NHRA Swaps Dates of 2017 Countdown Races (1 Viewer)

[Paul]

Reading and St. Louis will swap dates next year. Like I have said in a previous post about Reading, not sure it will really matter if you're trying to dodge the rain. The race for a number of years was 2 weeks after Labor Day and it would rain at some point during the weekend the majority of time. It's most certainly a plus moving away from competing against Dover.

NHRA MAKES SCHEDULE CHANGE FOR 2017 COUNTDOWN RACES

GLENDORA, Calif. (Oct. 11, 2016) — The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals and the Dodge NHRA Nationals are switching their event dates for the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, NHRA officials announced Tuesday.

The Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Penn. will move up one week to Sept. 21-24 and the AAA Insurance NHRA Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill. will move back one week to Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The change will improve the overall schedule for both venues.

“I think we will see some benefits from this by moving off the weekend of the NASCAR races at Dover (Delaware),’’ said Lex Dudas, Vice President and General Manager at Maple Grove Raceway. “We know fans over the years wanted to do both, but they had to pick and choose.”

The Dover race track is only 100 miles south of Maple Grove Raceway, which now becomes the second race of the Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoff at the end of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season that determines the champion in the four professional categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

The AAA Insurance NHRA Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park now becomes the third race in the Countdown.

"Hosting our event on the last weekend of September should provide more enjoyable conditions for our fans," said Chris Blair, Gateway Motorsports Park's Executive Vice President and General Manager. "In addition, many of the racers would like the opportunity to attack our racing surface under ideal conditions for shattering records."

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

Sounds ok to me.......

 

[SundayNiagara]

Is anyone surprised?

 

[.]

“We know fans over the years wanted to do both, but they had to pick and choose.”

I'm guessing they weren't overwhelmingly picking NHRA then?

 

[stitcherbob]

The Maple Grove race has been moved several times before....remember when it was the last race that determined who was in the Countdown? They stayed until Wednesday to settle that one year.

Moving it further away from the Hershey AACA Fall Meet dates is just fine with me....

http://www.hersheyaaca.org/fallmeet.html

 

[Country21]

Good chance it also get it away from the National Open witch was supposed to run that same weekend as Reading this year and is only an hour away

 

[8sec71]

“We know fans over the years wanted to do both, but they had to pick and choose.”

I'm guessing they weren't overwhelmingly picking NHRA then?

Coulda fooled me. The place is packed year after year even with crap weather.

 

[justafan]

It seems to make sense from a travel standpoint for the teams. Currently Charlotte-St. Louis-Reading-Dallas (approximately 3000 miles) Next year Charlotte-Reading-St. Louis-Dallas (approximately 2010 miles). Almost 1000 miles less.

 

[Huge]

It seems to make sense from a travel standpoint for the teams. Currently Charlotte-St. Louis-Reading-Dallas (approximately 3000 miles) Next year Charlotte-Reading-St. Louis-Dallas (approximately 2010 miles). Almost 1000 miles less.

Yep,the logistics is much better. I had been hoping this change would eventually happen.

 

[T.Smith]

Back to back national events. That move is sure going to hurt a lot of low buck sportsman racers in the east. And to think I just read "I want everyone to know that the sportsman racers are extremely important to us". Thanks Peter.

Knowone is forcing you to go.

 

[Bob]

I'm wondering how this will affect the Dutch Classic at MG next year. Will they try to run it the same weekend as the Gateway national event, or move it to the weekend after Gateway?

 

[Jimbo]

I would not want to have been one of the people trying to select the New dates for the race when you consider all the other types of events going on around the same time of year from, sporting events, drag racing events, car shows, plus looking at the weather for that time of year in PA, and a whole host of other things.

Either we need a bigger calendar or less events going on !!!!

Just my opinion. Jimbo

 

[JB3]

I'm wondering how this will affect the Dutch Classic at MG next year. Will they try to run it the same weekend as the Gateway national event, or move it to the weekend after Gateway?

I think the Gateway National would have little impact on the Dutch Classic National Open. This year there were less than 12 D3 Stock / Super Stock entries and that was with the Indy Fall Classic being the same weekend. A National event in St. Louis would have a similar impact with respect to D3 cars but certainly won't take away D1 cars unless they are in the hunt for a Championship. This year there were only 2 D1 drivers in Stock and Super Stock racing at St. Louis (Biondo / Fletcher). Most of the "touring" D1 guys like that don't usually attend the Dutch or National Opens in general.

The .90 categories seem to have shrunk in their support of the Dutch Classic with less than 40 cars in each respective category. And Comp ... well we know how that has been trending.

Have to wait for the division level schedules to be released. Either way, those that just want to go fast and flex their muscle ... will still support the Dutch Classic IMO. Its a cool race !!