Race Weekend Central

NHRA Increases Points Payout for U.S. Nationals

The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the most prestigious event of the year in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, so the competition committee is sweetening the pot with a points increase for competitors.

Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle racers will now earn points on a point-and-a-half scale for the Labor Day weekend race. That makes the race worth 150 points for winners, 120 points for the runners-up, 90 points each for semifinalists, 60 points each for second round finishers, and 30 points for first round finishers.

The U.S. Nationals also marks the end of the “regular season” for NHRA, with the six-race Countdown to the Championship starting at the next event.

“With more points up for grabs we certainly expect to see a lot of movement throughout the top 10s in each of the Mello Yello Series classes on the final day of the regular season,” said Graham Light, NHRA senior vice president of racing operations. “The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is already one of the most pressure-packed events on the circuit and we expect that level of excitement to increase significantly with this points increase.”

In addition to finishing position points, competitors can also earn 15 points for making at least one attempt to qualify, 20 points for setting a national record, eight points for earning the No. 1 qualifying position and up to 15 points by earning three qualifying bonus points in each of the five qualifying sessions. That means a winning racer could potentially earn up to 208 points for the weekend.

The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals takes place at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis and the weekend also features the Traxxas Nitro Shootout, an all star event for Top Fuel and Funny Car.

About the author

A writer for Frontstretch since 2002, and editor since 2006, Toni heads up the NHRA coverage for the site. She’s responsible for post-race coverage in the weekly Pace Laps multi-series round-up along with the weekly Nitro Shots column featuring news and features from the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. An award-winning former writer for the Presbyterian Church, Toni works in web design and freelances with writing in North Carolina.

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