NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing is known for pure, raw power thanks to the 10,000-horsepower, nitro-burning beasts that are featured at every event, but once a year, the series gets a little more powerful, if you will, thanks to Bruton Smith’s four-lane zMAX Dragway. The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods is a race unlike any other with four cars matching up across the lanes in a 40,000-horsepower spectacle in which anything can happen. From crazy engine boomers to double-holeshot wins, the four-wide race produces many memorable moments year in and year out. At last year’s event, Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Larry Morgan (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) outlasted the field (click here for a review of last year’s event).

Here’s a quick look at some of the major storylines entering the event.

All about the staging
Due to the unusual format and the different Tree that can accommodate the four cars, staging is especially important at this event, so much so that watching the process can actually be as interesting as the race itself. From the coordination by the four crew chiefs, who hold up their hands to indicate when their car is ready to go to drivers trying to remember which of the four sets of pre-stage/stage bulbs are for their lanes, there is a lot that happens before the Tree even comes down to start the runs.

More pedaling
In the traditional two-wide races, a driver who encounters troubles knows early whether he or she has a chance if they pedal the car and get it to recover. If he or she doesn’t see the other driver and/or hears them, the driver will get back on the throttle and do whatever it takes to try and win. However, if the driver’s opponent is sailing straight downtrack, odds are he or she will get off the throttle and concede the race. That is not the case in the four-wide event because, though the opponent directly next to a driver may be doing just fine, the driver doesn’t know what is happening in the other two lanes. With two drivers advancing from each quad, that means a driver will pedal the car no matter what in hopes of getting the car to recover enough to beat the other two to the finish line.

Milestone moments
There are a few notable milestones for the weekend, covering all three full-season categories. In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher (pictured) will hit 300 consecutive starts when he qualifies this weekend (there are 16 cars on the entry list, so as long as he makes one qualifying run, he will have a starting spot). Schumacher ranks fourth on the all-time qualifying streaks behind John Force and Warren Johnson and Greg Anderson. Speaking of Anderson, he sits at 303 consecutive starts entering this event, which ties him with Johnson for No. 2 all time. When he qualifies this weekend (like Top Fuel, 16 cars entered in Pro Stock), Anderson will take over sole possession of that second spot behind Force. In Funny Car, Force’s daughter Courtney will enter her 100th race this weekend.

Upset alert
So far, 2016 has been the year of the upset with numerous jaw-dropping moments from the first round all the way to the final in Las Vegas, where Troy Buff nearly pulled off the ultimate upset. Will that continue here? If past history is an indication, it is a definite possibility. With the unusual format and uncertainty it can create on race day, the four-wide event has produced many upsets through the years. Take 2013, for example, when the final four in Funny Car included Matt Hagan; Tim Wilkerson, who entered the race ranked 12th in points; Chad Head, who was racing in just his third event; and independent campaigner Blake Alexander, who finished as the runner-up to Hagan. And, of course, who could forget when Jimmy Alund stunned everyone and won the 2014 Pro Stock title?

Big-team dominance
Though the event has produced some upsets, overall, the big-name teams have held sway in the four-wide competition. Five of the six Top Fuel titles belong to Don Schumacher Racing. The only non-DSR Top Fuel winner is Del Worsham, who scored while with the Al-Anabi team in 2011. In Funny Car, DSR and rival John Force Racing have split the races with each holding three of the six Wallys awarded. Pro Stock is a little more even, but KB Racing has accounted for three of the six wins. Finally, in Pro Stock Motorcycle, Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson rider Andrew Hines (pictured) has won the last two events.

A female first?
Early this season, women have been doing quite well with female winners at the last three events (Leah Pritchett, Phoenix; Brittany Force, Gainesville; Alexis DeJoria, Las Vegas). If that trend continues here, it would create a first for the four-wide races. To date, no woman has hoisted a Wally from the four-wide event, though DeJoria, Ashley Force Hood, and Erica Enders have made it to the final four. Both Force Hood and Enders have recorded runner-ups, and DeJoria’s best was a third-place finish.

Track records
Top Fuel
3.713 seconds, J.R. Todd, March 2015
332.18 mph, Spencer Massey, April 2012

Funny Car
3.971 seconds, Tommy Johnson Jr., September 2015
322.27 mph, Matt Hagan, September 2011

Pro Stock
6.455 seconds, Jason Line, March 2015
215.48 mph, Greg Anderson, March 2015

Pro Stock Motorcycle
6.794 seconds, Hector Arana Jr., March 2015
199.88 mph, Hector Arana Jr., March 2015

Schedule
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 22, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday, April 23, at 2 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for noon Sunday, April 24.

Tickets
To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 800-455-FANS or log on to CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com.

Television
Saturday, April 23, FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, April 24, FS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage at 4:30 p.m. (ET).