NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Timing is crucial in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. In the fastest motorsport on the planet, in which 10,000-horsepower, nitro-burning dragsters reach 330 mph in less than four seconds, races are won and lost by hundredths of a second. Doing everything at the exact right time can lead to a championship, and drivers and teams heading to the 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int’l Raceway, Aug. 18-21, are well aware of that.

The best in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle will fight tooth and nail to hoist a Wally trophy in the winner’s circle come Sunday evening, but they will also be fighting time. The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals is the 17th of 24 events in the 2016 season and, more importantly, the penultimate race of the regular season. Drivers will be competing for much more than a win at Brainerd Int’l Raceway; they’ll be racing for a coveted spot in the NHRA’s six-race playoff, the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Drivers who finish in the top 10 in points of their respective categories will clinch a spot in the Countdown, and at the end of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals one year ago, four spots in Top Fuel, six spots in Funny Car, eight spots in Pro Stock, and three spots in Pro Stock Motorcycle were already accounted for. Urgency was the underlying theme of last year’s race, and teams and fans alike won’t expect anything different this time around.

Brainerd Int’l Raceway has been host to some of the world’s best drag racers for 34 years and will continue that trend in August. Last year, Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were winners of the pivotal NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event.

Richie Crampton

Crampton pushed his Lucas Oil dragster to the winner’s circle in Brainerd last season to claim his fourth victory of the year. The Adelaide, South Australia, native sprinted past Brittany Force in the final round and clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship in the process. Crampton, competing in only his second year as a driver, went on to win again in Dallas later in the season and finished third in points. This year, Crampton is hoping to win again in Brainerd to carry on his recent hot streak, which includes a runner-up in Sonoma. Crampton is currently eighth in points but knows getting hot at the right time can make all the difference.

Force, on the other hand, is having the best season of her career. After finishing seventh in points in 2015, the driver of the Monster Energy dragster opened the gates of the 2016 season with fire in her eyes, speeding to her first career win at the event in Gainesville and added a second trophy at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods in Charlotte. Force was the Top Fuel points leader from Gainesville to Houston and is currently fourth. She’ll look to continue her championship quest in Brainerd.

Reigning world champ Brown has a grip on the points lead and is putting together a strong championship defense, but looking to knock him off the top spot is three-time Brainerd winner and eight-time world champ Tony Schumacher, three-time 2016 winner Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd, Texan Steve Torrence, and Shawn Langdon, who won back-to-back titles in Bristol and Norwalk.

In the third qualifying session in Brainerd, Brown and Torrence will face off in the final round of the rain-postponed Seattle event.

Robert Hight

In Funny Car, Hight defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. here one year ago to notch his first victory of the 2015 season. Hight, driver of the Auto Club Chevy Camaro SS, moved himself off the playoff bubble with the win, jumping from tied for ninth to eighth in points. This year, Hight is in a better position entering the final stretch of the regular season. Currently sixth in points, Hight has one win and has qualified in the top three six times this season.

Johnson’s runner-up finish last season in Brainerd propelled him to his second consecutive Countdown to the Championship appearance. Johnson finished the year third in points with two wins in eight final-round appearances. This season, the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T driver has one win, which came in Bristol, and a runner-up finish in Epping. He is eighth in points and has one win at Brainerd Int’l Raceway, which came in 2006.

Ron Capps, teammate to Johnson, will enter Brainerd with a target on his back. Capps has four wins and two runner-up finishes in 2016 and holds the Funny Car points lead. He’ll also be racing Del Worsham in the delayed Seattle Funny Car final, also set for the third qualifying session.

Chasing his sixth Brainerd victory, Capps will have to deal with a loaded Funny Car class that includes 11-time Brainerd winner John Force, national record holder Worsham, Jack Beckman, who is second in points, Houston winner Courtney Force, and two-time 2016 winner Tim Wilkerson.

Erica Enders

Pro Stock’s Enders raced to her fifth victory of the 2015 season last year in Brainerd by outrunning Jason Line in the final round. Enders dominated the Pro Stock ranks last year, racing to 11 final rounds and claiming nine victories to earn her second consecutive world championship.

The story has been different this year. Line and his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro teammate Greg Anderson have controlled the season thus far, combining to win 14 of the first 15 Pro Stock races. Both drivers have already secured their respective spots in the 2016 Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. Anderson, who has seven wins this year, has seen plenty of success in Brainerd, too. He is a three-time winner and will have a good shot at returning to the winner’s circle at Brainerd Int’l Raceway for the first time since 2011. 

Others to watch in Pro Stock include four-time Brainerd winner Jeg Coughlin Jr., Chicago runner-up Bo Butner, Denver champ Allen Johnson, 2015 top rookie Drew Skillman, Vincent Nobile, Shane Gray, and Chris McGaha.

Eddie Krawiec

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Krawiec powered to his third consecutive victory of the 2015 season last year at Brainerd Int’l Raceway. Krawiec defeated his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate, Andrew Hines, in the final round and went on to win one more race last year at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Southern California. Krawiec is a two-time Brainerd winner and will have a good shot at his third this year, having won three races already this season. The points leader is pursuing his fourth world championship title.

Hines is in second place in the points standings and has two wins on the season. The two-time Brainerd winner will face stiff competition from other riders in the two-wheeled class, though, including Angelle Sampey, Jerry Savoie, Steve Johnson, Matt Smith, Sonoma winner LE Tonglet, and Chip Ellis.

The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of the sport earn their racing stripes.

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand how the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.

As part of NHRA’s ongoing celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Funny Car class, one legendary Funny Car driver will be honored during the pre-race ceremony.

Fans also will want to visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food, and fun for the entire family.

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 3 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 218-824-RACE (7223) or 866-444-4455. Tickets also are available online at www.brainerdraceway.com. Kids 12 and under are free in general-admission areas with a paid adult.