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The stars of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series return this weekend to Bruton Smith’s palace of drag racing, the zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, for the one-of-a-kind NHRA Dollar General Four-Wide Nationals, where racers in the nitro categories, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle square off in a four-wide contest that assaults the senses unlike any other event in the sport.
Special thanks to the presenting sponsor of our same day event coverage, Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels!
This may be the emptiest you ever see Nitro Alley – this was the first shot in the camera, taken at about 8AM.
You might notice the hundred-dollar bills embedded in the paint on this car and wonder “Where’s Mike Knowles’ new Pro Mod?” Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in this sport, Mike just ran out of time getting the car sorted out for this event, and decided to bring out his McAmis-built ’68 Camaro instead. They tested the car recently and feel comfortable that they can start out running 5.90’s this weekend and hope to go quicker if all the stars align.
The Super Gas competitors were lined up and making passes in their first round of qualifying this morning.
Left- The Aeromotive team of Steve Matusek was hard at work in the pits this morning getting his hotrod ready for competition. Right - Steve Petty was clicking the keys on Troy Coughlin's machine in preparation for the first round of Pro Mod, scheduled to begin at 2PM if the weather holds out. The forecast doesn't look great for later today but the rest of the weekend could provide record-setting conditions.
The Cobra Jet contingent is large this weekend in Stock and Super Stock. We also saw a number of COPO Camaros and a few Dodges while checking out the pits.
The Vance and Hines team was also moving at double-speed getting their Pro Stock Motorcycles ready for competition.
It was a bit windy this morning – making the task of packing the parachutes a difficult proposition.
While wandering the pits this morning we came across the huge Traxxas R/C car display, where they were putting on a show for the fans checking out their goods. Cool stuff.
The Pro Stockers are also out in force this weekend. They were all moving around and getting prepared during our pit tour.
Tony Schumacher’s US Army Dragster was front-and-center in the Army’s midway display. The canopy sure does change the look of the car, but if it helps the drivers stay safe in the event of a mishap, we’re all for its use.
First round of qualifying for Pro Mod and Pro Stock Motorcycle is complete, and ten Pro Stock cars were able to make runs today. At this time racing has been cancelled for today and will pick up tomorrow. The Pro Stock racers who have completed runs so far will have their times counted, and there will be two rounds of qualifying tomorrow for all Pro classes.
There’s nothing like the smell of nitro in the morning, as this group of fans clustered around Courtney Force’s Traxxas Funny Car can attest.
Looks like Petty did his job this morning – Troy Coughlin went right to the top of the Pro Mod ladder with a super-strong 5.963 at 243.72 in his ‘Vette.
Steve Matusek rattled the tires early in his run but recovered to drive to a 6.49 at 243 MPH. When we saw him earlier this year at NMRA in Florida he couldn’t even get to the sixty-foot clocks, so it looks like he’s getting closer to figuring out his new car and combination.
Danny Rowe captured the #2 spot in the first round with a strong 5.96 at 244 MPH.
Rickie Smith jumped right into the #3 spot in the first round with an awesome 5.977 at 242 MPH from his nitrous-assisted Camaro.
Clint Satterfield’s monstrous 6.01 at 246 MPH came despite his relatively-slow short time of 1.07. This team will be dangerous if they can get the short-track figured out.
Hector Arana Jr. rode his Buell to the sixth qualified spot during the four-wide Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying session. His 6.97 at 193.10 MPH earned him the third-highest qualifying speed.
After Eddie Krawiec was pushed back in the second lane, it was up to teammate Andrew Hines to salvage the Harley efforts in round one. He tripped the clocks with a 7.01 at 190 MPH to land in the seventh spot. The Vance and Hines team is still working to figure out their new two-valve combinations in 2013.
As the Pro Stock Motorcycle contingent hasn’t raced four-wide since the inaugural zMAX event, the first two groupings struggled with the tree. James Surber left before the tree was activated in the first grouping and didn’t receive a time.
Larry Morgan rocketed to the #2 spot on the abbreviated Pro Stock session. His 6.64 at 208 MPH was four hundredths behind Shane Gray, who clicked off a round-low 6.60 blast at 210 MPH – almost two full MPH faster than everyone else.
Don’t count out the Professor just yet. Despite not having a major sponsor, the man still knows how to hustle a car down the racetrack. He’s currently sitting fourth with a 6.66, and tomorrow will be quicker for everyone as the weather cools off.
Rodger Brogdon is sitting just a hundredth behind Morgan in the third spot. His 2013 Camaro ran straight and true to a 6.652 at 208.42, second-highest MPH of the round behind Gray.
We’ll pick back up tomorrow – at this time the NHRA has not released a daily schedule, but we’ll update as soon as possible. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the photo gallery by selecting it from the dropdown menu at the top of this page.
