In some of the best news to come down the sportsman drag racing pipe in some time, the National Hot Rod Association has announced that Top Sportsman and Top Dragster competitors will finally have a national championship to race for in 2015. Perviously it was divisional titles only available for the classes but not any more. The explosive growth of the categories, entertainment value, and quality of the racing has all led up to this point and the racers have no one to thank but themselves for this. They have proven their mettle over the years and the class has proven its staying power. People love these categories because they are fast, have a wide variety of body styles and engines and the premise behind them is pretty easy to understand. You need to haul the mail in qualifying and then drive like a ninja during eliminations.

Top Sportsman and Top Dragster will be run at 14 NHRA National events in 2015. 32-car fields will continue to be the norm for the class and the quickest that car and dragsters will be able to run is 6.00 as has been the standard previously. With 200+ mph runs coming hit after hit, interesting cars with engines ranging from massive 900ci nitrous and naturally aspirated combos to boosted, high winding small blocks, we’re pumped that these classes finally got their due. Congratulations to all of the racers and champions of this movement over the years. It started humbly and it has grown into a full blown drag racing inferno across the country.  Their work blowing on those little glowing embers over the years got these classes where they are today.

Awesome!

Here’s the full release from NHRA – 

NHRA’s 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 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.