Back in the old school developmental days of organized drag racing, there were very few rules about anything. Yes, there were classes and tech inspections to some level, but there weren’t really any established methods of the “right” way to run a race. There were tracks that ran 1/2-mile drags, others ran 1000km drags and some that ran cars three and four wide. As the years went on and the “right” way to race was established, things got standardized to a simple system of two cars running side by side. Well, all of that changed when Bruton Smith built the greatest strip on Earth outside of Charlotte, North Carolina and the NHRA ran the first Four Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in 2010. Fans responded to it like one would expect, with wonder and joy. The sound of four 8,000hp Top Fuel Dragsters dropping the hammer at once  has to be as close to gearhead religion as anyone can possibly expect.

The race is back for 2012 and will be run on the weekend of April 13-15. If you are anywhere near the Charlotte area and you don’t go to check this out, we’ll slap you. Seriously, not even with a glove to the face, just with our hand. If you have been hitting this event, good for you! zMax Dragway is a spectacle all in itself. With a seating capacity of more than 30,000 it is almost exactly the same size as Pomona, the NHRA facility with the largest seating capacity, also north of 30,000.

People are coming from all over the world to check this deal out. To learn more, read the release below. 32,000hp at a time on the drag strip? As the great old drag ads of years gone by say, “BE THERE!”

CONCORD, N.C. (Feb. 29, 2012 ) – Fans with the Nitro gene know that there’s nothing like witnessing the fastest accelerating machines on the planet go zero to 325 mph in less than four seconds, and at zMAX Dragway, April 13-15, that sensation is doubled at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. Fans are coming from near and far to the Bellagio of drag strips for the one-of-a-kind greatest spectacle in drag racing. Shaun Ciavarella will travel from his home in Melbourne, Australia, to feel the earth-shaking power of 32,000 horsepower thundering down the world’s only four-lane all-concrete drag strip. On his trip from Melbourne to zMAX Dragway, the lifelong motorsports fan will trek more than 10,000 miles. For comparison, a Top Fuel dragster travelling at 325 mph would take more than 30 hours to cover the same distance. “I catch every event on TV,” Ciavarella said. “I have now for about 12 years. I go to every event here in Australia, but it’s nothing like you’ve got over there. We’ve only got four Top Fuel teams. When I started planning my trip, I said, ‘if we’re going to travel for one event, I’d want to see the Four-Wide Nationals.’ Our whole trip to the U.S. is based around that event.” The trek to the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals will be a bit of a different experience for John Bristow, who lives two miles “door-to-door” from the Bellagio of drag strips. At 325 mph, a Top Fuel dragster could make the trip in about 20 seconds. Bristow said he’s never missed an NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at zMAX Dragway. “Even the Four-Wide finals that got rained out and finished on Monday, I was there,” he said. “I just didn’t bother to go to work that day.” A longtime fan of John Force, Bristow said NHRA events like those at zMAX provide the ultimate fan experience. “At zMAX, there ain’t a bad seat in the house – and I’ve sat in about every seat there is. From Top Fuel all the way down to the door-slammers, all the drivers and crew chiefs will talk to you,” said Bristow. “They’ll show you what they are doing on the cars and talk to you just like they are. They are regular folks. They just get to go faster than we do.” Whether they’re coming from around the corner or around the world, NHRA fans know that the best place to feel the nitro is during the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. During any of the three days of racing, buy three tickets and get the fourth free. Kids and under are free as well. For ticket and camping information, call 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visitwww.charlottemotorspeedway.com. For all the updates from the track, be sure to connect with zMAX Dragway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zmaxdragway or follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/zmaxdragway.