# 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series

The 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Season was announced on September 5, 2015.
There were 24 Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock car events, and 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events scheduled.

## Schedule

2016 NHRA Mello Yello Schedule :
| Date | Race | Site | TV | Winners | Winners | Winners | Winners |
| Date | Race | Site | TV | Top Fuel | Funny Car | Pro Stock | PS Motorcycle |
| February 11–14 | Circle K NHRA Winternationals | Pomona, California | FS1 | Steve Torrence (1) | Ron Capps (1) | Greg Anderson (1) | N/A |
| February 26–28 | CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Arizona Nationals | Phoenix, Arizona | FS1 | Leah Pritchett (1) | Tim Wilkerson (1) | Jason Line (1) | N/A |
| March 17–20 | Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals | Gainesville, Florida. | FS1 | Brittany Force (1) | Robert Hight (1) | Greg Anderson (2) | Eddie Krawiec (1) |
| April 1–3 | Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals | Las Vegas, Nevada | FS1 | Antron Brown (1) | Alexis DeJoria (1) | Jason Line (2) | N/A |
| April 22–24 | NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods | Concord, North Carolina | FS1* | Brittany Force (2) | Tim Wilkerson (2) | Jason Line (3) | Andrew Hines (1) |
| April 29 – May 1 | NHRA SpringNationals | Houston, Texas | FS1 | Doug Kalitta (1) | Courtney Force (1) | Greg Anderson (3) | N/A |
| May 13–15 | NHRA Southern Nationals | Atlanta, Georgia | FS1* | Doug Kalitta (2) | Matt Hagan (1) | Jason Line (4) | Eddie Krawiec (2) |
| May 20–22 | NHRA Kansas Nationals | Topeka, Kansas | FS1 | Doug Kalitta (3) | Matt Hagan (2) | Jason Line (5) | N/A |
| June 3–5 | NHRA New England Nationals | Epping, N.H. | FS1* | Antron Brown (2) | Ron Capps (2) | Greg Anderson (4) | N/A |
| June 9–12 | NHRA Summernationals | Englishtown, New Jersey | FS1* | Steve Torrence (2) | Ron Capps (3) | Greg Anderson (5) | Angelle Sampey (1) |
| June 17–19 | NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals | Bristol, Tennessee | FS1* | Shawn Langdon (1) | Tommy Johnson, Jr. (1) | Jason Line (6) | N/A |
| June 23–26 | Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals | Norwalk, Ohio | FS2* | Shawn Langdon (2) | Ron Capps (4) | Jason Line (7) | Eddie Krawiec (3) |
| July 7–10 | K&N Route 66 NHRA Nationals | Chicago, Illinois | FS1 | Antron Brown (3) | Jack Beckman (1) | Greg Anderson (6) | Andrew Hines (2) |
| July 22–24 | Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals | Denver, Colorado | Fox | Tony Schumacher (1) | John Force (1) | Allen Johnson (1) | Andrew Hines (3) |
| July 29–31 | Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals | Sonoma, California | Fox | J.R. Todd (1) | John Force (2) | Greg Anderson (7) | L.E. Tonglet (1) |
| August 5–7 | Protect The Harvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals$^2$ | Seattle, Washington | Fox | Races abandoned after semifinals. | Races abandoned after semifinals. | Races abandoned after semifinals. | N/A |
| August 18–21 | Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals | Brainerd, Minnesota | FS1* | Antron Brown (4) | Ron Capps (5) | Drew Skillman (1) | Andrew Hines (4) |
| August 18–21 | Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals | Brainerd, Minnesota | FS1* | Brittany Force (3) | Del Worsham (1) | Drew Skillman (1) | Andrew Hines (4) |
| August 31 – September 5 | Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals | Clermont, IN | FS1*/Fox | Tony Schumacher (2) | Matt Hagan (3) | Aaron Strong (1) | Andrew Hines (5) |
| August 31 – September 5 | Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals | Clermont, IN | FS1*/Fox | Tony Schumacher (2) | Matt Hagan (3) | Chris McGaha (1) | Andrew Hines (5) |
| 2016 Countdown to One ||||||||
| September 16–18 | NHRA Carolina Nationals | Concord, N.C. | FS1 | Antron Brown (5) | John Force (3) | Jason Line (8) | Chip Ellis (1) |
| September 23–25 | AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals | St. Louis, Missouri | FS1 | Shawn Langdon (3) | Jack Beckman (2) | Alex Laughlin (1) | Jerry Savoie (1) |
| September 29 – October 2 | Dodge NHRA Nationals | Reading, Pennsylvania | FS1 | Antron Brown (6) | Tommy Johnson, Jr. (2) | Vincent Nobile (1) | Eddie Krawiec (4) |
| October 13–16 | AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals | Dallas, Texas | FS1 | Antron Brown (7) | Matt Hagan (4) | Drew Skillman (2) | Eddie Krawiec (5) |
| October 27–30 | NHRA Toyota Nationals | Las Vegas, Nevada | FS1 | Steve Torrence (3) | John Force (4) | Shane Gray (1) | Jerry Savoie (2) |
| November 10–13 | Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals | Pomona, California | FS1 | Doug Kalitta (4) | Tommy Johnson, Jr. (3) | Greg Anderson (8) | Matt Smith (1) |
$^1$ The rules for the 4-Wide Nationals differ from other races:
* All cars will qualify on each lane as all four lanes will be used in qualifying.
* Three rounds with cars using all four lanes.
* In Rounds One and Two, the top two drivers (of four) will advance to the next round.
* The pairings are set as follows:
** Race One: 1, 8, 9, 16
** Race Two: 4, 5, 12, 13
** Race Three: 2, 7, 10, 15
** Race Four: 3, 6, 11, 14
** Semifinal One: Top two in Race One and Race Two
** Semifinal Two: Top two in Race Three and Race Four
** Finals: Top two in Semifinal One and Semifinal Two
* Lane choice determined by times in previous round. In first round, lane choice determined by fastest times.
* Drivers who advance in Rounds One and Two will receive 20 points for each round advancement.
* In Round Three, the winner of the race will be declared the race winner and will collect 40 points. The runner-up will receive 20 points. Third and fourth place drivers will be credited as semifinal losers.
$^2$ Races at Pacific Raceway abandoned after semifinals because of rain and could not be finished because of ordinances in county. There were two Top Fuel and Funny Car finals at Brainerd, and two Pro Stock finals at the U. S. Nationals (the NHRA and the two finalists agreed to conduct it at Clermont). The first winner listed is the Saturday race, while the second winner is the Sunday (Brainerd) or Monday (U. S. Nationals) race.
* * Finals televised on tape delay. Otherwise, finals will be televised live. Note at Norwalk, the first two rounds were televised live on Fox Sports 1, and the remainder aired on tape delay on Fox Sports 2 after the NASCAR race, as Fox Sports 1 had coverage of the 2016 Copa America final. The first Brainerd Top Fuel and Funny Car, and the first Lucas Oil Raceway Pro Stock (car) final aired on tape delay (FS1). The Pro Stock (car and motorcycle) and the second Top Fuel and Funny Car finals at Brainerd aired live. At the U. S. Nationals, the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock Motorcycle finals and the second Pro Stock (car) finals will air on Fox live.

## Notable events

* NHRA and ESPN mutually agreed to end their television coverage agreement following the 2015 season. The 2016 season was to be the final year of a five-year rights extension deal that took effect in 2012.
* NHRA and Fox Sports jointly announced that starting in 2016 the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will be televised by Fox Sports 1 (FS1). The channel will provide coverage of Friday and Saturday qualifying and Sunday eliminations for each NHRA Mello Yello Series event, with a minimum of 16 Sunday eliminations shows to be presented in a live coverage format. The Western Swing and the U. S. Nationals will be broadcast live on the Fox broadcast network, whose broadcasts will be labeled as Fox NHRA. All tape-delayed races will air as same-day delays after FS1 NASCAR coverage.
* NHRA and Fox Sports jointly announced the TV schedule for 2016, although with the addition of the Topeka race in December (the NHRA was legally unable to announce the Topeka race until new ownership group was confirmed), the television schedule for the Kansas round, which does not have a NASCAR conflict, it is expected to be live.
* The NHRA will cease offering points for setting a national record elapsed time, and will no longer require a run to be backed up within one percent in order to set the record, as points are not offered for such records.

## Final standings

Top Fuel :
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Points Back | Chassis |
| 1 | Antron Brown | 2663 | – | DSR (MG) |
| 2 | Doug Kalitta | 2533 | −130 | Kalitta |
| 3 | Steve Torrence | 2482 | −181 | MLR |
| 4 | J.R. Todd | 2455 | −208 | Kalitta |
| 5 | Shawn Langdon | 2443 | −220 | DSR (MG) |
| 6 | Brittany Force | 2399 | −264 | Force |
| 7 | Leah Pritchett | 2389 | −274 | DSR (MG) |
| 8 | Tony Schumacher | 2387 | −276 | DSR (MG) |
| 9 | Richie Crampton | 2279 | −384 | MLR |
| 10 | Clay Millican | 2264 | −399 | Hadman |
Funny Car :
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Points Back | Make |
| 1 | Ron Capps | 2605 | – | Dodge |
| 2 | Tommy Johnson, Jr. | 2553 | −52 | Dodge |
| 3 | Matt Hagan | 2493 | −112 | Dodge |
| 4 | John Force | 2486 | −119 | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Jack Beckman | 2480 | −125 | Dodge |
| 6 | Courtney Force | 2414 | −191 | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Del Worsham | 2406 | −199 | Toyota |
| 8 | Robert Hight | 2368 | −237 | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Tim Wilkerson | 2314 | −291 | Ford |
| 10 | Alexis DeJoria | 2184 | −421 | Toyota |
Pro Stock :
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Points Back | Make |
| 1 | Jason Line | 2639 | – | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Greg Anderson | 2636 | −3 | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Shane Gray | 2492 | −147 | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Bo Butner III | 2453 | −186 | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Vincent Nobile | 2449 | −190 | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Drew Skillman | 2424 | −215 | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Chris McGaha | 2327 | −312 | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Allen Johnson | 2277 | −362 | Dodge |
| 9 | Erica Enders-Stevens | 2239 | −400 | Dodge |
| 10 | Jeg Coughlin, Jr. | 2208 | −431 | Dodge |
Pro Stock Motorcycle :
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Points Back | Make |
| 1 | Gerald Savoie | 2595 | – | Suzuki |
| 2 | Eddie Krawiec | 2571 | −24 | Harley-Davidson |
| 3 | Andrew Hines | 2564 | −31 | Harley-Davidson |
| 4 | Angelle Sampey | 2495 | −100 | Buell |
| 5 | Chip Ellis | 2415 | −180 | Buell |
| 6 | Matt Smith | 2389 | −206 | Victory |
| 7 | L.E. Tonglet IV | 2372 | −223 | Suzuki |
| 8 | Hector Arana, Jr. | 2315 | −280 | Buell |
| 9 | Cory Reed | 2312 | −283 | Stinnett |
| 10 | Hector Arana | 2279 | −316 | Buell |