The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will celebrate July Fourth weekend in spectacular fashion as it heads to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park July 2-5 for the 9th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Celebratory fireworks and 10,000-horsepower nitro-burning race cars will provide fans of the Buckeye State with a sensory-filled show to celebrate one of America’s most important holidays at the 12th event of the season.
The best in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle will compete for coveted Wallys on Independence Day weekend at the historic track just west of downtown Cleveland. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event that will again be televised nationally on ESPN2.
The world’s best drag racers have been competing at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park since 2007 but did not start racing there on Fourth of July weekend until 2012. Now, the drag race in Norwalk showcases the American pastime and tradition at its finest as teams modify their 300-mph machines to be entertaining on Independence Day and victorious on race day.
The fan-favorite race will feature fierce competition between teams and drivers as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will be well into the second half of the regular season and nearing the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. After the event in Norwalk, only six races will remain until the Countdown begins, so teams at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals will have a greater sense of urgency as they continue the fight to grab their share of points and solidify their positions in the top-10 standings.
Brown took the Top Fuel victory last season by defeating Shawn Langdon in the final. Brown, the points leader, got off to a quick start this season, claiming a win at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte and the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta. The driver of the Matco Tools dragster will be looking for his second Norwalk win.
Other Top Fuel stars including recent Bristol winner Richie Crampton, Larry Dixon, and Doug Kalitta hope to find their way to the winner’s circle in Norwalk. Crampton, driver of the Lucas Oil dragster for Morgan Lucas Racing, already has three victories this season. Dixon leads the Top Fuel category with two wins at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, in 2009 and 2010. The driver of the C&J Energy Services dragster has not raced to victory this season but advanced to the final rounds in Las Vegas, Topeka, and Bristol, losing to Crampton all three times. Kalitta has one win in two final-round appearances this year and has yet to taste victory at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. Others to watch in the Top Fuel field include Leah Pritchett, who raced to her first final-round appearance in Atlanta, Brittany Force, 2007 event winner Tony Schumacher, and his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Spencer Massey.
Sixteen-time Funny Car world champion John Force collected his second victory of the season last year in Norwalk and would like to repeat this year; he has won this year in Las Vegas and Epping. Force drove his Peak Antifreeze Chevy Camaro to a runner-up finish at the NHRA Kansas Nationals and sits third in the points standings.
Ron Capps has two victories this year in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T but does not have a win in Norwalk on his extensive racing résumé. In fact, the only active Funny Car drivers with wins in Norwalk other than Force are Jack Beckman, Tim Wilkerson, and Tony Pedregon. Beckman, the 2009 event winner, has raced his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T to two victories this season, in Charlotte and Topeka. Wilkerson won the Norwalk event in 2010 and raced to victory last month in Atlanta. Pedregon, the 2008 event winner, has struggled this year on race day, not yet surviving the first round of eliminations. Del Worsham, the No. 1 qualifier at the event last year; points leader Matt Hagan, winner in Pomona, Phoenix, and Bristol; and Courtney Force are a few of the other Funny Car competitors who are expected to challenge for the victory.
Enders, the reigning world champ, leads the Pro Stock class in the points standings and leads the category with four victories this season. She raced her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro to victory at the facility last year as the No. 1 qualifier and set track records in time and speed en route to her fourth victory of the season. Greg Anderson and Vincent Nobile are tied as the winningest Pro Stock drivers in Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals history with two wins apiece. Anderson has made four final-round appearances this season in his Summit Racing Chevy Camaro and sprinted to victory in Gainesville, Englishtown, and Epping. Nobile, the Las Vegas runner-up and the K&N Horsepower Challenge runner-up, is looking for his first victory of the season.
Jason Line, a two-time winner this season who was runner-up at this event last year; Phoenix winner Rodger Brogdon; newcomer Drew Skillman; Shane Gray; Allen Johnson; and Bristol runner-up Chris McGaha are just a few of the drivers who will also be putting up a fierce fight for the win in the 200-mph factory hot rod class.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hines is the defending race winner and sits second in the points standings. He leads his category with four wins in Norwalk. Hines’ Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate, Eddie Krawiec, qualified No. 1 at the event one year ago and leads the category in points. Krawiec has made it to three final rounds this season but not to the winner’s circle.
Hector Arana Sr., who won in Atlanta; his son Hector Arana Jr.; Gainesville winner Karen Stoffer; and two-time event winner Matt Smith will all be contenders for the Wally.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
Fans also will want to visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food, and fun for the entire family.
