NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Scott Palmer would have rather been racing, but there was a reason why the Top Fuel driver sat out three of the past four races leading up to the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ famed Western Swing.

 

The rigorous stretch of three consecutive race weekends once again starts with the 37th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at scenic Bandimere Speedway, July 22-24, with historic live-television coverage of Sunday’s finals on FOX, and Palmer wants to make sure everything is in line on his 10,000-horsepower Tommy Thompson Motorsports/Marck Industries dragster.

 

One of his major goals during the 2016 season is to do well on the Western Swing, and that means starting off with a strong performance at Bandimere Speedway, where all the NHRA teams will try to tackle the unique racing environment, which requires adapting their race tune-ups to an altitude of more than 5,800 feet.

 

“We want to go out there and try to win a few rounds on the Western Swing instead of just going out there,” said Palmer, who has one round-win in eight appearances in 2016. “We’ve ran pretty well and had some good luck in Denver over the years. Racing in the mountains and on that track in those conditions, Denver can be a great equalizer.

 

“If you can go out there and make some consistent runs, you can have the opportunity to go some rounds. But more than anything, we’re really trying to up our program, and we want to be prepared and go out there and make some good runs.”

 

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Larry Morgan (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the 14th of 24 events in 2016. Sunday's finals will be showcased live on the FOX national broadcast network, marking the first time in NHRA history that racing will air live on a national television network.

 

That means a great showcase for all NHRA competitors, and Palmer is eager to put on a good show. The Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals was the last event Palmer raced at a season ago, choosing to make wholesale changes to his program following the race. The team, led by crew chief Ashley Fye, put in a tremendous amount of work in the offseason, working out of Frank Manzo’s shop in Indianapolis for a month and also getting help and advice from Torrence’s Top Fuel team.

 

“Hands down, the best thing we ever did was skipped a few races at the end of last year,” Palmer said. “We concentrated a lot on gathering up more equipment to run better. It was hard for me to do that because I want to race every weekend, but we really wanted to up the program. It’s just been a huge change for our team, and we worked on everything from our pit area to our performance. It’s worked out really well. It’s taken a lot of patience, but we’re close.”

 

Palmer has put together some of his best qualifying performances in his career thus far in 2016, qualifying 11th in Topeka with a career-best run of 3.872 seconds at 312.86 mph. The round-win came in Houston, and while Palmer knows he won’t be qualifying No. 1 for the time being, he has watched his team’s performance and consistency improve a great deal already in 2016.

 

“We want to go to Denver and this Western Swing and run respectable and not go just to go,” Palmer said. “We can’t try to get in the low 3.70s yet, but I’m confident we can run in the 3.80s and do it consistently. If we do that, it gives us a chance to win some rounds, and that would be a great deal. But we are committed to being a better race team.”

 

Palmer will have to contend with a host of standout Top Fuel drivers in Denver, including defending event champion Torrence, whom Palmer has been pitted beside this year. That’s been helpful for a variety of reasons, and Torrence has already had a strong 2016, winning two events.

 

Palmer will also have to deal with the likes of red-hot Mac Tools dragster pilot Doug Kalitta, who has three wins this season; J.R. Todd; Shawn Langdon, who has won back-to-back events; two-time 2016 winner Brittany Force; Aussie Richie Crampton; Terry McMillen; reigning world champion and three-time season winner and current points leader Antron Brown; eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher; and Clay Millican. But Palmer has always enjoyed racing at Bandimere Speedway, even with the added altitude challenges.

 

“The Bandimere family is a great family, and we love going there,” Palmer said. “They are our friends, and Denver is a really important race to us because of that. It’s such a cool place and a cool setting, and it’s great to be able to race at a track like that. Like I said, the altitude can be a great equalizer, so hopefully we can have some success there.”
 
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 22, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, July 23, at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 24.

 

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 800-664-UWIN (8946) or 303-697-6001. Tickets also are available online at www.bandimere.com. Kids 12 and under are free in general-admission areas with a paid adult.