NHRA: World's largest auto racing organization

Since it was founded by Wally Parks in 1951, NHRA has been dedicated to safety while providing millions of racing fans with the fastest and most spectacular form of entertainment on wheels. Parks initially started NHRA as a means of getting hot rodders off the streets and onto legal drag strips. Since those early days, NHRA has evolved into the largest promoter of professional drag racing in the world.

While the grassroots racing organization has come a long way in its 65 years of operation, some things will never change. It’s easy to see why fans are so committed to NHRA drag racing. They continue to have the best access to the behind-the-scenes action of racing. NHRA’s open-pits policy allows fans to get an up-close-and personal view of the way teams rebuild engines. Drivers are often found in their pit areas, signing autographs and chatting with fans who have the rare opportunity to get behind the wheel themselves in a variety of racing simulators in the Nitro Alley Fan Zone. Those are just a few reasons why NHRA fans continue to be some of the most loyal in any sport.

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series crisscrosses the U.S., making 24 stops in 21 cities over the course of 10 months. Historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, where the season begins and ends, is just one of four tracks on the schedule that is owned and operated by the NHRA. Atlanta Dragway, Gainesville Raceway in Florida and Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis are all part of the NHRA family of tracks. Information about the NHRA is available in various forms, including the magazine, NHRA National Dragster, and the highly acclaimed NHRA.com. Award-winning NHRA National Dragster covers every race from the first sportsman run to the final Mello Yello Series blast to the winner’s circle. NHRA.com has won several awards for its innovative, interactive coverage of all forms of NHRA drag racing and provides daily results, feature stories and breaking news at the click of a mouse. For the first time in 2016, FOX Sports will provide television coverage of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, with live coverage at 17 of the events, including four of those on the FOX national broadcast network.

NHRA has the most loyal fans who are committed to the sport they love, and it’s easy to see why. With tens of thousands of members and a strong network of member tracks, a myriad of events are sanctioned by NHRA throughout the nation.

Keeping with Parks’ original philosophy, new President Peter Clifford guides the sport and assures that safety and technological improvements will remain a top priority in 2016. Progressive changes will help the NHRA continue to fulfill its leadership role in the motorsports world well into the future. The NHRA will protect and further the best interests of the sport, constantly lobbying for beneficial safety and insurance legislation for auto enthusiasts. One of the most important events in drag racing history occurred in March 1993, when the Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA) officially recognized the sport. That opened the doors to drag racing and afforded it a more solidified role in the world’s motorsports community.

NHRA, the largest motorsports sanctioning body in the world, also is an active member of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and actively works with the SFI Foundation to promote safety in competition and the high-performance aftermarket industry. NHRA also is drag racing’s representative in international motorsports through its membership in the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS). Participation on and off the track has made the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series one of the most popular forms of racing, reaching thousands of fans, members and sponsors at 300 mph.