‘It makes you a part of history.’ NHRA event in Concord to set drag racing milestone
NHRA cars may run more than 330 mph, and that speed can be felt anywhere at zMAX Dragway.
Fans at drag races are used to standing on the infield and instinctively jumping as the cars with more than 11,000 horsepower take off for less than four seconds.
It may be even worse for the person standing directly behind the car than the competitor in the driver’s seat, two-time Top Fuel champion and 17-time winner Brittany Force explained. Teammates standing behind the cars as they launch is just more violent — when you’re the dragster, the engine is behind you, while a canopy is above and minimizes the noise.
The NHRA’s 4-Wide Nationals this weekend in Concord will mark the 1,000th Top Fuel race. Milestone races like this always provide a bonus for competitors — especially for Force, who won the 800th, and Antron Brown when he won the 900th — and there’s even more incentive to win under an iconic backdrop in zMAX Dragway.
“It’s an extreme sport,” Force said. “You can’t compare it to anything. You can watch it on TV, that’s great, but nothing will do it justice like being there in person. Sitting in the stands, watching these cars compete down a 1,000-foot drag strip, 330 mph in less than four seconds and 11,000 horsepower.
“Within the first second, it’s about six Gs (of force) on my body, and negative Gs when we throw the chutes. Your ears are ringing. Your eyes are burning. The ground is shaking. There’s nothing like it, and you have to be there in person to experience it.”
‘The fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet’
Both Force and Brown called zMAX Dragway the “Bellagio of drag strips.”
In addition to Stewart’s involvement with both NASCAR and NHRA, Kurt Busch drove a Pro Stock car there years ago. It’s always just a different feel when drag racing comes to auto racing’s biggest areas, and that motivates its competitors.
It could be difficult to realize the day-to-day of the NHRA grind. They may only be racing inside their cars for, say, 3.8 seconds, but competitors are often at the track before 8 a.m. and don’t get back to their hotels until after 10 p.m. Their craft involves engaging with people — especially fans — all day long, while remaining mentally focused on perfecting such a short race.
“Watch circle track racing, it’s like you’re watching the Olympics — you’re watching the (3000m) or the mile run,” Brown said. “We come up to the floor, and we’re the 100 meters. We’re the 100-meter dash. We are the purest, the fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet. You’ll catch it for that split second, it’s gonna raise the blood pressure, make the sweat come on the brow, and it’s going to drive and accelerate this passion.
“We have no mulligans. We have no do-overs. We have only four spots to shine, and you’ve gotta hope you get to the next round so you can shoot another shot.”
‘This is a big race right here’
Top Fuel victories date back to 1963, when “Big Daddy” Don Garlits won at the Winternationals.
Four-wide racing provides a “battle royale of battles,” Brown said, and the trophy that the 1,000th winner receives will be on display throughout the weekend.
Brown, the 49-year-old racer and team owner, became captivated by the thrills of the speed when growing up in New Jersey and going to tracks in small towns. Whether they’re racing at a place like Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pennsylvania, or what Brown also referred to as “the Disney World of motorsports complexes” in zMAX Dragway, NHRA races provide an unmatched sports experience — and this weekend’s will be historic.
“I’ve won the 800th race of Top Fuel, I’ve won numerous (milestone) races for our old team owner Don Schumacher,” Brown said. “What it does for you is it makes you a part of history that you can’t be taken out of. A lot of people just want to win a race. Some people want to be able to win prestigious races. Well, this is a big race right here.”
Tickets for the NHRA event at Charlotte
Every ticket is a pit pass, and tickets are available through Charlotte Motor Speedway’s website. Children 12 and younger attend for free.
Schedule for the American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals
Friday
Qualifying sessions run throughout Friday, highlighted by the Nitro Funny Car and Top Fuel at 5:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The day opened with Sportsman at 8:30 a.m. before Factory Stock (2 p.m., 3:40 p.m., Factory X (2:10 p.m., 3:50 p.m.), Top Alcohol (2:35 p.m., 5:55 p.m.), Pro Mod (3:10 p.m., 6:30 p.m.), Mountain Motor Pro Stock (2:20 p.m., 4 p.m.), Summit JDRL (3:30 p.m., 5:50 p.m.) and Pro Stock Motorcycle and Car (4:30 p.m., 7 p.m.).
Saturday
Eliminations begin for the Sportsman competitors Saturday morning, and qualifying sessions continue until the late afternoon. The NHRA’s head-to-head Mission #2Fast2Tasty challenge pits semifinalists from the previous race against each other in a pair of rematches, with the two winners matching up in their final qualifying sessions on Saturday. Top Fuel is up in the first round of the challenge at 12:30 p.m., followed by Funny Car at 12:50 p.m., and the finals are at 3 p.m. and 3:20 p.m., respectively.
Sunday
Gates open at 8:30 a.m., starting with a track walk and pre-race ceremonies on the starting line at 11 a.m. Nitro eliminations for Top Fuel and Funny Car begin at noon, with the second round at 2:15 p.m. and finals at 3:50 p.m. Pro Stock Car and Motorcycle (12:40 p.m., 2:35 p.m. and 3:40 p.m.), Pro Mod (1:05 p.m., 2:45 p.m.), Top Alcohol (1:20 p.m., 3:13 p.m.), Mountain Motor (1:35 p.m., 3:10 p.m.), Factory Stock (1:40 p.m., 3:16 p.m.), Factory X (1:45 p.m., 3:20 p.m.), Sportsman (1:50 p.m., 3 p.m.), Summit JDRL Shootout (2:55 p.m.) round out the day, which also includes a junior dragster exhibition at 3:23 p.m.
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "‘It makes you a part of history.’ NHRA event in Concord to set drag racing milestone."
