NHRA released its 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule today with the popular Eighth Annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals scheduled for May 16-18 at Bristol Dragway.

The O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, one of the most popular events on the NHRA schedule, is the eighth event on the NHRA schedule in 2008.

NHRA will expand its schedule to 24 national events next season. It is the first addition to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule since 2000.

The newest event on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule, which will be announced in the near future, will be held Sept. 11-14, 2008. To make room in the schedule for the new fall event, the O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., will move to Sept. 26-28, 2008.

In addition, NHRA announced that the Pro Stock Motorcycle category will expand to 17 races in 2008, with the addition of the to-be-announced event in the fall.

The only time in NHRA's history when 24 national events were staged during the season was to celebrate NHRA's 50th anniversary, when a special one-time event was conducted at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in the summer of 2001.

"We are coming off one of the most successful seasons in NHRA history and anticipate the record-setting attendance figures we witnessed at a majority of our venues in 2007 to continue based on the consistency we have created in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule," said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. "There has been much anticipation regarding today's announcement, and that anticipation will likely carry over until we announce the newest addition on the national event schedule."

The season will begin and end at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, starting with the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals, Feb. 7-10, and finishing with the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov. 6-9. Both represent two of the longest-standing national events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Of course, all eyes in the motorsports world will be on O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis Labor Day weekend for the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Aug. 27-Sept. 1. The world's largest drag racing event traditionally has more than 1,000 race cars onsite for the multi-day event and features two of NHRA's most prestigious specialty programs, the Skoal Showdown in Funny Car and the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle.

Fans planning to visit the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 13-16, will view the newly completed, state-of-the-art race control tower and media center, which is part of a multi-phase facility improvement project at historic Gainesville Raceway.

The NHRA POWERade Series Countdown to the Championship, which in 2007 has generated great interest among fans, sponsors, competitors, and media, will once again feature a tiered playoff-style format with competitors vying for the top eight spots through the regular season. Details on the events that will be included in the Countdown to Eight, Countdown to Four, and Countdown to One will be announced at the conclusion of the 2007 season.

ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD, a part of the ESPN network, the worldwide leader in sports, will once again provide exclusive television coverage on a same-day basis of all 24 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events, featuring action from qualifying Saturday and eliminations Sunday.

2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Schedule

• 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals Feb. 7-10 Pomona, Calif.
• 24th annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals Feb. 22-24 Phoenix
• 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals March 13-16 Gainesville, Fla. (PSM)
• 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals March 28- 30 Houston (PSM)
• Ninth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals April 10-13 Las Vegas
• 28th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals April 24-27 Atlanta (PSM)
• 12th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals May 2-4 Madison, Ill. (PSM)
• Eighth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals May 16-18 Bristol, Tenn.
• 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals May 30 - June 1 Topeka, Kan.
• 11th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals June 5-8 Chicago (PSM)
• 39th annual NHRA SuperNationals June 19-22 Englishtown, N.J. (PSM)
• Second annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 26-29 Norwalk, Ohio (PSM)
• 29th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals July 11-13 Denver (PSM)
• 21st annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals July 18-20 Seattle
• 21st annual Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals July 25-27 Sonoma, Calif. (PSM)
• 27th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 7-10 Brainerd, Minn. (PSM)
• 24th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals Aug. 14-17 Reading, Pa. (PSM)
• 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Aug. 27-Sept. 1 Indianapolis (PSM)
• Inaugural TBA Sept. 11-14 TBA (PSM)
• 23rd annual O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals Sept. 18-21 Dallas (PSM)
• 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals Sept. 26-28 Memphis, Tenn. (PSM)
• Third annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals Oct. 10-12 Richmond, Va.
• Eighth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals Oct. 30-Nov. 2 Las Vegas (PSM)
• 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals Nov. 6-9 Pomona, Calif. (PSM)
• (PSM) - Event will include Pro Stock Motorcycle