Pandemic Forces NHRA To Cancel Two Events On 2020 Mello Yello Schedule:

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has announced two more venues that have been canceled this week, due to concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 (or Coronavirus) pandemic. This isn’t the first time this season, that the racing organization has had to make changes to adapt in order to continue its 2020 Mello Yello Drag Racing season. This has included a back-to-back-to-back appearance at the famed Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, the first time that the series has ever run that many times consecutively at one venue.

Originally scheduled for August 28th to 30th, the 40th annual NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway have been canceled. The NHRA states that it made the difficult decision after exhaustive deliberation with track representatives, health officials, and government authorities.

“It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway,” said Kasey Coler, vice president of track management and operations. This tough decision was made following numerous discussions with our stakeholders regarding the ability to host and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the race. Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, we would not be able to provide the event [with] a proper platform to honor and celebrate this historic anniversary.”

Yesterday, the NHRA added another cancelation to the lineup after the organization and Maple Grove Raceway made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil.

“We are extremely disappointed to announce the cancellation of the September national event, which has been a staple event for the past 35 years. Due to the pandemic, Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf has severely limited attendance at events for the 2020 season,” said Maple Grove Raceway President Kent Lewis. 

The NHRA, however, says it’s optimistic that the remainder of the 2020 schedule will go on as planned. The next event is the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indy on September 3rd to 6th. This will mark the fourth consecutive time that NHRA will run at the famed raceway, which seems to be handling the events in a safe manner while practicing social distancing requirements.

The Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals will also mark the showdown between Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammates Matt Hagan and Jack Beckman, as they go head-to-head to complete the final round of competition to see who will get the win from July’s Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals, as the final round was postponed due to rain and rescheduled for the weekend of the U.S. Nationals.

Event ticket holders for either of the two events will receive more information from NHRA via email soon and are encouraged to visit NHRA.com to learn about their options.