2018 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES SCHEDULE 58th Annual LUCAS OIL NHRA WINTERNATIONALS presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com Feb. 8-11 Pomona, Calif. 34th Annual NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS . .Feb. 23-25 Phoenix 49th Annual AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS (PSM) . March 15-18 Gainesville, Fla. 19th Annual DENSO SPARK PLUGS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS . .April 6-8 Las Vegas 31st Annual NHRA SPRINGNATIONALS . .April 20-22 Houston Ninth Annual NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS (PSM) . .April 27-29 Charlotte, N.C. 38th Annual NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS (PSM) . May 4-6 Atlanta 30th Annual MENARDS NHRA HEARTLAND NATIONALS presented by Minties . May 18-20 Topeka, Kan. 21st Annual NHRA ROUTE 66 NATIONALS (PSM) . May 31-June 3 Chicago Inaugural NHRA VIRGINIA NATIONALS . June 8-10 North Dinwiddie, Va. 18th Annual NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS . .June 15-17 Bristol, Tenn. 12th Annual SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS (PSM) . .June 21-24 Norwalk, Ohio Sixth Annual NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS . July 6-8 Epping, N.H. 39th Annual DODGE MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS Powered by Mopar (PSM) . July 20-22 Denver 31st Annual TOYOTA NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS (PSM) . July 27-29 Sonoma, Calif. 31st Annual NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS . Aug. 3-5 Seattle 37th Annual LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS (PSM) . Aug. 16-19 Brainerd, Minn. 64th Annual CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE U.S. NATIONALS (PSM) . .Aug. 29-Sept. 3 Indianapolis NHRA MELLO YELLO COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS 34th Annual DODGE NHRA NATIONALS (PSM) . Sept. 13-16 Reading, Pa. Seventh Annual AAA INSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS (PSM) . Sept. 21-23 St. Louis 33rd Annual AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS (PSM) . Oct. 4-7 Dallas 11th Annual NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS (PSM) . Oct. 12-14 Charlotte, N.C. 18th Annual NHRA TOYOTA NATIONALS (PSM) . Oct. 25-28 Las Vegas 54th Annual AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS (PSM) . Nov. 8-11 Pomona, Calif. (PSM) – Event includes Pro Stock Motorcycle MESSAGE TO THE MEDIA The NHRA Media Department and Coca-Cola’s Mello Yello brand would like to welcome you to the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. The year will feature 24 action-packed races across the country, gaining momentum from the success of last year as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues to grow. The 2017 season featured some of the fastest runs in history and intense points battles took fans on an emotional roller coaster through the thrilling season. Among our celebrated champions, Brittany Force continues to write new chapters in the record books as she became the first woman in 35 years to win the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship. The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season will feature two parts to the season: an 18-race regular season and a six-race playoff known as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. The regular season starts with the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com in Pomona, Calif., and finishes at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Following the U.S. Nationals, each NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series category will be trimmed to the top 10 drivers who will be eligible to win a championship title as their championship points will be reset. The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship begins in mid-September at the Dodge NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa. and ends in mid- November at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. Many of the sport’s successes would not be possible without your continued support and coverage of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the vibrant personalities that drive these incredible machines. The NHRA Media team strives to ensure the material in this media guide is relevant to your coverage of the sport and we hope that it will be of assistance to you. If you need any statistics or information that isn’t available within the media guide please feel free to contact us. We enjoy the relationships we have with the media and look forward to building upon them in 2018 and beyond. Jessica Hatcher Sr. Director of Public Relations and Communications National Hot Rod Association Scott R. Smith Director of Media Relations National Hot Rod Association © 2018 NHRA. The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Media Guide was written and edited by the NHRA Communications Department. Photography: NHRA Photographic Services. Page Design: NHRA Corporate Art Department. Special Thanks: Rick Green and Bob Frey. The information in this publication is provided as a courtesy for the media and may only be used for editorial purposes. Any commercial use of the information, photographic images and artwork contained in this publication is prohibited without the prior written consent of NHRA. 1 2018 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES NHRA NHRA Media Services ...............................................3 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series ....................................6 NHRA Drag Racing: Go On Yello ........................................9 NHRA Milestones ..................................................10 Wally Parks: NHRA Founder (1913-2007) ................................15 NHRA Board of Directors ............................................16 Peter Clifford: NHRA Chief Executive Officer ..............................18 Glen Cromwell: NHRA President .......................................19 NHRA Executives Bios ..............................................19 NHRA Staff ......................................................24 NHRA and FOX Sports ..............................................25 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series television schedule....................28 BIOGRAPHIES NHRA Driver Biographies ............................................29 Crew Chief/Team Owner Biographies ..................................187 NHRA NATIONAL EVENT TRACKS 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Series Tracks (in alphabetical order).................205 STATISTICS NHRA National Performance Records ..................................278 NHRA National Record Histories ......................................278 Additional Performance Records......................................283 Women in Drag Racing.............................................303 2017 Qualifying Spots of Winners.....................................307 2017 Win Loss Records in Eliminations ................................308 NHRA Mello Yello Series Event Winners (2017-1974) ......................311 NHRA Mello Yello Series Event No. 1 Qualifiers (2017-1974).................328 NHRA Mello Yello Points Leaders (2017-1974) ...........................346 NHRA Mello Yello Series World Champions ..............................364 Final Mello Yello Series Points Standings (2017-1974) .....................365 COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP NHRA Special Events ..............................................386 DRAG RACING BASICS Drag Racing Made Simple ..........................................400 Glossary........................................................403 Description of Disqualifications ......................................406 Drag Strip Timing and Scoring System Configuration ......................407 “Christmas Tree” Starting Line System.................................408 NHRA Elimination Brackets .........................................409 The Wally: NHRA’s National Event Trophy ...............................411 NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA .................................412 NHRA Ticket Exchange Policy ........................................413 Team PR Reps ...................................................414 Brittany Force 2017 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES TOP FUEL WORLD CHAMPION “I remember keeping asking myself, ‘Did this really just happen?’ There is no way this just happened. It couldn’t grasp it all. It seemed too much, too big. I started to get emotional thinking about it all. Then Courtney (Force, sister) got out on the top end. She had tears in her eyes. My dad got out, same thing. He hugged me. It was cool to share that moment with them. You could just see they were so excited, so proud. It was so cool that we shared that moment at the end of the racetrack.” 3 2018 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIESNHRA MEDIA SERVICES NHRA MEDIA SERVICES NHRA MEDIA SERVICES MEDIA CREDENTIALS All requests for NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series media credentials must be sent to NHRA Communications Department, 2035 Financial Way, Glendora, CA 91741. Requests from media members must be event-specific, typed on company letterhead, include an outline of proposed coverage, and be signed by the editor/director. Requests must be received at least two weeks before the start of the event for domestic media and one month for international media. All first-time applicants must submit examples of prior coverage for consideration. Requests from freelance media or photo agencies will not be considered. If granted media credentials to cover an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event, future consideration for credentials will be based on proof of coverage of that event (tear sheets, audiotape, videotape, etc.). NHRA welcomes and appreciates coverage from members of the media. However, application for credentials does not guarantee approval. Members of the media are responsible for confirming credential approval before the event. TRACK MEDIA SERVICES The NHRA media relations staff will provide extensive on-site assistance to working media. Members of the media will find work areas at all tracks on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series circuit. Some tracks have more media work area than