NHRA at Route 66 Raceway - Mark your calendars for May 15-18, 2025

Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals Presented by PEAK Performance: A Thrilling Weekend of Racing at Route 66 Raceway

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend of speed, power, and competition at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance. From May 15-18, 2025, the Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL, will come alive with some of the most thrilling drag racing action on the planet. With a jam-packed schedule and intense racing in every category, this event promises to deliver the excitement that only the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) can provide.

Whether you’re a longtime NHRA fan or new to the world of drag racing, there’s something for everyone. The Route 66 NHRA Nationals will feature top drivers, stunning machines, and unforgettable moments. Be sure to get your tickets early as this event is expected to sell out fast!

A Look at the Exciting Categories
At the heart of this event is a diverse array of racing categories, each bringing its own unique challenges and thrills. Let’s take a closer look at the different divisions that will keep fans on the edge of their seats:

Top Fuel
Top Fuel dragsters, known as the "kings of the sport," accelerate from 0 to 330+ mph in under 3.7 seconds. These 11,000-horsepower machines run on supercharged, fuel-injected 500-cubic-inch Chrysler Hemi engines, consuming up to 15 gallons of nitromethane per run.

Funny Car
Funny Cars resemble production vehicles but have a shorter wheelbase and a carbon-fiber body. Using the same 500-cubic-inch supercharged engines as Top Fuel dragsters, they reach speeds over 330 mph in the 3.8-second range, transmitting power through a timer-activated multistage clutch.

Pro Stock
Often called "factory hot rods," Pro Stock cars feature tube chassis, four-link rear suspensions, and highly regulated specifications, weighing no less than 2,350 pounds. Their 500-cubic-inch engines with electronic fuel injection produce 1,300+ horsepower, running 6.5-second quarter-miles at 210+ mph.

Pro Stock Motorcycle
These modified motorcycles reach 195+ mph in under 6.8 seconds and use a lightweight, aerodynamic chassis. Featuring various engine types, including V-Twin and inline-four-cylinder models, their displacement ranges from 92 to 160 cubic inches, and they run on spec gasoline with fuel injection.

Top Alcohol Dragster
Though similar in appearance to Top Fuelers, Top Alcohol Dragsters use either supercharged methanol engines or injected nitromethane engines. Performance varies, with times in the 5.1-second range at speeds over 285 mph, and weight ranging from 1,975 to 2,125 pounds.

Top Alcohol Funny Car
These Funny Cars run on methanol fuel and use a three-speed transmission, producing runs in the 5.3-second range at 270+ mph. With similar chromoly steel chassis and carbon-fiber bodies as nitro Funny Cars, they require less downforce and have a smaller rear spoiler.

Comp
Featuring the widest variety of vehicles in NHRA racing, Comp includes dragsters, altereds, coupes, sedans, and even sport compacts. Cars are classified using weight-to-cubic-inch formulas, and handicapped starts are based on assigned performance indexes.

Super Stock
Super Stock cars resemble street vehicles but feature extensive modifications. Engines must match the car’s make and model, though internal enhancements are allowed. Classification is based on factory weight and NHRA-factored horsepower, and races use an index and breakout system.

Stock
Stock cars are even more restricted than Super Stock, requiring factory-correct engines, cylinder heads, and carburetors with minimal modifications. Bodies must remain unaltered, with a full interior, and are limited to 9-inch-wide rear slicks.

Super Comp
The fastest of the heads-up Super classes, Super Comp cars run on an 8.90-second index, with minimal restrictions on engine and chassis modifications. Many can run well under 8.90 but use electronics like timers and adjustable throttles to avoid breaking out.

Super Gas
Super Gas cars, limited to a 9.90-second index, are full-bodied vehicles and street roadsters. While engine and chassis modifications are liberal, exotic fuels are banned. Races use a four-tenths Pro Tree, with electronic timers and throttle stops for consistency.

Super Street
Super Street racers compete on a 10.90-second index with full-bodied cars weighing at least 2,800 pounds (or less for smaller-engine entries). Chassis and engine modifications are largely unrestricted, and races use a five-tenths Pro Tree start.

Top Dragster & Top Sportsman
These categories feature open-wheel (Top Dragster) and full-bodied (Top Sportsman) cars running in qualified fields of 32, 48, or 64 entries. Drivers pick their own dial-ins (7.99 seconds or quicker), racing in a bracket-style format with breakout rules enforced.

Pro Mod
Pro Mod cars, among the most diverse in NHRA racing, range from classic hot rods to modern muscle cars. Running in the high five-second range at 250+ mph, these machines use superchargers, turbochargers, or nitrous to maximize horsepower.

Factory Stock
Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs, and Dodge Challengers compete heads-up in Factory Stock, running sub-eight-second quarter-miles at 170+ mph. These modern muscle cars showcase the pinnacle of domestic factory performance.

Top Fuel Harley
These nitro-burning motorcycles, built around pushrod V-Twin Harley-Davidson engines, reach over 200 mph. Producing 1,500 horsepower, they are so volatile that riders mount them only after the engines are started.

Get Your Tickets Early – A Weekend You Don’t Want to Miss!

The Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance promises to be one of the most exciting weekends of racing you’ll experience all year. With top-tier drivers, insane speeds, and thrilling competition in multiple categories, this event is a must-attend for any racing fan.

Be sure to get your tickets early before they sell out – this event always draws a massive crowd, and you won’t want to miss out on all the action! Whether you’re coming for the Top Fuel madness or the fierce competition in the Factory Stock Showdown, every moment will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Mark your calendars for May 15-18, 2025 and make plans to be part of the excitement at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL. The Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance will undoubtedly be an event to remember!