Mickey Thompson to Sponsor New NMRA Street Car Challenge Class

Mickey Thompson Tires and Wheels has signed on as title sponsor of the NMRA’s newest small-tire drag racing category, the company announced

The Mickey Thompson Street Car Challenge class is a three-event, non-championship category aimed at attracting small-tire/DOT-equipped tire Ford-brand vehicles that don’t fit into the regular lineup for NMRA Heads-Up, Index or QA1 True Street categories, the company said.

The new category is designed to replace NMRA Turbo Battle and Terminator/Cobra vs. GT500 Shootout races that have run at select events over the last several years. It consolidates those two categories into one group and is also open to many other Ford vehicles and combinations at any level, the series said.

“Mickey Thompson is a leader in the DOT/drag radial tire market, so it is a natural fit for us to back a street car-type class. We look forward to seeing all sorts of Mustangs and Fords get involved at these NMRA events and have some fun,” said Tom Kundrik, motorsports manager, Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels.

“We are excited to introduce a new class to the NMRA—one that is an open competition for small tire/DOT tire-equipped cars and trucks,” said Rollie Miller, general manager and national event director, Holley NMRA Ford Nationals. “It should help get as many enthusiasts on-track as possible during our national events.”

The top 16 racers at each event will be entered into a heads-up Quick 16 Round-Up, while the other Mickey Thompson Street Car Challenge competitors will be allowed to enter Bracket 3 at no charge.

Each Quick 16 Round-Up winner and runner-up will be eligible for the NMRA contingency program, and Mickey Thompson is also adding a $600 gift card on top of the $750 prize for the Quick 16 winner.

The Mickey Thompson Street Car Challenge races will be held at the following NMRA events:

• NMRA Spring Break Shootout, March 4-7, Bradenton Motorsports Park, Bradenton, Florida
• NMRA Ford Performance Nationals, June 10-13, Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio
• NMRA All-Ford World Finals, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, Beech Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, Kentucky