NHRA FACTORY X PRESENTED BY HOLLEY SET TO DEBUT WITH TWO EXHIBITION RACES, FOLLOWED BY SIX POINTS EVENTS IN 2023
New class coming to WWTR’s NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Midwest Nationals
January 10, 2023, St. Louis – World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois and the National Hot Rod Association today announced an exciting new class to be showcased at the annual NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Midwest Nationals in the fall. NHRA’s new Factory X presented by Holley class hold two exhibition events before launching a six-race points battle. WWTR’s NHRA Midwest Nationals – Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 – is the fifth event of the six-race series.
NHRA Factory X is an exciting new category reserved for 2019-and-newer manufactured automobiles, including the Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, and Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, and will debut during the 2023 season. Competitors will be racing for an NHRA championship.
Cars in NHRA Factory X presented by Holley will have a minimum weight limit of 2,650 pounds, which is nearly 1,000 pounds lighter than a Factory Stock Showdown car, and a manual transmission is mandatory. With the potential to showcase big-performance numbers and standout runs in the six-second range immediately, the lightweight, modified class is set to put on a show at eight overall stops during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.
Without a doubt, the stock-body, tube-chassis supercharged hot rods will be an exciting addition to the already-thrilling NHRA national event.
“As we’ve seen when we’ve showcased Factory Stock at the NHRA Midwest Nationals, our fans love stock bodied race cars that push the limits,” said Chris Blair, WWTR’s Executive Vice President and General Manager. “Factory X is going to take that experience to a new level and, as fans, we are excited to see this revolutionary class compete at World Wide Technology Raceway. Beautiful stock-bodied cars coupled with wild horsepower that will push them beyond the 200 mile-per-hour-mark is exactly what we love to see at an NHRA National Event.”
The COPO Camaros will race with a 630-hp Magnuson 2.65-L supercharger, and the DragPak Challengers will utilize a 630-hp, 3.0-L Whipple. The Cobra Jet 327 Mustang’s engine combination will be a 610-hp, 3.0-L Whipple unit. Each body must be OEM dimensional, meaning there can be no alterations to the bodies, and each must feature steel roof and quarter-body panels, and the chassis on the cars must meet 25.1, 25.2, 25.3 specifications. Cars in NHRA Factory X presented by Holley must race on tires that are 33 inches tall and 10.5 inches wide as well, which are wider than FSS cars.
Other highlights for NHRA Factory X presented by Holley: Doors must be functional and operable from inside and outside and must be OEM dimension. The cars must be a complete stock appearing car including mandatory bumper covers consistent with make, model, year claimed. Each car must be equipped with a stock grille of same configuration and design for specific body used. Complete headlight and taillight assemblies must be retained in stock original Factory location.
2023 NHRA Factory X presented by Holley schedule:
- Exhibition: April 28-30: 13th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte.
- Exhibition: June 9-11: 22nd annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tenn.
- June 22-25: 17th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio.
- 11-13: 34th annual Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor, Heartland Motorsports Park, Topeka, Kan.
- 17-20: 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd, Minn.
- 22-24: 15th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte.
- Sept. 29-Oct. 1: 12th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis.
- 26-29: 23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas.
For more information, please call WWTR at (618) 215-8888 or visit www.WWTRaceway.com. Follow WWTR on social media platforms.
About World Wide Technology Raceway
World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) is the only track in the world to host the premier series of NASCAR, INDYCAR, and NHRA . Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 700 acres, WWTR is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. WWTR’s facilities include a 1/4-mile drag strip, 1.25-mile superspeedway, 2.0-mile road course, the Gateway Kartplex (a state-of-the-art karting facility), and the adjacent Gateway National Golf Links. WWTR and owner Curtis Francois have been recognized with several awards, including: 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year; 2021 Jack Buck Award; 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Track Award; 2018 Innovator Award from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission; 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference; and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from the St. Louis Attractions Association.
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