Traxxas Nitro Shootouts To Be Held At Indy; Seeding System Unveiled

Following the announcement two weeks ago that Traxxas, one of the latest additions to the NHRA official sponsor lineup, would provide financial support to resurrect the popular race-within-a-race shootouts for Top Fuel and Funny Car competitors, series officials today unveiled the detailed plans for these lucrative all star-like events.

In a departure from the past in which the eight-car shootouts were contested at different events – at the U.S. Nationals in Indy and either the World Finals or Las Vegas 2 – the Traxxas Nitro Shootout for both Top Fuel and Funny Car racers will take place in Indianapolis, adding plenty of extra fanfare to the sports’ preeminent drag race. The Top Fuel portion of the Nitro Shootout will take place on Saturday, September 1, while the Funny Car will take center stage a day later, on Sunday, September 2.

“The NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts redefine what a race within a race is all about,” said Mike Jenkins, owner and president of Traxxas. “We worked with NHRA to craft a program that rewards the winners of NHRA Full Throttle events and the leaders in the points standings while at the same time provides an opportunity for fans to vote for their favorite drivers.”

How competitors will qualify for a shot at the $100,000 payday will also vary from how it was done in the past, with three ways that a driver can seed themselves into the field.

First, the points leaders in both categories following the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. will automatically be placed into the eight-car field, whether they’ve won a national event during the season or not. In addition, the first seven winners of NHRA Full Throttle series events will qualify themselves for contention, beginning in Pomona and running through Brainerd, the last event before the tour heads to Indianapolis.

If there are less than seven race winners during that span, series officials will then turn to the points standing to seed the first seven positions. In the unlikely event that the points leader has not won an event, his or her automatic qualification in the field will bump the seventh place racer from the field. With the first seven spots set, the fans will get their chance to take part in the process through a fan vote conducted on the NHRA’s Facebook page and via  a lottery-style drawing to be held in Indianapolis.

This is all certainly great news, not only for the nitro competitors deserving an all-star race of their own, but for the U.s. Nationals in Indianapolis that’s been sorely lacking from added pomp and circumstance in recent years.