The NHRA Winternationals (commonly called the Winternats) is an annual drag racing event that is held by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, California each year.
History The National Hot Rod Association first sanctioned a Winter Nationals in 1960 at Bunnell-Flagler Field at Daytona Beach, Florida. The event was co-sanctioned with NASCAR (a member of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, the national governing body of motorsport that replaced the AAA Contest Board in 1956 along with USAC and SCCA; the NHRA was not then a member of) in order to gain national ACCUS and international FIA sanctioning. NHRA does not now recognize the event as the first Winternats.YouTube
It was held the week before the 1960 Daytona 500, and was the attempt to solve problems with illegal street racing at Daytona during Speed Weeks. Wally Parks and George Schorb worked with the South Florida Timing Association and NASCAR official Ed Otto. Schorb worked to help stop illegal street racing first in Miami. Until the 2020 season, the race was usually held in early February, often the week after the Super Bowl.
The event moved to the Los Angeles area in 1961. In 1962, under pressure from Peggy Hart (wife of track owner "Pappy" Hart) and Mickey Thompson, as well as fellow racers Shirley Shahan and Roberta Leighton, Carol Cox was the first woman allowed to race at an NHRA national event.Burgess, Phil, National Dragster editor. "Carol Cox: NHRA's first class winner", written 4 May 2018, at NHRA.com (retrieved 16 September 2018) Cox drove a 1961 Pontiac Ventura with a V8, which was driven (not trailered) to Pomona. Cox won the title in S/SA, making her the first woman ever to take a win at an NHRA national event; the 9 March 1962 issue of National Dragster recorded her as a "crowd favorite", with a winning pass of 13.06 seconds at , but says nothing about it being a first for a woman, dismissively calling her a "'powder puff' handler".Burgess, Phil, National Dragster editor. "Carol Cox: NHRA's first class winner", written 4 May 2018, at NHRA.com (retrieved 16 September 2018): text and photo. Some racers believe a class win is more difficult to achieve than a handicap (eliminator) win.
The 1965 event, in round one of B/FD, hosted the first ever side-by-side Funny Car showdown, between Jack Chrisman and Don Gay; Gay won when Chrisman redlighted.YouTube
At the 1966 event, Shahan was the first woman to claim a national event eliminator crown, by taking Stock Eliminator. The win put her on the cover of National Dragster.
NHRA debuted the new Top Fuel Funny Car (TF/FC) class at the Winternationals in 1969; Funny Car Eliminator (FCE) would be won by Clare Sanders, teammate of "Jungle Jim" Liberman.McClurg, Bob. "50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 2" in Drag Racer, November 2016, pp.42 and p.44 caption.
In 1970, Top Fuel Eliminator (quickset fuel car of the meet, digger or flopper) went to Larry Dixon Sr.
The AA/FC winner was the 1970 Dodge Charger, Hawaiian, of Larry Reyes (driving for Roland Leong). Barrie Poole became the first Canadian to win an NHRA national event, taking the 1970 Super Stock title.NHRA.net (retrieved 18 September 2018)
The Funny Car Eliminator title at the 1971 Winternats would go to Leong's Hawaiian.McClurg, p.46 caption. with Butch Maas at the wheel. Don Garlits' novel rear-engined dragster appeared at the Winternats that year, qualifying with 6.8; his best time of the meet was a 6.70, over Jim Dunn's 7.58, in the semi-final: Garlits would win, when Kenny Safford broke in the final. The last Top Gas Eliminator crown, before NHRA abolished the class, went to Walt Stevens, at the wheel of Ken Theiss' twin-engined Odd Couple TG/D. The year's award for Best Engineered Car went to Jim Busby, with a dragster powered by a pair of injected DOHC Ford Indy V8 engines. (Hank Westmoreland failed to qualify the car, and it never ran again.) Canadian Barrie Poole repeated his 1970 Winternats win in Super Stock, in a Sandy Elliot Mustang. Don Enriquez (in Gene Adams' A/FD) won Competition Eliminator, turning in a pass of 7.34 at , quicker and faster than Steve Woods' hemi-engined BB/Gas Ford Anglia; the field also included twin-engine straight-six-cylinder-powered D/Ds, and AA/FAs.
The 1971 meet was marred by the death of "Sneaky Pete" Robinson, who wrecked his TF/D in qualifying, with a 6.77 pass.
Altereds were so popular in the 1960s and 1970s, at the 1977 Winternationals, more than 75 drivers contested for the Comp Eliminator title.Kommel, Dave. "Gallery: The Best of 1970s Drag Racing", written 25 April 2017, at Hot Rod Network (retrieved 22 May 2017) Among them was Ed Prout, who brought his A/Altered from Connecticut.McClurg, Bob. "Pure Heaven: The Life and Fast Times of Fuel Altered Pioneer Leon Fitzgerald", written 14 March 2017, at Hot Rod Network (retrieved 22 May 2017)
NHRA introduced a significant change to the Christmas tree, LEDs instead of incandescent bulbs, at Pomona in 2003.Burgess, Phil, National Dragster editor. "A Christmas (Tree) Story", at NHRA.com (retrieved 22 September 2018)
At Pomona in 2014, Alexis DeJoria became the first woman ever to make a sub-four second pass, with a 3.997-second e.t.
In 2018, in the professional categories, Top Fuel Dragster went to Doug Kalitta, Top fuel Funny Car to Matt Hagan, and Pro Stock to Bo Butner.
In 2021, the Winternationals was moved to summer because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and restrictions imposed by California. The NHRA decided to move the Gatornationals to the season opening slot. In an unusual fashion, the Top Fuel final was determined by default when one finalist was pulled out by NHRA officials over driver safety when he had heat exhaustion. In addition, because the Kent, WA event was cancelled by King County, Washington officials, the Winternationals became part of the NHRA's Western Swing, which necessitated the Pro Stock Motorcycle category to be run for one year only. From 2021-26, the move of the Super Bowl that was made in effect for , the NHRA has since moved the Winternationals to the spring, and the Gatornationals in Florida now start the season going forward. In 2024, the Winternationals were abandoned after the semifinals because of weather, and a second final was added to Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona.
Past Winners
Year (season) Top FuelDragster (TF/D) Top FuelFunny Car (TF/FC) Pro Stock Pro Stock Motorcycle Source 1961 Jack Chrisman(Top Eliminator) Mickey Thompson (Middle Eliminator) 1962 Jim Nelson(Top Eliminator) Gary Cagle (Middle Eliminator) Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 29 September 2018) 1963 Don "Big Daddy" Garlits Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 20 September 2018) 1964 Jack Williams Ronnie Sox (S/X) Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 20 September 2018) 1965 Don "The Snake" Prudhomme Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 20 September 2018) 1966 Mike Snively Clare Sanders (FCE) Burgess, Phil, National Dragster editor. "Danica who? What about Shirley ... and Shirley? And Judi. And Judy?", written 21 April 2008, at NHRA.com (retrieved 20 September 2018) 1967 Connie Kalitta Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 20 September 2018) 1968 Jim Warren Gene "Snowman" Snow NHRA.net 1968(retrieved 5 December 2018) 1969 John Mulligan Clare Sanders Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 20 September 2018) 1970 Larry Dixon (TFE) 1971 Don "Big Daddy" Garlits Butch Maas (FCE) Ronnie Sox Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 20 September 2018) 1972 Carl Olson Ed "The Ace" McCulloch Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 September 2018) 1973 Don "Big Daddy" Garlits Don Schumacher "Dyno Don" Nicholson Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 September 2018) 1974 Gary Beck Dale Emery Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 21 September 2018) 1975 Don "Big Daddy" Garlits Don "The Snake" Prudhomme Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 24 September 2018) 1976 Frank Bradley Don "The Snake" Prudhomme Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 24 September 2018) 1977 Jerry Ruth Don "The Snake" Prudhomme Larry Lombardo Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 24 September 2018) 1978 Kelly Brown Don "The Snake" Prudhomme Bob Glidden Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 20 September 2018) 1979 Bob Noice Tom Hoover Bob Glidden Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 3 October 2018) 1980 Shirley Muldowney Dale Pulde Lee Shepherd Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 29 September 2018) 1981 Jeb Allen Billy Meyer Bob Glidden Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 29 September 2018) 1982 Dick LaHaie Al Segrini Frank Iaconio Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 29 September 2018) 1983 Shirley Muldowney Frank Hawley Frank Iaconio Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 29 September 2018) 1984 Gary Ormsby Al Segrini Lee Shepherd Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 3 October 2018) 1985 Joe Amato Al Segrini Bob Glidden Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 3 October 2018) 1986 Darrell Gwynn Tim Grose Frank Iaconio Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 3 October 2018) 1987 Don "Big Daddy" Garlits Kenny Bernstein Warren Johnson Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 3 October 2018) 1988 Dick LaHaie Dale Pulde Butch Leal 1989 Gary Ormsby Bruce Larson Bob Glidden 1990 Lori Johns K.C. Spurlock Jerry Eckman 1991 Frank Bradley John Force Darrell Alderman 1992 Kenny Bernstein Jim Epler Jerry Eckman 1993 Joe Amato John Force Warren Johnson 1994 Shelly Anderson K.C. Spurlock Warren Johnson 1995 Eddie Hill Cruz Pedregon Darrell Alderman 1996 Blaine Johnson Al Hofmann Jim Yates 1997 Gary Scelzi John Force Warren Johnson 1998 Larry Dixon Ron Capps Jim Yates 1999 Mike Dunn Tony Pedregon Jeg Coughlin Jr. 2000 Gary Scelzi Jerry Toliver Jeg Coughlin Jr. 2001 Darrell Russell Bruce Sarver Kurt Johnson 2002 Larry Dixon John Force George Marnell 2003 Larry Dixon Tony Pedregon Warren Johnson 2004 Tony Schumacher Jerry Toliver Greg Anderson 2005 Scott Kalitta Tommy Johnson Jr. Dave Connolly 2006 Melanie Troxel Robert Hight Greg Anderson 2007 J. R. Todd Gary Scelzi Greg Anderson 2008 Tony Schumacher Robert Hight Greg Anderson 2009 Doug Kalitta Ron Capps Jason Line 2010 Larry Dixon John Force Mike Edwards 2011 Morgan Lucas Robert Hight Jason Line 2012 Spencer Massey John Force Greg Anderson 2013 Shawn Langdon Courtney Force Vincent Nobile 2014 Khalid al-Balooshi John Force Jason Line 2015 Shawn Langdon Matt Hagan Jason Line 2016 Steve Torrence Ron Capps Greg Anderson 2017 Leah Pruett Matt Hagan Jason Line 2018 Doug Kalitta Matt Hagan Bo Butner Ultimateracinghistory (retrieved 3 October 2018) 2019 Doug Kalitta Robert Hight Bo Butner 2020 Doug Kalitta Jack Beckman Jeg Coughlin Jr. 2021 Leah Pruett Ron Capps Aaron Stanfield Matt Smith 2022 Justin Ashley Robert Hight Erica Enders 2023 Justin Ashley Matt Hagan Dallas Glenn 2024 (Finished Up In Phoenix) Justin Ashley John Force Dallas Glenn https://dragillustrated.com/force-ashley-and-glenn-win-postponed-lucas-oil-nhra 2025 Clay Millican Jack Beckman Greg Anderson 2026 Tony Stewart Matt Hagan Greg Anderson
Notes