The NHRA has announced the 2012 Heritage Series schedule and it looks pretty swell to us. All the big races you know and love, the March Meet, National Hot Rod Reunion, and California Hot Rod Reunion are locked and loaded with a slate of other events, primarily on the West Coast also lined up. BangShift is planning on bringing you live, free streaming coverage of the March Meet, National Hot Rod Reunion, California Hot Rod Reunion and maybe another suprise or two in 2012, so stay tuned!

With the literaly explosion of popularity in Nostalgia Drag Racing at virtually all levels, it is great to see the series healthy and even growing a little with the addition of the Funny Car Fever event at Sacremento Raceway in June. It says not only a lot about the popularity of the plastic fantastics, but also the health of the genre on the sportsman level to help fill the field at such a show.

This release also helps us stop thinking about how the cold weather settling in over the New England sucks so much. We can’t wait for March!

Here’s the press release from the NHRA:

NHRA has announced the 2012 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series schedule, which includes the expansion of the tradition-rich March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway to a four-day event. Entering its fifth season, the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series, one of the fastest-growing touring series in motorsports, features Nostalgia Funny Cars and Top Fuel dragsters and is quickly becoming a fan-favorite series among drag racing enthusiasts across the United States.

The season-opening March Meet will be held March 1-4 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield. The event swaps spots in 2012 with the Arizona Fuel & Gas Championships, March 17-18 at Speedworld Dragstrip in Northwest Phoenix.

“The break with the three-day-race tradition was done for racers and fans alike,” said Blake Bowser, vice president and general manager of the Kern County Racing Association, operator of Auto Club Famoso Raceway. “A four-day race program will allow us to run all the classes, which fans and racers want, plus it gives us some wiggle room in case weather becomes a factor.”

In total, the 2012 schedule features 11 events and will end in the same spot it begins, Auto Club Famoso Raceway, with the California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California, Oct. 19-21.

In addition to the season-opening and season-ending races at Auto Club Famoso Raceway and the second event of the season at Speedworld Dragstrip, the series will make stops at Firebird Raceway in Boise, Idaho; The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Sacramento (Calif.) Raceway; and Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Ky., for the Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion presented by AAA.

A new addition to the 2012 schedule is the return of the famed Funny Car Fever event, June 15-16 at Sacramento Raceway. The return of this fan-favorite race gives Sacramento Raceway three events on the 2012 schedule.

The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series consists of two nitro categories, Nostalgia Top Fuel and Nostalgia Funny Car, and two groups of additional classes. Group 1 is made up of A/Fuel, Jr. Fuel, and 7.0 Pro, and Group 2 comprises Nostalgia Eliminator I, Nostalgia Eliminator II, Nostalgia Eliminator III, A/Gas, B/Gas, C/Gas, D/Gas, and Hot Rod. Drivers in each class will run a combination of events in which they will score points toward the championship.

The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series was developed in 2008 to help preserve NHRA’s rich history and tradition while providing racing opportunities for those enthusiasts who enjoy nostalgia drag racing competition.

2012 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series Schedule*
Date Event Location Featured Classes
March 1-4 March Meet Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, Calif. TF, FC, Groups 1 & 2
March 17-18 Arizona Fuel & Gas Championships Speedworld Dragstrip, Northwest Phoenix Groups 1 & 2
May 4-6 NAPA Auto Parts Ignitor Firebird Raceway, Boise, Idaho FC
May 26-27 Rockabilly Rod Reunion The Strip at LVMS, Las Vegas FC, Groups 1 & 2
June 15-16 Funny Car Fever Sacramento Raceway, Sacramento, Calif. FC
July 13-14 Nostalgia Reunion Sacramento Raceway, Sacramento, Calif. Groups 1 & 2
Aug. 9-12 Pepsi Nightfire Nationals Firebird Raceway, Boise, Idaho TF, FC
Sept. 14-15 Governor’s Cup Sacramento Raceway, Sacramento, Calif. TF
Oct. 5-7 Sportsman Shootout TBA Groups 1 & 2
Oct. 19-21 California Hot Rod Reunion Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, Calif. TF, FC

2012 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series Affiliated Events
June 14-16 Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, Ky.