Voting begins for NHRA’s Traxxas Nitro Shootout

During each season, NHRA has races within its Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events that celebrate each one of its four classes. The K&N Pro Stock Challenge occurs in springtime at the first Las Vegas race of the year; July celebrates Pro Stock Motorcycle with the Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Stock Motorcycle Bike Battle at Sonoma Raceway.

But the big two races within a race are held during NHRA’s largest event of the year, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway outside Indianapolis during the long Labor Day holiday weekend. It is then that Top Fuel and Funny Car each take the stage on differing days, as the Traxxas Nitro Shootouts take place.

Only one spot remains available in each of those eight-driver fields; the Traxxas Nitro Shootouts take place next weekend and fan votes, together with a pair of lottery-style drawings will determine the final combatant in both Top Fuel and Funny Car Categories, with the winner in each class taking away a lucrative $100,000 prize each.

The top seed in Saturday’s Top Fuel shootout is reigning champ and current points leader Antron Brown of Don Schumacher Racing (DSR). In his first round, he’ll meet the winner of the fan vote/lottery. Six-race winner Steve Torrence (CAPCO Contractors dragster) competes against No. 7 seed Clay Millican of Stringer Performance. Brainerd winner Leah Pritchett (DSR), seeded third battles No. 6 Doug Kalitta of Kalitta Motorsports, while Tony Schumacher (DSR) and Brittany Force (John Force Racing) attempt to make the second round.

Six-race-winner and reigning Funny Car titleholder, DSR’s Ron Capps earned the top seed and gets to battle the fan vote/lottery winner on Sunday, while No. 2 seed Robert Hight of John Force Racing meets Kalitta Motorsports’ J.R. Todd, seeded seventh. No. 3 seed Matt Hagan of DSR has to run 16-time champ John Force (6th), while DSR’s Tommy Johnson Jr. (4th) takes on teammate Jack Beckman, seeded fifth.

The fan vote and subsequent lottery for the final two spots - one each in Top Fuel and Funny Car - take place over the next week, culminating with the lottery in Indianapolis’ Monument Circle on August 30. The fan vote determines the number of lottery balls each eligible driver has assigned during each lottery drawing.

There are three eligible Top Fuel racers who will compete for the opportunity to take down top seed Brown. They are Terry McMillen, Scott Palmer and Troy Coughlin Jr. The five eligible Funny Car drivers are Courtney Force (who won the race last year), Tim Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon, Del Worsham (Worsham/Fink Racing) and Jim Campbell (Jim Dunn Racing).

Fan voting opened on Sunday and continues until noon (EDT) on Tuesday, August 29. To vote for a favorite eligible driver in each category, all that’s necessary is to access this link: http://bit.ly/2017TraxxasShootout.