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2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series

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2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season
LeagueNHRA
SportDrag racing
ChampionsSteve Torrence (TF)
J.R. Todd (FC)
Tanner Gray (PS)
Matt Smith (PSM)
NHRA seasons

The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Season was announced on June 6, 2017.[1]

It was the 63rd season of the National Hot Rod Association's top drag racing competition. There were 24 Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock events, and 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events.

Schedule

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2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Schedule
Date Race Site TV Winners
Top Fuel Dragster Funny Car Pro Stock PS Motorcycle
Feb 8–11 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com Pomona, CA FS1 Doug Kalitta (1) Matt Hagan (1) Bo Butner (1) N/A
Feb 23–25 NHRA Arizona Nationals Chandler, AZ FS1* Steve Torrence (1) Courtney Force (1) Chris McGaha (1) N/A
Mar 15–18 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Gainesville, FL FS1* Richie Crampton (1) Jack Beckman (1) Tanner Gray (1) Eddie Krawiec (1)
Apr 6–8 DENSO Auto Parts NHRA Four-Wide Nationals 4 Lanes Las Vegas, NV FS1* Steve Torrence (2) J.R. Todd (1) Vincent Nobile (1) N/A
Apr 20–22 NHRA SpringNationals Baytown, TX FS1 Brittany Force (1) J.R. Todd (2) Matt Hartford (1) N/A
Apr 27–29 NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals 4 Lanes Concord, NC FS1* Steve Torrence (3) Cruz Pedregon (1) Erica Enders-Stevens (1) Jerry Savoie (1)
May 4–6 NHRA Southern Nationals Commerce, GA FS1* Leah Pritchett (1) Courtney Force (2) Vincent Nobile (2) Eddie Krawiec (2)
May 18–21 [a] Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties Topeka, KS FS1 Clay Millican (1) Courtney Force (3) Deric Kramer (1) N/A
May 31 – Jun 3 JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals Joliet, IL FS1* Clay Millican (2) Robert Hight (1) Jeg Coughlin, Jr. (1) Matt Smith (1)
Jun 8–10 Virginia NHRA Nationals Petersburg, VA FS1* Steve Torrence (4) Courtney Force (4) Tanner Gray (2) L.E. Tonglet (1)
Jun 15–17 Fitzgerald USA NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Bristol, TN FS1* Tony Schumacher (1) Ron Capps (1) Jeg Coughlin, Jr. (2) N/A
Jun 21–24 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Norwalk, OH FS1* Blake Alexander (1) Matt Hagan (2) Tanner Gray (3) Eddie Krawiec (3)
Jul 6–8 NHRA New England Nationals Epping, NH FS1 Steve Torrence (5) Matt Hagan (3) Chris McGaha (2) N/A
Jul 20–22 Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Morrison, CO Fox Leah Pritchett (2) John Force (1) Greg Anderson (1) Hector Arana, Jr. (1)
Jul 27–29 Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals Sonoma, CA Fox Blake Alexander (2) Robert Hight (2) Jeg Coughlin, Jr. (3) L.E. Tonglet (2)
Aug 3–5 CatSpot NHRA Northwest Nationals Kent, WA Fox Antron Brown (1) Ron Capps (2) Tanner Gray (4) N/A
Aug 16–19 Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Brainerd, MN FS1 Billy Torrence (1) Jack Beckman (2) Deric Kramer (2) Eddie Krawiec (4)
Aug 29 – Sep 3 Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals 1.5 Clermont, IN Fox Terry McMillen (1) J.R. Todd (3) Tanner Gray (5) L.E. Tonglet (3)
Countdown to the Championship
Sep 13–16 Dodge NHRA Nationals Mohnton, PA FS1* Steve Torrence (6) J.R. Todd (4) Vincent Nobile (3) Hector Arana, Jr. (2)
Sep 21–23 AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals Madison, IL FS1 Steve Torrence (7) Robert Hight (3) Tanner Gray (6) Matt Smith (2)
Oct 4–7 AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals Ennis, TX FS1 Steve Torrence (8) Robert Hight (4) Tanner Gray (7) L.E. Tonglet (4)
Oct 12–14 NHRA Carolina Nationals presented by WIX Filters Concord, NC FS1 Steve Torrence (9) Ron Capps (3) Jason Line (1) Matt Smith (3)
Oct 25–28 Toyota NHRA Nationals Las Vegas, NV FS1 Steve Torrence (10) J.R. Todd (5) Bo Butner (2) Hector Arana, Jr. (3)
Nov 8–11 Auto Club NHRA Finals 1.5 Pomona, CA FS1 Steve Torrence (11) J.R. Todd (6) Tanner Gray (8) Matt Smith (4)
  1. ^ Due to inclement weather throughout the day, Final Elimination Rounds at the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kansas did not start until around 7 PM CDT on May 20, 2018. After fog began settling in during the second round of pro racing, it was postponed until the following day at 10 AM CDT when the semifinal and final rounds were held.

* Finals televised on tape delay. Ennis, TX race broadcast schedule and channel changed from FS2 to FS1 because of 2018 National League Division Series presented by Doosan Game 3 start times.[2]

Additional Rules for Specially Marked Races

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4 Lanes: The Four-Wide Nationals in both Las Vegas and Charlotte in the spring will compete with cars on four lanes.

  • All cars will qualify on each lane as all four lanes will be used in qualifying.
  • Three rounds with cars using all four lanes.
  • In Rounds One and Two, the top two drivers (of four) will advance to the next round.
  • The pairings are set as follows:
    • Race One: 1, 8, 9, 16
    • Race Two: 4, 5, 12, 13
    • Race Three: 2, 7, 10, 15
    • Race Four: 3, 6, 11, 14
    • Semifinal One: Top two in Race One and Race Two
    • Semifinal Two: Top two in Race Three and Race Four
    • Finals: Top two in Semifinal One and Semifinal Two
  • Lane choice determined by times in previous round. In first round, lane choice determined by fastest times.
  • Drivers who advance in Rounds One and Two will receive 20 points for each round advancement.
  • In Round Three, the winner of the race will be declared the race winner and will collect 40 points. The runner-up will receive 20 points. Third and fourth place drivers will be credited as semifinal losers.

1.5: The U. S. Nationals and Auto Club Finals will have their race points increased by 50% . Drivers who qualify but are eliminated in the first round receive 30 points, and each round win is worth 30 points. The top four receive 10, 9, 8, and 7 points, respectively, for qualifying positions, with the 5–6 drivers receiving 6 points, 7–8 drivers receiving 5 points, 9–12 receiving 4 points, and 13–16 receiving 3 points. Also, the top four, not three, drivers after each session receive points for fastest times in each round (4-3-2-1).

Event changes

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On January 16, 2018, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey ceased all drag racing operations at the facility due to ongoing safety concerns as well as rising maintenance costs. The NHRA Summernationals, already scheduled to take place there in June, was cancelled. Two weeks later, a replacement event was announced at Virginia Motorsports Park in Petersburg, Virginia.[3] The last NHRA professional event at VMP had taken place in 2009.[4]

Because of a series of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series date changes, the NHRA changed the dates of numerous rounds to avoid conflicts. The race in Joliet was moved to early June, as the normal date had been reassigned to the NASCAR meeting at the nearby Chicagoland Speedway, and the Countdown dates in Reading and Charlotte were swapped since the Charlotte date would have been too close to the NASCAR road course playoff race.

Final standings

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Top Fuel[5]
Pos. Driver Points Points Back Chassis
1 Steve Torrence 2900 – MLR
2 Tony Schumacher 2596 −304 DSR (MG)
3 Clay Millican 2573 −327 Hadman
4 Leah Pritchett 2456 −444 DSR (MG)
5 Brittany Force 2417 −483 Force
6 Antron Brown 2378 −522 DSR (MG)
7 Mike Salinas 2308 −592 Scrappers
8 Doug Kalitta 2308 −592 Kalitta
9 Terry McMillen 2301 −599 McMillen
10 Scott Palmer 2231 −669 Thompson
Funny Car[5]
Pos. Driver Points Points Back Make
1 J.R. Todd 2726 – Toyota
2 Robert Hight 2532 −194 Chevrolet
3 Tommy Johnson, Jr. 2519 −207 Dodge
4 Ron Capps 2510 −216 Dodge
5 Tim Wilkerson 2418 −308 Ford
6 Courtney Force 2409 −317 Chevrolet
7 Jack Beckman 2405 −321 Dodge
8 Matt Hagan 2371 −355 Dodge
9 John Force 2356 −370 Chevrolet
10 Shawn Langdon 2285 −441 Toyota
Pro Stock[5]
Pos. Driver Points Points Back Make
1 Tanner Gray 2758 – Chevrolet
2 Jeg Coughlin, Jr. 2571 −187 Chevrolet
3 Drew Skillman 2559 −199 Chevrolet
4 Erica Enders-Stevens 2525 −233 Chevrolet
5 Jason Line 2472 −286 Chevrolet
6 Vincent Nobile 2452 −306 Chevrolet
7 Greg Anderson 2418 −340 Chevrolet
8 Bo Butner III 2379 −379 Chevrolet
9 Deric Kramer 2268 −490 Chevrolet
10 Chris McGaha 2184 −574 Chevrolet
Pro Stock Motorcycle[5]
Pos. Driver Points Points Back Make
1 Matt Smith 2666 – Buell
2 Eddie Krawiec 2627 −39 Harley-Davidson
3 Hector Arana, Jr. 2536 −130 Buell
4 L.E. Tonglet IV 2532 −134 Suzuki
5 Gerald Savoie 2464 −202 Suzuki
6 Andrew Hines 2450 −216 Harley-Davidson
7 Angelle Sampey 2349 −317 Buell
8 Angie Smith 2303 −363 Buell
9 Steve Johnson 2290 −376 Suzuki
10 Scotty Pollacheck 2258 −408 Suzuki

References

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  1. ^ "NHRA announces 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule". NHRA.com. National Hot Rod Association. June 6, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  2. ^ "NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series TV schedule". NHRA.com. National Hot Rod Association. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  3. ^ BangShift.com, Bad News: Raceway Park Will Cease Drag Racing Operations – The End Of Englishtown Appears To Be Nigh by Brian Lohnes, January 16, 2018, Retrieved Jan. 30, 2018.
  4. ^ National Hot Rod Association, NHRA partners with Virginia Motorsports Park to host NHRA Virginia Nationals, NHRA.com, January 30, 2018, Retrieved Jan. 30, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series points". nhra.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-21. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
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