TOP DRAGSTER, TOP SPORTSMAN TO COMPETE FOR NHRA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2015 (1 Viewer)

[SundayNiagara]

Read this, Super class racer's & fans.

GLENDORA, Calif. (Jan. 9, 2015) -- NHRA announced today that competitors in the Top Dragster and Top Sportsman classes will compete for NHRA National Championships beginning in 2015. Both season champions will be awarded with NHRA National Champion’s Wally trophies along with National Championship rings and jackets.

The two classes will be contested at 14 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series national events across the country, as well as the three NHRA JEGS SPORTSnationals events and at all NHRA Lucas Drag Racing Series divisional events. To earn NHRA National Championships, drivers in both classes will count their best three of their first five national events, and their best five of their first eight divisional events. The JEGS SPORTSnationals events will be counted as national events, with competitors earning national event points.

The six-second, 200 mph race cars featured in both classes have continued to increase in popularity and participation. The addition of three new events in 2015 will include the Route 66 NHRA Nationals near Chicago, which also plays host to the JEGS Allstars.

“We've seen the two categories grow since 2002 with the introduction of Top Sportsman and 2005 with Top Dragster,” said Josh Peterson, NHRA vice president of racing administration. “Recognizing an NHRA National Champion in Top Sportsman and Top Dragster is the next step as interest by racers, sponsors and fans continues to grow.”

Class field sizes will not change as a 32-car field will be contested at all national events, including the three JEGS SPORTSnationals, and at Lucas Oil divisional events in divisions 1-5. Divisions 6 and 7 will continue to contest 48-car fields with the final Lucas Oil divisional event of the year held at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosting a 64-car field.

 

[mastertone]

excellent! Now if we could just get rid of super gas and super comp!

 

[FABMAN]

excellent! Now if we could just get rid of super gas and super comp!

If they got rid of electronic devices the class would be fine, I raced the class when it started and was a lot fun. Top Sportsman is getting expensive so the racers need another choice.

 

[Toejam]

excellent! Now if we could just get rid of super gas and super comp!

Never happen as long as they get 100+ entries at most races!

 

[DrRocket]

I used to love Super Gas in the early days because of the wide variety of cars to be seen.

 

[Jeff]

My wife and I just mapped out our 5 nationals and 8 divisionals for 2015 (well assuming nothing too crazy happens with my work commitments). With the NHRA increasing the "normal" national events in each class to 14 (was 11 yesterday) and making the Jegs Sportsnationals a national for points purposes rather than a divisional, it was actually hard to come up with 8 divisionals that fit our personal schedules. (Running Topeka dead in the middle of August is truly a test of personal hydration/willpower and the condition of your generators and AC systems! ... Hoping to avoid doing that again this year).

I think a lot of people are excited to make a run at a single digit car number, we'll be happily trying with everybody else to turn the TD 42 we'll be running in '15 to a TD X for '16. And hopefully her TS car will be out there for the last half of the year.

 

[StockersRock]

Top Sportsman is getting expensive so the racers need another choice.

My first thought was "I wonder how much more expensive these classes just got..." But, as somebody who's just a fan, I'm glad to hear it! It'll be fun to have a couple more classes to follow the championship chase of each fall!

 

[Reese]

I think a lot of people are excited to make a run at a single digit car number, we'll be happily trying with everybody else to turn the TD 42 we'll be running in '15 to a TD X for '16. And hopefully her TS car will be out there for the last half of the year.

Hey Jeff I'm hoping one of our D4 guys can be the first to put a #1 on a top dragster and top sportsman. I think you and your wife, along with Mark Jones and Wade Pennington are favorites in D4 top dragster to get it done. See y'all in Belle Rose.

 

[Jeff]

Armand, we've got a tough division, but it is fun to try. Mark Jones has always been a powerhouse, and Wade is a great driver who is quickly getting a handle on a very fast/consistent car. There are more than a handful of others who are at least as good as us and race a lot of races. Unfortunately, it looks like we may skip the first two races (Houston Div, and Jeg Sportnationals) which is a bummer because we are currently leading the Jeg's D4 TD points for representation in Chicago in July. But family stuff comes first. The revised schedule makes getting our 5 nationals pretty easy so we may skip the Sportnationals to run the PDRA event in Ennis that same weekend and use that to sort out the cobwebs that have accumulated since Vegas in November .... but after that it'll be all NHRA.

 

[Toejam]

I remember at Houston in 2012 Top Dragster took a 6.73 to qualify!

 

[FABMAN]

If you get in tight field just hit the button.

 

[SundayNiagara]

If you get in tight field just hit the button.

Most racer's use that stuff just for qualifying.

 

[FABMAN]

Most racer's use that stuff just for qualifying.

Yeah thats what I was referring to, if motor is built right its cheap horsepower.

 

[cephus]

just a way 4 nhra 2 take more money from the racer

 

[JB3]

just away 4 nhra 2 take m more money from the racer

While that may be true in essence, this was almost 100% driven by the racers in those categories. They went to NHRA, not the opposite. Racers have been pushing this for a while.

 

[Toejam]

Most racer's use that stuff just for qualifying.

I thought you couldn't dial more then a 0.10 slower than your qual time in eliminations?

 

[JB3]

I thought you couldn't dial more then a 0.10 slower than your qual time in eliminations?

There is a min / max dial for each class. You are referring to something different ...

TOP SPORTSMAN
Class is for full-bodied side-steer-type vehicles only. Qualified fields with competition conducted in a dial-in e.t. format. Minimum
6.00-second dial-in; maximum 7.99-second dial-in (eighth-mile, minimum 3.66- to 5.29-second dial-in).

TOP DRAGSTER
Class is for dragster and open-bodied altered-type vehicles only ... Qualified fields with competition conducted in a dial-in
E.T. format. Minimum 6.00-second dial-in; maximum 7.70-second dial-in (eighth-mile, 3.66 to 4.99 seconds).

Plus, any alternate inserted into the field cannot dial more than .01 slower than the slowest qualified car.

 

[SundayNiagara]

Plus, any alternate inserted into the field cannot dial more than .01 slower than the slowest qualified car.

But, what about cars that are already qualified?

 

[Toejam]

There is a min / max dial for each class. You are referring to something different ...

TOP SPORTSMAN
Class is for full-bodied side-steer-type vehicles only. Qualified fields with competition conducted in a dial-in e.t. format. Minimum
6.00-second dial-in; maximum 7.99-second dial-in (eighth-mile, minimum 3.66- to 5.29-second dial-in).

TOP DRAGSTER
Class is for dragster and open-bodied altered-type vehicles only ... Qualified fields with competition conducted in a dial-in
E.T. format. Minimum 6.00-second dial-in; maximum 7.70-second dial-in (eighth-mile, 3.66 to 4.99 seconds).

Plus, any alternate inserted into the field cannot dial more than .01 slower than the slowest qualified car.

You saying a TD that qualifys with a 6.35 can dial a 6.70 in eliminations? That's news to me...

 

[Jeff]

That is true Joe. It happens, but not all that often. Many of us will have one pass where we work on an "all out" set up, and if that works then its our fastest qualifying pass. Last year we qualified in the 6.3x's and raced in the 6.3x's. With our new engine, we hope to qualify more in the 6.1x's and race in the 6.3xs .... generally there will only be one pass that is that fast..... idea being to keep the race in front of the driver by being the faster car, but give the driver access to a nitrous stage that will otherwise go unused in the event that we rattle the tire early in the run.