NHRA has reached the final six races of its 75th anniversary season, and today revealed the last batch of its commemorative ticket program.
The Kalitta family, Terry Vance, Warren Johnson, Antron Brown, Billy Meyer, Cruz and Tony Pedregon, and Tony Schumacher will be featured as the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series moves through the Countdown to the Championship.
The collectible tickets have been part of NHRA’s season-long celebration of its 75th anniversary, with each national event featuring drivers and personalities connected to the sport’s history.
The final run begins this weekend at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, where Connie, Scott and Doug Kalitta will be featured for the Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR.
It’s a fitting stop for the Kalitta family. The event marks NHRA’s national event debut at the Martin, Michigan, facility, and it comes in the backyard of Kalitta Motorsports.
When NHRA returns to Rockingham Dragway, Warren Johnson and Terry Vance will share the ticket.
Johnson became one of Pro Stock’s most successful drivers, while Vance established himself as one of the early stars of professional motorcycle drag racing. Both became major figures in their respective categories during eras that helped shape the professional side of NHRA racing.
Four-time Top Fuel champion Antron Brown gets the nod at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, where his history is particularly stout. Brown won there four consecutive years from 2012 through 2015 and owns five victories at the facility.
Texas Motorplex founder Billy Meyer will be featured when the tour reaches Dallas for the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals.
Meyer was already one of Funny Car’s marquee personalities before turning his attention toward racetrack ownership. When Texas Motorplex opened in 1986, its all-concrete racing surface and modern facility helped usher in the era of what became known as drag racing’s “super tracks.”
The Pedregon brothers get their turn in Las Vegas.
Cruz and Tony Pedregon have combined for four NHRA Funny Car championships and more than 80 national event victories, making them one of the most successful brother combinations in professional drag racing.
Then comes Pomona, and NHRA isn’t exactly going small for the finale.
Eight-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher will appear on the final commemorative ticket of the season for the Nov. 12-15 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals.
Pomona provided Schumacher with one of the defining moments of his career. His famous 2006 championship-clinching run, forever known as “The Run,” came when Schumacher needed to set the national elapsed-time record to keep his championship hopes alive. He did exactly that with a 4.428-second pass before ultimately winning the championship.
The six tickets complete a program that has already featured Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme, Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Joe Amato, Brittany Force, Ron Capps, Jim Head and Matt Hagan, among others.
The commemorative tickets are available throughout the remainder of the season and can be purchased with a clear display holder. They are being produced only during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season.
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