NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Although it’s a young race on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals has been packed with action, drama, and history since its 2010 debut. As part of NHRA’s celebration of 50 years of Funny Car, here’s a look at some of the most exciting moments in Funny Car racing at the event.

Fans got a sneak preview of the concept in September 2009 when Mike Neff, John Force, Tim Wilkerson, and Del Worsham went four-wide in an exhibition at zMAX Dragway’s fall event. Neff, driver of Force’s Ford Drive One Mustang, won on a holeshot; his 4.136, 307.58 bolstered by a .074 light helped him hold off his boss' quicker 4.118, 305.91. Force had a .104 reaction time in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang. Worsham, driver of the Alan Johnson/Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Solara, finished third with a 4.205, 298.27, and Wilkerson finished fourth with the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang at 4.509, 262.49.

Fans saw two-wide explosions at the inaugural Four-Wide Nationals in 2010 when Jeff Diehl and Matt Hagan both experienced body-shedding engine failures during Saturday qualifying. Both teams were able to get their cars back together for Sunday’s racing, which was won by Force.

Hagan’s luck was not much better in 2012 when his Aaron’s-sponsored Dodge suffered another major engine explosion, this time in Friday’s opening round of qualifying. The setback led to Hagan failing to qualify.

Jack Beckman won the Four-Wide Nationals in 2011, then returned to win it again last year, making him just the second two-time winner of the event behind Robert Hight (2012, 2014).