NHRA Finals

NHRA Drag Racing is a high-​energy sport that has been around for at least 50 years. The Winternationals start the season right here in Pomona every year in February. The NHRA finals is the culmination of the season’s activities which takes place during the month of November.
All year long, professional drivers risk life and limb in pursuit of the Wally, a championship trophy named after the NHRA founder, Wally Parks. Throughout the year, as the races take place nationwide, drivers accumulate points and rankings. It is at this event in which everyone feels the pressure.
When you enter the pits, you’ll have an experience unlike no other. Drivers and their crew work as a team to ensure that each dragster, funny car, motorcycle, and prostock vehicle is fully prepared for the raceway. They identify any issues that could impact the drivers’ safety as well as maintaining the integrity of the vehicles. At this time, drivers take short breaks to interact with fans, taking photos and signing autographs.
However, be forewarned that nitro can be brutal on the eyes and throat. When you see everyone putting on face masks, that is when they’re about to fire up the vehicles. As a fan who wants to get up close and personal with the drivers, understand that this is the time in which you «might» want to stand far away from the vehicles. The nitro will burn your eyes and cause temporary discomfort to your throat. Many hardcore fans live for this moment while others flee and take cover. It comes with the territory because every ticket is a pit pass. With this privilege comes a small amount of discomfort but you’ll get used to it.
For anyone who has ADHD like me, this is spectators dream come true. Each races is over in less than 5 seconds, averaging about 3.5 seconds. Both drivers pull up to the track and drive about ¹⁄₃ of the way down the track for burnout. Then they’ll reverse their vehicles back toward the «tree» that displays a white, yellow, green, and red light. A light is displayed on both sides of the tree and coincides with each driver. Once they are properly lined up, they’ll wait for the lights flash from yellow to green. After that light turns green, it’s time to race! It helps to have a fast reaction time because they will have a slight edge over their opponent. If the light turns red, the driver has been disqualified for beginning the race too soon. Once the two cars race down the track, there is a photo finish. The first car to cross the finish line is the winner for that particular race. When you view the photo, you’ll notice that the drivers vehicles are crossing the finish line with only a few inches or less between them. It’s amazing! The winner of each race will return to face a new opponent until it’s narrowed down to two drivers for each category. So you’ll experience qualifying and semi-​final rounds until it all comes down to the final round in which a champ is crowned.
I have been coming to NHRA races for many years and I’ve never met anyone who did not enjoy their experience. It’s loud and rough on your senses, but it’s an unforgettable experience. The best part is that if you have phenomenal seats and want to keep them, NHRA will let you renew them every year. They’ll email you and send you a reminder in the mail to give you this opportunity. I have renewed my tickets year after year and I sit by the same group of people each time.
The NHRA Finals is an event that will go down as one of the most amazing experiences that one could have. I highly recommend coming down to Pomona to check out what happens on The Auto Club Raceway. If you’re lucky, you’ll see flames being emitted from the vehicles and that’s a sight to see!