The Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge, presented by Mercury Racing and IHRA, runs Friday, August 7 to Sunday, August 9, 2026, on the lakefront in downtown Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It is the sole remaining round of the 2026 IHRA Offshore Racing Series, after IHRA cut the rest of its offshore calendar in June.
Spectating along the Sheboygan lakefront is free; VIP hospitality packages with premium viewing, food and drinks are available separately. Offshore boats race Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 4pm, with what organisers describe as premium shoreline viewing from downtown.
What Spectators Will See
Race Week opens Friday with course testing and a boat parade through downtown Sheboygan, followed by a Street Party with the race boats lining the streets alongside food trucks, vendors and live music. Racing itself runs Saturday and Sunday, with a Vendor Village open both days alongside the Mercury Racing Tour Truck and a Family Zone with activities for kids.
Beyond the water, organisers have built the weekend around downtown Sheboygan: expect food and drink vendors, a DJ set on Friday evening, and an awards ceremony to close out racing on Sunday.
Weekend Schedule
| Friday, August 7 | ||
| Race Course Testing | Time TBA | |
| Boat Parade, Downtown Sheboygan | Time TBA | |
| Street Party: Food Trucks, Vendors, Live Music | Time TBA | |
| Party Pupils DJ Set | 7:00 PM CDT | |
| Saturday, August 8 (Race Day) | ||
| Vendor Village Open | 9:30 AM CDT | |
| Offshore Racing | 10:00 AM CDT | |
| VIP Hospitality | All Day | |
| Sunday, August 9 (Race Day) | ||
| Vendor Village Open | 9:30 AM CDT | |
| Offshore Racing | 10:00 AM CDT | |
| Awards Ceremony | 5:00 PM CDT | |
Times shown are Central Daylight Time (Sheboygan local time) and are subject to change. Several Friday activities have not yet had times published by organisers. The “Your Time” column converts automatically to your device’s local time zone.
Getting There
Mercury Racing has not yet published parking, shuttle or detailed viewing-location information for 2026; its event page lists this as “coming soon”. Powerboat News will update this article once those details are released.
The Last Round Standing
Midwest Challenge was originally pencilled in to host all three IHRA powerboat disciplines, offshore, F1 and PWC, on the same weekend. IHRA’s F1 series was subsequently trimmed to a single remaining 2026 round at Alton, Illinois, leaving Sheboygan as the closer for IHRA Offshore alone. It is the only offshore round left on IHRA’s 2026 calendar after the Miami World Powerboat Grand Prix and the IHRA Offshore National Championship were both cut in June.
IHRA Offshore Coverage on Powerboat News
Race reports, standings and news from the 2026 IHRA Offshore Racing Series.
IHRA Offshore Coverage
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
