NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The grueling stretch of three consecutive racing weekends in conditions ranging from high elevation to coastal climates begins with racers doing battle at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Denver. The event kicks off the fabled Western Swing at the most challenging place for crew chiefs that also happens to be among the most scenic facilities in motorsports.

In 2015, Steve Torrence scored his first win of the season when he defeated Tony Schumacher in a closely contested Top Fuel final round. Jack Beckman was one race from changing the Funny Car category with his performance, and he began the Western Swing with a win. Eddie Krawiec won Pro Stock Motorcycle, and Larry Morgan defeated Allen Johnson after an epic starting-line burndown in the Pro Stock final.

Here’s a look at some of this year’s major storylines:

Lights, camera, action
Racers are bringing 10,000 horsepower to a broader audience with final eliminations being broadcast live on the FOX national network. Who will embrace the opportunity to shine in front of a national audience? Who will wilt under the pressure? The already-high stakes have been raised for teams in the highly competitive landscape.

Going for 10 straight finals on ‘the Mountain’
Greg Anderson and Jason Line have dominated Pro Stock racing all season and collectively have run the table in terms of event wins. However, the Denver event is a race unlike any other, with the altitude playing an enormous role in horsepower and setups. Allen Johnson (pictured) has placed a heavy emphasis on this event with results to show for it; he has reached the final here for nine straight seasons. Johnson's and several other teams tested at Bandimere Speedway before the event while the Summit Racing drivers decided to forgo testing to spend time at the shop looking for horsepower. Will their planning for long-range goals prevent them from winning their 14th race of the season? We’ll find out.

Will a Funny Car milestone be reached?
Bandimere Speedway is the final track on the tour where a Funny Car driver has not recorded a three-second elapsed time. John Force came very close last year with a 4.015, and this was one race before Jack Beckman turned the class upside down with national record performances brought about by innovative thinking such as implementing laid-back header angles. All eyes will be on the scoreboards when Funny Car comes to the line during Friday night qualifying.

‘Tool Wars’ continue
Matco Tools driver Antron Brown went to the top of the Mello Yello Top Fuel points standings for the first time this season at the Chicago event, holding a narrow two-point margin over Mac Tools driver Doug Kalitta. Their battle is expected to rage on this weekend. Brown has faced a Kalitta Motorsports driver in the first round at this event for the past two seasons with mixed results, edging Kalitta in 2014 but losing to J.R. Todd last year. He has won this event twice but only has one round-win in three starts since his most recent victory in 2012. Kalitta won this event in 2010 and has been the runner-up four times.

Hitching a ride
Despite having worked race-to-race deals to stay on tour and having missed the Topeka event, Phoenix winner Leah Pritchett is holding on to a top-10 spot. She is driving for Don Schumacher Racing at this event. Her crew chiefs, Mike Guger and Joe Barlam, know a thing or two about racing in Denver after tuning Larry Dixon to a No. 1 qualifying position here last year.

Landing a spot
It is the last opportunity for Pro Stock Motorcycle riders to jockey for one of the eight positions in the NHRA Pro Bike Battle to be contested the following Saturday at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Two-time world champion Matt Smith holds on to the bubble spot while Karen Stoffer is trying to get in. Eddie Krawiec (pictured), who swept the Denver, Sonoma, and NHRA Pro Bike Battle events in 2015, leads the standings by a comfortable margin.

Track records
Top Fuel
3.791 seconds by Larry Dixon, July 2015
326.95 mph by Brittany Force, July 2015

Funny Car
4.015 seconds by John Force, July 2015
318.39 mph by Force, July 2014

Pro Stock
6.877 seconds by Allen Johnson, July 2015
201.01 mph by Shane Gray, July 2015

Pro Stock Motorcycle
7.169 seconds by Eddie Krawiec, July 2015
187.96 mph by Hector Arana Jr., July 2015

Schedule
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5:15 and 8 p.m. Friday, July 22, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday, July 23, at 4 and 7 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, July 24.

Tickets
Call 888-664-UWIN (8946) or log on to www.bandimere.com.

Television
Friday, July 22, FOX Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, July 23, FOX Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. ET
Sunday, July 24, FOX national network will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 3 p.m. ET