NHRA will reach a significant milestone on Sunday, July 24 when the FOX national broadcasting network televises the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series finals of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals live from scenic Bandimere Speedway in Denver.
The moment when FOX's cameras capture the live action during the semifinals and finals of the first of NHRA's famed trio of Western Swing races, will mark the first time in NHRA history that an NHRA national event is presented to a live audience on a broadcast television network.
It will be a very proud moment for the 65-year-old motorsports sanctioning body.
"We have worked so hard over the years to secure the right television partner and to finally get to the point where the NHRA Mello Yello Series is going to make its live debut on broadcast television through coverage provided by our friends at FOX, it is going to be a very satisfying moment for sure," said Peter Clifford, NHRA president. "The sport has grown so much this year through the great coverage on FS1 that we feel this opportunity to showcase the world's fastest motorsport to an even bigger audience on the FOX broadcast network is going to be a game-changer for the sport of NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing."
"Our relationship with the NHRA is off to a fantastic start," said Bill Wanger, FOX Sports executive vice president of programming, live operations and research. "Scheduling three consecutive events on FOX broadcast obviously gives the sport an unprecedented opportunity to continue to grow and capture new fans … it's great to be a part of the NHRA's rich history in a meaningful way."
FOX's live coverage of NHRA Mello Yello Series will continue on through the Western Swing, with live Sunday coverage broadcast from the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals in Northern California's Bay Area and the Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil at Pacific Raceways in Seattle. FOX also will provide live coverage of Monday's finals during the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend.
"We are very excited to showcase the sport to a wider audience on FOX and we feel that we have the perfect setting to do it during the three-race Western Swing and the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals," said Ken Adelson, vice president-executive producer and chief content officer, NHRA. "There have been some amazing storylines going on this season and we expect even more to develop during this crucial part of the season, when teams are racing hard to secure a top 10 playoff spot for the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship."
During the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season FOX Sports is showcasing every stop on the 24-race circuit through more than 500 hours of NHRA programming on FOX, FS1 and FS2. In addition to the four live events on the FOX national broadcast network, FS1 is airing 13 additional races live and the seven other events are airing in a same-day tape-delay format. FS1 and FS2 also provides coverage of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
