SPORTS

Column: NHRA, track marry for unique event

Rob McCurdy

Reporter

NORWALK – Maybe it's because my first exposure to racing came at a permanent road course and my second was at a short track?

Maybe it's because I had to get up to speed quickly on the quirks and nuances of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and all the series that run there?

Maybe it's because Spitzer Motor Speedway's 17-year soap opera kept my focus away from other forms of motorsports?

Whatever the reason, I've never cottoned to drag racing.

Box and no box. Endless classes. Breakouts. Elapsed time and average speed that doesn't necessarily equate to a win. Hole shots. Reaction time.

I'm a novice, and drag racing just has a lexicon all its own.

But ...

I really, really, really dig the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and its annual trip to Norwalk's Summit Motorsports Park.

I love major events and this qualifies.

I enjoy the hospitality and appreciate the work the Bader family puts in to host something the size and scope of major league drag racing.

It's a spectacle and one that should be on the bucket list of any motorsports fan, even those who prefer road courses, ovals or dirt tracks.

More than any form of racing, it stimulates the senses.

The burning nitro billowing from Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars is a smell unique in motorsports.

The explosive sound of 7,000 horsepower engaging sends a shock wave that can be felt as well as heard.

The flames jetting out the back of the nitro cars are as good as any pyro show in sports.

With wins and losses sometimes measured by a thousandth of a second, drag racing is ripe for photo finishes that other forms of motorsports would covet.

The NHRA, and drag racing in general, should work well in today's ADD culture where society demands to be entertained faster and faster than before. Every minute there's a new race to watch when in the midst of a session, so there's always something for the the eyes to enjoy.

It looks like an individual sport. The driver drives. The driver wins or loses. However, there is a battalion of crew members behind the scenes that can make or break that driver. After every pass, the team tears down the engine and rebuilds it in little more than an hour, their work as synchronized and choreographed as any dance.

The Baders want to make the race weekend a summer tradition in northern Ohio as they've embraced the July Fourth holiday — and all that celebration entails — to make the NHRA experience even more special and the track a true destination.

Put it all together and add 30,000 or more fans on a race day and Summit Motorsports Park is unlike any racing venue in Ohio.

It's loud. It's electric. It's frenetic. It's fun.

And it gets underway this weekend.

The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is an event to be experienced for sure.

Rob McCurdy covers motorsports at the News Journal and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com or 419-521-7241. On Twitter follow @McMotorsport.

Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals

• Who: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

• What: Event 12 of 24.

• When: Friday and Saturday qualifying, Sunday eliminations.

• Where: Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk.

• Tickets: $50 for adults Friday, $55 Saturday and Sunday, four-day pass $135.

• More info: NHRA.com or SummitMotorsportsPark.com.

— Rob McCurdy