As millions of Americans go back to work today, marking the end of the holiday season, for NHRA fans, today is not an end but a beginning, the beginning of the countdown to the historic 50th running of the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline.
NHRA will kick off the countdown to the Feb. 11-14 event at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona by unveiling a Web site dedicated specifically to the 50th Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline: www.50thwinternationals.com.
The Web site is chock-full of features that will help fans heading to Pomona for the once-in-a-lifetime event, including details about autograph sessions with NHRA legends, the Golden 50 car show, Cacklefests, and the Legends Dinner.
The site also features lists of all past winners, vintage video, and a decade-by-decade look back at the second-longest-running event on the NHRA circuit, behind only the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil.
To complement the online look back at the storied history of the Winternationals, NHRA fans can soon purchase a companion book or DVD. The book is an encyclopedia of one of NHRA’s most prestigious events, complete with stats, facts, photos, and comments from NHRA legends including Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Jim Dunn, Connie Kalitta, and Shirley Muldowney.
It will be a great keepsake and, if you’re one of the tens of thousands of fans heading to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Feb. 11-14 for this historic NHRA event, a great autograph book as autograph sessions with NHRA legends will be just one of the many off-track activities scheduled for fans lucky enough to possess a ticket to this special race.
Already renowned as “the best value in sports” by SportsBusiness Journal for all of the ways fans can entertain themselves at an NHRA event, the publication will have to come up with a new category to characterize the value of a ticket to the 2010 NHRA season opener (ticket information: 800-884-NHRA [6472] or ticketmaster.com).
To mark the milestone 50th running of the iconic Winternationals, NHRA has scheduled a series of events within the event that will transform Auto Club Raceway at Pomona into a virtual amusement park for the weekend.
In addition to the autograph sessions with such legends as Muldowney and Garlits, there will be a once-in-a-lifetime car show with up to 75 vintage cars, including Roland Leong’s Hawaiian and Prudhomme’s Hot Wheels Funny Car, static- and push-start Cacklefests and tribute-car races, and much more.
The week will be overflowing with nostalgic activities as NHRA pays tribute to its past throughout what figures to be one of the most memorable race weeks in the sport’s history as many of the legendary cars, drivers, and magical moments will be honored.
“This will be a once-in-a-lifetime event not just for fans in Southern California, but for drag racing and hot rodding fans throughout the country,” said Gary Darcy, NHRA senior vice president-sales & marketing. “With all of the ancillary events we’re planning for that weekend, we believe the 50th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona will be a must-see, must-experience destination event for racing fans nationwide.”
The weekend will also include the unveiling of the greatest moment in Winternationals history (the complete list of moments can be found here).