The National Hot Rod Association has announced the formation of the NHRA State Championships, a special-event program for its member tracks and E.T. bracket racers beginning in the 2010 season. With member tracks across the country as well as in Canada and Puerto Rico, the program will recognize and award grassroots racers with a unique, specially designed NHRA State Championships Wally plaque.

Much like state high school athletic associations that conduct state championships in school sporting events, NHRA will designate and recognize one annual event per state that boasts NHRA member tracks as the official NHRA Drag Racing State Championships.

NHRA State Championships events will be held at Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Ks., August 7; Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, Ga., Sept. 5; Coles County Dragway USA in Charleston, Ill., July 12; Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wis., July 17; and Kearney Raceway Park in Kearney, Neb., July 31-Aug. 1. Other states and provinces will be listed on the NHRA divisional Web sites and NHRA.com.

E.T. bracket categories that are part of the NHRA Summit Racing Series and a Jr. Dragster class contested in the state and NHRA geographic division will receive official NHRA State Championships designation.

The new program joins NHRA’s National DRAGSTER Challenge, NHRA Aerospace Components King of the Track, and NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge lineup of special events.

For more information regarding your NHRA State Championships event, contact your NHRA division office.

Northeast Division: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Quebec, Canada

Southeast Division: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico

North Central Division: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada

South Central Division: Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

West Central Division: Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

Northwest Division: Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, Canada

Pacific Division: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico