NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is about to kick things into high gear for the summer, beginning a busy stretch that includes four in a row and seven in eight weeks at this weekend’s NHRA New England Nationals. Race No. 9 of the 2016 season, the New England Nationals starts what some refer to as the “East Coast Swing” that includes four consecutive weekends of racing in Epping, Englishtown, Bristol, and Norwalk. The annual jaunt to New England Dragway is still relatively new with just three previous events at the New Hampshire track, but it is a highly anticipated event each season, drawing large crowds and producing close, interesting racing throughout the event.

During last year’s event, Tony Schumacher became the first driver to win the still-new event (this year marks just the fourth time the NHRA tour has gone to Epping) for a second time, outlasting Larry Dixon for the Top Fuel title. Schumacher, who also won the previous year, was joined in the winner’s circle by John Force (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock).

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

Can “the Sarge” rebound?
With a win-loss record of 6-8, it’s fair to say the start of the 2016 season has been a bit of a disappointment so far for defending Top Fuel event champion Tony Schumacher. The good news, however, is he returns to a track where he has experienced success recently. Schumacher has won the NHRA New England Nationals the past two years, and last year’s victory came in convincing fashion with Schumacher qualifying No. 1, running low e.t., and being among the pacesetters in most rounds. Though Schumacher’s overall record this year hasn’t been up to the standard most expect from the eight-time world champion, his car has been solid, and it often comes down to him being on the wrong side of great races. Perhaps Schumacher can tap into some of the good mojo he’s had here the past couple of years and reverse his fortunes this weekend.

The battle for the final Traxxas spot
When Matt Hagan defeated Jack Beckman in the Topeka final two weeks ago, he did many of the other Funny Car drivers a huge favor, denying Beckman the final spot in the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout. That final spot will be on the minds of many again this weekend. Beckman certainly should be considered a favorite to nab the seventh win-to-get-in spot in the bonus event that will be contested in Indy, but there are a number of other high-profile drivers who will also be trying to win this weekend to make sure they don’t have to try and get in via the fan vote. Among them are John Force, the defending event winner who also has a runner-up finish here; defending world champion Del Worsham; and Tommy Johnson Jr., who dominated this race last year before a mechanical issue in the final relegated him to a runner-up finish. Though not as critical as in Funny Car, the Top Fuel field for the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout is also filling up fast with five of the seven win-to-get-in spots filled and several big-name drivers still looking for their first wins this season.

Wilk’s new-old car
The last time fans saw Tim Wilkerson, he was standing on the track inspecting the damage to his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford after it hit both walls shortly after launch in the semifinals at the NHRA Kansas Nationals. Unfortunately, the damage was significant, requiring the car to go back to Murf McKinney’s shop to be front-halved, and therefore, the new car Wilkerson debuted in Las Vegas will be unavailable for this weekend. Wilkerson instead will be borrowing his old car, affectionately referred to as Bessie, from Brian Stewart this weekend. Though he has not driven the car since March, Bessie is a proven winner, carrying Wilkerson to victory in Phoenix. In Topeka, Stewart clocked a career-best 4.08 on an early-shutoff run during qualifying in the car.

Seeing double
Fans at New England Dragway will get a double dose of the new ’16 Camaro SS this weekend when Robert Hight joins boss John Force in running the new body. Both are hoping for a much better outing with the new Chevys than Force experience in Topeka, where he hit the wall Friday night and was forced to run an older, back-up car the rest of the weekend. Force’s team has spent the last couple of weeks repairing and making a few tweaks to the new Camaro, and they are confident the car is not just ready to go but can be competitive.

Can anyone derail the KB train?
It’s the same question that has been asked at every race this season (and will continue to be asked until someone stops them): Can anyone stop KB Racing, which has won every single race this season and had both finalists at all but one event? Though the three KB cars — Jason Line, Greg Anderson, and Bo Butner — are still the standard bearers in the class, their performance gap is definitely beginning to close. In particular, Shane Gray and his team have made big strides forward, most notably running within four-thousandths of the KB cars in the second round in Topeka. Alex Laughlin, who leases engines from Gray Motorsports, also had runs within thousandths of the leaders, and Chris McGaha, the only non-KB car to make a final this year, and Allen Johnson have also shown a lot of potential in recent events. One thing that bodes well for Johnson is the fact he has a pretty solid record at this event, winning the inaugural race and finishing as the runner-up last year.

Track records
Top Fuel
3.742, Tony Schumacher, June 2015
327.66, Spencer Massey, June 2015

Funny Car
3.988, Robert Hight, June 2014
323.35, Courtney Force, June 2014

Pro Stock
6.485, Shane Gray, June 2014
214.72, Greg Anderson, June 2015

Schedule
Qualifying for the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, June 3, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 4, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 5.

Tickets
For tickets, call 800-884-NHRA (6472). Tickets are also available online at www.NHRA.com/tickets.

Television
Friday, June 3, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at midnight (all times ET).
Saturday, June 4, FS1 will televise one hour of live qualifying coverage at 2:30 p.m. and one hour of qualifying highlights at midnight.
Sunday, June 5, FS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage at 4 p.m.