NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The 2024 professional drag racing season launches this weekend at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, March 7-10, with an epic return of the fan bracket game Drag Race Bracket Bonanza (DRBB). For the first time ever, DRBB will be up and running for the entire NHRA season, including the two four-wide races in Las Vegas and Charlotte.
 
“Last year, we got off to a great start with thousands of people playing during the U.S. Nationals and throughout the Countdown [to the Championship],” said DRBB founder Elon Werner. “We are excited to have DRBB up and running for the full season. We will have some shorter series like The Majors, the Four-Wide Nationals Cup, and the Countdown, as well as an overall season champion. Our goal is to create a fun and engaging game for anyone interested in following professional drag racing.”
 
By the end of the 2023 season, with only seven races in play, prizes were sent to 18 states across the U.S. and three countries. DRBB players surveyed during the offseason frequently mentioned that they loved having even more of a reason to tune in on race day, to follow their brackets, and root on their picks.
 
“I think Drag Race Bracket Bonanza is great because it opens up the opportunity for fans to have a vested interest in the outcome of each race,” said Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley. “It’s a fun, engaging, and competitive way to increase fan involvement and add to their overall experience.”
 
Throughout the offseason, the DRBB team worked tirelessly on completely revamping the website to make it even better on both mobile and desktop. Returning players can expect a drastically improved website and new features. The main comment from beta testers of the updated site was that it is much faster and user-friendly to make their picks.
 
“The entire DRBB development team has been working all offseason to improve the gameplay and user experience,” said Werner. “The look is much cleaner, and we have added driver photos and stats to make playing easier for fans of every experience level. Overall, the new and improved version of DRBB takes the drag racing experience to the next level for fans who want to feel more invested in their favorite driver or category.”
 
One of the most requested features after the 2023 season was the chance for league play. Players didn’t want to just compete worldwide, but also have the chance to directly challenge their friends and family, to make it a more localized experience.
 
“We have added league play for players that would like to compete against their friends and family in a closed group,” said Werner. “Everyone will still play in the DRBB main league, but fans can share their bracket inside their private league or create a unique bracket for league play. We have also added a randomizer option, similar to a lottery ticket quick pick, for people who want to play but may not know every class or just don't have time to fill out a bracket for all four categories.”
 
As a continuation from 2023, players will have the opportunity to fill out their brackets for all four Professional classes. They will earn points based off their correct picks, and at the end of every race, DRBB will award prizes to the overall winner and each class winner (Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle), signed by the race winners. There will be five prizes given out every race, with additional specialty prizes given out throughout the season for the individual series.
 
“Drag Race Bracket Bonanza couldn't have come at a more perfect time,” said Funny Car driver Buddy Hull. “Fans are looking for more interaction and ways to make NHRA Drag Racing more exciting between their friends and family. I can tell you this, I certainly enjoy playing, and I work to get as many of my friends and fellow racers to play as well.”
 
Fans can find both drivers and fellow DRBB competitors talking about the popular game on social media. Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III recently tweeted that he is “Hoping to sign plenty of the @dragracebb plaques in 2024.” You can follow Drag Race Bracket Bonanza on social media for cool stats, prize updates, and info on Twitter/X at @dragracebb or Instagram and Facebook, @DragRaceBracketBonanza. DRBB also just launched a new YouTube channel, at @DragRaceBracketBonanza.
 
DRBB players will have the opportunity to fill out their brackets for the first time this year during the Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway when qualifying ends on Saturday, March 9. They will then have until the first round of eliminations begins on Sunday, March 10 at 10:30 a.m. ET to submit their picks. Fans can watch the NHRA broadcast on FS1.
 
For additional information and to sign up anytime, fans can visit www.dragracebracketbonanza.com.