Photos courtesy of Ron Lewis, NHRA
NHRA President Glen Cromwell appeared Sunday on SpeedFreaks — a longtime friend to CompetitionPlus.com — to dispel rumors surrounding the cancellation of the NHRA In-N-Out Burger Finals and deliver what he said was the truth behind the decision. Cromwell rejected claims that finances, television partners, or the season-ending banquet influenced the outcome, insisting the call was made for one reason only: Pomona’s racetrack could not be made safe under any realistic scenario.
Speaking on the SpeedFreaks show, Cromwell said the storm did more than delay racing. Continuous rain pushed water beneath the rubber on the concrete surface at Pomona Dragstrip, creating a situation he described as unsafe at any speed. “We had rain come in Friday and it never let up,” he said, explaining the track never reached a temperature suitable for 11,000-horsepower cars.
Cromwell said NHRA reviewed every possible contingency throughout the weekend. Officials considered running Sunday night, returning Monday or Tuesday, attempting a Wednesday finish, or staging the race the following weekend at Pomona or another track. Each option fell apart under scrutiny. The weather never improved. The surface never stabilized. And the temperatures stayed too cold to generate the traction required for nitro machinery.
NHRA’s track prep specialists warned that the surface could not be recovered safely under the circumstances. Cromwell emphasized that simply drying the track was not enough. The water trapped beneath the rubber would have required crews to scrape and rebuild hundreds of feet of surface — a process needing hours of uninterrupted dry and warmer weather. “Our job is to make sure we put these cars down a safe racetrack,” Cromwell said. “We couldn’t do that with the elements around us.”
Cromwell said the persistent narrative that NHRA refused to run Monday because of the season-ending awards ceremony was flatly untrue, adding the banquet did not factor into the decision in any way. “The banquet had nothing to do with the decision,” he said. “When you prioritize things, the most important thing is the safety of our drivers. Everything else falls behind.”
He also revealed that NHRA considered moving the race to Las Vegas, Phoenix or another location, or delaying the event one week. But FOX’s assigned mobile broadcast unit was unavailable after Wednesday due to a winter sports commitment, and no replacement unit could be secured. Weather forecasts for alternate sites offered no guarantee of better conditions. Cromwell said teams also faced escalating costs for hotels, rental cars and travel changes, making extended delays unrealistic.
Cromwell said NHRA communicated consistently with race teams as the weather worsened. On Sunday morning, NHRA officials met with Pro Stock team leaders Greg Anderson and Richard Freeman, representatives from Vance & Hines, and every major nitro team owner to evaluate the options. According to Cromwell, every one of them agreed the race could not continue safely.
He specifically noted Matt Hagan, who still had a chance at the Funny Car championship, as one of the drivers who supported the decision. Tony Stewart, whose team was still in title contention, also agreed after reviewing the conditions. “We met with all of them, every single one of them,” Cromwell said. “They all agreed.”
Cromwell said the broad agreement among competitors underscored the severity of the situation. Championships should be won on the racetrack, he said, but only when conditions allow for safe competition. The track’s condition, cold temperatures, and the amount of water trapped beneath the surface left no path forward. “We may get no joy out of this decision,” Cromwell said, “but we made the right one.”
Cromwell addressed head-on the criticism circulating about NHRA’s communication with fans. While he defended the organization’s consistent internal communication with teams, he said NHRA must do a better job keeping fans informed as situations evolve. Cromwell said officials held out hope for breaks in the weather but they never came. “Looking back, we need to do things better,” he said. “Our fans are important to us and we need to be open.”
He added that the storm itself was unlike anything he had experienced in nearly three decades living in Southern California. The rain was constant, the temperatures dropped quickly, and the track never dried long enough to attempt restoration. “I haven’t seen anything like this in my life here,” he said.
Still, Cromwell emphasized that fans would not lose money. NHRA will honor all Pomona tickets at full face value for next year’s Winternationals or the 2026 Finals. “Anyone that had a ticket can use it,” he said.
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Cromwell’s most technical explanation centered on track delamination — water trapped under the rubber layer on the concrete launch pad. This condition, he said, is rare and nearly impossible to solve quickly. Fixing it requires scraping the surface, reapplying rubber and traction compounds, and heating the track enough to ensure nitro cars can launch safely.
That process requires stable conditions that simply never materialized. Cromwell said Pomona’s surface never came close to reaching the approximate 70-degree track temperature needed for Top Fuel or Funny Car runs. “When it’s 52 or 54 degrees, you can’t get the track where it needs to be,” he said.
Cromwell also described the burden extended delays place on professional teams. Many operate on tight schedules, and several crew members must return home for other jobs. Keeping them on-site indefinitely is neither fair nor feasible. “A race team is a business,” he said. “They’ve got staff, they’ve got people, they’ve got budgets.”
He similarly dismissed the idea of waiting until mid-week. Monday and Tuesday forecasts offered little promise. Wednesday was marginal at best. And without FOX’s mobile unit, Cromwell said even a workable track would not solve the broadcast challenge. “There’s no guarantees,” he said. “And our experts did not feel comfortable.”
Cromwell said he understands the disappointment among fans who wanted the championships settled on the track. He wanted that outcome as well. But he stressed that NHRA’s responsibility extends beyond producing a dramatic finish. “Motorsports is different,” he said. “Our drivers are putting their lives on the line. Their families are there. And they put it on NHRA to make good decisions.”
He acknowledged the optics of a canceled season finale were far from ideal, especially entering NHRA’s 75th anniversary year. But he said the sanctioning body made the only decision consistent with its duty to competitors and fans. “How do you recreate the narrative? You stay honest,” he said. “Safety has to be number one.”
