The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is set to restart the 2020 season at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis with the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals beginning July 11th-12th. The event, sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs which supplies the official spark plug and ignition products of NHRA, will be the third of 19 events that make up the 2020 schedule.
This will be the first of two consecutive weekend events that will take place at Lucas Oil Raceway. This weekend’s event will feature Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock classes along with this year’s debut of the Pro Stock Motorcycles class. This revised schedule also comes with changes to the way teams will qualify for each race creating an even bigger pressure cooker.
In a normal NHRA season, all four pro class competitors get four opportunities to qualify for the 16 car/bike field. Under the revised schedule teams will only get two qualifying passes on Saturday, July 11, with final eliminations slated for Sunday, July 12. With only two opportunities to get into the eliminations on Sunday, attention to detail will be needed by all.
The NHRA restart could be one of the most intense seasons to date. Teams will compete for 17 straight weeks, leaving no room for error. It’s as if each week is a countdown race with any point big or small meaning so much more in each team’s quest for the ultimate prize of the NHRA Mello Yello Dragracing Championship.
All crew members will also need to be laser-focused as any mistake will be extremely magnified by the lack of opportunities during qualifying. Crew Chiefs along with their drivers have to be smart and understand how aggressive they can be according to the conditions presented at each race. Any catastrophic failure could result in a major conundrum not just for the existing race but for future events as well.
The schedule will make a fantastic product for fans who will be watching. It will be imperative for all teams to have a well thought-out strategy for emergencies that may occur. With the grueling travel schedule and no bye weeks, making an extended stop at the shop for repairs will be extremely tough and in some cases unlikely.
Both Lucas Oil Raceway events will be covered on the NHRA on FOX family of channels including a live FOX national broadcast network for Sunday’s final eliminations and qualifying Saturday on FS1. The NHRA will also host a limited number of tickets for the July 11-12 and July 18-19 events. This chance to attend will be offered to NHRA members and Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals ticket holders.
One thing is for certain, this will be a season of surprises and intense on-track action that you will not want to miss. Buckle your seatbelt NHRA fans, we are about to go on a ride we will never forget.