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Those who attend this weekend’s NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet will see, hear, smell and feel some familiar sensations.
The speed of the dragsters. The roar of the engines. The smell of the nitro. The growl hitting the pit of your stomach.
That fearsome foursome is a constant in the world of 10,000 horsepower.
But the return of the top national drag racing series after a four-year COVID-19-induced absence comes with changes, as well. There are three qualifying sessions leading to Sunday’s elimination finals, rather than four. Spectators will be seated only on the south side of the wraparound stadium, with giant video screens on the north side for close-ups and replays.
The four familiar classes return: the nitro top fuel and funny car divisions, as well as pro stock and pro stock motorcycle. With four years away, there may be surprises in store for those who tune their engine off old data.
“Everything changes,” said funny car driver Robert Hight, who holds the Route 66 records in that category. “NHRA came in here early. They’ve already prepped this racetrack. They’ll do a great job. The racing surface changes from year to year. The earth settles and moves, but our crew chiefs know how to run given the atmospheric conditions, and we’ll navigate whatever the racetrack offers and get down it.
“I think it’s going to be good.”
“We’ll pull data from similar tracks,” said Brittany Force, the reigning top fuel champion. “And with three qualifying sessions, we’ll go for [a fast trip] on Friday and it’s good, play it more safe on Saturday.”
Her last name is the other constant.
As always, the Force is with NHRA, including her father, John Force, young at 74 and still hammering the pedal, even as he did almost 60 years ago growing up in Southern California.
“I raced at U.S. 30 [in Hobart, Indiana] in the AHRA,” Force said. “I remember coming downtown with an 18-wheeler for a press conference and got it stuck under a bridge.”
His trips have been smoother since. Two of his 155 career victories are at Route 66.
Force’s business is more difficult post-pandemic, with long-loyal sponsors cutting back. The AAA group now sponsors his cars only in their markets rather than nationally, so he’s picked up Peak for other races, and Hight’s running under the colors of Ohio-based Cornwell Tools for the first time.
“We needed to get back in this market,” Force said. “Things are changing, and we’ve got to adapt. I hired a marketing team last year, and they brought in NKC.”
COVID-19 also is why there’s only one qualifying session Friday. While supply-chain issues that began with COVID-19 are easing, parts to rebuild engines still are tough to come by, so most early-season weekends the past two years have had three rounds of qualifying rather than four.
The NHRA is like a traveling circus. Just about everyone is either related, used to be related or close friends. Hight is John Force’s former son-in law. His crew chief is the father of Austin Prock, who won the last race on the schedule, the Charlotte Four-wide. Four years ago at Route 66, he was out in the first round.
“I remember coming here when I was 4 or 5 years old,” Prock said. “This facility just amplifies the sound and the violence of these race cars. "
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NHRA Facts
23rd NHRA Route 66 Nationals
Title sponsor: Gerber Collision and Glass
Schedule
Friday: 8 a.m., Sportsman qualifying begins; 2:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m., Street Car Shootout time trials; 5 p.m., Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying; 5:15 p.m., Pro Stock qualifying; 6 p.m. Funny Car qualifying; 6:20 p.m., Top Fuel qualifying
Saturday: 8 a.m., Sportsman eliminations begin; 1:10 p.m., 4:30 p.m., Pro Stock qualifying; 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m., Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying; 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m., Top Fuel qualifying; 2:35 p.m., 6 p.m., Funny Car qualifying
Sunday: 8:30 a.m., Sportsman eliminations continue; 10 a.m., track walk; 11 a.m., Round of 16 eliminations (all classes); 1:10 p.m., quarterfinals; 2:45 p.m., semifinals; 3:15 p.m., Street Car Shootout finals; 4:25 p.m., finals
TV
Friday: FS1, 6 p.m.
Sunday: FS1, 2 p.m. (qualifying); 9 p.m. (finals)
Tickets
Three-day: $172-$195
Friday: $61 to $70; 12 and under: $25
Saturday: $71 to $80; 12 and under: $25
Sunday: $71 to $80; 12 and under: $25
Last time (2019)
Top Fuel: Steve Torrence, 3.763 seconds, 326.32 mph., d. Mike Salinas, 4.102 seconds, 213.74 mph
Funny Car: Tommy Johnson Jr., 4.175 seconds, 229.86 mph., d. Robert Hight, 4.438 seconds, 202.55 mph
Pro Stock: Deric Kramer, 6.532 seconds, 210.70 mph., d. Erica Enders, fouled out
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Matt Smith, 6.807 seconds, 198.88 mph., d. Karen Stoffer, 6.885 seconds, 193.71 mph
Track Records
Top Fuel: Steve Torrence, 3.677 seconds, 333.58 mph, June 2018
Funny Car: Robert Hight, 3.851 seconds, 334.73 mph, July 2017
Pro Stock: Drew Skillman, 6.528 seconds, July 2015; Greg Anderson, 212.39 mph, June 2019
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Matt Smith, 6.784 seconds, June 2018; Hector Arana Jr., 200.89 mph, June 2018