NEWS NUGGETS
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NHRA TO CELEBRATE AMERICANA AT SUMMIT RACING NHRA NATIONALS IN NORWALK: The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals returns to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park July 5–8. On track, all four NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series categories will be in competition as well as the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series for Sportsman racers. In addition, NHRA fans will be treated to the K&N Horsepower Challenge—a specialty race featuring top Pro Stock drivers. Off the track, visitors can take part in numerous events to celebrate America’s 236th birthday that are free with their race ticket. To purchase tickets for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, call Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, 419-668-5555, or log on to www.summitmotorsportspark.tix.com.
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LINE LEADS K&N HORSEPOWER FIELD AS THE TOP SEED: Jason Line will lead the K&N Horsepower Challenge field as the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season as the special event takes center stage July 7, during the sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. A purse of $76,000 is available for the eight drivers competing in the K&N Horsepower Challenge. The winner of the 28th annual K&N Horsepower Challenge will earn $50,000. The runner-up will earn $10,000, the two semifinalists $3,000 each, and the four first-round finishers $2,500 apiece. Line, from Mooresville, North Carolina, qualified No. 1 at 10 of the 24 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events where drivers could earn K&N Horsepower Challenge points. It will be Line’s eighth appearance in the bonus event.
The $148,000 K&N Horsepower Challenge showcases eight Pro Stock teams in a race-within-a-race bonus event. Seven of the teams qualified during a 24-race span from the 2011 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk through the 2012 O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Joliet, Illinois. The eighth-place team was selected via a special fan vote on the K&N website. Besides the $76,000 available in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, bonuses of $72,000 were paid to the top Pro Stock qualifiers throughout the 24-race K&N Horsepower Challenge series, including $3,000 to the No. 1 qualifier at each race. To purchase tickets for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, call Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, 419-668-5555, or log on to www.summitmotorsportspark.tix.com.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT MOTORSPORTS PARK, July 5–8: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its 12th stop of 23 events in the 2012 season in Norwalk, Ohio, and drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will earn points in the battles for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships. The 2011 winners are Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Mike Neff (Funny Car), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 419-668-5555 or log on to SummitMotorsportsPark.com.
MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS, BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY, July 20–22: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its 13th stop of 23 events in the 2012 season, and drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will earn points in the battles for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships. The 2011 winners are Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800-664-UWIN (8946) or log on to Bandimere.com.
NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS, SONOMA, July 27–29: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its 14th stop of 23 events in the 2012 season in the San Francisco Bay area of Northern California, and drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will earn points in the battles for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships. The 2011 winners are Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800-870-RACE (7223) or log on to www.racesonoma.com.
HE SAID, SHE SAID
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ENDERS MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TO WIN IN PRO STOCK: Erica Enders, one of only six females to ever compete in the 200-mph factory hot-rod category, raced past Kurt Johnson, Vincent Nobile, V. Gaines and Greg Anderson to make history and claim her first Pro Stock victory Sunday at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago. The 28-year-old Houston native led season points leader and four-time world champ Anderson all the way down the track in the final round to finally get the victory she has been seeking since starting her Pro Stock career in 2005.
“For pioneers like Shirley Muldowney and Shelly Anderson-Payne, they were my heroes growing up, and all the women who paved the way,” Enders said. “There are a lot of little kids who look up to me. I’m blessed enough to be in the position to be a role model for them through the Disney movie. I hope that they see me win and know that no matter what, anything is possible. You’ve just got to set your mind to it and follow your dreams. With hard work, anything’s possible.”
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
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7: AREND IN SEVENTH POSITION IN TRAXXAS NITRO SHOOTOUT FOR FUNNY CAR: With his victory at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, veteran Jeff Arend took the seventh spot in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Car, which will be contested during the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus on Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis. The other Funny Car drivers who currently have spots in the $100,000-to-win bonus race are John Force, Robert Hight, Mike Neff, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman and Johnny Gray. Should the Full Throttle Funny Car points leader after Brainerd not be in the field, he or she will be inserted and bump Arend from the field. The eighth position will be filled via a combination of fan vote and lottery drawing.
DID YOU KNOW…
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HARLEY-DAVIDSON EXTENDS OFFICIAL STATUS WITH NHRA THROUGH 2016: With the Harley-Davidson Museum in downtown Milwaukee as a backdrop, hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts in the audience and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team in attendance, NHRA officials announced June 28 that the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. has extended both its official program with the NHRA and its title sponsorship of the NHRA Harley-Davidson Sportsman Motorcycle Series through the 2016 season.
“This relationship began in 2006, and this extension represents the strength of the partnership between two iconic American brands: the NHRA and Harley-Davidson,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “We are excited to extend this sponsorship through the 2016 season and appreciate everything the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. has done and will continue to do to build and grow NHRA.”
The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team entered NHRA competition aboard the Harley-Davidson V-Rod in 2004 and has since claimed five NHRA Full Throttle world championships, including three consecutive with rider Andrew Hines (2004–2006) and two with Eddie Krawiec (2008, 2011).
“This relationship between Harley-Davidson and the NHRA has been rewarding at all levels,” said Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Kris Schoonover, “from the team’s success on the track to our interaction with the many Harley-Davidson riders and fans who attend every NHRA event. Harley-Davidson and drag racing really work well together, and the company is pleased to extend this partnership.”
This extension continues the all-encompassing involvement of Harley-Davidson with the NHRA at a number of levels, including the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. As the official motorcycle of the NHRA, Harley-Davidson has an extensive presence on-site at NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events as well as in the ESPN2/ESPN2HD broadcasts. One of the more popular elements on-site at each event in NHRA’s Nitro Alley is the Harley-Davidson display, which provides fans the opportunity to see the latest Harley-Davidson motorcycles and enjoy many interactive elements. The company also will continue its motorcycle giveaway promotion in conjunction with NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events and maintain entitlement of the NHRA Harley-Davidson Sportsman Motorcycle Series.
The NHRA Harley-Davidson Sportsman Motorcycle Series is contested in four of the NHRA’s seven divisions within the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The sponsorship provides Harley-Davidson the opportunity to extend its brand across the country through NHRA’s Sportsman racing community.