With a little less than 48 hours until the start of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, there’s a palpable energy in the air during NHRA Media Day. With new announcements from the NHRA, livery unveilings, and driver portraits being taken, it’s hard not to feel the excitement of the upcoming season.
NHR announcer, Alan Reinhardt and Senior Vice President of Racing Operations, Graham Light were happy to make the official announcement that Papa John’s Pizza has been named as the official pizza of the NHRA. Papa John’s Pizza has sponsored Top Fuel driver, Leah Pritchett since last season. The good news also comes with a great deal for the fans. For any online order, fans can use the code: Leah25 during check out for 25% off of their order.
The Auto Club of Southern California and their driver, Robert Hight are paying homage to the California Highway Patrol with a new livery set to hit the track this weekend at the Circle K Winternationals. Hight’s new Funny Car body resembles a California Highway Patrol cruiser. The main intention of the new body was to bring awareness to the Move Over Law. With Hight to make the announcement was the Corporate Communications Manager of the Auto Club of Southern California, Jeffrey Spring. The unveiling of the new car was done by members of the California Highway Patrol.
We were honored to be in the presence of Officer Andrew Tachias, a member of the Riverside Police Department who was shot 9-times in early 2013 while working on the Christoper Dorner case. While Officer Tachias is no longer working out in the field, he remains active in the police department’s office. Officer Tachias is the first VIP First Responder to be honored in the NHRA’s new program, Salute to First Responders. At each event the NHRA will select local first responders to come out to the racetrack as VIP’s of the racing organization.
A very important person that’s part of the of history of the NHRA joined us in the days festivities. Original NHRA Safety Safari member, Chic Cannon, shared what it was like in the early days of the NHRA when the Safety Safari was just getting started. Cannon was very vocal about his pleasure of how the sport has taken off, “It’s been a great experience for me and a great life. I’ve been a lover of NHRA. Wally [Parks] and I were good friends for many, many years. It’s just been wonderful to be a part of NHRA. I appreciate all that we’ve done for the racers in the country. Wally and I many times said ‘I never thought it’d become something like this.’ We’re glad to see it happen.”
