When it comes to Drag Racing what is the first thing you think of? Many of you think of the big time names like, John Force, Courtney Force, J.R. Todd and many more that compete on a fully prepped track for the, “National Hot Rod Association”, otherwise known as the NHRA. While these household names hold a high amount of respect all over the world, there is a Drag Racing style that is packing the stands with an electrifying twist. It goes by the name of, “No Prep”.
While No Prep style drag racing has been around for years, and originated from old school street racing. The original streets that were once used for our nightly entertainment have since been altered in some cases with speed bumps in an attempt to prevent the illegal sport from continuing. That is when it was decided to take it to the track, and within the last few years the No Prep scene has exploded into mainstream drag racing, with a number of promoters packing the pits and stands to watch the thrilling competition unfold.
What makes No Prep different than any other drag racing on the track?, you ask. It all comes down to the track surface! In the early hours of the morning when the air is still crisp and the morning dew is glistening on the surface, the track crew gets to work. They start by heating and scraping away any rubber to reveal an unforgiving bare street like surface, this is where the precedence of No Prep begins!
We have began to see many styles of No Prep evolving such as Team Boddie’s Back Half of the Track racing, where the end of the track is used to begin the race. In addition we now have a No Prep National Inaugural Event. These races are packed with high dollar, high horsepower cars, with the majority consisting of either, twin turbo, nitrous, screw blown, or pro charged motors. The ability to keep these high horsepower beast hooked to a non prepped surface undeniably narrows the field of participants to some of the best drivers and crews on the planet, forcing both drivers and tuners to the ragged edge to continue to be competitive round after round.
While some have chosen to protest the No Prep scene in an attempt to extinguish the style from drag racing as a whole, we are now seeing the sport attracting the more conventional racers that were not at first on board. Some are seeing it as a mere Fad, that will die off like other styles of drag racing, but like the so called, “Fad” some knew as the internet, it is not going anywhere!
Written by Candace Williams
