Sometimes it is easy to forget that the National Hot Rod Association has been around for seventy-one years. Yep, founder Wally Parks, who also co-founder and editor of Hot Rod magazine, began by organizing Safety Safaris, which toured the country teaching race promoters the basics of hosting safe events in 1954 just three years after creating the NHRA. During the 1960s and 1970s, organizers developed classes and experimented with novel ideas like four-wide drag racing. Since most drag strips in those days lacked the necessary width to host faster classes, the concept never took roots.
The Vision for a Four-Wide Drag Strip
Fast forward to 1999 when NASCAR Hall of Fame promoter, Bruton Smith rekindled the idea and even had thoughts of building a specialty track in Las Vegas, but his brainstorm never came to fruition. In fact, Smith was openly criticized by many team owners and NHRA drivers as trying to create a circus act. However, anyone who knows the billionaire CEO and owner of Charlotte Motor Speedway also knows that Smith is not one to give up on his ideas. Sure enough, when plans were drawn up in 2008 to build a dedicated facility for the NHRA in Concord, NC, there was plenty of concrete to accommodate four lanes.
During the NHRA Carolina Nationals in September 2009 at zMAX Dragway, Smith’s dream was met with a resounding cheer from NHRA race fans, when four Top Fuel dragsters and four Funny Cars staged the first Nitro drag race in NHRA history. A few months later, the 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte were added to future NHRA Championship Series schedules.
After a tremendous undertaking that included 10,000 tons of gravel, 10,000 feet of fiber optic cable, 8,000 tons of asphalt, and 4,400 cubic yards of concrete, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway declared their facility read to host its NHRA four-wide debut in Spring of 2018. The DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals was the fourth race of the 24 national championship events for the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. With 11,000 horsepower nitro-powered racecars lined up four abreast for 330 mph passes, racing fans are just as excited today as they were four years ago and eagerly await the return of the annual NHRA event.
Ron Capps Claim First Wally as Team Owner
Gatornationals winner Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, John Force, and Robert Hight claimed wins in the opening round of eliminations at the Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip in Las Vegas for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series on Sunday. In the semifinal round, Ron Capps grabbed the low ET and advanced alongside runner-up Matt Hagan along with semifinal winner Robert Hight and surprise runner-up Alexis Dejoria.
In the final round of competition for Funny Car, Robert Hight was first off the tree with a .052 reaction time just ahead of Capps with a .053 RT and Hagan with a .056 RT. Dejoria stayed right with the other three contenders but would trail to finish fourth. Hagan would post a second-best 3.924 elapsed time to edge out Hight’s 3.943 ET. Two-time world champion Capps, who was Number One Qualifier, finished off a spectacular weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by winning all three rounds for his 69th career win and the first as a team owner.
Brittany Force Quickest and Fastest at The Strip
With a near capacity crowd descending on Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fourth race of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series brought the top Nitro teams and drivers back west to original four-wide drag racing facility. This year’s event wouldn’t disappoint. Steve Torrence, Antron Brown, Leah Pruett, and Clay Millican would claim wins in round one. Late out of the gate, Tony Schumacher would post his quickest pass of the event to advance out the semifinal round alongside runner-up Antron Brown.
Brittany Force made a statement in the semifinal round with a win over Steve Torrence as both advanced to a showdown with Schumacher and Brown. The four drivers have collectively accounted for sixteen world titles, but it was the 2017 world champ who drove to the win. Not only did Force become the fourth different winner for Top Fuel (in as many events), but none of the four competitors had reached a final in the previous three events in 2022.
UP NEXT:
NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action April 22-24 for the NHRA SpringNationals and the final NHRA race at Houston Raceway Park.
