82GT

Oh Boy here we go again, the idiots at NHRA can't come up with a good idea on there own so now the have to copy NASCAR. Well I really hope my car will be running next year so I'll be racing and not watching the out-of-touch board ruining something I use to love.

They also move the Maple Grove race to August so both North East races (E-town and MG) will be in the heat

http://www.nhra.com/content/news.asp?articleid=15469

2007 NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship is announced

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8/30/2006


Multitiered format brings further drama and excitement to NHRA POWERade world championship battle;
year-end payout increased







The NHRA POWERade world championship just got a little more interesting for fans, sponsors, and race teams.

NHRA announced today a new multitiered Countdown to the Championship in all four Professional categories of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Utilizing the final-elimination-round concept synonymous with the sport of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, where winners move on and losers go home, the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship features three distinct periods during the 23-race NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series when competitors will be eliminated from the championship hunt in a playoff-style format.

“The Countdown to the Championship is an inclusive program whereby more competitors will have a chance to win an NHRA POWERade world championship than ever before,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “This historic change in our championship point structure will add more excitement and drama to the entire season and magnify the spotlight during the season’s final six races for our fans and the entire racing community.

"After the grueling 17-race schedule, the field will be reduced to the top eight in the points standings for a four-race playoff series to determine the field of four who will ultimately vie for NHRA POWERade world championships. This format makes every race in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule that much more important,” continued Compton. “There is nothing in motorsports that rivals the traditional Sunday elimination brackets that have been a part of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing for years. By applying that elimination concept to determine the series points standings, we have by far the most intriguing and suspenseful battle for any championship in all of motorsports.”


In the Countdown to Eight, representing the first 17 races of the season, competitors in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle will battle each and every race to secure a position in the Top Eight in the points standings. The final race to reach the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship will be the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., Aug. 16-19.


Once set, the Countdown to Four begins at the most prestigious drag racing event in the world, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at historic O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, Labor Day weekend. The Top Eight in each category will have their points adjusted. The first-place racer in the standings will begin the countdown with 2,070 points; second place, 2,060 points; and so on to eighth place, 2,000 points.

The Countdown to Four, will consist of four races, with the last race being the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park near Richmond, Va., Oct. 5-7. Following that race, the Countdown to One begins when the top four in each category have their points adjusted yet again. The first-place racer in the standings will begin the final two races with 3,030 points; second place, 3,020 points; third place, 3,010 points; and fourth place, 3,000 points.


At the final two races of the season, the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 18-24, followed by the season finale, the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Nov. 1-4, the final four competitors will battle it out for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing world championship.

No team has ever come back from outside the Top Eight with six races remaining to win the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series world championship under the current points system.

“Traditionally, prior to the final six races of the season, only a few teams still have had a shot at winning a POWERade world championship. Under this new program, eight teams in each of the Professional categories will have a legitimate chance to win,” said Compton.

Beginning in 2007, the NHRA POWERade world champion in Top Fuel and Funny Car will receive a $100,000 Countdown bonus, making the total payout to win the POWERade world championship $500,000 in each category. In Pro Stock, the POWERade world champion will receive a Countdown bonus of $50,000, making the total payout $250,000. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, the Countdown bonus will be $25,000, making the total payout $75,000 to win the POWERade world championship. In addition to announcing the POWERade Countdown to the Championship, NHRA will increase the total year-end payouts for the Top Eight in the four Professional categories to more than $2 million.

The format at all 23 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national events will remain the same and feature competitors in the Professional categories qualifying for spots in 16-car fields for Sunday’s elimination round.


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http://www.nhra.com/content/news.asp...15466&zoneid=8

2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule
47th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals Feb. 8-11 Pomona, Calif.
23rd annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals Feb. 23-25 Phoenix
38th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals March 15-18 Gainesville, Fla. (PSM)
20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals March 30- April 1 Houston (PSM)
8th annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals April 12-15 Las Vegas
27th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals April 26-29 Atlanta (PSM)
11th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals May 4-6 St. Louis (PSM)
7th annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals May 18-20 Bristol, Tenn.
19th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals June 1-3 Topeka, Kan.
10th annual NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway June 7-10 Chicago (PSM)
38th annual NHRA SuperNationals June 21-24 Englishtown, N.J. (PSM)
Inaugural Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals June 28-July 1 Norwalk, Ohio (PSM)
28th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals July 13-15 Denver (PSM)
20th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals July 20-22 Seattle
20th annual Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals July 27-29 Sonoma, Calif. (PSM)
26th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 9-12 Brainerd, Minn. (PSM)
23rd annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals Aug. 16-19 Reading, Pa. (PSM)
53rd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Aug. 29- Sept. 3 Indianapolis (PSM)
20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals Sept. 14-16 Memphis, Tenn. (PSM)
22nd annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals Sept. 20-23 Dallas (PSM)
2nd annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals Oct. 5-7 Richmond, Va.
7th annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals Oct. 18-21 Las Vegas (PSM)
43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals Nov. 1-4 Pomona, Calif. (PSM)
(PSM) - Event will include Pro Stock Motorcycle