NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Protect The Harvest, a group founded in 2011 to assist in the fight for the rights of America’s farmers, ranchers, animal owners, and sportsmen/sportswomen, has signed an agreement to become the title-rights sponsor of the upcoming NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Pacific Raceways near Seattle.

The 29th annual Protect The Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil will be held Aug. 5-7, an event that is a tradition-rich stop in the legendary three-race NHRA Western Swing. The race will feature competition in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock and will feature live finals coverage televised on the FOX national broadcast network. Qualifying coverage will be telecast on FOX Sports 1.

The grueling Western Swing, where NHRA race teams travel more than 5,300 miles in three consecutive weekends from their Brownsburg, Ind.-based shops to Denver, Sonoma, and Seattle, is a pivotal part of the Mello Yello Series regular season.

The Protect The Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil will be the final stop in the three-race adventure, and in many years, drivers have arrived at the event in position to complete a rare sweep of the Western Swing. Only seven drivers have done it in NHRA history, including most recently Antron Brown in 2009. Last season, Funny Car driver Jack Beckman just missed out on adding his name to that impressive list, which also includes Joe Amato, John Force, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, and Greg Anderson, among others.

“Forrest and Charlotte Lucas have been tremendous supporters of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series over the years, and once again they have stepped forward to provide title sponsorship of the event at Pacific Raceways through their Protect The Harvest group,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer. “We appreciate their long-term dedication and commitment to the sport, and we look forward to working with them and Protect The Harvest during the final stop of the famed NHRA Western Swing.”

This is the first NHRA event entitlement for Protect The Harvest. The group has provided primary team sponsorship for Morgan Lucas, Hector Arana, and Richie Crampton and several Sportsman racing teams.

“We look forward to raising the profile of Protect The Harvest through its association with the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and this great event at Pacific Raceways,” said Forrest Lucas, founder and chair of Protect The Harvest. “The Seattle area is beautiful, and we are anticipating a very exciting event to conclude the NHRA Western Swing.”