The NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) announced on Wednesday afternoon the full 2020 schedule, along with cancellations to three events including the NHRA Auto Club Finals originally planned for the Nov. 13-15 weekend.
This week, the NHRA is back on track for the scheduled U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend, taking place from Sept. 3-6. From there, the circuit will travel to Gainesville, Florida for the Gainesville Nationals, scheduled for Sept. 25-27. The Gainesville Nationals was supposed to take place back in March but was previously postponed due to COVID concerns.
Then, the 2020 schedule will include three events for the month of October. From Oct. 2-4, the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Midwest Nationals will be seen in St. Louis, followed up with a trip to the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals in Dallas, Texas slated for Oct. 14-18 and the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals in Houston on the Oct. 23-25 weekend.
The 2020 season will wrap up early this year by concluding in Las Vegas for the Dodge NHRA Finals, planned for Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The Dodge Nationals will crown this year’s series champions for the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, as well as Pro Stock Motorcycle.
As a reminder, the Countdown to the Championship (NHRA’s Playoff Style Format) was scrapped earlier this year due to the pandemic.
“We are grateful to the loyal NHRA fans who have stuck with us during these trying times,” said NHRA President Glen Cromwell. “NHRA plans to hold these next six national events to conclude the 2020 season. Thank you to our fans, racers, and partners for your continued support and cooperation.”
Unfortunately, three events were canceled on the 2020 schedule. Those events were the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver, the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota and the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka, Kansas. In addition, two other events were removed from the scheduled including the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina and the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee.
As previously mentioned, the NHRA Auto Club Finals, which was scheduled to be the last event of the season is now canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. It will mark the first time since the 1980s the California track will not host an NHRA event.
“We are disappointed that we will not be hosting the Finals here at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona for the first time since the mid-80s,” said Dale Coleman, Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer. “Under the current circumstances, we totally understand. We wish all the folks at NHRA well in Las Vegas and we look forward to the return of the Finals to Pomona in 2021.”
