National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...
(NHRA), was an annual
drag racing
Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...
event held from 1970 to 1992, 2002 to 2017 and again in 2020, mostly at the
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, originally known as Madison Township Raceway Park, is an American auto racing facility located in Old Bridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States (with an Englishtown ZIP code).
History
Rac ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
.
History
The first Summernationals was held near
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
in July 1970, at the York U.S. 30 Dragway. Subsequent events began to be hosted at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park outside Englishtown, New Jersey.
"Dyno"
Don Nicholson
Don Nicholson (May 28, 1927 – January 24, 2006) was an American drag racer from Missouri. He raced in the 1960s and 1970s when there were few national events. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) estimates he won 90 percent of his match race ...
Maverick
Maverick or Maveric may refer to:
History
* Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick
Aviation
* AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design
* General Aviation Design Bureau T-32 M ...
at the 1971 Summernationals.
"Dandy"
Dick Landy Dick Landy, nicknamed "Dandy Dick", was an American drag racer.
In 1965, Landy's Dodge Coronet A/Factory Experimental (A/FX) entry, was one of the first to compete in what would later become the Funny Car class.
Landy won the Street class at the ...
made his second, and last, final-round appearance at the 1972 event, where he lost to "Grumpy" Bill Jenkins.
"Jungle Jim" Liberman is notable for performing a wheelstand in his
Chevrolet Vega
The Chevrolet Vega is a Subcompact car, subcompact automobile manufactured and marketed by General Motors, GM's Chevrolet division from 1970 until 1977. Available in two-door hatchback, notchback, station wagon, wagon, and sedan delivery body st ...
Top Fuel
Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.641 second ...
Funny Car (TF/FC) in 1974 and securing his sole NHRA national event win in 1975.
The 1978 Summernationals saw
Bob Glidden
Bob Glidden (August 18, 1944 – December 17, 2017) was an American drag racing, drag racer. He retired from Pro Stock racing in 1997 and returned in 2010. Glidden retired as the driver with the most wins in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA ...
take the pro stock win in his Fairmont, with Denny Savage winning the TF/FC title and ''The Ace"
Ed McCulloch
Ed McCulloch, nicknamed "The Ace", is an American dragster and funny car driver.
History
McCulloch grew up in Oregon., motorsport.com (retrieved November 11, 2022)
McCulloch started racing in a Chevrolet-powered Top Fuel dragster, which he ...
as runner-up.
For the 1993 season, the event in Englishtown was moved from July to May and renamed the Mopar Parts Nationals. The NHRA did not hold an event bearing the Summernationals name until it returned in 2002 at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas.
Summernationals events were held in Topeka until 2012; the event returned to Englishtown in 2013.
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park ceased all operations in 2018, and as a result the Summernationals event originally scheduled for 2018 was cancelled and replaced by the Virginia NHRA Nationals, hosted at
Virginia Motorsports Park
Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) is a 1/4 mile (0.402 km) dragstrip in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, just outside of Petersburg.Petersburg,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHRA revived the Summernationals with the Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals at Indianapolis, which was held Jun 18-19, 2020 at
Lucas Oil Raceway
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It includes a ...
in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
. The final rounds of the event were postposed due to rain and completed at the 2020 U.S. Nationals event.