NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS 101 – THE ONLY FOUR-LANE DRAG RACING, NHRA MELLO YELLO STYLE

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This weekend the adrenaline-charging excitement of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series returns to zMAX Dragway for the spectacular sixth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, March 27-29. The event is the fourth stop of 24 races in the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Only at the ‘Bellagio of Drag Strips’ can fans see the fastest-accelerating machines on the planet release a whopping 40,000-horsepower assault on the NHRA’s one and only four-lane event.

Pro qualifying begins on Friday, March 27 with the first session at 1:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, March 28 at 1:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 29.

Below is a quick reference guide that will help answer many questions regarding the special rules, race procedures and configuration for four-wide drag racing, NHRA style.

LANE IDENTIFICATION

Lanes are referred to in numerical order from left facing down track (outermost left lane is No. 1, then No. 2 and No. 3, and the outermost right lane is No. 4).

QUALIFYING ORDER

In the first session, drivers with the least number of points will run first, and the points leaders will run last. The top four in the points standings will be the final group (points leader will be in lane 4, second in points in lane 3, third in lane 2, fourth in lane 1). The order for subsequent sessions will be determined per normal qualifying procedures.

QUALIFYING FIELD

Because each team will have only one qualifying run in each lane, the standard qualifying procedure of transferring only the quickest 12 times from Friday to Saturday will not be in effect. All elapsed times from all qualifying sessions from both days will be used to establish the 16-car fields.

ELIMINATIONS BRACKET

The specially-modified eliminations ladder structure will feature Race A: qualifiers 1, 8, 9, 16, Race B: qualifiers 4, 5, 12, 13, Race C: qualifiers 2, 7, 10, 15, and Race D: qualifiers 3, 6, 11, 14; Race A and Race B will be on one side of the ladder, while Race C and Race D will be on the other.

STARTING SYSTEM

Each track (left two lanes and right two lanes) will have the standard NHRA Christmas Tree. Each Tree will be fitted with four specially designed LED pre-stage/stage units, which will indicate the pre-stage/stage position of drivers in all four lanes (from left). The Compulink Auto Start system will continue to be utilized; however, unlike in two-lane racing, the Auto Start system will not activate until all four vehicles are pre-staged and one vehicle has staged. Each lane will be monitored by a qualified Starter.

RED-LIGHTS

In eliminations, should three drivers red-light, the two to advance will be the driver who receives the green light and the driver who red-lights by the least amount. For example, if driver A has a -.029 r.t., driver B a -.103, and driver C a -.049, driver A would advance. If three drivers red-light, the win lights will come on immediately for the driver with the green light and the driver who red-lighted by the least. The winner’s light will flash, and the second-place light will be steady.

LANE CHOICE

First-round lane choice will go to the quickest qualifier in the group of four, second choice to the second-quickest, and third choice to the third-quickest. In subsequent rounds, first choice will go to the driver with the lowest elapsed time from the previous round, second choice to the second-lowest, and third choice to the third-lowest.

SCOREBOARDS

In qualifying, the lane number with the low elapsed time of each run will light up on the scoreboard. In eliminations, the lane number of the first place car will flash and the lane number of the second place car will be lit solid on the scoreboard.

ELIMINATIONS

Two drivers from each group will advance in the first two rounds of competition, the first and second to cross the finish line. In the final round, the drivers will finish first through fourth in the order they cross the finish line, barring any red-light starts.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

The following prioritizes the degree of infraction (No. 1 being the worst):

1. Driver leaving starting line before starting system is activated

2. Driver crossing centerline or striking timing fixture(s)

3. Driver contacting barrier wall

4. Driver red-lighting

POINTS

Points will be awarded at the same level as at other NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events. The winner will receive 100 points, the runner-up 80, the third and fourth finishers 60, the four second-round losers 40, and the eight first-round losers 20.

LUCAS OIL SERIES COMPETITION

In an attempt to maintain uniform traction quality in all four lanes, competition in the Lucas Oil Series will be conducted in two lanes at a time for the entire event. Certain sportsman categories will run in lanes 1 and 2 only, and the other sportsman categories will run in lanes 3 and 4 only.

Be a part of the action all weekend with a Three-Day Pass to the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals starting at $99. Tickets for children 13 and under are free with any paid adult ticket; to purchase general admission or reserved seats please visit www.zMAXDragway.com or call the box office at (800) 455-FANS (3267). For more information about NHRA, please visit www.NHRA.com.

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NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS FACT SHEET

WHAT: Sixth annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, the fourth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – earn points leading to 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships.

WHERE: zMAX Dragway- Track is located on Hwy 29 off I-85 at exit 49 (Speedway Blvd.) in the Concord, N.C. area.

WHEN: Friday through Sunday, March 27-29

FORMAT: Qualifying sessions and elimination rounds will be conducted using four lanes in all Mello Yello Series classes; Lanes will be identified from left to right facing downtrack as 1-4; The standard Friday qualifying procedure of a top 12 format will not be in use; Two Christmas Trees will be in use, one between each two lanes; The Compulink Autostart system will continue to be utilized and it will not activate until all four vehicles are pre-staged and one vehicle has staged; The ladder structure will feature Race A: qualifiers 1, 8, 9, 16, Race B: qualifiers 4, 5, 12, 13, Race C: qualifiers 2, 7, 10, 15, and Race D: qualifiers 3, 6, 11, 14; Race A and Race B will be on one side of the ladder, while Race C and Race D will be on the other; Lane choice for eliminations goes to the driver with the quickest E.T., then the second-quickest, and so on; The first two drivers in each elimination round to cross the finish line advance to the second round and final; In the final round, teams will finish in the order they cross the finish line (barring any red-light starts), with winner, runner-up and two semifinalists in that order.

SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY, March 27 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 1:15 and 4:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, March 28 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 1:15 and 4:15 p.m.

SUNDAY, March 29 – Pre-race ceremonies, 11 a.m.

MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 1 p.m.

TELEVISION:

Saturday, March 28, ESPN2 will televise 90 minutes of qualifying coverage at 8 p.m. (ET).

Sunday, March 29, ESPN will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 2 p.m. (ET).

SATELLITE (Digital HD feed):

Saturday, March 28, 7:30 – 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 24C

Sunday, March 29, 5:30 – 6 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 24C

(4180 MHz, vertical; Data Rate: 40.46147055 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms; FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 36 Mhz)

Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’ interviews on Sunday.

2014 EVENT WINNERS: Antron Brown, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny Car; Jimmy Alund, Pro Stock; Andrew Hines, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

MOST VICTORIES: Spencer Massey, 2, TF; Robert Hight, 2, FC; Greg Anderson, 2, PS; Mike Edwards, 2, PS.

TRACK RECORDS:

Top Fuel – 3.749 seconds by Tony Schumacher, Sept. ’12; 332.18 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’12.

Funny Car – 3.980 seconds by Cruz Pedregon, Sept. ’13; 322.27 mph by Matt Hagan, Sept. ’11.

Pro Stock – 6.471 sec. by Mike Edwards, April ’13; 213.91 mph by Jason Line, April ’12.

Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.810 sec. by Eddie Krawiec, Sept. ’11; 198.3 mph by Matt Smith, April. ’14.

NATIONAL RECORDS:

Top Fuel – 3.701 sec. by Antron Brown, Oct. ‘12, Reading, Pa.; 332.18 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’12, Charlotte, N.C.

Funny Car – 3.965 sec. and 324.12 mph by John Force, Feb. ’14, Pomona, Calif.

Pro Stock – 6.464 sec. and 215.55 mph by Erica Enders-Stevens, May ‘14, Englishtown N.J.

PS Motorcycle – 6.728 sec. by Andrew Hines, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.

TICKETS: Order tickets by phone at (800) 455-FANS. Tickets also are available online at www.zmaxdragway.com.