The excitement and madness of predicting who will win the U.S. Nationals is being placed into the hands and keyboards of NHRA fans starting this weekend with the launch of Drag Race Bracket Bonanza (DRBB), the first dynamic bracket competition for drag racing fans. When the fields are set on Sunday night for the 69th U.S. Nationals fans can head to the Drag Race Bracket Bonanza website on either their phone or laptop and make their picks round by round for all four professional classes. Points will be earned with every correct pick until there is one overall event winner at the conclusion of the race on Monday. Category winners for Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will also be recognized.
“This was an idea I have been thinking about and talking to people within the sport for a couple years. Drag Racing has the excitement and drama of the college men’s basketball tournament every national event and we should be capitalizing on that excitement to give our fans more chances to root for their favorite drivers,” said Elon Werner, Creator of Drag Race Bracket Bonanza and Founder of Werner Communications. “My goal is for Drag Racing fans to fill out their brackets and encourage their non-drag racing friends to try their luck. Drag Racing is unpredictable and the excitement of seeing your favorite driver win rounds should be recognized and celebrated.”
DRBB has been in development since before the 2023 Western Swing and over the past five races a group of beta testers have been playing DRBB and working out a variety of issues unique to Drag Racing and dynamic gameplay. Fans will be able to fill out their brackets on Saturday night when the fields are set and the window will remain open until the engines are fired in the first pair of Top Fuel dragsters to start the first round of eliminations on Sunday or, in the case of the U.S. Nationals, on Monday. After every round, drivers will advance and points will be allocated to each participant until there are four winners crowned at the end of the race. Participants will earn points race-by-race with a chance for one person to be crowned overall Countdown Drag Race Bracket Bonanza champion.
“My goal is to have people get excited about following and participating in the national events beyond just watching them on TV or following on social media,” said Werner. “Drag Race Bracket Bonanza is designed to give fans bragging rights and get them involved in the races like never before. I also want to give casual fans a way to follow the races and our drivers. This will be a work in progress, and we will be improving the site every race. There are so many elements we had planned to add but I just felt now was the time to get something going instead of just talking about an idea.”
Beyond the U.S. Nationals, Drag Race Bracket Bonanza will continue with the Reading Nationals, the Carolina Nationals, the Midwest Nationals, the Texas Fall Nationals, the Nevada Nationals, and the World Finals in Pomona. Fans will be able to fill out their brackets on Saturday night when the fields are set, until the first pair of Top Fuel dragsters start before the first round of eliminations on Sunday. After every round drivers will advance and points will be allocated to each participant until there are four winners crowned at the end of the race. Participants will earn points race by race as well as the chance for one person to be crowned overall Countdown Drag Race Bracket Bonanza champion.
Drag Race Bracket Bonanza will start Sunday night at the conclusion of qualifying for the U.S. Nationals. For additional information fans can visit www.dragracebracketbonanza.com. Fans can follow Drag Race Bracket Bonanza social media for stats, updates, and info on Twitter/X at @dragracebb or Instagram and Facebook, @DragRaceBracketBonanza.
This story was originally published on August 29, 2023. 
