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ENNIS, Texas -
The lucrative event, which is the fourth of six playoff races in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, will feature drivers trying to maintain their momentum from the opening three races of the Countdown, the NHRA Carolina Nationals in Charlotte, N.C., AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals near St. Louis and NHRA Keystone Nationals in Pennsylvania. This year's edition of the famed event will feature intense side-by-side racing as drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle compete for their share of the $1.2 million purse and the vital Mello Yello Series points. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Courtney Force (Funny Car); Dave Connolly (Pro Stock); and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year's winners of the event that will once again be televised on ESPN2.
The No. 1 seeds of the Countdown to the Championship will be major players but there is no guarantee they will still be in the running by Dallas. Eight-time and defending Top Fuel world champ and Austin resident Tony Schumacher enters in the No. 1 spot. He has an impressive pedigree at the Texas Motorplex with six wins including last season when he began to pull away from the rest of the field. The 2012 world champ, Fast Jack Beckman, has been the hottest Funny Car driver on the planet and enters the Countdown with a ton of momentum. Beckman would certainly like to add a win at the famed Texas Motorplex to his dream season. Despite not having recorded a victory at drag racing's first supertrack, Beckman will be confident with the eye popping performance numbers and victories that his team has put up this season in their Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T. Pro Stock's No. 1 seed also happens to be the defending world champ. Erica Enders is a Texas girl through and through and has a win at Houston to show for it. Enders, who is tied with Shirley Muldowney for second on the all-time wins list by women with 18 career victories, is searching for her first Dallas win and it would go a long way towards a second consecutive title.
The Countdown to the Championship has provided numerous highlights since its debut in 2007 and has created increase excitement for fans and media as championships are decided during the final events of the season. With the fourth race of the Countdown taking place at one of the most tradition-rich facilities on the circuit, plenty of drama is promised when the 10,000-horsepower nitro machines thrill the standing room only crowd by blasting off to 320 mph runs with the often tricky weather conditions of Texas in the equation. Other drivers to watch in Top Fuel include four-time season winner Richie Crampton, veteran racer, three-time world champ Larry Dixon and 2012 world champ Antron Brown. In Funny Car, the list is as long as ever for top contenders including two-time and defending world champ Matt Hagan, 16-time world champ and seven-time Dallas winner John Force, two-time season winner Tommy Johnson Jr., Del Worsham and Ron Capps, among others. Pro Stock will feature an intense lineup of championship contenders including four-time world champ Greg Anderson, two-time event winner Jason Line, two-time season winner and local favorite Chris McGaha, and veteran racers Allen Johnson and Larry Morgan. Pro Stock Motorcycle will showcase a determined group of two-wheelers from four-time world champ Andrew Hines, two-time season winner Karen Stoffer, Hector Arana Jr. and Indianapolis winner Jerry Savoie.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they're granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers. Fans also will want to visit NHRA's popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family. NHRA's Baptism by Nitro campaign will make its first appearance of the season at Dallas. Inspired by the popular phrase "baptism by fire", commonly used to describe when an individual is thrust into a new situation, experience or environment, Baptism by Nitro is NHRA's call to encourage longtime fans to introduce a family member or friend to the heart-pounding atmosphere of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Throughout the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, NHRA fans are encourage to share first-time Baptism by Nitro fan experiences on social media. Prizes will be given all year to the best rookie reactions captured in the pits or in the grandstands and posted to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. All posts should include the hashtag #BaptismbyNitro and tag @NHRA. Prior to the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, fans are encouraged to go online and nominate a nitro rookie and explain why their candidate deserves a VIP Baptism by Nitro experience. The winning entry will receive four tickets to the 2015 AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, inside-the-ropes VIP access for a nitro warm-up and starting line access, where each new fan will be baptized by nitro. Fans can log on to www.NHRA.com or visit NHRA's Facebook page for their chance to win this VIP experience. An exciting visual preview of the campaign can be seen and shared at http://bit.ly/BBNitroVid. Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, Oct. 16, with sessions at 2:45 and 5:45 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Oct. 17, at 12:45 and 3:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18. To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call the Texas Motorplex at (800) 668-6775 or visit www.texasmotorplex.com. For more information about the NHRA visit www.NHRA.com. Before the NHRA Mello Yello Series arrives in Texas for the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, the tour will make the first three stops of Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 18-20, for the NHRA Carolina Nationals; Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., Sept. 25-27, for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals; and Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., Oct. 1-4, for the NHRA Keystone Nationals. Keep up with all the action on ESPN2.
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