NHRA's online national event registration system (www.nhraeventreg.com) was introduced at the beginning of the 2004 racing season and while there were some initial glitches, the overall report is favorable to this system. The online system offers many advantages to the racers, including 24/7 access to entry information, a streamlined process (racers no longer have to request and then mail entries and wait for an acceptance letter), the ability to complete a tech card online, and the availability of real-time data comparing accepted entries against the event's quota.

One concern expressed by racers, however, was having to enter an event and submit the entry fee so far in advance. To address this concern, the online system has been modified to now accept entries eight weeks prior to each event for racers with grade 6 and greater. Grade 5 racers will be able to enter one week later, Grade 4s a week after that, and so on until the quota for that category is reached. [Click here for entry schedule]

Another area of frustration for the racer was the minimum grade requirement for each event/category. For example, the 2004 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals had a minimum requirement of a grade 4, but the category quotas were filled with Grade 5s and above before the system even opened for the Grade 4s. The Mac Tools Gatornationals had the opposite problem as the quota of drivers with the minimum grade requirement of 3 was not reached; the grade could have be established lower, permitting some Grade 2s to participate.

To address these racer concerns, minimum grade requirements will no longer be established. The online system will continue to accept entries until the quota is reached. Obviously, the incentive is still there to obtain as many grade points as possible. A racer with a higher number of grade points has more assurance of being able to participate at his or her favorite events.

SPORTSnationals: Due to the positive feedback from the many racers attending the 2004 SPORTSnationals at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, La., this event is again scheduled for 2005. In addition, a second SPORTSnationals event will be scheduled in the North Central/Northeastern area of the country. The location and date will be announced very shortly.

Stock and Super Stock class racing: Due to input from racers, and in particular at the request of NHRA's contingency program sponsors, the number of events featuring Stock and Super Stock class will be increased by more than 50 percent in 2005.

Last season, Stock class was featured at seven events (including the SPORTSnationals) as was Super Stock. In 2005, Stock and Super Stock class racing will be conducted at 11 events. Stock class will be conducted in Houston, Las Vegas 1, Atlanta, Topeka, Chicago 1, Denver, Indianapolis, Reading, Las Vegas 2, plus both SPORTSnationals. Super Stock class will be contested in Phoenix, Gainesville, Bristol, Topeka, Englishtown, Denver, Brainerd, Indianapolis, Dallas, and both SPORTSnationals.

Alcohol schedule change: Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car will now be contested at Chicago 1 instead of Columbus. The complete event-by-event class schedule for all classes can be found here.