In the world of professional drag racing, three day marathons are considered the norm.

But this weekend, the IHRA is taking a bit of a different approach.

This weekend’s Sooner Nationals will feature a rare two-day show with three professional qualifying rounds packed into Saturday’s action before eliminations begin on Sunday.

While the two-day format gives drivers a chance to make a few more runs during the heat of the afternoon, simulating Sunday’s final rounds, it also gives crews a little less turnaround between appearances.

In the world of professional drag racing, three day marathons are considered the norm.

But this weekend, the IHRA is taking a bit of a different approach.

This weekend’s Sooner Nationals will feature a rare two-day show with three professional qualifying rounds packed into Saturday’s action before eliminations begin on Sunday.

While the two-day format gives drivers a chance to make a few more runs during the heat of the afternoon, simulating Sunday’s final rounds, it also gives crews a little less turnaround between appearances.

While there are definitely pros and cons to be found on both sides of the fence, one thing is for sure – it sure creates for a lot of excitement for fans and drivers alike on both days of competition.

“Really the biggest challenge for the Top Fuel guys is mechanical failure. There is no overnight fixing if something goes wrong,” said Top Fuel driver Bobby Lagana Jr. “The good thing is there are three runs so if you screw up on the first run, you have that second run if you need it.

“You have to be on your game and sometimes you have to be a little more conservative than normal.”

But sometimes the challenge can be more of a personal one rather than a mechanical one.

“It is definitely a challenge. You have to turn around three times on Saturday and by the time you are done it is almost 9 p.m. You then have two or three hours of crunching data and getting ready for Sunday leaving me getting to bed well after midnight,” said Elite Motorsports Pro Stock driver Cale Aronson. “Once you get up in the morning you have had like six hours of sleep and while that is good for a lot of people, it isn’t for me because it isn’t good sleep. You are laying there for hours thinking about how you did and what you are going to do on Sunday.

“It is a little more stressful, but on the other hand it has its benefits as far as overall performance. It is definitely going to be interesting.”
 

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