Fri, 23 Oct 2015, 10:54 AM NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to The Championship Playoffs Promises Thrilling Ending

Courtesy of NHRA Communications At Auto Club Raceway at Pomona

POMONA, Calif. -- The 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season will come to a fitting conclusion at the 51st annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Nov. 12-15, as world champions will be crowned following the grueling 24-race tour across America.

The lucrative event, which is the final of six playoff races in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, will feature drag racing at its finest as teams compete for victories amid the pageantry of a world championship atmosphere on full display. Drivers will arrive in Pomona ready to earn series crowns following the first five Countdown to the Championship races - the NHRA Carolina Nationals, AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, NHRA Keystone Nationals, AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals and the NHRA Toyota Nationals.

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 vital Mello Yello Series points and work hard to finish as high in the top 10 points standings as possible. Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year's winners of the tradition-rich Southern California event that will once again be televised on ESPN2.

The 2012 Top Fuel world champ, Antron Brown, is driving towards Pomona with his competition in the rearview mirror. Brown, driver of the Matco Tools dragster, was perfect to start the Countdown, sweeping the first three races in Charlotte, St. Louis and Reading. He became the first driver in any professional category to sweep the first three races, besting Robert Hight's 9-0 Funny Car start in 2009.

Arana Jr., Hagan, Enders-Stevens and Lucas celebrate Pomona win last year.

If anyone can catch Brown however, it is Schumacher. The eight-time and defending world champ has a U.S. Army dragster that is capable of producing magical moments when the season comes to crunch time. Schumacher has had incredible performances at Pomona before, winning the 2006 championship over Doug Kalitta on a final-round record-setting pass known in drag racing lore as "The Run." He earned the 2007 title in similar fashion with a Finals victory to deny Hot Rod Fuller. "The Sarge" is also gunning to become the winningest Top Fuel driver at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona with a seventh victory, which would break a tie with "Big Daddy" Don Garlits.

Other contenders for the win at Pomona include third place Brittany Force, four-time 2015 event winner Richie Crampton and five-time Pomona winner Larry Dixon.

Pomona could be the site of an incredible final duel between local favorites Del Worsham and Jack Beckman to settle the Funny Car championship. Worsham leads Beckman after four races in the Countdown, but both drivers have been dominant in different points of the season.

Worsham was strong at the beginning of the playoffs, driving his DHL Toyota Camry to back-to-back wins at Charlotte, St. Louis and Dallas and resetting the elapsed time national record in St. Louis. A first round exit in Reading opened the door for his competition and Beckman rose to the occasion, winning the event in Reading and earning a 20-point bonus after resetting the national record that Worsham had just broken. Both Southern California natives have world championship pedigrees: Worsham was the 2011 world champ in Top Fuel and Beckman, driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T, won the Funny Car championship in 2012.

Worsham defeated Beckman in the Dallas final.

Despite the battle between Worsham and Beckman, several other competitors are certainly ready to jump in the mix. Don Schumacher Racing teammates Matt Hagan and Tommy Johnson Jr. are certainly capable of making title runs of their own in the final race. Hagan, the two-time and defending world champ, has a good track record in the latter stages of the Countdown. Johnson Jr. has been one of the most consistent cars this season and that consistency could help him be a factor in the championship.

The Pro Stock championship hunt in 2014 was one for the ages with Erica Enders defeating Jason Line in in a winner-take-all final round at Pomona. Enders, who became the first female Pro Stock world champion and the third female to win a series crown in the Mello Yello Series, is back on top this season holding the advantage over four-time world champ Greg Anderson after four Countdown races. Enders, driver of the Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro, has had a top notch season with a career-high eight wins on the season and 20 career wins, which puts her second on the all-time wins list by women. With her success in Pomona before, she could be the odds on favorite to repeat.

Anderson is no slouch however and his Summit Racing Chevy Camaro is primed for the playoffs. Despite losing ground after Enders won the playoff-opener in Charlotte and finished runner-up at St. Louis, Anderson picked up points in Reading with his final round appearance. If anyone has the ability to withstand the pressure and catch the points leader, it's Anderson. In addition to Anderson, Chris McGaha, the recent winner at Reading, and Larry Morgan have shown recently that they have the high-horsepower cars to challenge both Enders and Anderson.

Pro Stock Motorcycle's thrilling season will also come to an end in Pomona with the possibility of a familiar face on top. Despite not dominating the season like last year, Andrew Hines is in position for a fifth world championship. The four time and defending world champ entered the Countdown under the radar but wins at Charlotte and Reading have him back in the points lead. The rider of the Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson claimed his 41st career victory at Reading which ties him for second on the all-time wins list in the category with Angelle Sampey. He currently holds the points lead over teammate Eddie Krawiec, who was the points leader for most of the regular season. Two-time season winner Hector Arana Jr. and two-time season winner and Indianapolis winner Jerry Savoie could also have say in the championship hunt at Pomona.

Drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series also will be racing hard in their quest to become winners of the thrilling event as well as national champions during the weekend.

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 second appearance of the season at Pomona. 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 Auto Club NHRA Finals, 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 Auto Club NHRA Finals, 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.comor 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, Nov. 13, with sessions at noon and 3 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Nov. 14, also at noon and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15.

To purchase tickets, call (800) 884-NHRA (6472), or visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information about the NHRA visit www.NHRA.com.

Before the NHRA Mello Yello Series finishes the season in California with the Auto Club NHRA Finals, the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs will continue with the NHRA Toyota Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 29-Nov. 1. Keep up with all the action on ESPN and ESPN2.

NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Oct 16- DALLAS - JEGS Allstars Super Street Round 1 Eliminations
Oct 16- DALLAS - JEGS Allstars Super Comp Round 1 Eliminations
Oct 16- DALLAS - JEGS Allstars Stock Round 1 Eliminations
Oct 16- DALLAS - JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol Dragster Eliminations Ladder
Oct 16- DALLAS - JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol Dragster Final Qualifying, Session #2 Order
Oct 16- DALLAS - Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying, Session #2 Order
Oct 16- DALLAS - JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol Funny Car Eliminations Ladder
Oct 16- DALLAS - JEGS Allstars Top Alcohol Funny Car Final Qualifying, Session #2 Order
Oct 16- DALLAS - Top Alcohol Dragster Qualifying Notes, Session #2
Oct 16- DALLAS - Top Sportsman Round 1 Winners