NHRA & FOX To Air Finals Live At 16 Events

Jason Line

Officials from NHRA and FOX Sports have unveiled the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series television schedule for the season’s Sunday eliminations shows. The 2017 season is highlighted by 16 live Sunday finals shows, including four on the FOX broadcast network.

The 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will open with a live Sunday broadcast of the 57th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals on the FOX broadcast network. The other three Sunday finals shows that will be aired live on the FOX broadcast network include the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver, the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle and the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals from Indianapolis.

In all, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and FOX will air more than 550 hours of original television programming from the world’s fastest motorsport series. FOX Sports’ combined networks, including FOX, FS1 and FS2, will broadcast coverage of the Lucas Oil Series, J&A Service Pro Mod Series and repeats of Mello Yello Series race coverage.

NHRA races also will appear in Canada and the Caribbean through FOX Sports Racing, as well as be available through FOX Sports GO, the critically acclaimed app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on the go and now is available to 86 million subscribers.

“We are so excited to bring drag racing fans another year of NHRA on FOX," said Peter Clifford, NHRA president. “NHRA Drag Racing saw tremendous success last season in the first year of our partnership with FOX Sports and we are eager to continue that success in 2017. FOX Sports provides fans with a behind-the-scenes look at the fastest motorsport series on the planet and we are thrilled with the 2017 broadcast schedule."

NHRA Drag Racing is in the second year of its partnership with FOX Sports. In the first year of NHRA on FOX, NHRA saw 14 million more viewers in 2016 than in 2015 and television ratings for Sunday’s live finals shows were up 24 percent.

The six races during the Mello Yello Series regular season that will feature live Sunday finals race coverage on FS1 include the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals from Gainesville, Fla. (March 19, 1-4 p.m.), the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals from Las Vegas (April 2, 6-9 p.m.), the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties from Topeka, Kan. (May 21, 2-5 p.m.), the Route 66 NHRA Nationals from Chicago (July 9, 2-5 p.m.), the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals from Sonoma, Calif. (July 30, 4-7 p.m.) and the Lucas Oil Nationals from Brainerd, Minn. (Aug. 20, 2-5 p.m.).

Live coverage of Sunday finals also will be showcased during each stop of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s playoffs, including the NHRA Carolina Nationals at Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 17, 2:30-5:30 p.m.), Dodge NHRA Nationals from Reading, Pa. (Sept. 24, 2-5 p.m.), AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals from St. Louis (Oct. 1, 2-5 p.m.), the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals from Dallas (Oct. 15, 2-5 p.m.), the NHRA Toyota Nationals from Las Vegas (Oct. 29, 4-7 p.m.) and the Auto Club NHRA Finals from Pomona, Calif. (Nov. 12, 4-7 p.m.).

Many of the races on FS1 will directly follow NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series programming.

“The 2017 season of NHRA on FOX has a lot in store for drag racing fans around the world," said Ken Adelson, NHRA vice president, executive producer and chief content officer. “We are so happy to again feature four races on the FOX national broadcast channel and a total of 16 live Sunday eliminations shows. NHRA Drag Racing has some of the most vibrant personalities, a one-of-a-kind fan experience and 330-mph racing machines scene nowhere else on earth."

2017 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES TELEVISION SCHEDULE
All times are ET. All shows to air on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) unless otherwise noted.
Qualifying shows schedule to be announced at a later date.
Schedule is subject to change. Please check local listings.