After a rare two-weekend hiatus, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series roars back into action in the Pacific Northwest to kick off the stretch run of four events heading toward the end of the regular season.

Today’s Professional qualifying sessions don’t begin until late afternoon with the first session not scheduled until 4:30 p.m. PT and followed by the excitement of racing under the lights at Pacific Raceways, the first planned night session in the event’s 35-year history.

Track records that have stood for nearly eight years will almost assuredly fall in the cool conditions and great air that can make the longstanding facility a record-breaking factory.

In Top Fuel, Steve Torrence is the defending event champ, and surprisingly, his victory here last year was the four-time world champion’s last visit to the winner’s circle, and he could use another weekend like that to climb back into contention for the points lead before the Countdown to the Championship points reset in early September.

Top Fuel points leader Doug Kalitta has just one victory in Seattle, which came exactly a decade ago, while one of his primary pursuers, Antron Brown, has won four times at Pacific Raceway, including three in a row from 2016-18, and is the current track record holder.

After skipping the event in Norwalk to be with her injured father, John, two-time Top Fuel world champ Brittany Force will make her return to points competition and will need a big weekend to get her back into the championship discussion.

Austin Prock, whose first career win came in Top Fuel in Seattle in 2019, is racing this year in Funny Car, and the current runaway points leader would love to join Ron Capps, Del Worsham, and Tommy Johnson Jr. as the only drivers to win the event in both nitro classes. Worsham, now the crew chief for championship hopeful Alexis DeJoria, still holds the track Funny Car record of 3.83, recorded way back in 2016.

Bob Tasca III and Matt Hagan both need huge outings to cut into Prock’s huge points lead, though Tasca has never won in Seattle and Hagan’s lone win came 11 years ago in 2013 against, of all people, Tasca.

Defending event champ Tim Wilkerson won’t defend his title behind the wheel but on wrenches as he tunes for his son Daniel, who has taken over the reins of the Scag Mustang in 2024.

Pro Stock is back at the event after taking a year off in 2023, and Troy Coughlin Jr., winner earlier this season in Epping, would love to pick up where he left off, and he'll have to contend with the dual threats of world champ Erica Enders and the class’ greatest winner, Greg Anderson, to do it. Enders won here in 2012, and it’s been even longer for Anderson – 2010 – since he won his third and most recent Wally in Seattle.

Of current drivers, only Chris McGaha (2015) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (2002) also have previous wins in Seattle.

The event will also mark a rebirth of sorts for Pro Stock rookie Sienna Wildgust, who will join the Elite Motorsports roster after starting the season with the rival KB/Titan team.

Can Gaige Herrera continue his blisteringly hot winning streak in Pro Stock Motorcycle? That’s the biggest question on the minds of the class as not only is he undefeated in six events and 23 straight rounds, but he hasn’t lost a points-earning round since last September and is riding the wave of an unprecedented 11-event, 43-round winning streak.

The class made its debut at last year’s event, which, naturally, Herrera won, but he'll again face tough competition from Matt Smith, whose Denso Buell seems to be able to match Herrera’s RevZilla Suzuki in performance.

2023 EVENT WINNERS: Steve Torrence, Top Fuel; Tim Wilkerson, Funny Car; Gaige Herrera, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

MOST VICTORIES: Tony Schumacher and Joe Amato, 5, TF; John Force, 9, FC; Bob Glidden, 6, PS; Gaige Herrera, 1, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS

• Top Fuel - 3.685 sec. by Antron Brown, Aug. ’16; 334.73 mph by Brittany Force, July ‘23.
• Funny Car – 3.832 sec. by Del Worsham Aug. ’16; 334.15 mph by Jack Beckman, Aug. ’16.
• Pro Stock – 6.488 sec. by Chris McGaha Aug. ’15; 213.40 mph by McGaha, Aug. ’15.
• Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.729 sec. by Gaige Herrera July ’23; 200.56 mph by Hector Arana Jr., July ‘23.

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, July 19
LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying and time trials at 9:30 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 4:30 and 8:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, July 20
LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 9:30 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 1:30 and 3:45 p.m.

SUNDAY, July 21
Pre-race ceremonies, 9:45 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m.

TELEVISION

Friday, July 19, FS1 will televise one and half hours of qualifying coverage at 10:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 21, FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 1:00 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 21, FOX will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).

TICKETS

To purchase tickets to the NHRA Northwest Nationals, fans can click here or call 800-884-6472