NEWS NUGGETS

HIGHT WINS SECOND OF THE SEASON; BROWN, EDWARDS NAB FIRST WINS OF 2011 IN LAS VEGAS: The stakes were as high as ever as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series entered Las Vegas last week for its third stop in 2011—the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals—and by Sunday night, Funny Car driver Robert Hight stood in the Winner’s Circle for the second time that season, becoming the first Funny Car driver in the event’s 12-season history to be named a repeat winner (2007).

“It’s not getting any easier, but it’s a lot of hard work,” Hight told the media afterwards. “If you let your guard down any little bit, you are going to get beat. I had close side-by-side races in every round. There are no easy ones. In this day and age in this competition, it’s awesome.”

With his win, Hight extended the John Force Racing wins streak to five in a row, dating back to the final two races of 2010. He also took the points lead in Funny Car, 48 points ahead of second-place driver Cruz Pedregon. Hight was joined in the Winner’s Circle by Top Fuel pilot Antron Brown and Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards. Brown powered his Aaron’s/Matco Tools dragster past Brandon Bernstein to earn his first win of the season and first at The Strip At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but it may have been his second round win over teammate and seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher that got the most attention.

“This car was great all weekend, and it feels good to hit the jackpot here in Vegas,” said Brown. “This weekend, everything felt right. Our team just stepped up. We had to give it all we had and kept it going throughout eliminations. We got it done.”

The win pushed Antron up to the second spot in the point standings in Top Fuel, just eight points away from points leader Del Worsham. In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards dominated the class all weekend, taking his first No. 1 qualifier of the season with track temperatures reaching 130 degrees, then raced to his first win of the season and first since June 2010 when he drove his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP past Vincent Nobile in the final round.

“We started off (the season) pretty slow and pretty bad for us really,” said Edwards. “We regrouped and came in here with a new car and made some tremendous runs all weekend. It’s a total team effort. My guys did an awesome job all weekend. They gave me 110% and they never quit.” For more results from the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

FOUR NHRA LEGENDS FOR THE FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS: With a who’s who of NHRA legends scheduled to help celebrate NHRA’s 60th Anniversary season, the second annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 14–17 at zMAX Dragway, promises to be a can’t-miss event for fans in the heart of the motorsports-crazed Carolinas. The NHRA legends scheduled to be at zMAX Dragway to meet and greet fans during the race weekend are “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Kenny Bernstein and Connie Kalitta. The drivers will be available throughout the weekend for meet-and-greets and autograph sessions with fans. The event will also feature a vintage car corral, parade of classic cars and Four-Wide Track Walk, during which fans who have purchased a reserved ticket can walk beside and listen to stories told by one of the legends Sunday morning prior to the pre-race activities. Tickets are still available for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and can be purchased by visiting charlottemotorspeedway.com.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

VISITMYRTLEBEACH.COM NHRA 4-WIDE NATIONALS, zMAX DRAGWAY, April 14–17: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series returns to the “Bellagio of dragstrips” for the only 4-wide national event on the calendar. Defending event winners include Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel); John Force (Funny Car); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800/455-FANS (3267) or go online at Ticketmaster.com. For media credentials, please contact Director of Public Relations Michael Padian at mpadian@nhra.com.

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA SPRING NATIONALS, ROYAL PURPLE RACEWAY, April 29–May 1: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its first of two stops in the Lone Star State as it heads to Houston and Royal Purple Raceway. Defending event winners include Larry Dixon (Top Fuel); Matt Hagan (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 281/383-RACE (7223) or go online at ExtremeTix.com. For media credentials, please contact Director of Media Relations Anthony Vestal at avestal@nhra.com.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS, ATLANTA DRAGWAY, May 13–15: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series returns to the South and the Georgia area for its sixth stop of 2011. Defending event winners include Larry Dixon (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800/884-NHRA (6472) or go online at NHRATIX.com. For media credentials, please Media Relations Manager Zak Elcock at zelcock@nhra.com.

HE SAID, SHE SAID


SO CLOSE HE CAN TASTE IT: Funny Car driver Johnny Gray after his runner-up finish at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas: “This is what it takes to form a championship team. We keep getting better and better as a team. Lee (Beard, crew chief) and Don (Schumacher, team owner) provide great leadership and along with Service Central, provide us with what we need to get the job done. It’s all good!”

60 YEARS IN NHRA HISTORY

1953, THE FIRST NHRA SANCTIONED EVENT IS HELD: On April 11–12, 1953: On the grounds that would one day become Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the Southern California Championship Drags, the first-ever sanctioned event in NHRA history, was held. An estimated 15,000–16,000 fans came out to see an entry list of 375 vehicles compete, with a total of 850 timed runs, including 175 in eliminations.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

74: That’s the number of points that separate first-place Top Fuel pilot Del Worsham from fifth-place driver Spencer Massey, making Top Fuel one of the closest classes so far in the 2011 season.

DID YOU KNOW…

…that NHRA has partnered with Ford for a special 60th Anniversary Sweepstakes to go along with the NHRA 60th Anniversary celebration? From now until November 30, residents of the United States who are at least 18 years old can enter the sweepstakes, and one lucky NHRA fan will be selected as the winner of the grand prize—a ’12 Ford Focus Titanium. Additional prizes will also be given. For more information on the 60th Anniversary Sweepstakes and how to enter, visit NHRA.com.

For more information, contact NHRA Media Relations at 626/914-4761 or visit the NHRA Media Center online.

 

NEWS NUGGETS

HIGHT WINS SECOND OF THE SEASON; BROWN, EDWARDS NAB FIRST WINS OF 2011 IN LAS VEGAS: The stakes were as high as ever as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series entered Las Vegas last week for its third stop in 2011—the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals—and by Sunday night, Funny Car driver Robert Hight stood in the Winner’s Circle for the second time that season, becoming the first Funny Car driver in the event’s 12-season history to be named a repeat winner (2007).

“It’s not getting any easier, but it’s a lot of hard work,” Hight told the media afterwards. “If you let your guard down any little bit, you are going to get beat. I had close side-by-side races in every round. There are no easy ones. In this day and age in this competition, it’s awesome.”

With his win, Hight extended the John Force Racing wins streak to five in a row, dating back to the final two races of 2010. He also took the points lead in Funny Car, 48 points ahead of second-place driver Cruz Pedregon. Hight was joined in the Winner’s Circle by Top Fuel pilot Antron Brown and Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards. Brown powered his Aaron’s/Matco Tools dragster past Brandon Bernstein to earn his first win of the season and first at The Strip At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but it may have been his second round win over teammate and seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher that got the most attention.

“This car was great all weekend, and it feels good to hit the jackpot here in Vegas,” said Brown. “This weekend, everything felt right. Our team just stepped up. We had to give it all we had and kept it going throughout eliminations. We got it done.”

The win pushed Antron up to the second spot in the point standings in Top Fuel, just eight points away from points leader Del Worsham. In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards dominated the class all weekend, taking his first No. 1 qualifier of the season with track temperatures reaching 130 degrees, then raced to his first win of the season and first since June 2010 when he drove his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP past Vincent Nobile in the final round.

“We started off (the season) pretty slow and pretty bad for us really,” said Edwards. “We regrouped and came in here with a new car and made some tremendous runs all weekend. It’s a total team effort. My guys did an awesome job all weekend. They gave me 110% and they never quit.” For more results from the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, visit NHRA.com.

FOUR NHRA LEGENDS FOR THE FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS: With a who’s who of NHRA legends scheduled to help celebrate NHRA’s 60th Anniversary season, the second annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 14–17 at zMAX Dragway, promises to be a can’t-miss event for fans in the heart of the motorsports-crazed Carolinas. The NHRA legends scheduled to be at zMAX Dragway to meet and greet fans during the race weekend are “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Kenny Bernstein and Connie Kalitta. The drivers will be available throughout the weekend for meet-and-greets and autograph sessions with fans. The event will also feature a vintage car corral, parade of classic cars and Four-Wide Track Walk, during which fans who have purchased a reserved ticket can walk beside and listen to stories told by one of the legends Sunday morning prior to the pre-race activities. Tickets are still available for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and can be purchased by visiting charlottemotorspeedway.com.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

VISITMYRTLEBEACH.COM NHRA 4-WIDE NATIONALS, zMAX DRAGWAY, April 14–17: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series returns to the “Bellagio of dragstrips” for the only 4-wide national event on the calendar. Defending event winners include Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel); John Force (Funny Car); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800/455-FANS (3267) or go online at Ticketmaster.com. For media credentials, please contact Director of Public Relations Michael Padian at mpadian@nhra.com.

O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA SPRING NATIONALS, ROYAL PURPLE RACEWAY, April 29–May 1: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its first of two stops in the Lone Star State as it heads to Houston and Royal Purple Raceway. Defending event winners include Larry Dixon (Top Fuel); Matt Hagan (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 281/383-RACE (7223) or go online at ExtremeTix.com. For media credentials, please contact Director of Media Relations Anthony Vestal at avestal@nhra.com.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS, ATLANTA DRAGWAY, May 13–15: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series returns to the South and the Georgia area for its sixth stop of 2011. Defending event winners include Larry Dixon (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800/884-NHRA (6472) or go online at NHRATIX.com. For media credentials, please Media Relations Manager Zak Elcock at zelcock@nhra.com.

HE SAID, SHE SAID


SO CLOSE HE CAN TASTE IT: Funny Car driver Johnny Gray after his runner-up finish at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas: “This is what it takes to form a championship team. We keep getting better and better as a team. Lee (Beard, crew chief) and Don (Schumacher, team owner) provide great leadership and along with Service Central, provide us with what we need to get the job done. It’s all good!”

60 YEARS IN NHRA HISTORY

1953, THE FIRST NHRA SANCTIONED EVENT IS HELD: On April 11–12, 1953: On the grounds that would one day become Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the Southern California Championship Drags, the first-ever sanctioned event in NHRA history, was held. An estimated 15,000–16,000 fans came out to see an entry list of 375 vehicles compete, with a total of 850 timed runs, including 175 in eliminations.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

74: That’s the number of points that separate first-place Top Fuel pilot Del Worsham from fifth-place driver Spencer Massey, making Top Fuel one of the closest classes so far in the 2011 season.

DID YOU KNOW…

…that NHRA has partnered with Ford for a special 60th Anniversary Sweepstakes to go along with the NHRA 60th Anniversary celebration? From now until November 30, residents of the United States who are at least 18 years old can enter the sweepstakes, and one lucky NHRA fan will be selected as the winner of the grand prize—a ’12 Ford Focus Titanium. Additional prizes will also be given. For more information on the 60th Anniversary Sweepstakes and how to enter, visit NHRA.com.

For more information, contact NHRA Media Relations at 626/914-4761 or visit the NHRA Media Center online.

 

	Attendee and media registration for the 2011 SEMA Show is now open and available online by following this link.

Attendee and media registration for the 2011 SEMA Show is now open. Get started now here by using this link. The annual trade-only event takes place Tuesday–Friday, November 1–4, 2011, in Las Vegas.

“Preregistering online is the easiest and most economical way for buyers to obtain credentials to the SEMA Show,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of communications and events.

Buyers registering online before the early registration deadline pay just $25. They will also be sent badges in the mail in advance of the event, providing quick access to the Show floor immediately when the SEMA Show opens on November 1.

While media credentials will be available for pick up onsite in the Media Center, preregistration will help avoid delays and ensure that media are able to maximize their time at the Show. Media will also be able to utilize exclusive benefits available only to editors and reporters in the Media Center.

The SEMA Show is the world’s largest automotive trade gathering, where manufacturers and buyers of automotive specialty parts and equipment gather to do business each year. The event attracts more than 100,000 industry professionals from more than 100 countries each year. For more details, visit www.SEMAShow.com.

	Attendee and media registration for the 2011 SEMA Show is now open and available online by following this link.

Attendee and media registration for the 2011 SEMA Show is now open. Get started now here by using this link. The annual trade-only event takes place Tuesday–Friday, November 1–4, 2011, in Las Vegas.

“Preregistering online is the easiest and most economical way for buyers to obtain credentials to the SEMA Show,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of communications and events.

Buyers registering online before the early registration deadline pay just $25. They will also be sent badges in the mail in advance of the event, providing quick access to the Show floor immediately when the SEMA Show opens on November 1.

While media credentials will be available for pick up onsite in the Media Center, preregistration will help avoid delays and ensure that media are able to maximize their time at the Show. Media will also be able to utilize exclusive benefits available only to editors and reporters in the Media Center.

The SEMA Show is the world’s largest automotive trade gathering, where manufacturers and buyers of automotive specialty parts and equipment gather to do business each year. The event attracts more than 100,000 industry professionals from more than 100 countries each year. For more details, visit www.SEMAShow.com.

As of April 1, 2011, it is illegal to sell or install a wheel weight in New York that contains lead. The state joined several others that have enacted laws banning the manufacture, sale and use of lead weights. California’s law went into effect on January 1, 2010. Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Vermont and Washington also ban the product, and several other states have considered a ban. 

The automakers have already agreed to stop using lead weights as original equipment, and the three major manufacturers of wheel weights in the United States stopped distributing lead weights in 2009. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a voluntary nationwide initiative in 2008 and began a rulemaking process in 2009, which may eventually translate into a mandatory federal ban. The weights have been banned in the European Union since 2005. Automakers, tire makers and the aftermarket are turning to three main substitute materials: steel, zinc or composites.

If lead weights fall off tires, there is concern that they then become environmental hazards or contaminants in the metal recycling process. In the environment, the weights may be ground into fine dust particles and turn into lead oxides, hydroxides or bicarbonates. Lead particles and chemical combinations also pose the risk of contaminating surface and ground-water supplies. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

As of April 1, 2011, it is illegal to sell or install a wheel weight in New York that contains lead. The state joined several others that have enacted laws banning the manufacture, sale and use of lead weights. California’s law went into effect on January 1, 2010. Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Vermont and Washington also ban the product, and several other states have considered a ban. 

The automakers have already agreed to stop using lead weights as original equipment, and the three major manufacturers of wheel weights in the United States stopped distributing lead weights in 2009. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a voluntary nationwide initiative in 2008 and began a rulemaking process in 2009, which may eventually translate into a mandatory federal ban. The weights have been banned in the European Union since 2005. Automakers, tire makers and the aftermarket are turning to three main substitute materials: steel, zinc or composites.

If lead weights fall off tires, there is concern that they then become environmental hazards or contaminants in the metal recycling process. In the environment, the weights may be ground into fine dust particles and turn into lead oxides, hydroxides or bicarbonates. Lead particles and chemical combinations also pose the risk of contaminating surface and ground-water supplies. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has streamlined the process for approving fuel conversion systems. The conversion systems allow light- and heavy-duty vehicles to run on alternative fuels (natural gas, propane, alcohol, electricity, etc.) while complying with Clean Air Act emissions standards. The EPA has established a three-tiered compliance process based on the age of the vehicle.

Under the old one-size-fits-all approach, the vehicle and engine conversion system must be covered by a certificate of conformity demonstrating emissions compliance. Under the new system, a certificate is only required for newer vehicles (less than two years old). Conversion system manufacturers need to perform certification tests to demonstrate the vehicle complies with exhaust and evaporative emissions standards as well as with on-board diagnostic requirements, but manufacturers may then apply a single set of test data to more vehicle and engine conversions than is currently allowed. 

To certify alternative-fuel conversions for intermediate-aged engines (more than two years old but still within their useful life), manufacturers need to perform exhaust and evaporative emissions tests to demonstrate compliance with EPA standards and then forward that test data to the EPA with a statement that the OBD system will continue to operate properly after the conversion. For vehicles that have outlived their useful life, the EPA conversion manufacturers must submit a detailed description of the conversion technology to demonstrate that it is well engineered and should work. Manufacturers must also submit an OBD diagnostic scan tool report to show that the OBD system continues to operate properly. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has streamlined the process for approving fuel conversion systems. The conversion systems allow light- and heavy-duty vehicles to run on alternative fuels (natural gas, propane, alcohol, electricity, etc.) while complying with Clean Air Act emissions standards. The EPA has established a three-tiered compliance process based on the age of the vehicle.

Under the old one-size-fits-all approach, the vehicle and engine conversion system must be covered by a certificate of conformity demonstrating emissions compliance. Under the new system, a certificate is only required for newer vehicles (less than two years old). Conversion system manufacturers need to perform certification tests to demonstrate the vehicle complies with exhaust and evaporative emissions standards as well as with on-board diagnostic requirements, but manufacturers may then apply a single set of test data to more vehicle and engine conversions than is currently allowed. 

To certify alternative-fuel conversions for intermediate-aged engines (more than two years old but still within their useful life), manufacturers need to perform exhaust and evaporative emissions tests to demonstrate compliance with EPA standards and then forward that test data to the EPA with a statement that the OBD system will continue to operate properly after the conversion. For vehicles that have outlived their useful life, the EPA conversion manufacturers must submit a detailed description of the conversion technology to demonstrate that it is well engineered and should work. Manufacturers must also submit an OBD diagnostic scan tool report to show that the OBD system continues to operate properly. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org. 

Legislation to increase the age requirement for vehicles eligible for registration as “antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles” was passed by the Connecticut Joint Committee on Planning and Development. The bill was amended in Committee to increase the age requirement for registration as an antique to 30 years old and increase the tax assessment amount on vehicles registered as antiques to $2,500. Currently, vehicles 20 years old or older are eligible for antique status. Antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles are currently assessed at a rate of $500, and owners pay personal property taxes on that amount. The bill will next be considered by the full House of Representatives. Among other things, the bill makes it more expensive to register legitimate collector vehicles and will require antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles that no longer qualify for special plates to have them replaced with standard plates and taxed using the same calculations used to assess taxes on regular, daily-driver vehicles. 

For more information, click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

Legislation to increase the age requirement for vehicles eligible for registration as “antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles” was passed by the Connecticut Joint Committee on Planning and Development. The bill was amended in Committee to increase the age requirement for registration as an antique to 30 years old and increase the tax assessment amount on vehicles registered as antiques to $2,500. Currently, vehicles 20 years old or older are eligible for antique status. Antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles are currently assessed at a rate of $500, and owners pay personal property taxes on that amount. The bill will next be considered by the full House of Representatives. Among other things, the bill makes it more expensive to register legitimate collector vehicles and will require antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles that no longer qualify for special plates to have them replaced with standard plates and taxed using the same calculations used to assess taxes on regular, daily-driver vehicles. 

For more information, click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.