NHRA will race 1,000 feet for rest of the year

What was supposed to be a temporary fix until a better idea came along has turned into a change that will last for the rest of the NHRA season.
The Top Fuel and Funny Car entries will race 1,000 feet, instead of the traditional quarter-mile (or 1,320 feet) for the rest of the year.
The change in distance was made in the wake of the death of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta during the race weekend in New Jersey last month.
The shorter race distance gives drivers more braking area and prevents the cars from reaching higher speeds. Some of the Top Fuel and Funny Car entries reached speeds between 320 mph and 330 mph.
The decision to keep the distance at 1,000 feet was made by NHRA officials and a safety task force headed by Dan Olson, NHRA director of Top Fuel & Funny Car racing. He is joined by Austin Coil, crew chief for John Force Racing; Jim Head, Funny Car driver/crew chief; Alan Johnson, crew chief for the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster; Jon Oberhofer, crew chief for the Doug Kalitta-driven Top Fuel dragster; Mark Oswald, co-crew chief on Melanie Troxel's Funny Car; and Tim Wilkerson, Funny Car driver/crew chief. Other representatives from NHRA and the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) will also participate.
NHRA's two other Professional categories, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, and all Sportsman competition will continue to be contested over the traditional quarter-mile distance.