Classic. California. Cool.

From the classic images of Harrison Ford in American Graffiti to James Dean to The Fonz in Happy Days, the car -- the hot rod -- has always been at the center of Hollywood's projection of what it means to be cool in California.

Off the screen, the roots of the Southern California car culture are deepest at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, where in February 1961, NHRA founder Wally Parks hosted the first running of the now-historic and iconic Winternationals.

Fast-forward half a century, and hot rodding's past will meet its present when the 0-to-100-mph-in-less-than-a-second, 7,000-horsepower hot rods of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series descend on Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Feb. 11-14, 2010, for the 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals.

NHRA will pay tribute to its past throughout what figures to be one of the most memorable and nostalgic race weeks in the sport's history as many of the legendary cars, drivers, and magical moments will be honored.

"This will be a once-in-a-lifetime event not just for fans in Southern California but for drag racing and hot rodding fans throughout the country," said Gary Darcy, NHRA senior vice president-sales & marketing. "With all of the ancillary events we're planning for that weekend, we believe the 50th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona will be a must-see, must-experience destination event for racing fans nationwide."

Renewals from those who purchased tickets to the 2009 Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals will be given first priority for 2010 tickets (via 800-884-NHRA [6472]). Priority will then be given to those who made the presale deposit, followed by those who purchase in the general sale on Ticketmaster.com or NHRA.com.

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