When Bruton Smith decided to build a drag strip in the shadows of Lowe's Motor Speedway, he felt that if two lanes were good, then four lanes must definitely be better.

We'll find out Sunday afternoon as the NHRA pairs up two sets of Funny Cars and two sets of Top Fuelers just prior to the final round of eliminations in the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

When Bruton Smith decided to build a drag strip in the shadows of Lowe's Motor Speedway, he felt

that if two lanes were good, then four lanes must definitely be better.

We'll find out Sunday afternoon as the NHRA pairs up two sets of Funny Cars and two sets of Top Fuelers just prior to the final round of eliminations in the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

“Ever since we built (the track) we've been asking them (NHRA) to do something like this,” said Adrian Parker, Director of Media Relations for the drag strip. “Ultimately, we couldn't do it without their approval. They actually came to us a few weeks ago and said, 'here's what we'd like to do' and we said, 'let's do it'.”

In fact, Smith has been urging the NHRA to test out his four lanes of racing surface even before the first spade of dirt was turned in the construction of zMAX Dragway. Traditional drag strips are built with two lanes, Smith wanted four. Renderings of the facility showed four lanes. Smith wanted four lanes of racing and with two exhibition runs this coming Sunday, the NHRA, after getting feedback from team owners and drivers at Reading, just a month ago, will dip their toes into the asphalt pool and see how it goes.

There will be eight men or women, strapped in to 8,000 horsepower land rockets, each ready to snap the throttle and thunder down 1000 feet of race track. That's 32,000 ground pounding, earth shaking, ear splitting, heart quaking horsepower all in one blast, not once, but twice.

It's a spectacle that shouldn't be missed. Or is it?

At this time, no one, not even the NHRA knows who will be strapped into those race cars. The list of potential candidates won't be known until after the first round of eliminations. When 8 of 16 are no longer racing for the “Wally”, only then will the NHRA be able to pair up four Funny Car and four Top Fuel drivers.

This exhibition of four wide racing is a winning opportunity for four losers, in a manner of speaking. Four drivers with the vision to be part of an experiment which conceivably could alter the course of drag racing forever.

However, that vision comes at a price. First you have to lose in the first round, something no driver and/or car owner wants to do. Then, the driver or car owner has to decide if the experience is worth the cost.

Burning nitro for 1000 feet is not free. It comes at a cost. The biggest single obstacle for the teams at this time, appears to be renumeration for making the run. One car owner reports that the NHRA is only paying $2,500 for the pass. It might not be enough for the top teams and it might not even be enough for those on much slimmer budgets.

Don Schumacher, owner of two Top Fuelers and three Funny Cars, isn't ready to say no to the exhibition, but he isn't ready to say yes either. 

“I really don’t want to make that decision right now,” Schumacher said.  “It depends on a lot of factors. Through PRO's negotiations, we got NHRA to agree to at least compensate the teams $2500 for that run – to cover tires, nitro and miscellaneous stuff. I really have to look over the safety issues when I am there. I believe NHRA has addressed everything. I am quite confident in that. I do have concerns about how the other two lanes are going to be prepped. I really won't make that decision until I am there.”

Bob Vandergriff Jr., a Top Fuel team owner whose dragster is driven by Hot Rod Fuller, pointed out that he’s hasn't liked the idea from the moment he heard of it.

“I think it's gimmicky,” Vandergriff said. “I think it demeans the competitive side of our sport. I don't agree with it. I am just curious, after we do this, are we going to have to drive through a ring of fire to draw attention. Is that the next step? I think it gimmicky and demeaning to the competition side of our sport.”

One guy, Terry Haddock, who has struggled to make every event doesn't see “gimmick”, he sees opportunity. Haddock, who planned on just running his Top Fueler this weekend, will also bring his Funny Car along, just in case.

“I would love to be a part of it,” Haddock said. “I think it will be great. I don't think it is going to lead to four wide racing as part of an event, but I would be honored to be a part of this exhibition.

“I think this is a really special event and think the NHRA is definitely doing something good for the sport to get the sport and the drivers more exposure.”

However, Haddock isn't going to let his enthusiasm dictate his pocketbook. He can't run an exhibition race if it means doing so might hinder him making the next race.

“I know what it costs me to make a run down the track. I just made two exhibition runs in Milan (Mi) and made $12,000. I know I couldn't do it for $2500 but I could do it for $4000. My costs are not as high as some of the other teams.”
Tim Wilkerson hasn’t thought much about the exhibition as he hopes to pad his championship aspirations by making it past the first round, however if he should lose in the first round, he'll consider running the exhibition.

“I don't think you need to look at it as a financial gain,” Wilkerson said. “There's no doubt about that. I think the only way you can approach this is you're trying to enhance the sport. If you're looking at it any other way, you're wasting your time.”
The NHRA isn't looking to waste anyone's time. Participation is voluntary and it doesn't count against the testing limit, which in itself could convince some to participate.

This is after all a test. And, testing is never free, but it can be very beneficial to both a team and the sport. 

 

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