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NHRA
NHRA: WORLD’S LARGEST AUTO RACING
ORGANIZATION MAKING NOISE IN 2013
Nestled in the quiet community of Glendora, Calif., just minutes east of the hustle and bustle of
downtown Los Angeles, is the world’s largest and loudest auto racing organization, the National
Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Since it was founded by Wally Parks in 1951, NHRA has been
dedicated to safety while providing millions of racing fans with the fastest and most spectacular
form of entertainment on wheels.
With 80,000 members and more than 40,000 licensed competitors, NHRA is a thriving leader
in the world of motorsports. Parks, who died in 2007 at the age of 94, initially started NHRA as
a means of getting hot rodders off the streets and on to legal drag strips. Since those early days,
NHRA has evolved into the largest promoter of professional drag racing in the world. Today, with
more than 200 dedicated employees, NHRA offers drag racing opportunities for hot rod enthusiasts
of all levels, from youth ages 8 to 17 in the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League all the
way up to the top of the professional ranks with the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
While the grassroots racing organization has come a long way in its more than 60 years of
operation, some things will never change. It’s easy to see why fans are so committed to NHRA drag
racing, because they continue to have the best access to the behind-the-scenes action of racing.
NHRA’s open-pits policy allows fans to get an up-close-and-personal view of the way that teams
rebuild engines in quick fashion. Drivers are often found in their pit areas, signing autographs and
chatting with fans, who can get behind the wheel themselves in a variety of racing simulators in
the Nitro Alley Fan Zone. Those are just a few reasons why NHRA fans continue to be some of the
most loyal in any sport.
There are 130 member tracks across North America that host NHRA competitions each week
in NHRA’s seven geographic regions. In addition to the marquee Mello Yello Series, which
crisscrosses the U.S., making 24 stops in 21 cities in 10 months, NHRA offers popular weekly
grassroots programs at many of its member tracks. One of the most popular is the NHRA Drags:
Street Legal Style presented by AAA, which offers anyone with a car, driver’s license, helmet, and
auto insurance the opportunity to compete in grudge-match style drag racing. Serious weekend
warriors can compete each weekend at their local track in the NHRA Summit Racing Series, which
crowns national champions each season. The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series provides a
developmental series for those who are interested in a career as a touring pro. And the NHRA Pro
Mod Drag Racing Series features some of the nation’s wildest doorslammer race cars covering the
drag strip at speeds approaching 250 mph.
NHRA’s key business partners include The Coca-Cola Company, whose Mello Yello brand sponsors
the top touring series and Lucas Oil Products, which sponsors the important developmental series.
All of NHRA’s major series receive television coverage from NHRA’s exclusive multimedia partner,
ESPN Inc. Other official sponsors of the sport include Coca-Cola, Ford, FRAM and Harley-Davidson,
to name a few.
In a 2010 ESPN Sports Poll, NHRA was ranked No. 1 overall in growth among avid sports fans in
31 major sports leagues, and the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series had a 12-month high in
“fan avidity” while interest in the Mello Yello Series was up 51 percent among “avid” sports fans.
While Top Fuel dragsters routinely cover the race distance at more than 320 mph, NHRA is moving
just as fast in popularity with auto racing fans. Second only to NASCAR in terms of attendance,
fan appeal, television ratings and sponsorship commitment among the major motorsports
organizations, NHRA is moving quickly into mainstream America.
NHRA is all about diversity. With more than 20 categories of competition, including Top Fuel,
Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle at the professional level, and a multicultural
array of high-octane personalities it calls world champions, NHRA thrives on unique competitors
accomplishing unique achievements.
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