NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Crowning four world champions, saying goodbye to “Thunder Mountain,” and introducing a new Division Director for the first time in 25 years were just a few of the highlights from a very memorable 2023 season in NHRA’s Division 5. With 2024 just around the corner, Division 5 is poised to continue leading the way in promoting NHRA Drag Racing and serving competitors across the West Central Division. 

Last season was a time of great success for our racers, both locally and across the country. Julie Nataas and Randy Meyer Racing dominated Top Alcohol Dragster, winning the world championship, the Central Region championship, and the JEGS Allstars. Wyatt Wagner and Trevor Larson took on the toughest NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series racers across seven divisions, and both brought world championships back to the West Central in Super Stock and Super Gas, respectively. 

In the NHRA Summit Racing Series, Division 5 hosted the largest E.T. Finals in the country, with more than 500 competitors from across 12 states and Canada converging in Topeka to represent their home tracks. Patrick Roetto, from Wichita, Kan., not only went through a tough E.T. Motorcycle field to earn his third E.T. Finals Wally, but he also managed to win the 2023 National Championship in Las Vegas.

For the 2024 season, we are very excited to welcome three new facilities to the NHRA D-5 family. Flying H Dragstrip, located about 40 miles east of Kansas City in Odessa, Mo., is a brand-new, quarter-mile racetrack that is set to start racing in April. In addition to hosting a doubleheader Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event June 13-16, Flying H will also be the host of the Division 5 E.T. Finals (Sept. 13-14), Street Car Takeover, Mid-West Pro Mod Series, Summit E.T. Series, and much more. We are very excited about the future of drag racing back in Kansas City!

In addition, Onawa Dragway, located in Western Iowa just outside of Omaha, will be joining the West Central in 2024. Justin Richards and his family took over the facility last year and are working on some great improvements to the eighth-mile facility. We are looking forward to spending a weekend with the Onawa staff and racers at their opening weekend in April. 

After taking a year off, Kansas International Dragway (KID) in Wichita will also rejoin us in 2024 and plans to kick off its season in April. Not only will KID be hosting a variety of heads-up and Summit E.T. Series events, they will also be the home of one NHRA’s Youth and Education Services (YES) events on April 15. The YES program brings in high school and college students from the area to meet with local businesses and leadership to learn about opportunities in motorsports, specifically in drag racing. This is a great way to continue the growth of our sport and help bring in fresh faces and new ideas for our future. If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach to the division office and we will help get you involved.

Across the division, we are excited to bring our competitors new opportunities, classes, and payouts in a variety of series. Beginning in 2024, all of our Lucas Oil divisional categories are getting an increase in payout, with the winners of Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Top Dragster, and Top Sportsman all receiving $2,000 for a class win and Sportsman Motorcycle receiving $1,000. In addition, round money will still start at third round, and we expect close to 150 competitors to leave with a check at every West Central LODRS event. 

This season, you can catch us at Tri-State Raceway (May 31–June 2), Flying H Dragstrip for a doubleheader (June 13-16), Brainerd International Raceway for a doubleheader (July 18-21), and back at Tri-State Raceway to close out the season (Sept. 6–8).

At the Summit Series Finals, hosted at Flying H Dragstrip Sept. 13-14, the West Central is proud to announce increase in payouts across all categories and Race of Champions for 2024. Including the Summit Racing bonus, Super Pro and Pro will pay $8,000 to win, Sportsman will pay $5,000 to win, and E.T. Motorcycle will pay $4,000. Across the board, the division will be adding almost $10,000 to the purse and, in addition to the giveaways and contingencies, will have close to $100,000 up for grabs to our Summit E.T. racers over the weekend.

We are also very excited about the introduction of three new classes to the 2024 E.T. Finals. Working with our member tracks, we have developed three eighth-mile index categories (5.80, 6.50, 7.50) that will be contested on Saturday in a Race of Champions-style format. For each class, member tracks will be able to bring up to two competitors and compete against the best from around the West Central Division. The Index classes will be free of charge for the racer and will each have a purse of $1,500. The format will allow tracks to create their own programs, tailored to their racers, and give our Index racers in Division 5 the chance to race on a large stage in front of their peers. More information will be available in the coming weeks.

On behalf of the Division 5 Tech Specialist and Division Services Coordinator Rob Silvy and myself, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to the racers, facilities, and sponsors across the West Central. Since our first day, you have shown us nothing but hospitality and welcomed us to your family. We are extremely fortunate to be a part of such a prestigious division, and we very much look forward to the future of drag racing in the High & Mighty. Enjoy the rest of the offseason and get those hot rods ready, because D-5 drag racing is right around the corner.