The Final NHRA Arizona Nationals Gets Underway, and Hot Rod Drag Week Registration Opens on Saturday
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), which traditionally starts their national event season on the west coast in February, broke with tradition for the second time in three years by starting their season at Gainesville Raceway in Florida for the 2023 season opening event.
Now, two weeks later, the series moves west for the second race of their 21-event season, the Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.
The Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park event will be a sober one for many, as 2023 marks the final NHRA event for the track, the 40th held at the facility.
The track, formerly known as Firebird Raceway, is reported to become a 3,300 entertainment-retail-office complex, plus part of a I-10 highway overpass.
The action will be broadcast on FS1, with qualifying results at 10:30 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) today. Sunday starts with qualifying highlights at 12:00 pm EST on FS1, then the overall event, including final rounds, will be shown at 7 pm.
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The other big racing news of the weekend is registration for the original drag-and-drive, Hot Rod Drag Week, open Saturday March 25th at 9 am EST. The popular event will accept 400 entries, and is known for selling out within minutes.
The route for 2023 starts at Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, South Carolina on September 17th for tech-in and registration, then follows with day one racing action on the 18th.
The tour then makes the miles to Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina for day two action, while day three points to Bristol Dragway in Tennessee. The “House of Hook at Carolina Dragway in South Carolina hosts day four, before finally returning to Darlington for the fifth and final day.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of NHRA and Hot Rod Magazine.