As important as wind tunnels have been to auto racing through the years, a surprisingly small percentage of racecar drivers have actually been to one in person. Jeg Coughlin Jr., the five-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion, can count himself among the lucky ones after a memorable trip to the Chrysler Technical Center, which houses one of only four full-size wind tunnels in the country.
 
"We got a little peek behind the magic curtain at CTC," Coughlin said. "Throughout my career I've been fortunate enough to align with great partners, including the fine folks at Chrysler and Mopar, and they were kind enough to invite us to Ann Arbor (Mich.) to tour a facility that is so immense you need a GPS locator to get around.

By early March of this year, NHRA's Mello Yello Drag Racing Series had two national events in the books. The iconic March Meet had just wrapped up. And tracks across the country were finalizing plans and schedules for the 2020 season. Anticipation was high for everyone, from touring pro to the weekly bracket racer.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation, and those plans were laid to waste as state governments moved to forbid public gatherings.

Among the tracks facing uncertainty was Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, WI.

The Professional Motorcycle Racers Association (PMRA) has decided to cancel it’s first race of the season, originally scheduled June 21 at Thunder Valley Raceway Park in Noble, Oklahoma.
 
Repercussions from a different race canceled by the track on Saturday the 20th spilled over onto PMRA’s Sunday race, and interim PMRA Director Tommy Bolton decided it was best to drop that race as well.
 
Shannon Mendenhall—owner of Cycleworld Powersports in Jenks, OK—is now taking over the reins of PMRA with big plans for future expansion of the series.

Bill Bader Jr. is so well in tune with the trends of operating a drag racing facility that he expected a strong 2020 season earlier in the year. He understood the ebbs and flows of the drag strip marketplace.

What he didn't understand back in March 2020 was the impact a global pandemic could have on drag racing. It presented the second-generation track owner and promoter a challenge the likes of which he couldn't have prepared for.

Skeptics didn’t faze Bill Kuhlmann, nor did racers with far more lofty accomplishments in the books.

In fact, nothing was going to alter the plan Kuhlmann had in mind as he set out to be the first drag racer of a “doored” car to reach the 200-mph mark.

No, in the spring of 1987, Kuhlmann dumped the sport on its keister by crossing that barrier based on his willingness to stray from conventional wisdom. Combine that with his trust in the strength of his convictions plus the right weather and track conditions, and Kuhlmann had the recipe for making history.

Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson pondered, scratched his head and wondered allowed what his newest role in life description could be during drag racing’s pandemic shutdown.

An Emotional Support Technician?

“That’s awesome,” Johnson said of the suggestion. “That’s perfect.”

In just a little over a month, Johnson put aside his role of never-ending ambassador for drag racing to providing emotional and whatever support he could to trusted crewman Ervin “Jock” Allen. Allen contracted the Coronavirus last month, eventually ending up hospitalized and confined to a ventilator.

Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School will emerge from the pandemic pause with new venues and changes to its horsepower curriculum.

“This is the year we are all learning to be very flexible, and we couldn’t be happier to be offering classes at all the tracks that are hosting us,” Hawley said. “Whether you’re new to racing, moving up from Jr. Dragster, need to improve your skills, or just want to check an item off your bucket list there are lots of class dates coming to a track near you.”

After announcing a revised Mello Yello Drag Racing Series national event schedule yesterday, NHRA officials announced today the schedules for the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by J&A Service, the Mickey Thompson Tires NHRA Top Fuel Harley Series, the SAMTech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown Series and the Mountain Motor Pro Stock category.
 

NHRA will relaunch its premier series with back-to-back events at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis to kick off 17-event season completion

NHRA Drag Racing will return to the world stage in a major way in mid-July, relaunching its Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and associated programs with events on back-to-back weekends at famed Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. 

The two events will be run on consecutive weeks, July 11-12 and July 18-19, at the home of the newly-sponsored Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals and serve as the launch point for 15 more NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events that will follow beginning two weeks later in Seattle. The season will conclude with the crowning of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series champions November 13-15 at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The revised schedule is subject to changes due to evolving facts and guidelines.

For award-winning track promoter Bill Bader Jr., hitting the reset button for Norwalk Raceway Park was the best course of action for the facility located outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Unfortunately for the hundreds of thousands of race fans who attend the facility annually, the reset is next season.

Closing in 2020 was not the plan Bader had in mind for what he expected to be a banner season.