Next year’s season finale of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will be both competitive and tasty, with the announcement that California’s original drive-thru hamburger stand is the new title sponsor of the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals. Turning 75 in 2023, In-N-Out will celebrate by taking on naming rights of the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif. This is a new, multi-year partnership.
The Auto Club of Southern California, headquartered in Orange County, has most recently taken both naming rights to the track and to the NHRA Finals. This year’s Auto Club NHRA Finals will close out that partnership.
The burger stand that has worldwide fans – and definitely many in the NHRA Camping World pits – is planning to celebrate its monumental diamond anniversary on October 23, 2023, with an In-N-Out 75th Anniversary Festival, one that will include all forms of drag racing, from test-and-tune to class eliminations on the Pomona Dragstrip’s iconic quarter-mile track. A car show and concerts with celebrity guest appearances will be complemented by In-N-Out Burger’s Cookout Trailers to keep guests sated with the company’s trademarked Double-Double Burgers and French fries throughout the event.
In-N-Out has sponsored cars and drivers in the past, notably Melanie Troxel’s winning Top Fuel dragster and Funny Car. Troxel is the only woman to have claimed victory in both nitro classes. The company’s owner and president, Lynsi Snyder has been a drag racing and hot rod fan all her life. She races a Top Sportsman ‘Cuda at West Coast NHRA events.
“Drag racing and hot rods have been such an important part of our history at In-N-Out, and a love for acing has been a big part of my family as well,” she said. “I have many special memories being at the Pomona Dragstrip, many of them with my dad, and I’m really looking forward to In-N-Out’s involvement there for many years to come. We’re blessed with many local customers who are also race fans, and we’re excited to see them at the track.”
Many consider the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip at Los Angeles’ immense Fairplex hallowed grounds for NHRA, as it’s hosted races for nearly 40 years. The Camping World Drag Racing Series will conduct a pair of National NHRA events in 2023, including the 63rd annual Lucas Oil Winternationals, set for March 30-April 2 and the 58th annual season closer In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals on November 9-12.
The Fairplex complex is nearly as old as In-N-Out Burger, having opened in 1950, two years after Harry and Esther Snyder opened their first In-N-Out drive-through burger stand – just 12 miles from the track in the city of Baldwin Park.
Fairplex will be part of NHRA’s history through the 2033 season, with the concurrent announcement that the longtime partners will continue their association with this extension. “Fairplex is pleased to continuer relationship with the National Hot Rod Association. The City of Pomona and Fairplex are synonymous with drag racing and NHRA. There is so much history here, and now, we have a lot to look forward to in the future,” said Walter Marquez, president and CEO of Fairplex.
The son-to-be-renamed Fairplex dragstrip has been the home of NHRA drag racing since 1953. The venue has hosted the NHRA Winternationals since 1961 and the NHRA Finals since 1984. Fairplex hosts this year’s finale November 10-13 with the 57th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals.
For several years there have been rumors of closure for this historic race track and NHRA’s contract with Fairplex had originally been slated to run through the 2028 season. This extension affirms the long-term commitment for NHRA’s championship drag racing with double visits to the legendary track set for the next decade.
“Pomona is the birthplace of NHRA drag racing and it’s vitally important for us to continue that long tradition of racing at this premier Southern California location,” noted Glen Cromwell, president of NHRA. “We’re excited to extend this great partnership with the Fairplex and continue to work closely with Walter and his terrific team. The Winternationals and Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip are filled with such incredible history and we’re thrilled to see that continue for years to come.”