NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES STAKES WILL BE HIGH AT PRESTIGIOUS CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE U.S. NATIONALS IN INDIANAPOLIS

Traxxas Nitro Shootout, Mopar Hemi Challenge, Fireworks, the Golden Knights, Jet Dragsters and high-octane competition in Lucas Oil Series and J&A Service Pro Mod Series also part of the fun at the ‘Bigger’ Go

INDIANAPOLIS – The world’s most prestigious drag race, the 61st annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, is set to provide its traditional offering of high horsepower entertainment Sept. 2-7 at venerable Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

The tradition-rich event, which for six decades has been crowning the world’s greatest drag racers as the ultimate single race achievement in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, will feature more than 1,000 race cars in 12 categories.

A win at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals can instantly elevate a driver to legendary status and earn that racer a permanent spot in NHRA’s record book.

As the last race of the 18-race regular season, this season’s event will take on extra importance. The stakes will be high as teams will battle for the final top 10 spots for the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. With an increased amount of points in play via a return to the point-and-a-half system for this event (150 points to the winner), the drama on Championship Monday is expected to be more amplified than ever.

With more points up for grabs in each Mello Yello Series category, some are even referring to this year’s version of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals as the “Bigger” Go.

Over the years fans have cheered on drag racing immortals like “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, as they raced to the Indy winner’s circle. Today’s stars – such as nine-time Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals Top Fuel winner Tony Schumacher, four-time Funny Car winner John Force and six-time Pro Stock winner Greg Anderson – are all racing with plenty of determination to continue to build upon their legacies.

For many of the competitors, the race has evolved into much more than an annual contest of speed. For those who seek to become a part of its mystique, winning the event has become a must to complete any great driver’s resume.

This year’s edition of the famed event will feature intense side-by-side racing as drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle compete for their share of the $2 million purse and the vital Mello Yello Series points. Richie Crampton (Top Fuel); Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car); Shane Gray (Pro Stock); and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners.

Once again, ESPN and ESPN2 will provide national television coverage of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Dave Rieff leads the coverage with Mike Dunn offering insight as an analyst and they along with the rest of the broadcast team gives the viewers a behind the scenes look at the sport.

A special Monday edition of the SealMaster NHRA Track Walk also will take place prior to final eliminations, where many of the sport’s most celebrated drivers will walk alongside fans down the historic dragstrip. Fan-favorite vintage racecars will be on display in the Hot Rod Junction, along with several autograph sessions featuring the biggest stars of the sport will be featured throughout each day of the event. On Friday, a special fireworks show will close out that day’s racing.

Thundering Jet Cars will take to the track to make exhibition passes as part of Friday and Saturday’s racing activities. As usual, one of the highlights of the spectacular pre-race show on Monday will feature highly-skilled skydiver Jason Peters soaring into Lucas Oil Raceway with an American Flag in tow during the traditional performance of the National Anthem.

Also on Monday during pre-race ceremonies, fans will get to experience a very special treat when the famed Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s highly-decorated parachute team, descends into Lucas Oil Raceway.

Bonus bucks and bragging rights will be on the line for qualified drivers in Top Fuel and Funny Car as they battle in the lucrative Traxxas Nitro Shootout. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Top Fuel will be held on Saturday evening, while the Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Car is contested Sunday afternoon. The winners in each Traxxas Nitro Shootout will earn $100,000. Prior to each Traxxas Nitro Shootout there will be a fan Q&A and autograph session conducted with all qualified drivers.

Drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Pro Mod Series also will take to the track during the weekend in their 250-mph machines with the goal of trying to win the prestigious event. The world’s fastest Super Stock cars will challenge for the ultimate bragging rights and a bonus purse during the popular Mopar HEMI Challenge.

Downtown Indianapolis will come alive with NHRA excitement on Wednesday, Sept. 2, when the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals Fan Fest gets underway at Monument Circle in the heart of the city. NHRA race team showcars, classic cars, live music, video displays and giveaways are just a few of the activities scheduled for the event. Fans will also be able to get autographs from their favorite drivers in one of the largest autograph sessions of the season. In addition, the official event press conference will take place during the Fan Fest, where several news announcements will be made and the random lottery drawings for the No. 8 positions in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout will be conducted. The Fan Fest begins at 11 a.m.

The biggest, most historic and prestigious event in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals has been contested annually since 1955. Originally known as “The Nationals” and first held at an abandoned airstrip in Great Bend, Kan., the event made stops at Kansas City, Mo., Oklahoma City and Detroit before eventually moving to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in 1961.

The first of five Mello Yello Series qualifying sessions is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. Two more sessions will take to the track on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., and the final two qualifying sessions will take place on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 7. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Top Fuel will be contested Saturday, Sept. 5 with rounds at 4 p.m., 5:25 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Car takes place on Sunday, Sept. 6 for the eight qualified drivers, with rounds at 12:30 p.m., 1:55 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.

ESPN and ESPN2 will televise coverage of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Five hours of qualifying coverage and coverage of the Traxxas Nitro Shootouts will air on ESPN from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (ET) and on ESPN2 from 11 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6. Monday’s (Sept. 7) eliminations for the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals will be featured in three hours of coverage on ESPN starting at 4 p.m. (ET).

One of five motorsports facilities owned and operated by NHRA, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis sits on 267 acres of land just west of Indianapolis in the town of Brownsburg, and features three race courses: a championship drag strip, a .686-mile paved oval and a 2.5-mile, 15-turn road course.

Tickets for the world’s most prestigious drag race can be purchased by calling the NHRA Ticket Sales Center at (800) 884-NHRA (6472), or online at www.NHRATIX.com.

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CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE U.S. NATIONALS FACT SHEET

WHAT: 61st annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, 18th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the last race in the NHRA Mello Yello Series regular season. At the conclusion of this event, the top 10 drivers in four categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – will be locked in to begin the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs, leading to 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships.

WHERE: Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Brownsburg, Ind. From I-465, exit Crawfordsville Road (Hwy. 136). Head west for four miles past downtown Clermont. The facility’s main entrance is on the left, one-half mile past Raceway Road. From I-74 go south on Ronald Reagan Parkway, exit 68 and turn south. Turn east on U.S. 136 and entrance on the track will be on the right.

COURSE: Championship dragstrip; Track elevation is 700 feet above sea level; Track direction is south to north.

POINTS: A special world championship points system is in effect at this event, where drivers in the Mello Yello Series categories will earn points based on a point-and-a-half system (150 points to win). A single racer in each category can earn a maximum of 208 points at this event. All other NHRA Mello Yello Series events offer 100 points to win. Teams also will get 15 points instead of 10 for making a qualifying attempt. Qualifying bonus points will remain at 1-2-3 for the five sessions and the standard 1-8 points will be given for qualifying positions. Drivers who set a national E.T. record will earn 20 points.

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 7.

SCHEDULE:

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying

THURSDAY, Sept. 3 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying and eliminations

FRIDAY, Sept. 4 – LUCAS OIL SERIES (featuring Mopar HEMI Challenge)

J&A SERVICE PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 6 p.m.

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, Sept. 5 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying and eliminations

PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 2 and 5:30 p.m.

TRAXXAS NITRO SHOOTOUT (Top Fuel) rounds at 4, 5:25 and 7:45 p.m.

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 2:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.

SUNDAY, Sept. 6 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying and eliminations

J&A SERVICE PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 10:30 a.m.; first round of eliminations at 2 p.m.

TRAXXAS NITRO SHOOTOUT (Funny Car) rounds at 12:30, 1:55 and 4:15 p.m.

MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

MONDAY, Sept. 7 – Pre-race ceremonies, 9:45 a.m.

MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION:

Sunday, Sept. 6, ESPN will televise two hours and 30 minutes of qualifying coverage at 11 a.m. (ET).

Sunday, Sept. 6, ESPN2 will televise two hours and 30 minutes of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET).

Monday, Sept. 7, ESPN will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).

2014 EVENT WINNERS: Richie Crampton, Top Fuel; Alexis DeJoria, Funny Car; Shane Gray, Pro Stock; Eddie Krawiec, Pro Stock Motorcycle;

MOST VICTORIES: Tony Schumacher, Top Fuel, 9; Bob Glidden, Pro Stock, 9; Don Garlits, Top Fuel, 8; Don Prudhomme, Top Fuel and Funny Car, 7; Warren Johnson, Pro Stock, 6; Dave Schultz, Pro Stock Motorcycle, 6; Ed McCulloch, Funny Car and Top Fuel, 6; Greg Anderson, Pro Stock, 6; John Force, Funny Car, 4; Larry Dixon, Top Fuel, 4.

EVENT HISTORY: The most historic and prestigious event in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals has been contested annually since 1955. Originally known as “The Nationals” and often called the “Big Go” by drag racing historians and fans, the event was first held at an abandoned airstrip in Great Bend, Kan., the event made stops at Kansas City, Mo., Oklahoma City and Detroit before eventually moving to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in 1961. Past winners include “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, an eight-time winner in Top Fuel; Shirley Muldowney, 1982 Top Fuel winner; Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, a seven-time winner and one of a handful of drivers to win the event in both Top Fuel and Funny Car; and Bob Glidden, the legendary Pro Stock driver who dominated the race by advancing to the final round in 13 consecutive seasons from 1977-’89. The Indiana native won the event a record nine times, a mark he shares with current Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher. It is the only major motorsports event to be contested on Labor Day.

FAST FACTS: The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the final of 18 regular season Mello Yello Series races. Following conclusion of this event the top 10 drivers in each Mello Yello Series category will qualify for the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs that begin Sept. 18-20 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C.… The Traxxas Nitro Shootout will offer $100,000 to the winners in special bonus events for qualified Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers… Tony Schumacher is an 11-time U.S. Nationals finalist in Top Fuel (winning nine)… Schumacher’s first career NHRA start came at the U.S. Nationals in 1996 and the then rookie posted a runner-up finish to Cory McClenathan… John Force, 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Series world champion and winner of a record 143 events, has won the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals four times, his last coming in 2002… Four women have earned Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victories, including Shirley Muldowney once in Top Fuel, Ashley Force Hood twice in Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria once in Funny Car and Angelle Sampey twice in Pro Stock Motorcycle… Pro Stock’s Bob Glidden and Top Fuel’s Tony Schumacher are the winningest drivers in the history of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, with nine victories each… Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme, Jim Head and Ed McCulloch have won the race in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, while Antron Brown has also won the race in multiple MYDRS classes, Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle… The event also will feature competition in the Lucas Oil Series and the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, featuring high-horsepower machines that accelerate to more than 250 mph.

WHAT TO WATCH: The Traxxas Nitro Shootout will offer $100,000 to the winners in special bonus events for qualified Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers… Tony Schumacher is seeking a record 10th Top Fuel victory at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals… A victory by Schumacher would break a tie with Pro Stock’s Bob Glidden for most Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victories… Four-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson is seeking his seventh Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victory… 10 female drivers representing all four Mello Yello Series categories are expected to compete in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals… Several high-profile drivers are looking for their first victory in the world’s most prestigious drag race, including two-time Indy runner-up and current series points leader Doug Kalitta in Top Fuel, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman and Tony Pedregon in Funny Car and defending world champ Allen Johnson in Pro Stock… Drivers in all four Mello Yello Series categories who are on the bubble to make it into the top 10 in points will be trying to take advantage of Indy’s point-and-a-half system and secure their berths into the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race postseason playoffs.

TRACK HISTORY: In 1958, led by Tom Binford, Frank Dickie, Rodger Ward and Howard Fieber, 15 Indianapolis-area businessmen and racing professionals invested $5,000 each to fund the development of what would become Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. The group purchased a 267-acre farm about seven miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and developed a multipurpose auto racing facility. The original intention in creating Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis was to design a 15-turn, 2.5-mile road course. Nearly as an afterthought, and as an insurance measure against economic problems, the investment group decided to incorporate a quarter-mile drag strip into the long straightaway of the 2.5-mile road course design. Constructed with assistance from the NHRA, the drag strip was the first of the three courses to be completed, with the facility’s first event held on the strip in the fall of 1960. During the 1960 U.S. Nationals in Detroit, a handshake agreement between Binford and NHRA founder Wally Parks promised that the event would move to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in 1961. The historic three-year pact was signed and sealed under a tree in Detroit Dragway’s pits, and Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis eventually became the home of NHRA’s biggest annual event. The NHRA purchased the entire facility in 1979. The first major improvement came in 1983 with the construction and dedication of Parks Tower, the four-story drag strip tower. In 1998, new grandstands, suites and a tower complex on the front straightaway were completed at the oval track at a cost of nearly $2.5 million, which included the repaving of the entire oval surface as part of a three-phase facility improvement project. In 2001, NHRA and Lucas Oil Raceway constructed a new drag strip racing surface, replacing the strip with a 660-foot concrete pad and laying new asphalt on the remainder of the track and shutdown area. Prior to the 2003 race, eight new luxury suites were added along the top of the west-side grandstands of the drag strip, giving fans a unique perspective of the action on the famed track. In 2006, new soft barrier walls were added to the oval. In 2007, the track announced its first track entitlement with O’Reilly Auto Parts. In 2011, the track announced a new track entitlement with Lucas Oil Products. The track – formerly known as Indianapolis Raceway Park – is now known as Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. During the winter of 2008, a new main track office building was constructed near the track entrance.

DRIVER QUICK QUOTES:

Richie Crampton, defending U.S. Nationals Top Fuel winner: “You have to keep in mind that just having a job driving a dragster was more than I ever expected in my life. Then to be asked to drive for a top team like Morgan Lucas Racing where I knew we had a chance to contend at every event, well, I knew the weakest link was me. We had become the 100th different Top Fuel winner in Englishtown earlier in the year and I simply didn’t think it could get any better. Then we come to Indy, the biggest race of all, in Lucas Oil’s backyard, in the team’s backyard, and winning the race was probably the last thing I was thinking about. I remember thinking that we needed to have a respectable showing. The guys were all on their game, but they are every race. On race day things just started falling into place. I truly never let myself think beyond the next round. I was helping the guys work on the car, staying busy. When we got to the semis and the TV guys started hanging about, it started creeping into my head that we may make some history. Even then, it wasn’t until we won that I even allowed myself to fully imagine that we could win Indy. It was such an intense feeling and it carried for several days, both here and back home. No matter what happens, I’ll always have that memory and it’s always going to be extremely special.”

Alexis DeJoria, defending U.S. Nationals winner in Funny Car: “It would be incredible for the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio team to back up our first Indy win. I’m going to approach Indy the same way I did last year – stay focused, stay on my game-plan and have fun.”

Shane Gray, defending U.S. Nationals Pro Stock winner: “Winning Indy is big. It’s something most guys only ever dream of. My first two years racing the U.S. Nationals I was driving a B/A Comp car, and I started racing Pro Stock there in 2010, but the first time I won a round in Indy [in Pro Stock] was in 2013. Last year was the first time I came to Indy and thought I had a chance to do something, and with all of the history there, to even have a chance is something special. When you get there, you have to try not to think about what a big deal it is. You just want to try to be the best you can be.”

Eddie Krawiec, defending U.S. Nationals Pro Stock Motorcycle winner: “I have won 28 races and three Mello Yello championships and the one race that I will forever remember was my 2014 Indy win. As a pro racer we try to treat every race as the same but I have never been able to do that for Indy. The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the race everyone wants to win.”

TRACK RECORDS:

Top Fuel – 3.740 sec. by Shawn Langdon, Sept. ’13; 328.54 mph by Tony Schumacher, Sept. ’14.

Funny Car – 3.998 sec. by Matt Hagan, Sept. ’14; 322.73 mph by Courtney Force, Sept. ’14.

Pro Stock – 6.538 sec. by Jason Line, Sept. ’11; 211.13 mph by Mike Edwards, Sept. ’12.

Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.815 sec. by Andrew Hines, Sept. ’10; 196.76 mph by Hines, Sept. ’10.

NATIONAL RECORDS:

Top Fuel – 3.701 sec. by Antron Brown, Oct. ‘12, Reading, Pa.; 332.51 mph by Larry Dixon, July ’15, Norwalk, Ohio.

Funny Car – 3.921 sec. by Jack Beckman, Aug. ’15, Sonoma, Calif.; 325.06 mph by Courtney Force, May ’15, Topeka, Kan.

Pro Stock – 6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’14, Charlotte, N.C.; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders-Stevens, May ‘14, Englishtown, N.J.

PS Motorcycle – 6.728 sec. by Andrew Hines, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 199.88 mph by Hector Arana Jr., April ’15, Charlotte, N.C.

TICKETS: For tickets call (800) 884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also are available online at www.NHRA.com/tickets.