NHRA drag racing fans the world over were greeted with good news yesterday with the release of the newly revised 2020 NHRA Mello Yellowfins Drag Racing series schedule. This schedule had some surprises, some major changes, and a lot of hard work put into it. It is also, like everything else in the freaking world these days, subject to change.
So what’s the big news on this 2020 schedule? For starters, when and where it begins. There will be back to back races at Lucas Oil Raceway Indianapolis July 11-12 and July 18-19 to get things reignited. Why there? Logic. Fans will be allowed to enter the facility per the rules in Indiana, the majority of nitro teams are located within a stone’s throw of the track, and the facility is one of the most iconic drag racing facilities on Earth. The last part was my artistic license, the first two parts are what make Indy the best place to get things started up.
Other major changes include the fact that the series will not visit places like Norwalk, Ohio, Epping, New Hampshire, Sonoma, California, or Chicago, Illinois. In the cases of Epping, Sonoma, and Chicago, fan attendance looks a long way off from happening and the series has vowed to run races with fans in the stand, following local laws and regulations with regard to the volume of those fans allowed.
All of the events will be three-days in length. Lucas Oil sportsman racers will own Fridays. Mello Yello series professional competition will happen on Saturday and Sunday. Two qualifying sessions for the pros on Saturday and then the normal four round battle on Sunday to determine a winner.
There will be no Countdown. There will be no points reset after the US Nationals. This will be as old school as it gets with the way points will be gathered and accrued. Could someone run away with it early? Sure! Could someone take it right down to the wire? Hopefully.
Will this schedule come off 100% as it is laid out below? I sure hope so but the reality is that there will be shucking and jiving along the way. You know it, I know it, and NHRA knows it. Will we race in Pomona? Fingers crossed but the reality there looks tough. Would the season ending in Vegas be the worst thing? I can hardly imagine the party.
There will be lots more to say about this as time goes on, but NHRA fans? Start the countdown now. July ain’t that far off!
Here’s the full schedule for the remainder of the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello season –
REVISED 2020 MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES SCHEDULE |
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| July 11 – 12 | NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing at Lucas Oil Raceway (PSC/PSM) | Indianapolis |
| July 18 -19 | NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing at Lucas Oil Raceway | Indianapolis |
| July 31-Aug. 2 | Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals (PSC/PSM) | Seattle |
| Aug. 7-9 | Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals (PSM) | Denver |
| Aug. 14-16 | Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals | Brainerd, Minn. |
| Aug. 21-23 | Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals (PSC) | Topeka, Kan. |
| Aug. 28-30 | NHRA Southern Nationals | Atlanta |
| Sept. 3-6 | Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals (PSC/PSM) | Indianapolis |
| Sept. 11-13 | Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals (PSC/PSM) | Reading, Pa. |
| Sept. 18-20 | NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals (PSC/PSM) | Charlotte |
| Sept. 25-27 | Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals (PSC/PSM) | Gainesville, Fla. |
| Oct. 2-4 | AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals PSC/PSM | St. Louis |
| Oct. 9-11 | NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals (PSC/PSM) | Bristol, Tenn. |
| Oct. 16-18 | AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals (PSC/PSM) | Dallas |
| Oct. 23-25 | Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals (PSC/PSM) | Houston |
| Oct. 30-Nov. 1 | Dodge NHRA Nationals (PSC/PSM) | Las Vegas |
| Nov. 13-15 | Auto Club NHRA Finals (PSC/PSM) | Pomona, Calif. |
Tickets for the 2 Indy races have been secured on my behalf but I’m not sure I’m gonna want to venture from the relative safety of rural southwest KY to the city in mid July, especially in light of the fact that the Indiana State Fair in August was cancelled yesterday, July 4th events at The Speedway will be held without spectators, and the multitudes have been congregating in the streets all over the country these last many days which will undoubtedly cause the virus to propagate anew.
Hopefully it can safely happen but I’m afraid by mid July the prudent course will be to bag the 2020 season and start over early February 2021 in Pomona.
Color me skeptical.
about damn time
So apparently 17 races total. Two in a row and then a week off. Then 14 in a row EVERY week while traveling across the entire country and back again. Then one week off before the finals. Hmmm….. most years they’re all griping about doing 3 weeks in a row for the “western swing”. Can’t imagine the crying this is going to cause.
Seems more than ever that this year will be..”he who has the most traveling expense money and parts inventory will prevail”. Guess we’ll see.