BAYTOWN, Texas – The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series rolls into Southeast Texas this weekend for the 31st annual NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

The 31st annual NHRA SpringNationals returns to Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas this weekend. Photo by Mark Broughton / bam photo

The event marks the first of two annual NHRA stops in the Lone Star State and the fifth of 24 races during the 2018 NHRA season.

The NHRA SpringNationals will feature the high-powered, nitro-burning, 10,000-horsepower and 330-mph Top Fuel and Funny Car classes along with the 200-mph ultra-competitive Pro Stocks.

After four races this season the championship points races in the Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock classes are extremely tight in all three divisions.

In the Top Fuel division, Steve Torrence of Kilgore, Texas enters the race with a 33-point lead over Tony Schumacher, a two-time winner at Royal Purple Raceway.  Torrence, who finished second in the 2017 final points standings, is off to a fast start in 2018.  He scored victories at the Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix and at the last event, the DENSO Spark Plugs Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Antron Brown, who is a two-time winner at RPR, is ranked third, followed by Clay Millican and three-time Houston winner Doug Kalitta, who already has a victory this season after winning the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona in February.  Rounding out the top 10 in the standings is Gainesville winner Ritchie Crampton, Leah Pritchett, Scott Palmer, defending world champion Brittany Force and Terry McMillen.

NHRA Top Fuel driver Steve Torrence of Kilgore, Texas enters the race with a 33-point lead over Tony Schumacher. Photo by Mark Broughton / bam photo

Pritchett won NHRA SpringNationals here in 2017.  The victory was her third during the first five races of the year. She ended the season with four wins and a fifth-place finish in the final standings.  This weekend Pritchett will be aiming for her first victory of 2018 and second career at RPR.

In the Nitro Funny Car class there have been four different winners already this season.  Gatornationals winner Jack Beckman enters the race with a 36-point lead over Courtney Force, who scored her first win of the season at the Arizona Nationals.  Winternationals winner Matt Hagan is ranked third, followed by teammates Tommy Johnson Jr. and four-time Houston winner Ron Capps.  Beckman has never won at RPR whereas C. Force and Hagan each have a victory here.

Rounding out the top 10 in the standings is J.R. Todd, two-time Houston winner and defending class champion Robert Hight, class newcomer Shawn Langdon, Jonnie Lindberg and Del Worsham.  Todd scored his first win of the season at the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas two weeks ago.

In the Pro Stock division there have been four different winners during the first four races of the season.

Winternationals winner and defending Pro Stock world champion Bo Butner, who earned his first career Pro Stock victory here a year ago, holds a 29-point lead over Odessa, Texas native and Phoenix Chris McGaha.  Deric Kramer is third followed by Las Vegas winner and two-time Houston winners Vincent Nobile and Jason Line.

Rounding out the top 10 is three-time Houston winner Greg Anderson, followed by Drew Skillman, Gainesville winner Tanner Gray, Alex Laughlin and Texas native and two-time Houston winner Eric Enders.

The race card will also feature the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service.  The race at RPR will be the second of 12 events in 2018.  Rickie Smith won the season-opener at Gainesville in March.

Rounding out the action will be competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series as well as the Mickey Thompson Tires NHRA Top Fuel Harley Drag Racing Series.

NHRA SPRINGNATIONALS

WHAT: 31st annual NHRA SpringNationals, the fifth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Drivers in three categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock – earn points leading to 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships.  Competition also will be featured in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series and the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service.

WHERE: Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas. From Interstate 10 take the State Hwy. 99 (Grand Parkway) exit, which is exit 799. Take a right on State Hwy. 99 and go to the first exit (2 miles) which is FM 565. Take a right on FM 565 and Royal Purple Raceway will be on your right. For additional information about directions please visit www.racerpr.com.

WHEN: Friday through Sunday, April 20-22

SCHEDULE: 
FRIDAY, April 20 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying 
NHRA J&A SERVICE PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 4 and 6 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 4:30 and 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, April 21 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations 
NHRA J&A SERVICE PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 3 p.m. Round 1 of eliminations at 5:30 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 1:30 and 4 p.m.

SUNDAY, April 22 – Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. 
MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION: 
Friday, April 20, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise one hour of qualifying at 9:30 p.m. (ET).
Saturday, April 21, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise two hours of live qualifying at 1 p.m. (ET).
Saturday, April 22, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 2 p.m. (ET).

2017 EVENT WINNERS:   
Leah Pritchett, Top Fuel; Ron Capps, Funny Car; Bo Butner, Pro Stock.

MOST WINS: 
John Force, 7, FC; Warren Johnson, 6, PS; Ron Capps, 5, FC; Jeg Coughlin, 4, PS; Tony Pedregon, 4, FC; Greg Anderson, 3, PS; Kenny Bernstein, 3, TF; Larry Dixon, 3, TF; Mike Edwards, 3, PS; Bob Glidden, 3, PS; Cruz Pedregon, 3, FC.

TRACK RECORDS: 
Top Fuel – 3.722 seconds by Clay Millican, April ‘17; 330.07 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’15.
 Funny Car – 3.851 seconds by Courtney Force, April ‘17; 331.77 mph by Force, April ’17.
 Pro Stock – 6.499 seconds by Jeg Coughlin, April ’17; 212.66 mph by Mike Edwards, April ’13.

NATIONAL RECORDS: 
Top Fuel – 3.628 sec. by Clay Millican, Feb. ’18, Pomona, Calif.; 336.57 mph by Tony Schumacher, Feb. ‘18, Phoenix
Funny Car – 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. ’17, Brainerd; 339.87 mph by Robert Hight, July ’17, Sonoma, Calif.
Pro Stock – 6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.;  215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May ’14, Englishtown N.J.  

TICKETS: 
For tickets call (281) 383-RACE (7223). Tickets also available online at www.racerpr.com