Travel Guide: USPSA Race Gun Nationals 2026

USPSA Race Gun Nationals is the blue-chip USPSA event of the year. For 2026, USPSA has split Nationals into two events - Race Gun Nationals (the “hardware divisions” - Open, PCC, Limited, Limited Optics, Limited 10) in Ohio, and Factory Gun Nationals in Utah. This guide covers Race Gun at Cardinal Shooting Center in Marengo, Ohio.

Getting there

Marengo is a small rural community about 45 minutes northeast of Columbus, Ohio. Your airport is Columbus:

• John Glenn Columbus International (CMH) - The practical choice. About 45 minutes south of the range. Good flight coverage with Southwest, Delta, United, American, and Spirit. Midwestern prices, easy TSA, large but not overwhelming.
• Cleveland (CLE) - About 2 hours north. Only worth considering if you find a significantly cheaper flight.
• Cincinnati (CVG) - 2 hours south. Same - only useful if flight pricing pushes you here.

From CMH to Marengo is a straightforward drive - mostly highway (I-71 north), then county roads for the last 20 minutes. Rental car is the only practical option; there's no ride-share or transit to the range.

Lodging

Marengo has essentially no hotel inventory. You're staying in one of three places:

• Delaware, OH - 25-30 minutes south of the range. Small college town (Ohio Wesleyan University), has a handful of chain hotels (Hampton Inn, Courtyard, Holiday Inn Express), decent restaurants, and is the most shooter-popular option.
• Columbus suburbs (Westerville, Worthington) - 45 minutes south. More hotel inventory and restaurant options but a longer daily commute. Worth it if Delaware is full.
• Mount Vernon, OH - 25 minutes east. Smaller town, limited hotel options but closer than Columbus.

Delaware is the right answer for most people. Book early - 468 main-match slots is a lot of shooters, and most of them end up in Delaware.

At the range

Cardinal Shooting Center is a purpose-built competition range that hosts multiple national championships each year (IDPA Nationals, NRA Smallbore Nationals, USPSA Race Gun Nationals). The facility is set up for events of this scale - good infrastructure, paved roads, enough parking, adequate restrooms.

The pre-match runs August 19-20, with the main match August 21-23. Your squad assignment determines which days you shoot, so check early and build your travel accordingly. Most out-of- state shooters will arrive Tuesday the 18th or Wednesday the 19th and leave Sunday the 23rd or Monday the 24th.

Weather and what to bring

Mid-to-late August in central Ohio:

• Highs in the mid 80s
• Lows in the low 60s
• Humid. Ohio August is muggier than people expect.
• Thunderstorm risk is moderate - less dramatic than Southeastern storms but enough to delay stages occasionally.

Pack:

• Light, breathable shirts (multiple).
• A light rain jacket for afternoon storms.
• A hat with good coverage - the bays at Cardinal have limited shade.
• Plenty of ammunition. Race Gun Nationals round counts are high; Open and PCC shooters will burn through significant ammo. Know your consumption and bring a comfortable margin.
• A backup red dot or iron sight for Optics divisions - if your dot dies during the match, you don't want to DNF.

First-timer tips

• USPSA Nationals is a logistics match.468 shooters, multiple divisions, pre-match plus main match, strict check-in procedures. Read every email from the match director carefully. Don't skim the stage briefings.
• Treat the pre-match seriously.If you're staffing or shooting the pre-match, that's your warmup and your chance to see the stages before the main match starts. Staff shooters often do well at Nationals because they get extra reps.
• Gas is in Delaware, not Marengo.Fuel up on your way to the range each morning - there's no gas station right next to Cardinal.
• Bring a chronograph-legal load.USPSA Nationals runs chrono. If your load is borderline for your division's power factor floor, bring spare rounds loaded hotter to swap in at chrono. Getting bumped to Minor at Nationals is the worst possible start to a match week.

If you're bringing family

Columbus is one of the more underrated Midwest cities. The German Village neighborhood is beautiful, the Short North arts district has good restaurants, and Ohio State's campus is impressive. COSI (Center of Science and Industry) is a world-class science museum. Delaware itself has a charming downtown worth a couple hours. If you want a day trip, Hocking Hills State Park is 90 minutes southeast with some of the best hiking in Ohio.

Summary

Fly into Columbus, stay in Delaware, and commute 25-30 minutes to Cardinal each day. Cardinal Shooting Center is a known quantity for major matches and the logistics are friendly. Race Gun Nationals is the event you plan your season around if you shoot hardware divisions - show up prepared, bring plenty of ammunition, and respect the scale of the event.