2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season
Encyclopedia
The 2011 NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Season began on 24 February 2011 and concluded on 13 November. This race season marked the 60th anniversary of NHRA as an official motorsports sanctioning body.
There were 22 Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock car events, and 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events.
1 The rules for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 4 Wide Nationals differ from other races:
announced he is "stepping away" from the Pro Stock class for the 2011 season, electing to race instead in Sportsman classes. "We took most of 2006 off just to kind of have a break from it all," he said in his press release. "We did a lot of high-dollar bracket races and select Lucas Oil Sportsman Series events here and there with no particular schedule in mind. We kind of just raced when we wanted to and it was a lot of fun. That is the direction I am heading now." Coughlin expects to spend more time with his school-age son Jeg Coughlin III at golf tournaments.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch
(#22 Shell Oil Company
Dodge Charger
) obtained an NHRA Pro Stock license and debuted in competition at the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in March, held during the NASCAR winter off-week.
Ashley Force Hood sat out the 2011 season, as she and husband Dan Hood were expecting their first child. John Force Racing mechanic Mike Neff, who raced from late 2007 after replacing the late Eric Medlen
after his fatal crash until 2009, returned to drive the Ford Mustang. Neff won the 2009 Auto Club Finals in his last start before returning to tuning John Force's car.
At the Fram/Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, CA, John Force
qualified at the top of the Funny Car
ladder. This gave Force 139 #1 qualifications for major events, besting the previous record holder, Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson
, who holds 138 #1 qualifications as of June 31, 2011.
Two days after the 2011 season ended, six-time champion Kenny Bernstein
announced his retirement from drag racing. Just six days later, 2011 Top Fuel champion Del Worsham
also retired.
National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and host events all over the United States and Canada...
Full Throttle Drag Racing Season began on 24 February 2011 and concluded on 13 November. This race season marked the 60th anniversary of NHRA as an official motorsports sanctioning body.
There were 22 Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock car events, and 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events.
Schedule
| 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Schedule | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Race | Site | Winners | ||||
| Top Fuel | Funny Car | Pro Stock | PS Motorcycle | ||||
| February 24–27 | 51st Kragen O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, formerly known as Pomona Raceway, is a racing facility located in Pomona, California that features a quarter-mile dragstrip. The dragstrip is most famous for hosting the NHRA's Winternationals event since 1961, the traditional season opener, as well as the seasons last... |
Pomona, Calif. | Morgan Lucas | Robert Hight | Jason Line | N/A | |
| March 10–13 | 42nd Annual Tire Kingdom Gatornationals Gainesville Raceway Gainesville Raceway is a quarter-mile dragstrip just outside Gainesville, Florida. It opened in 1969 and is most famous for hosting the NHRA's prestigious Gatornationals event since 1970... |
Gainesville, Fla | Del Worsham | Mike Neff | Jason Line | Eddie Krawiec | |
| April 1–3 | 12th Annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:... |
Las Vegas, Nev. | Antron Brown | Robert Hight | Mike Edwards | N/A | |
| April 14–17 | 2nd Annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 4 Wide Nationals1 | Concord, N.C. | Del Worsham | Jack Beckman | Greg Anderson | N/A | |
| April 29 – May 1 | 24th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals Houston Raceway Park Royal Purple Raceway is a quarter-mile dragstrip in Baytown, Texas, just outside Houston. It opened in 1988 and hosts the NHRA's O'Reilly Spring Nationals. It has a seating capacity for nearly 50,000 spectators, with additional grandstand seating brought in during major events... |
Houston, Texas | Del Worsham | Jeff Arend | Vincent Nobile | Andrew Hines | |
| May 13–15 | Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals Atlanta Dragway Atlanta Dragway is a drag racing facility located in Banks County, Georgia, just north of Commerce, Georgia. It is current home to the NHRA Full Throttle Series, Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals-History:... |
Atlanta, Ga. | Antron Brown | Jack Beckman | Jason Line | LE Tonglet | |
| May 20–22 | NHRA Summer Nationals Heartland Park Topeka Heartland Park Topeka is a multi-purpose motorsports facility located south of Topeka, Kansas.When it opened in 1989, it was the first brand-new auto racing facility to be built in the United States for 20 years. Its facilities include a road-race course with 4 possible configurations , a ⅜ mile... |
Topeka, Kan. | Spencer Massey | Robert Hight | Shane Gray | N/A | |
| June 2–5 | NHRA SuperNationals Old Bridge Township Raceway Park Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, originally known as Madison Township Raceway Park, is an American auto racing facility. It is located on 230 Pension Road in Old Bridge Township, near Englishtown, New Jersey, just off of County Route 527... |
Englishtown, N.J. | Spencer Massey | Mike Neff | Allen Johnson | Matt Smith | |
| June 17–19 | Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers | Bristol, Tenn. | Larry Dixon | Robert Hight | Mike Edwards | N/A | |
| June 23–26 | Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Summit Motorsports Park Summit Motorsports Park, formerly Norwalk Raceway Park and Norwalk Dragway, is a drag racing facility located on State Route 18 near Norwalk, Ohio... |
Norwalk, Ohio | Del Worsham | Mike Neff | Vincent Nobile | Eddie Krawiec | |
| July 7–10 | O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals Route 66 Raceway Route 66 Raceway is a motorsports facility located in Joliet, Illinois. The facility consists of a dragstrip and a dirt oval. The drag strip hosts several drag racing events including the NHRA. The dirt oval hosts many weekly dirt racing events... |
Chicago, Ill. | Del Worsham | Mike Neff | Greg Anderson | LE Tonglet | |
| July 22–24 | Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals Bandimere Speedway Bandimere Speedway, also known in the NHRA as Thunder Mountain, is a quarter-mile dragstrip located just outside Morrison, Colorado and Lakewood, Colorado. It opened in 1958 and hosts the NHRA's Mile-High Nationals. The facility has a seating capacity of 23,500 spectators.-History:In 1958, John... |
Denver, Colo. | Spencer Massey | John Force | Mike Edwards | Karen Stoffer | |
| July 29–31 | Fram/Autolite NHRA Nationals Infineon Raceway Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills... |
Sonoma, Calif. | Antron Brown | Ron Capps | Greg Anderson | LE Tonglet | |
| August 5–7 | O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals Pacific Raceways Pacific Raceways is a mixed-use road racing facility near Kent, Washington. The race track was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. The track was originally named Pacific Raceways, then became known as Seattle International Raceways in 1976... |
Seattle, Wash. | Del Worsham | Tim Wilkerson | Jason Line | N/A | |
| August 18–21 | Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Brainerd International Raceway Brainerd International Raceway is a road course, dragstrip and kart track near Brainerd, Minnesota, USA. The raceway hosts the National Hot Rod Association Nationals.-History:... |
Brainerd, Minn. | Antron Brown | Johnny Gray | Greg Anderson | LE Tonglet | |
| August 31 – September 5 | Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is a racing circuit complex in Brownsburg, Indiana... |
Indianapolis, Ind. | Antron Brown | Mike Neff | Greg Anderson | Hector Arana Jr. | |
| 2011 Countdown to One | |||||||
| September 15–18 | O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals | Concord, N.C. | Antron Brown | Matt Hagan | Kurt Johnson | Eddie Krawiec | |
| September 22–25 | AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals Texas Motorplex The Texas Motorplex is a quarter mile drag racing facility located in Ennis, Texas. Built in 1986 by former funny car driver Billy Meyer, the Motorplex was the first National Hot Rod Association "super track." It annually hosts the NHRA O'Reilly Fall Nationals each September, when hundreds of... |
Dallas, Texas | Bob Vandergriff | Cruz Pedregon | Jason Line | Michael Phillips | |
| September 29 – October 2 | Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals Maple Grove Raceway Maple Grove Raceway is a quarter-mile dragstrip located near Mohnton, Pennsylvania, just outside Reading. It opened in 1962 as a 1/5-mile dragstrip. It was eventually lengthened to its current quarter-mile length in 1964. The track has been sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association for most of... |
Reading, Pa. | Spencer Massey | Robert Hight | Jason Line | Hector Arana Jr. | |
| October 14–16 | NHRA Arizona Nationals Firebird International Raceway Firebird International Raceway is a quarter-mile dragstrip and road course in Chandler, Arizona.-History:The facility opened in 1983 and hosts the NHRA's Arizona Nationals. It held one IMSA GT race, in 1987. Due to its warm climate, it is a popular winter testing spot for NHRA and IndyCar... |
Phoenix, Ariz. | Larry Dixon | Jack Beckman | Vincent Nobile | Hector Arana Jr. | |
| October 27–30 | Big O Tires NHRA Nationals Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:... |
Las Vegas, Nev. | Del Worsham | Ron Capps | Mike Edwards | Eddie Krawiec | |
| November 10–13 | Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, formerly known as Pomona Raceway, is a racing facility located in Pomona, California that features a quarter-mile dragstrip. The dragstrip is most famous for hosting the NHRA's Winternationals event since 1961, the traditional season opener, as well as the seasons last... |
Pomona, Calif. | Del Worsham | Matt Hagan | Greg Stanfield | Andrew Hines | |
- NOTE: All races will be televised on ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
or ESPN2ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
1 The rules for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 4 Wide Nationals differ from other races:
- 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.
Notable events
Veteran Pro Stock driver Jeg Coughlin, Jr.Jeg Coughlin, Jr.
Jeg Coughlin, Jr. is an American motorsports driver, competing in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Division. He announced at the 2006 U.S. Nationals that he would drive in three events towards the end of that season and would return to the Pro Stock ranks the following season as...
announced he is "stepping away" from the Pro Stock class for the 2011 season, electing to race instead in Sportsman classes. "We took most of 2006 off just to kind of have a break from it all," he said in his press release. "We did a lot of high-dollar bracket races and select Lucas Oil Sportsman Series events here and there with no particular schedule in mind. We kind of just raced when we wanted to and it was a lot of fun. That is the direction I am heading now." Coughlin expects to spend more time with his school-age son Jeg Coughlin III at golf tournaments.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch is an American NASCAR and NHRA driver. He drives the No. 22 Shell Oil Company/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and will race on an "opportunity permitting" basis in the Pro Stock division of NHRA...
(#22 Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger (LX)
The Dodge Charger LX is a rear-wheel drive four-door automobile introduced in February 2005. Built by Chrysler for its North American Dodge brand, the car was created to continue the Dodge Charger line, and replaced the Dodge Intrepid as Dodge's full-size sedan...
) obtained an NHRA Pro Stock license and debuted in competition at the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in March, held during the NASCAR winter off-week.
Ashley Force Hood sat out the 2011 season, as she and husband Dan Hood were expecting their first child. John Force Racing mechanic Mike Neff, who raced from late 2007 after replacing the late Eric Medlen
Eric Medlen
Eric Medlen , son of John and Mary Medlen and brother of Eryn Medlen, was an NHRA Fuel Funny Car driver...
after his fatal crash until 2009, returned to drive the Ford Mustang. Neff won the 2009 Auto Club Finals in his last start before returning to tuning John Force's car.
At the Fram/Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, CA, John Force
John Force
John Harold Force is an NHRA drag racer, a 15-time Funny Car champion driver, and a 17-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing. He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 133 career victories...
qualified at the top of the Funny Car
Funny Car
Funny Car is a drag racing car class. In the United States, other "professional" classes are Top Fuel, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Funny cars have forward-mounted engines and carbon fiber automotive bodies over the chassis, giving them an appearance vaguely approximating manufacturers'...
ladder. This gave Force 139 #1 qualifications for major events, besting the previous record holder, Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson
Warren Johnson
Warren Johnson is an NHRA drag racing driver. He is the driver with the most wins in pro stock with 97 career wins, earning himself the nickname The Professor of Pro Stock.-Career:...
, who holds 138 #1 qualifications as of June 31, 2011.
Two days after the 2011 season ended, six-time champion Kenny Bernstein
Kenny Bernstein
Kenny Bernstein is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed the "Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King dragster, he has also been nicknamed "The King of Speed," because he was the first driver to break 300 miles per hour in the standing-start...
announced his retirement from drag racing. Just six days later, 2011 Top Fuel champion Del Worsham
Del Worsham
Del Worsham is an NHRA driver who began his professional career in Pomona, California, in 1990. Worsham drives for Al-Anabi Racing, whom he joined in 2009. Through the first five races of the 2011 season, he has amassed 28 career victories, three in the Top Fuel Series and 25 in the Funny Car...
also retired.
External links
- Official website
- Official NHRA Drag Racing Podcasts
- Drag Race Central The Latest NHRA News and Analysis