February 5, 2026 – The Mississippi / Alabama Sprints are set to return to Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, Alabama on 4 occasions in 2026, with additional races in the planning stages.
The winged sprint cars will return to the high-banked half-mile MIS on March 28 with additional races currently scheduled for April 25, May 23, and August 22.
Event organizer Fred Fayard indicated an additional 2-3 races will most likely be added to the schedule and announced soon. Fayard has made no secret about his plans to bring pavement sprint car racing back to the Panhandle area on a regular basis. Fayard is the single reason for the return of winged sprint cars to MIS. He personally has secured the funding to make this venture possible.
All the events will be open tire races for 360 c.i. engines paying $2,000 to win and $500 to start.
“We’ve got four dates already announced and we’re working on two more” confirmed Fayard. “We’re still negotiating with track owner Eddie Shoemaker. These are just gonna be open shows. We’re not gonna keep points or crown a champion. We’re racing for the pleasure of it.
“I’m up to eighteen cars who have confirmed they will participate in all these races with the possibility for more. I’m excited. It’s gonna be a great year for us. Like I said, we’re working on 2-3 more races. We just announced four originally to let the racers know we we’re serious and get them to start getting ready. We might add a race at another track, but we’ll see” concluded Fayard.
Winged sprint cars returned to MIS last April 26. after a six-year hiatus. Tampa, Florida driver Johnny Gilbertson won a thriller I front of a huge crowd. The popularity of the winged sprint cars led Fayard to add two more races later in the year last season.