The National Drag Racing Championship (NDRC) is set to put on one of its biggest spectacles of the year at Willowbank Raceway across June 4-7, with the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals poised to deliver a massive weekend of horsepower.
As one of only three events on the 2026 calendar where all eight NDRC pro-level brackets will race together – and the only one in Queensland for the year – the fans at Willowbank Raceway will be treated to the ultimate drag racing experience this weekend.
Headlined by the thrilling 11,000hp, 500+kph BLAHST Top Fuel and XPRO Nitro Funny Car machines, the packed schedule also features Top Doorslammer, Top Fuel Motorcycle, Pro Alcohol, Pro Stock, Pro Mod, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, alongside a full complement of hundreds of Aeroflow Sportsman Championship competitors.
While racers have come from across the country for the event, there are also plenty of local heroes also ready to represent – including former XPRO Nitro Funny Car champion and Gold Coast local, Justin Walshe, and Top Fuel royalty, Steve ‘The Pom’ Read, who resides just down the road from the Ipswich track.
Walshe enters the Winternationals riding the high of a career-defining milestone set at last month’s Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs in Sydney, where he joined a highly exclusive club by breaking into the three-second zone for the first time with an incredible 3.964-second pass at 525.78kph.
According to Walshe, achieving that historic milestone came down to stripping away expectations and initiating a total mindset shift within the team.
“We have been doing Nitro Funny Car for four seasons,” Walshe explained. “The first season for us was learn the craft and be as good as we can at running the car, servicing the car, and turning it around. Season two was ‘now we know what we are doing, let’s win every race and win the championship,’ and we did that.
“Season three was ‘now let’s run a three-second pass.’ And we got lost trying to do it. Everyone was trying too hard, expectations were too high… the crew chiefs would get it right and I would drive bad, and vice versa. We weren’t meshing.
“At the last event we had a team pow wow prior to the event, saying, let’s reset, let’s have a whole focus change to every single member simply concentrating on doing their individual job as good as they could do it, and we would take whatever we could achieve out of that process.
“Everyone reset and had no expectations other than making sure everyone got everything right, and we all did the perfect job we could do and lo and behold, every run out of the five got better and better and hey presto, the last one was it!”
Rather than rest on his laurels, Walshe is bringing that exact same laser-focused mentality to his home track for the Winternationals.
“That is the exact attitude we are taking into the Winters – rinse and repeat, so to speak,” Walshe said.
“We are going to put on the best show we can for the crowd, and if the win lights come on then that is great, but we just want to do the perfect job.”
With the three-second barrier now broken, the local hero is setting his sights on an even rarer global benchmark.
“No one outside of America has run in the 3.8 zone and no one outside of America has run over 330mph (531kph) in a funny car. So, we are going to push for the 330mph – that is our goal,” revealed Walshe, who currently holds the Australian MPH record.
“The conditions are always there at the Winters to run fast, no matter what class you are in. If everyone does their job perfectly, there is no reason you shouldn’t see a funny car run 330mph.”
As the NDRC prepares to take over Queensland, Walshe isn’t mincing words about what fans can expect.
“At the Winters, you will see the best drag racing you will ever see in Australia, hands down,” Walshe promised.
“When the blue sky is shining, you will get the biggest bang for buck for a day of entertainment no matter what day you come.
“Every day is sensational and you will see the best in the business on one of the best race tracks which has some of the best history with this event. It is the one everyone wants to win, and everyone is proud to be a part of,” he concluded, while thanking the staff of his business Hart Paint Supplies, as well as Axalta Coating Systems, Upol, 3M, and Neal from Chilli Bins.
With a racing career spanning 40 years and more than 20 championships across the world, Steve ‘The Pom’ Read most certainly knows his way around a Top Fuel dragster and feels he and his team are primed for a breakthrough result this weekend after making their comeback to the Australian racing scene just two years ago.
“We are feeling really upbeat and excited. I think this is the best position we have ever been in since we started back racing. We have great equipment, a full complement of crew which we didn’t have at the last meeting, and we have finally sorted out the little niggly things with the Racepak by sending the parts back to America to be fixed,” Read explained.
“We know the pace is there, and we have addressed the little dramas that bit us previously. So, the excuses are done, it is time to start performing, and I think we are right there.
“It is looking like ideal conditions for racing, and there is set to be tough competition for sure. But, for example, the last three times we have met Damien Harris, we have upset him every time – that is all it takes, you have to be there and be ready, and we are ready.”
Read is quick to point the spotlight on his crew and supporters.
“You have to remember this crew is only two years old. Two years ago, they had never been drag racing, but they’ve taken to it like ducks to water – I feel incredibly proud to have them along,” he said.
“A massive shoutout has to go to our biggest sponsor, Walkers Turf Supplies. Without the backing of Ian, his wife Sue, and his sons Nick and Jacob, we simply wouldn’t be in the position we are in today.
“I also want to thank Gonzo, Mitch, and Jimmy for stepping up time and time again with short-notice welding and fabrication repairs; Col Lloyd from HeadSense for supporting me ever since I’ve been in Australia; and Jack Brothers – they do excellent work and have three engine blocks ready for us this weekend.
“Finally, a lot of this just wouldn’t happen without Dan Bennett from Velocity Sport Design. He takes the organisational side completely off my plate, and there is so much I have to thank him for.”
Read will be joined on-track for the Winternationals by Damien Harris, Wayne Newby, Phil Lamattina, Shane Olive, and Kyle Putland, while a six-car field will also be on deck for XPRO Nitro Funny car, with Walshe to be joined by Morice McMillin, Josh Leahy, Adam Murrihy, Luke Shepherd, and Damon Paton – who will debut a striking new look on what is now known as the XTR Nitro Funny Car.
“What can I say — the guys absolutely nailed it again. It is pretty cool to have the two best-looking Funny Car bodies in the country…although I might be a little biased!” Paton said.
“This new look means a lot heading into the Winternationals because it represents our brands and sponsors so well. We genuinely couldn’t do this without their support, and having a car that looks this good only makes me even hungrier to put it in the winner’s circle.”
To learn more about Paton’s new look, please click here.
The Gulf Western Oil Winternationals will hit Willowbank Raceway across June 4-7, featuring all eight professional brackets alongside the Aeroflow Sportsman Championship. For event information and to purchase tickets, visit ndrc.tv.
