The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series is gearing up once again to break from its traditional one-on-one format for the third annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 13-15, at zMAX Dragway. Robert Hight (LEFT), who claimed his third consecutive Funny Car victory of the season at Las Vegas last weekend, is looking forward to the change-up provided by Charlotte's unique event.
“There's just more going on in your head,” related Hight. “It's kind of cool because it shakes things up, it changes things. Like the NASCAR guys – they have short tracks, long tracks, superspeedways, all this stuff. Ours is always the same, so the four-wide is something cool for the fans and something different for us drivers. Still has the same amount of points, same amount of money – and we want to go there and keep the points lead.”
Spencer Massey, winner in Top Fuel at Vegas in his Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel dragster, notes racing four-wide is very different from the traditional two-wide format because you can cross the line second but still make it to the next round.
"You have to pay attention to two other lanes staging and then you have to pay attention to, ‘Hey, I might be the first one in my lane, I might be the first one against the guy next to me, but I may not be the first one in the other two lanes,'” said Massey. “So the one thing that is different going into the second round, even if you're the second guy going into the first line, you're still going to advance.
“Last year, I was right behind Del Worsham and remember thinking, ‘OK, I hope I'm second, I hope I'm second, I hope I'm second and we were second.' It's a little different strategy, but that's what makes it that much better for the fans, that much better for all of us. Because it's four-wide drag racing at 300mph. It's awesome.”