High heat is the latest safety concern in NHRA drag racing, mirroring the wet weather at last year’s season finale.
Last November, when NHRA was headed to its season finale on the historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, nature intervened. California’s rainy season erupted the same weekend the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series intended to complete its 74th season and set events in motion to begin the 2026 Diamond year. The rains that poured onto Southern California were epic in nature and truly, NHRA had little to no advance notice the deluge was going to be as monumental and damaging as it turned out.
After working the track all three days, it became apparent there was no way NHRA’s Safety Safari would be able to cure the surface sufficiently to allow safe racing. And safe racing is why NHRA was originally founded and how it came to accumulate 75 years of competition. Wally Parks’ rationale for starting this group was to take street racing off roadways and place it on dedicated tracks so drivers could test, tune and race against one another. Safely. Withoiut impacting the safety of others.
The monster rain is gone from Southern California and it’s been clear in the area since mid-January. But that doesn’t mean the entire West Coast is going to welcome NHRA racers with moderate weather. An extended late winter heat wave has taken over the area that includes both Southern California and the western areas of Arizona. The incursion began shortly after the 57th annual Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals were completed in Florida. The massive heat wave is supposed to continue for the next week, possibly longer than that.
NHRA, taking an abundance of caution and not wanting to be on their back foot when Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock racers descend on the Valley of the Sun that is Phoenix, Arizona’s claim to fame, have decided to make a massive shift in scheduling for the upcoming FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs, scheduled March 20-22 at Firebird Motorsports Park. The shift to early competition should allow both competitors and fans to have the kind of experience NHRA is known for providing.
What’s tabbed as the “Duel in the Desert” will now be known as a “Coffee and Nitro” weekend at Firebird, and will impact JBS Pro Mod racers as well as sportsman competitors. Friday’s initial qualifying will begin for Pro Stock at 9:30AM Mountain Standard Time and continue with a second session on Friday at noon. Of course, competition times will depend on activity on the track as well as Friday’s weather patterns.
On Saturday, NHRA will reverse the Mission Foods lineups, starting with Top Fuel at 10AM, followed by Funny Car and Pro Stock. All three final qualifying sessions at 12:30PM will take place using the same category order, and will feature the finals of this year’s initial Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus race. As in Gainesville, NHRA will start final Sunday eliminations at 10AM local time.
It’s safety that drives these sorts of decisions. “Due to the expected heat in the Phoenix area next week, both NHRA and Firebird Motorsports Park felt it was important to be proactive and adjust the schedule to include earlier start times,” explained Glen Cromwell, NHRA president. “Our priority is always the safety of our fans, race teams and partners, as well as putting on the best show possible. We appreciate the flexibility and work from the amazing staff at Firebird Motorsports Park, the teams and partners to make these time changes, and we’re looking forward to a great weekend of racing in Phoenix.”
Public gates at Firebird Motorsports Park will open at 7AM for all three days of Mission Foods and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series action. Sportsman action begins at 7:30AM both Friday and Saturday, with the final day’s sportsman racing starting at 8AM on Sunday.
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