While I am sure that no one finds this as some big surprise, NHRA officially announced today that they are “postponing” their Denver and Brainerd events. In another article I will address my thoughts of NHRA moving forward, but for now here is the statement from the NHRA.

NHRA has announced that the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented By Pennzoil (Aug. 7-9) and the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (Aug. 14-16) but also announced the new NHRA Indy Nationals to be contested at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Aug. 6-9

NHRA has announced that the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented By Pennzoil at Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Colo. (Aug. 7-9) and the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. (Aug. 14-16) have been postponed until further notice, for pandemic-related reasons. 

NHRA also announced the new NHRA Indy Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Aug. 6-9. Qualifying for the new Indy event will air on FS1 and final eliminations will air on the FOX Broadcast Network. The NHRA Indy Nationals will feature an extravaganza of professional and Sportsman racing over four days, with limited spectators per Indiana guidelines. 

The Bandimere family, owners of Bandimere Speedway, home of the Dodge Mile-High Nationals, stated that, “Given our long-standing relationship with not only the NHRA and our Chrysler/Mopar/Dodge Mile-High Nationals sponsor but also all the racers, fans and additional sponsors who give our event its support, we are dedicated to finding a date for our event to work this year. We recognize that by postponing the event, we stand a much greater chance of having an event with more flexibility for everyone and we look forward to some amazing racing action.”

“We are disappointed that we have to postpone our event,” said Kristi Copham, owner of Brainerd International Raceway, “but we hope that, by working closely with state and local authorities and NHRA, we can find a way to put on a Nationals race later this season, especially for our fans, who deserve to enjoy a great weekend of NHRA drag racing. We appreciate everyone’s patience – our fans, vendors, staff and race teams -- as we try to work through the issues that would allow us to hold the event, and we’re continuing to work hard on it every day.” 
 
The remainder of NHRA’s 2020 schedule remains the same, but is subject to change based on state and local guidelines.

“NHRA has worked to create protocols for a responsible restart of the sport,” said NHRA president Glen Cromwell.  “We saw those protocols work at the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals last weekend. We appreciate the support of the state of Indiana, our drivers, teams, staff and fans, as we all work together moving forward.” 

Event ticket holders will receive more information from Bandimere Speedway and Brainerd International Raceway soon via email, and are encouraged to visit bandimere.com and brainerdraceway.com to learn about their options.