NHRA POWERade Drag Racing is headed to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, July 25-27, for the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals. A full weekend of racing excitement is on tap, including the “Nitro Night of Fire” on Friday night, where Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars race under the lights, spewing flames out the header pipes of the cars with a smell of nitro.

Safety First
After the tragic death of racer Scott Kalitta June 21 in Englishtown, N.J., NHRA made a decision to cut the length of the Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car races from the normal quarter-mile, or 1,320 feet, to 1,000 feet. It is an interim step to keep the drivers as safe as possible while an investigation is underway concerning the explosion to Kalitta’s car and his subsequent crash off the end of the drag strip. The Pro Stock cars and Pro Stock Motorcycles will be racing the entire quarter-mile.

Four-time world champion Gary Scelzi, who drives the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, said it is a huge thing to be able to slow the cars down and have more room to do that.

“First of all, on the 1,000-foot thing, that was a bold and great move by NHRA. They took a big stance to do this. I haven’t heard much from the fans yet, but the drivers are for it. It’s not something we want to stay with, but it’s something we’ll stay with until the end of the year,” Scelzi said. “Until this last accident, we’ve had a track record that’s impeccable. But here over the last couple of years we’ve lost two drivers, and NHRA is not going to stand for that. They’re bringing in experts from engineering, NASCAR, F1 and crash experts to analyze the things that are happening, the heavier Funny Cars we introduced this year, the parachutes, the down-force.”

“I’m proud to be part of NHRA and see what they’re doing to try to make things safer,” he added. “I know 320 feet doesn’t sound like a lot, but we’re covering so much ground so quickly. I mean, we’re going 0-60 feet at over 100 mph in less than a second and the last half of the track in less than a second. I went off the end of Pomona at the Winternationals two years ago, and if I’d had an extra 50 feet, I would’ve made it. “

Five-time world champion Tony Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster, is the first driver this season to officially clinch a playoff berth. Schumacher has won five races so far this season, and is the defending FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals champion at Infineon Raceway.

“Drag racing has been a quarter of a mile. We’re known for it. World records have been set; world championships have been decided by world records. To make that drastic of a change for the driver, we all appreciate that a ton,” Schumacher said. “I can tell you the thousand[th] foot, most of the cars that are very quick, that’s where we hit a rev limiter. They come on. When you hit a rev limiter, you’re going 320 mph, it drops three or four cylinders, [and] that has its own scary issues as a driver, when the car lays over that hard.”

Schumacher went on to say that a sand trap, at the end of the drag strip, is a last resort. Infineon Raceway has more than enough shutdown room, but NHRA is not taking any chances.

The 2007 FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals Funny Car defending champion John Force and daughter Ashley Force will both be racing at Infineon, along with teammates Robert Hight and Mike Neff.

Infineon Raceway will also host the 2nd Annual “Eric Medlen Ice Cream Social” on July 27 after the final pair of Top Fuel Dragsters make their pass down the drag strip. Race fans will be invited onto the race track to take part in the celebration, with free ice cream compliments of Dreyer’s.

Medlen, a native of Oakdale, considered Infineon his home track. He was killed in March of 2007 while making a practice run in his Funny Car in Gainsville, Fla. Fans can also make donations to the Infineon Raceway Eric Medlen Scholarship Fund, which will be awarded to a high school bracket drag racer. The raceway will match the donations up to $4,500.

For tickets and more information on the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals, a July 23rd 2nd annual Burnout Bash Party and a July 24th “Eric Medlen Nitro Night,” call (707) 933-3950 or visit http://www.infineonraceway.com.