It has been announced that the NHRA will continue with four-wide drag racing in 2011 at zMax Dragway. The announcement came after NHRA brass met with members of the Professional Racers Owners Association (PRO) during last weekend’s NHRA event in Las Vegas. The two sides agreed to unspecified changes to the format of four-lane racing during the meeting. Bruton Smith, who commented, was happy that the racing would continue.
There has been loads of discussion both for and against racing four-wide and the “circus-like” atmosphere surrounding that unique style of event. Both the NHRA and Bruton Smith are committed to keeping the event alive for several reasons. The first is that it has generated so much conversation and has brought attention to the sport it would have otherwise not gotten. Smith is obviously enthused because he dropped more than $60 million building the track, which is the only four lane drag strip in the country currently.
As for the racers? ESPN quoted John Force as being very happy with the outcome of the meeting. While we’re sure that his opinion is not universal, there has not been an owner to speak out in public opposing the action of PRO and the NHRA. Drivers complaining about the complexity of the staging process make for good quotes, but at the end of the day we’re guessing there is not one professional driver who would tell their car owner that they’re refusing to drive at an event that their car is entered. We could be wrong, time will tell.
Source — ESPN.com — 4-wide race to return to North Carolina
