NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is nearly upon us. With one weekend remaining before the NHRA Nitro Spring Training test session at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix followed by the Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, it’s time to make some predictions for the upcoming season.

1. There will be multiple first-time winners in Top Fuel.

As we mentioned in last week’s column, there has been a bit of a logjam since Richie Crampton became the 100th different driver to win in the dragster category. Antron Brown alone has prevented a flood of new winners with final-round victories against the likes of Brittany Force, Leah Pritchett, and Clay Millican in the past few seasons.

While the usual suspects will continue to put wins on the board, they won’t be able to delay the progress of the other hungry teams much longer.

2. There will be at least one first-time Mello Yello champion.

All of the 2015 champions won their second titles with the exception of Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Andrew Hines, who collected No. 5. Funny Car champion Del Worsham scored his second in a different category after his 2011 Top Fuel triumph. It was the first year since 2006 (Tony Schumacher, John Force, Jason Line, Hines) that there were no first-time champions in any of the four Pro categories.

With candidates to win their first titles all across the board, those with the strongest odds include half of the Don Schumacher Racing stable – Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr. – and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Jerry Savoie. The first two drivers are perennial contenders in their current rides, and Savoie flashed potential to dominate aboard his Suzuki toward the end of the season. Last season, there were exactly two drivers in the top five in the Mello Yello standings in each category who have yet to win a championship.

3. The driver with the most wins this season will be in the Pro Stock class.

Pro Stock is difficult to predict at this point in the offseason anyway without knowing the kind of gains being made in each individual shop, and it’s a complete wild card this year given the rules changes that include a switch to electronic fuel injection. That being said, the team that can get the R&D advantage early in the season may be poised to dominate the middle part of the season when we get to stretches of several events contested in a row.

4. The 200-mph barrier will be broken in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Could this finally be the year? With the all-important disclaimer of “conditions permitting,” we think it will be. John Smith recorded the first run to exceed 190 mph in Gainesville 17 years ago, and riders have been knocking on the door of 200 in recent years. Last season, Hector Arana Sr. and Hector Arana Jr. combined to run 199 mph on five separate occasions. Jerry Savoie was the fastest of the Suzuki contingent with a 198.99-mph speed in Dallas. Enough teams are close enough that it can happen with the ambient conditions and wind on their side.

5. The streak of first-time champions will continue in both alcohol classes.

With the retirements of championship stalwarts such as Frank Manzo, Bill Reichert, and Jim Whiteley from active driving competition in recent years, the door has opened for new blood to grab the top prize in the alcohol categories. For the first time since the 1995 and 1996 seasons, new champions have been crowned in the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car categories in back-to-back seasons.

With Jonnie Lindberg back to defend his Top Alcohol Funny Car title and past champions such as Tony Bartone expected to make a run at it, it will be a difficult task. John Lombardo Jr., however, will be a heavy favorite this season based on the second half he put together in 2015, and Annie Whiteley figures to be a factor as well after leading the points standings for much of 2015.

The Top Alcohol Dragster battle will be tough with blown drivers Joey Severance and Chris Demke expected to duke it out again. After four consecutive years of a supercharged car winning the title, we think this may be the year the pendulum tilts back in the favor of an A/Fuel team with many strong candidates to put wins together this year.