at last,” said NASA CEO Jeremy Croiset. “The Pacific Northwest has a rich history in motorsports. The tracks in that part of the country are fun and challenging, and maintained to a high standard, and of course the weather can always be a factor. I think it’s safe to say the next generation of drivers who excel at the art of racing in the rain are going to come from NASA Northwest.”

Panning shot of a dark-colored Honda Fit hatchback participating in a high-performance driving event (HPDE) on a racetrack.
A driver in the HPDE (High Performance Driving Event) group gets some track time at The Ridge Motorsports Park, an essential part of the customer experience that NASA Northwest aims to perfect.

The tracks are only a few hundred miles from one another, and convenient to metro Portland and Seattle areas as well as the Columbia River and Willamette River valleys. Reasonable towing distances have proven over time to be good for car counts in racing and Time Trial and lots of participants in HPDE.

Aerial view of the long, challenging road course layout at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Washington state.

“I’ve personally raced all over the United States with NASA. I’ve been to several different regions. I really want to take all the great experiences that I’ve learned from each one of those and put them into our platform,” said NASA Northwest Regional Director Jason Perry. “So creating the best track experience for HPDE, TT and race groups is my number one goal, to make customers happy. Another goal as well is to create some of the fastest racers up in the Northwest. I want to grow it so we have some of the fastest racers, so when we go to the NASA Championships, they’re like, OK, the Northwest is coming here. They’ve got some fast guys. So that’s kind of my goal is to kind of push for some fast race groups and then also to create a great customer experience with HPDE and Time Trial as well.”

2026 NASA Northwest Schedule

Mar. 6-8              Sonoma Raceway (with NASA NorCal)

Apr. 10-12           Thunderhill Raceway Park (with NASA NorCal)

June 5-7              Oregon Raceway Park

Aug. 14-16          Portland International Raceway

Sept 4-6              Pacific Raceways

Sept. 25-27         Sebring International Raceway (NASA Championships)

Oct. 23-25           The Ridge Motorsports Park

Nov. 6-7              Sonoma Raceway (with NASA NorCal)

Aerial photo of Pacific Raceways, showing the drag strip and surrounding road course nestled in a wooded area near Seattle.
The expansive grounds and track facilities of Pacific Raceways, located near Seattle, will be a key venue for the NASA Northwest motorsports region.
Images courtesy of PIR, Kirk Myhre/MC Motorsports Design, The Ridge Motorsports Park and Favorite Flyer

1 COMMENT

  1. Excellent news, guys. There’s a group of 944 racers up in our top left corner that I’ve been trying to bring into NASA for a long time. Cheers!

Join the Discussion