2004 NHRA national event entry/grading information
 Due to the growing numbers of contestants, constraints on pit space, and scheduling time, a certain criteria must be met before a contestant may enter an NHRA National Event. The NHRA grading system determines who gains entry to the National Events and subsequently, rewards National Event aspirants who support Divisional activity.
A driver receives one (1) grading point for attending a Divisional NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event or National Open event. The grading points earned in either the previous year or the current year (whichever is greater) stand as the driver's "grade".
2004 GRADE POINT REQUIREMENTS
| EVENT | TAD | TAFC | COMP | SS | STK | SC | SG | SST |
| K&N Filters Winternationals, Pomona | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | 3 | - |
| Checker Schuck�s Kragen NHRA Nationals, Phoenix | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1* |
| Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - |
| NHRA Summit Racing.com Nationals, Las Vegas | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | 3 | 3 | - |
| O�Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, Houston | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - |
| O�Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | - |
| Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Atlanta | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | 3 | 3 | 1* |
| NHRA Route 66 Nationals, Chicago | - | - | 2 | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | - |
| O�Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals, Topeka | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1* |
| Pontiac Excitement NHRA Nationals, Columbus | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | 3 | 2* |
| K&N Filters SuperNationals, Englishtown | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | 2* |
| Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals, Madison | - | - | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - |
| Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Denver | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | 3 | 3 | - |
| CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Seattle | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2* |
| Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals, Sonoma | 2 | 2 | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - |
| Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - |
| O�Reilly Mid-South Nationals, Memphis | - | - | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 | - |
| Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | - |
| Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Reading | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | 3 | - |
| O�Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals, Dallas | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1* |
| CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Chicago | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2* |
ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas | - | - | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - |
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Pomona | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | - |
NOTE: Meeting these requirements does not guarantee event entry acceptance.
Greyed-out classes are closed for that event.
Numbers in red represent a reduction of 1 grading point over 2003 levels.
Boxes in yellow indicate classes that are no longer contested at this event. See related story
* Grading points must be earned in Super Street
Provisional entries:
1) A contestant with a valid NHRA Gold, Silver, or Bronze card will be guaranteed entry to any National Event.
2) The defending event champion will be guaranteed entry to the event he/she won. For example, last years Super Gas winner at the Finals would be guaranteed entry into this years Finals (entry would not be guaranteed to any other event however).
3) A former national champion (Pro or Sportsman) will be guaranteed entry to any National Event.
4) A Professional driver earning Top 20 status in the current or previous season will be guaranteed a Sportsman entry to any National Event.
5) Owner credits may be awarded in cases involving a driver change from one season to the next (contestant must receive approval from their Division Director).
6) A contestant within the top 20, and still in contention for a possible Top 10 year-end position, will be guaranteed entry to any of the final four National Events of the racing season (Chicago 2, Dallas, Las Vegas 2, and Pomona 2). These policies do not excuse the contestant from any late fees, gate entry fees, or insurance surcharges. For example, if a Gold card holder shows up at the gate for an event, the $75 late fee, plus the $75 gate fee, plus the $40 insurance fee will still be applicable.
To accommodate certain hardship cases or a past racers return to active competition, an averaging system has been developed. The average grade is calculated as follows: the racer's 3 previous years grading points are added together and divided by 3. For example, in 2002 a racer ran 1 division event, in '01 - 0 events, and in '00 - 5 division events equaling 1 + 0 + 5 = 6, divided by 3, equals a grade of 2A (the "A" indicating the averaging calculation).
To accommodate foreign contestants, grading points will be issued for participation in selected foreign events. Those events are the FIA European Championship, Australian Drag Racing Championship, Nordic Drag Racing Series, and Japan Drag Racing Association Championship. Each entry application must include written confirmation from the host country sanctioning organization verifying participation in their series.
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