(Photos by David Whealon/DW Photos) – The NHRA 4-Wide Nationals could be the most controversial race on the 24-event NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule but for sportsman competitors it is still a traditional two lane affair, although those two lanes tend to rotate throughout the course of the weekend. This year Friday was lost to poor weather so the event was condensed into two days which means that the qualifying sessions and time shots racers normally get on Friday were gone aside from one time trial on Saturday morning before leaping into eliminations (alky dragsters and funny cars got two qualifiers) in weather conditions many racers had never seen. With the DA hovering between 500 and 800 feet BELOW sea level, it was high entertainment to see racer try to dial in their machines or tune to their respective indexes.

The winners who took home Wallys from this contest have something to brag about because they managed to do it in a high stress environment with limited time to get their act together. It really was a frenetic pace for two days and especially on Sunday where the schedule was busier than normal with the addition of a live TV broadcast of the race on ESPN. Being the tough running bunch that they are, these racers stepped to the plate and got it done. They were able to get some hits in before a huge crowd at the expansive zMax Dragway in Concorn, North Carolina and as you will see in these great David Whealon, there was a huge variety of iron. Nothing beats seeing the old school stock and super stock iron lined up next to the modern COPOs, Drag Packs, and Cobra Jets!

Enjoy this sportsman photo blast from the 2015 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and thanks to David Whealon/DW-Photos for the killer snaps!