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45-548: The association was founded by Wally Parks in 1951 in California to provide a governing body to organize and promote the sport of drag racing. NHRA's first Nationals was held in 1955, in Great Bend, Kansas . The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series , the national event series which comprises 24 races each year, is the premier series in drag racing that brings together the best drag racers from across North America and

90-468: A car. In the wake of Scott Kalitta 's death at Englishtown, NJ in 2008, the sand traps have been made longer and deeper, going from three feet deep to six feet deep and from 40 feet (12 m) long to 80 feet (24 m) long. Anchors for any arresting netting must be buried underground with no obstructing posts. Some of the newest safety features deal with the tracks themselves. In the wake of Kalitta's death, there are now heavily padded retaining walls at

135-537: A direct result of Kalitta's death. Within the safety requirements, there is also a full crew of safety personnel, called the Safety Safari , whose job is to attend to any fires, clean up the track of debris after an accident on the track, and attend to the drivers prior to the arrival of any medical personnel. The Safety Safari has been in place since the late 1960s, after a rash of on-track accidents caused several promising drivers to retire early. Since that time

180-399: A rear panel, accessible to safety crews. Sixth is the roof escape hatch that is in place on all Funny Cars since the founding of the division in the early 1970s. This device allows Funny Car drivers a safe means of exit during an engine fire rather than falling out of the car between the frame and fiberglass body, and possibly running the risk of being run over by the rear tires. Seventh are

225-543: A severe case of tire shake which, coupled with the release of his parachutes, ripped his car cleanly in two directly behind the engine. This frame failure exposed him to severe injury with no body or frame in front of his feet, as the severely damaged vehicle ground to a halt. The rules now prevent the use of hardened chrome moly tubing in the framework construction of any Top Fuel or Funny Car. The track length for nitromethane-powered vehicles (funny cars and fuel dragsters) has been reduced to 1,000 feet (305 meters), to reduce

270-476: A supervised place to race. The county finally agreed, as long as the hot rodders would provide their own insurance, which they were able to do with gate receipts. At the time the county made the agreement, the parking lot was nothing but a gravel lot. The coalition of hot rodders, police and community leaders raised funds through donations and paved the lot. This was the birth of the dragstrip in Pomona. Though it

315-523: A trophy statue nicknamed the Wally . The trophy is a bronze statue of a Top Gas racer next to a tire on a wooden platform. As the NHRA celebrated its 60th anniversary season in 2011, pewter Wally trophies were awarded to all of the winners during that season. Other events celebrating milestones may award Wally trophies in varying colors. Parks died on September 28, 2007, due to complications from pneumonia , at

360-558: A young police officer, Sergeant Bud Coons, advocated that a safe place should be provided for local area drag racers. Coons, along with fellow hot rod enthusiast, Pomona Police Chief Ralph Parker, and the city government of Pomona asked to lease the parking lot of the LA County Fairgrounds. Coons and Parker were instrumental in convincing the county to allow the use of the fairgrounds for the race by citing statistics that indicated deaths among kids declined sharply when given

405-492: Is not a hot-rodder at all. He's a square." NHRA initiated the 1954 "Drag Safari", a nationwide tour to encourage organized drag racing with an emphasis on safety. Sponsored by Mobil Oil , the Safari crew would meet with law enforcement and local city officials at each stop to explain their program, involve local car clubs, set up sites, and run drag races. Drag Safari would lead to the 1955 US Nationals for drag racing. Due to

450-400: Is resistant to disintegration. This also came about after the death of Russell. The tires are not allowed to be inflated under 7 pounds per square inch (48 kPa) for any race at any time. All cars capable of attaining 150 miles per hour require braking parachutes . A safety requirement on all Drag cars running 9.99 and quicker in the 1/4 mile is the fireproof engine blanket that surrounds

495-520: Is the top division of the NHRA. It consists of four professional classes: There are more than a dozen Sportsman Classes. The classes contested at NHRA Divisional races include Snowmobile, Motorcycle Classes, Super Street, Super Gas, Stock Eliminator, Super Stock, Competition Eliminator, Super Comp, Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and Top Alcohol Dragster. All classes except Snowmobile and some Sportsman motorcycle classes are regularly contested at NHRA national events. NHRA promotes mainly

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540-747: The In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip , previously named the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona ), is a racing facility located in Pomona, California that features a quarter-mile dragstrip . Since its opening in 1961, the dragstrip has hosted the NHRA 's Winternationals event – the traditional season opener – and since 2021, the season's last race, the NHRA Finals. These two events have contributed to its becoming perhaps one of

585-950: The coronavirus pandemic in the United States , the NHRA cancelled its 2020 and 2021 editions of the Drag Racing Series at the Virginia Motorsports Park . Regular scheduling resumed in 2022, with the events taking place in May of that year. Currently, there are two headquarters offices, one in San Dimas, California , and the other in Brownsburg, Indiana at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park . The Mission Foods Drag Racing Series offices are held in Brownsburg. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

630-418: The 1,000 foot (304.8 meter) increment NHRA has over 100 member tracks across the United States. It currently leases In N Out Pomona Dragstrip , Gainesville Raceway and Lucas Oil Raceway . It previously owned National Trail Raceway and Atlanta Dragway The NHRA mandates numerous safety devices and procedures in all competition events. A five-point safety harness is required for all vehicles. It holds

675-470: The Alcohol ranks. This is to prevent any debris from entering the cockpit and becoming a missile hazard to the driver after the death of Top Fuel racer Darrell Russell. Fifth is the on-board fire extinguishing system that is required. These systems are directed onto the engine itself and are activated instantly when the engine catches fire, reducing the chance for the car to completely catch fire and endanger

720-872: The Professional classes at national events; however, the majority of its participants are Sportsman Racers. Sportsman-class racers must be dues-paying members of NHRA before they are allowed to enter and participate in any NHRA event. Included in these sportsman events are the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the Summit Racing Equipment Racing Series and the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League. The NHRA Sportsman Drag Racing Series originally consisted of seven divisions: Northeast, Southeast, North Central, South Central, West Central, Northwest, and Pacific. Starting in 2012,

765-537: The Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes competed in four regions: East, North Central, Central and West. Sportsman racers with multiple championships Sportsman racers who have won multiple world championships, with the date of their most recent championship. Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) Alcohol Funny Car (AFC) Competition Eliminator (CE) Super Stock (SS) Stock NOTE: Top Fuel and Funny Car records are measured in

810-684: The age of 94. Prior to his death, he was chairman of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California . Parks was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993. This Oklahoma -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Auto Club Raceway at Pomona The Pomona Raceway (currently named

855-592: The best ET of that day was a respectable 10.93. In 1961, NHRA held its first ever Winternationals at the Pomona Raceway. It became NHRA's second national event. The first NHRA national event was the U.S. Nationals, which was nicknamed the "Big-Go". Thus, the Winternationals got nicknamed the "Big-Go West". It has remained at this location ever since. For many years, this event was sponsored by Chief Auto Parts and later its successor AutoZone , but later

900-464: The car's engine, and should the car backfire at any time during the race, or if the burst panel is blown out by an engine explosion, the fuel pump shuts off and the parachutes are deployed automatically. Although several drivers in the Top Fuel and Funny Car divisions have stated their dislike for the new sensor, they do admit that it should cut down on any fatal crashes similar to Kalitta's. This device

945-735: The chance of fatal injuries has been decreased but not eliminated. There is also a full staff of EMTs on hand at any event on the schedule at any given time. These EMTs are usually from the city or county the track is located in, and are compensated by the NHRA for their time and efforts. Aeromedical services are also on hand at the track for airlifting severely injured persons to local hospitals or trauma centers if necessary. The original "Drag Safari" began their tour across America in 1954. Included were four original members: Bud Coons, Bud Evans, Eric Rickman and Chic Cannon. Although there are several safety procedures in place to prevent fatal accidents, no amount of safety can completely prevent fatalities on

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990-522: The conclusion of a run, a pair of redundant transmitters, placed 400 feet (120 m) and 600 feet (180 m) past the finish line, will signal an on-board receiver to automatically shut off ignition power and fuel to the engine and deploy the parachutes. The transmitters are designed and placed so as to avoid inadvertent triggering of the automated shutoffs. These transmitters and the receivers that are placed on all cars were designed by NHRA's Track Safety Committee and constructed by Electrimotion , and are

1035-532: The driver securely in the seat and is equipped with a quick-release latch which can be released in less than a second should the driver need to leave the car due to fire or explosions. Fire suits are required for all drivers in the alcohol and nitromethane fuel classes and the faster gasoline classes. These suits are full body coveralls and made with seven layers of Nomex fabric, which makes them resistant to fire. The required suit includes Nomex gloves, foot socks, and head sock. Another NASCAR transplant, which

1080-425: The driver. The driver also has a manual activation control available. This has been in place on all cars since 1983, when an engine explosion and fire came very close to killing then-Funny Car driver Mike Dunn. All enclosed body cars must have a five-inch circular opening that will accept the nozzle of a fire extinguisher triggered by safety personnel. All vehicles must have a clearly marked fuel pump cut-off switch on

1125-429: The end of the sand traps. These walls are able to withstand the impact of a vehicle traveling at well over the usual speed of any division within the NHRA's professional categories. These retaining walls take the place of the old rubber polymer safety nets that were once held up with concrete posts. Another safety modification was a direct result of Kalitta's death. The NHRA began installing a sensor that constantly checks

1170-407: The engine block and contains debris in case of an engine explosion. NHRA rules call for a monetary, points, and time penalty if the car leaks oil during the run. During qualifying, the offending team loses its elapsed time and speed from the run; during a race, the penalty is loss of lane choice unless both teams in the ensuing race committed the violation. In the wake of Eric Medlen 's 2007 death,

1215-440: The general public and especially the police that there was a difference between hot-rodders and reckless street racers, sometimes known as "shot rodders". They encouraged the involvement of adults, such as auto shop teachers and garage owners. The NHRA's efforts to defend the image of the hot-rodder included a series of short films such as The Cool Hot Rod (1953) in which a delinquent teen learns that "a reckless kid in an old junker

1260-427: The global pandemic . Beginning in 2023, In-N-Out Burger will become naming rights sponsor for both the circuit and the NHRA Finals. From 1934 to 1937 a 1 ⁄ 2 mile dirt oval was located at the facility. The dirt oval was once again opened in the 1950s but closed in 1959. Pomona was also home to a 1.7 mile paved road course which operated in 1998 and 1999. From 1956 to 1961, a 2-mile temporary road course

1305-488: The late 1980s, fans could station themselves up to the guardrails so they could be closer to the action. However, in the wake of several rather dramatic accidents on track, where spectators have been injured or killed, fans are no longer allowed within 75 feet (23 m) of the guardrail. One of the newest safety requirements came after a near-fatal crash at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas , when John Force 's car experienced

1350-403: The likelihood and severity of blower and engine explosions and fires at or above 200 miles per hour. All other classes continue to race a full 1320-foot quarter mile (402 meters) which has been the original distance established by the NHRA in the 1950s. The 2010 season brought a new safety device to Top Fuel classes. Should the driver be rendered unable to perform the normal shutdown sequence at

1395-422: The long bars at the rear end of all cars, also known as " wheelie bars ". These long struts prevent the car from flipping over during the launch phase. To prevent debris, oil, fuel, or coolant from falling on the racing surface, "diapers" under the engine (with a supporting platform) are used to retain liquids and broken parts in the event of a catastrophic engine failure. "Oil-downs" result in substantial fines and

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1440-402: The loss of previously earned Championship points (for annual awards). Many cars using the centrifugally-activated "slipper" clutch are now using a retention tube to collect the substantial amount of clutch dust that is produced during each race. The aforementioned recent practices, along with the longstanding requirement for a Kevlar-style retainer blanket over the supercharger, considerably reduce

1485-483: The magazine and by organizing "Safety Safaris," the first of which toured the United States in 1954, teaching drag race organization and safety at tracks around the country. This was the first concerted effort in getting racers off the streets and onto controlled race tracks. In 1951, he founded the National Hot Rod Association, which stands today as the largest motorsports sanctioning body in

1530-669: The most famous dragstrips in North America. The facility has a seating capacity of 40,000 spectators, and it is one of the few dragstrips in the USA that is operated directly by the NHRA. This dragstrip has also gone by the nickname of The Fairplex , in reference to its location at the Fairplex , formerly called the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds. In 1952, a car club known as the "Choppers of Pomona" aided by

1575-405: The potential for injury and fire, in addition to assuring a cleaner and safer racing surface, resulting in a dramatic reduction in race delays for track clean-up. The rear tires of the car, which are called slicks due to the fact that there is no tread on them, are specified with safety considerations in mind. These tires are made from a much harder compound than in previous years so that the tire

1620-463: The roll bars in a Funny Car underwent modifications to further improve safety. They are padded with thick insulation and coated with several layers of Nomex to prevent the padding from catching fire during an engine explosion. Another facility safety feature is the large sand pit at the end of the track past an area of the track known as the "shutdown area", also known as a "sand trap". This 40-foot-long (12 m) sand pit has been placed to slow or stop

1665-486: The time, RJ Reynolds' "Winston" cigarette brand). From 2010 to 2019, and again from 2021 to 2022, the event was sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California , which is affiliated with AAA. The 2020 event was sponsored by Stellantis and Royal Dutch Shell when it was held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway because Clark County, Nevada allowed spectators when California still banned mass gatherings because of

1710-487: The track. These are notable incidents that took place at NHRA national events or in pre or post race testing after national events. remove redundant links to "2011" points list. Wally Parks Wallace Gordon Parks (January 23, 1913 – September 28, 2007) was an American writer. He was the founder, president, and chairman of the National Hot Rod Association , better known as NHRA. He

1755-473: The world, and became its president for several decades after leaving the magazine business. His wife, Barbara, who preceded him in death in 2006, worked for the NHRA as its Chief Secretary in its formative years. Parks played a part in promoting drag racing outside of the United States, organizing tours to England in 1964 and 1965, in collaboration with Sydney Allard , and to Australia in 1966. Winners of National Hot Rod Association national events are awarded

1800-656: The world. The NHRA U.S. Nationals are now held at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana and are officially called the U.S. Nationals. Winners of national events are awarded a trophy statue in honor of founder Wally Parks. The trophy is commonly referred to by its nickname, " The Wally ". Wally Parks, editor of Hot Rod magazine and a dry lakes racer himself, began the National Hot Rod Association to promote "safety, sportsmanship, and fellowship" among hot rodders. The association gained about 25,000 members in its first year; within six years, it had more than 57,000 members. Hot Rod magazine and NHRA worked together to convince

1845-474: Was brought into use after the death of Fireball Roberts , was the fuel cell. This bladder is placed into the fuel tanks of non-nitromethane-fueled vehicles to prevent fuel leaks and explosions. Third is the use of the HANS device . This device limits the movement of the head and neck in the event of an impact. Fourth is the titanium shield that must be placed behind the head of all Dragsters and Funny Cars down to

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1890-523: Was developed by Force, Kenny Bernstein , and Tony Schumacher , along with NHRA racing development, and NHRA track safety. It was implemented at the start of the 2009 season. The sensor is used only in the Funny Car and Top Fuel divisions. Pro Stock doesn't use nitromethane or superchargers in their engines and this presents a much-reduced risk of the massive explosions that can be seen in the nitromethane-fueled cars—and often at their peak speeds. Prior to

1935-533: Was instrumental in establishing drag racing as a legitimate amateur and professional motorsport. Parks was an accomplished automobile writer and hobbyist, and co-founder and first editor of the magazine Hot Rod in January 1948. He was also instrumental in the founding of Motor Trend magazine in September 1949. As editor of Hot Rod, he began to promote safety in the organization of drag racing , both in

1980-498: Was not considered a national event by today's standards, the very first NHRA event, the Southern California Championships, was held at this dragstrip on an April weekend in 1953. On Saturday, attendance was at two or three thousand and attendance was reported to be at 15,000 on Sunday. Compared to the 3.9 second numbers (at 333 yd 1 ft (304.80 m) the pros are putting on the board presently,

2025-418: Was sponsored by CSK Automotive, and now its current successor, O'Reilly Auto Parts . 2008 saw Top fuel & funny car races be reduced to the present 1000 feet. The season closer, the NHRA Finals, was brought to the facility in 1984 from the now defunct Orange County International Raceway . When the event was first brought to Pomona, the event was sponsored by Winston (after NHRA's main title sponsor at

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