Our Daily Show Interview! Dylan Anderson: Road to the Alton F1 Powerboat National
ALTON – With the Alton Powerboat Nationals planned for this weekend, racer Dylan Anderson is currently in the top spot and hopes to maintain his position ahead of the championship.
This weekend’s races, which will take place on the Mississippi River in Alton, will determine the champion of the 2026 season. Anderson looks forward to racing and hopes to come out on top.
“We are going into the weekend in the lead, but only by a small margin of ten points. So it’ll be a tight battle all weekend long for sure,” he said. “Our season champion will be decided here this weekend.”
It’s an exciting weekend for all of the racers, and Anderson is driving in from Nashville, Tennessee, to participate. He noted that this is his third year competing in the Alton Powerboat Nationals.
He joked that he hopes Alton feels like “the Sahara Desert” in the days leading up to the racing because this will minimize the amount of debris in the water. He is also keeping an eye on the river’s current. He explained that boats speed up when going with the current, and they regularly take turns at 115–120 miles per hour.
Because of this, Anderson believes the racing is best experienced firsthand. He encourages Alton residents and visitors to buy tickets so they can see the boats and the races up close.
“A camera will never do a tunnel boat justice,” he said. “You’re looking straight down the barrel of the tunnel when they come up the straightaway there. It’s got to be a cool view.”
Ahead of the weekend’s races, Anderson reflected on the 2026 season and his team. He noted that success wouldn’t be possible without his crew. Each crew member is assigned to a part of the boat, and they work together to keep the boat running.
“Nobody out there running a Formula 1 boat is doing it by themselves. It’s just physically impossible,” Anderson said. “If you don’t have a good crew behind you, honestly, you just don’t have a shot of winning in the first place. Honestly, if you don’t have a good crew behind you, you don’t really have a shot of getting on the water in the first place, much less winning.”
Racing starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, 2026. On Friday, July 17, there will be a street party outside of Catdaddy’s in downtown Alton where attendees can meet with the racers. Anderson looks forward to chatting with Alton residents and hopes that many of them will be cheering him on throughout the weekend.
Above all else, Anderson prioritizes consistency. He is excited for the chance to compete this weekend and can’t wait to start.
“Hopefully the Mississippi treats us well,” he laughed. “We’ll see what happens. But we’re excited and ready to get the boats on the water.”
For more information about the Alton Powerboat Nationals, the schedule or how to buy tickets, visit the official webpage.
