The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship will see some new elements this year. Competitors in the premier series may earn their way into the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s version of the playoffs, by one of two ways.

As in previous years, the top ten drivers in each of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series categories at the conclusion of the NHRA U.S. Nationals will earn positions in the Countdown to the Championship.

New for 2020, drivers in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series who meet a minimum set of requirements will also earn their place in the playoffs.

In NHRA’s Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, collectively referred to as “Nitro,” drivers who compete at all 18 events in the regular season and run a minimum of two qualifying sessions at each event will also earn their place in the playoffs.

In Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, drivers who compete at all 13 or 11 events, respectively, in the regular season and run a minimum of two qualifying sessions at each event will get to compete for the championship in five events throughout the Countdown to the Championship.

Those who secure a position in the Countdown to the Championship will have their NHRA Mello Yello points adjusted at the conclusion of the NHRA U.S. Nationals. In the Nitro categories, first and second place will be separated by 20 points and each consecutive position will be separated by a 10-point differential. In Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, first and second place will be separated by 20 points while second through fifth place will be separated by 10 points and all following positions will be separated by five points.

Accumulation of points will remain the same, with points-and-a-half rewarded at the Auto Club NHRA Finals. The top ten drivers at the conclusion of the Countdown to the Championship will be recognized at NHRA’s annual awards banquet.

NHRA officials made this change in order to better reward driver endurance and encourage participation in regular season events.

I'm not sure what negative things might pop up but at a glance I like it better than what they have had in the past.

Curtis

What I do not like about the countdown is resetting the points they earned all year. I think that is Stupid and what should be fixed.

So the new changes if I understand it right may have more than 10 people in class eligible?
Say you have a guy who runs 13 races and has done well. Then you have another guy who has been to every race but has not done good will he get in or will both be in?

Or will the guy with less points make the top 10 countdown and kick the guy with higher points out?

Or in that situation will the both be in giving 11 or more racers qualified for countdown?

Hey, look at that.

NHRA has now become just like all other little league and other kids sports.

EVERYBODY GETS A PARTICIPATION TROPHY.
All you have to do is SHOW UP and take 2 hits.

You can't make this "sh it" up.

REALLY.

Since they are now giving away participation trophies they should also eliminate qualified 16 car field and just make them all run fields....

Sounds like a left wing liberal move by the NHRA but then again they are a California based organization lol

Why not just scrap the points system and only count the last 4 races for points? Hell the fields are basically all run now anyway.....

We award perfect attendance more than achievement.

If they're trying to address the issue of maintaining full fields during the countdown races why not just increase the qualifying $$ MONEY $$ and the media attention for the non-countdown qualifiers?

The attempt to increase (orchestrate) the "drama" during the latter part of the season with the countdown format and all its hype and pageantry tends to dissuade the non-countdown teams from participating. The attention is no longer on ALL the qualifiers, just those in contention for a championship. Marketing partners/sponsors for those teams tend to end up on the short end. Just maybe, the lack of exposure for the non-contender's teams causes them to reevaluate the expense of attending/participating during the countdown period. Just maybe, if NHRA sweetened the pot somehow those non-countdown teams would continue to have interest in participating...

If their goal is to produce a show of shows for the fans and continue to have full fields maybe they should show more consideration for ALL of the entertainers/race teams from the beginning of the season through to the end of the season...


Dan

Sad to say,...but I don't even care. And I've been doing this since the late 1950's. We just do our own thing and pay little to no attention what NHRA is doing.

^^^^I have to agree

^^^^^^^^^^^^ what they said. Big Woop

This is trash! I did not think it could get any worse and they found a way!