The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals ended at 8 p.m. Sunday as the curfew hit, closing a weekend that began in 1961 and was battered by on-track incidents, rain and long delays. The show did not start until 12:30 on Sunday after rain fell that morning and more oil slowed the program again.
Tony Schumacher grenaded a rear end for the second straight day, and cleanup from that incident took more than an hour. That was only the latest interruption in a weekend that already included Saturday incidents and a Sunday schedule that had to be pushed deep into the afternoon before the racing could move forward.
The Winternationals are one of NHRA’s majors, and this one landed as the sanctioning body continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Even with the difficult weather and the delays, most of the early forecast rain did not materialize, and the fans hung tough through the long weekend. The pits included the Nitro Stage, while Nitro Alley offered interactive displays and games, and In-N-Out Burger served burgers to spectators who stayed with it until the end.
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For those following the sport, the result reinforces how much the nhra winternationals still depend on the same thing they have since 1961: weather, timing and a little luck. A fuller look at the day’s rain-hit schedule and the drivers who shined in Pomona is available in Nhra Winternationals delayed by rain as Ashley, Millican shine in Pomona.
