Easily the biggest topic in the alcohol racing world is the possibility of going to a regional series instead of divisions. Basically instead of the 7 divisions, there will be two or three regions; West, Midwest (in the 3-region format) and East. The hope is that with the consolidation of the divisions, there will be higher car counts at regional events. Another goal of the new format is to take alcohol racing away from tracks that either do not want to host the alcohol cars or do not have safe facilities to do so.
These changes are being made because no one is truly happy with the current situation. There are several contributing problems that ultimately have a domino effect. One that I like to focus on is the promotion side of it. Specifically, the promotion that one track does for their divisional race.
Aside from my hometrack, Norwalk, none of the tracks that host divisional races promote said races. They go out of their way to make their divisional race, known as the Cavalcade of Stars, one of the biggest and most successful events in a) the track's history, b) the division's history, and c) the NHRA Divisional history. The 2010 Cavalcade of Stars marked the first time that they actually had to refuse spectators from entering the gates. I don't remember the stat, but it was one of the most attended divisional races in NHRA history, if not THE most attended. The stands were absolutely packed, which is something that you never see it a divisional race.
Racer attendance is also high for the Cavalcade. There have always been full fields at the race, with at least a couple cars not making the field. D3 does have a large amount of alcohol racers compared to other divisions, but the features of the event must be a contributing factor of the event's alcohol car counts. After all, the track treats the alcohol teams like pros, compared to how other divisional tracks treat alky teams. I mean, how many times will you see an autograph session where the alcohol racers are the stars? Only at Cavalcade...
Track co-owner Bill Bader Jr. and his staff do bring in "talent" acts like wheelstanders and jets, along with fireworks, but that's part of putting on an event that will bring fans back year after year. They also provide a facility that racers, fans and their families feel comfortable going to. I've been to several tracks in the eastern U.S. and none of them even come close to Norwalk's grounds. The same has not been said about the actual track surface at times, but that has nothing to do with fan attendance.
I live within 30 minutes of the track, so I see their promotional efforts in the local community firsthand. Whether its radio and TV ads or stories in the local papers, the race is promoted in a way that such an event should be. Fans come from as far as Michigan and Pennsylvania to go to the Cavalcade, but many of them are local fans. That could partially be because there is simply nothing to do in northern Ohio (I'm allowed to say that, I live here), but the efforts of the Bader team are the #1 reason that fans come out in droves.
Ticket distribution is the last contributing factor that I'm going to go over. Tickets to the Cavalcade of Stars are passed out to attendees of prior races at SMP and to those that order tickets to the track's national event or Night Under Fire. Local radio stations, auto parts stores, gas stations, and other business receive free tickets to give away to listeners and customers. They end up making that money back in concessions and souvenir sales.
If you think about all the touches that they put in to the Cavalcade of Stars, its no surprise that the race is attended by so many fans and racers. NHRA, it's divisions, and it's tracks can't expect piles of fans if they don't promote the events. Until drag racing has the prominence that NASCAR and other major sports have, we have to do more to bring fans out to the races. Let's kick the title of "Best kept secret in sports".
Showing posts with label norwalk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label norwalk. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Night Under Fire 2011
As I expected, Night Under Fire 2011 was a huge hit. Despite an iffy forecast for Saturday afternoon and evening, the stands were packed throughout the day. In fact, it was announced during pre-race ceremonies that the Summit side of the track was completely sold out, with the Bud side almost sold out.
In my opinion, this year was the best Night Under Fire in a long time. Though there weren't 8 modern Fuel Funny Cars like in previous years, the variety of "acts" made up for it. The eight Nostalgia cars was a great addition. As a big fan of blown alcohol cars, it was cool to see 4 of the fastest outlaw dragsters race for the trophy, even better that Troy Stone won.
If you live within 250 miles of Summit Motorsports Park, I highly recommend planning on going to next year's Night Under Fire. It's one of the very last match races in the country, and certainly the only that John Force Racing still competes at. I don't know what classes/drivers/cars will be making an appearance at NUF 2012, but I can guarantee it will be a good show and I can almost guarantee that John Force will be there. Will you?
For those of you who were unable to attend this year, check out some of my photos from the race. These are just highlight photos; you can view my whole album in my Photos section on Facebook, if you're friends with me on the 'book.
In my opinion, this year was the best Night Under Fire in a long time. Though there weren't 8 modern Fuel Funny Cars like in previous years, the variety of "acts" made up for it. The eight Nostalgia cars was a great addition. As a big fan of blown alcohol cars, it was cool to see 4 of the fastest outlaw dragsters race for the trophy, even better that Troy Stone won.
If you live within 250 miles of Summit Motorsports Park, I highly recommend planning on going to next year's Night Under Fire. It's one of the very last match races in the country, and certainly the only that John Force Racing still competes at. I don't know what classes/drivers/cars will be making an appearance at NUF 2012, but I can guarantee it will be a good show and I can almost guarantee that John Force will be there. Will you?
For those of you who were unable to attend this year, check out some of my photos from the race. These are just highlight photos; you can view my whole album in my Photos section on Facebook, if you're friends with me on the 'book.
Robert Hight's crew chiefs, Jimmy Prock and Eric Lane. Robert and the Automobile Club of Southern California team ended up winning the event in the modern Funny Car class.
John Force smokin' the hides before his first "elimination" run of the event.
Jeff Arend and Robert Hight in round 1. As you can see, I'm no Mark Rebilas
Pretty cool shot of the two wheelstanders, Danny O'Day (near lane) and Richard Hutchins (far lane) in the legendary Chevy Rebellion.
This was probably the best part of pre-race ceremonies. John Force got on the mic, letting everyone know how excited he was about witnessing the evening's activities. It's a good thing that the FCC doesn't regulate the PA system at the track, as Force's speech was full of expletives.
The eventual winner in Outlaw Dragster, owner of Vintage Trailers, Troy Stone. Troy beat out Mike DiDimenico, Sheldon Bissessar (who traveled from Trinidad and Tobago to race), and Paul Molnar to win his second consecutive NUF trophy. Norwalk has to be Troy's favorite track; he won the NHRA National event this year and was runner-up last year. Oh yeah, throw in a couple #1 qualifier awards too.
Funny Car legend Raymond Beadle (middle) was in attendance with the Blue Max Nostalgia Funny Car team. Ronnie Young (left) was driving.
As always, thanks for reading! While you're here, please check out my new blog, Top Alcohol News for the latest news and points standings in the Top Alcohol categories. We're planning some big stories for the U.S. Nationals in Indy in a couple weeks.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Time for Night Under Fire!
It's almost August 11th, so that means one of my favorite motorsports events of the year is only two days away. The race I'm talking about is the Night Under Fire at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. If you're not familiar with this speed-fest, let me fill you in.
NUF is one of SMP's premiere events that attracts throngs of fans and racers annually. Way back when it was Norwalk Dragway, the track started Night Under Fire with a couple jet cars and a few local fast cars, along with basic racing. 1994 was the first year that they brought John Force in to the mix to attract more fans. Local Funny Car racer Dean Skuza was the other Nitro Funny Car. Over the years, they've added more Funny Cars and other exhibition vehicles.
One of those attractions is Bob Motz and his legendary Jet Kenworth semi-truck. Originally, he was brought in to make a pass or two in the truck; nothing more. One year, he decided to park the truck closer to the big head-of-staging sign that's behind the burnout box. He started the truck, locked the brakes, and let the jet fuel flow into the jet engine, burning the sign until it was nothing more than a frame of orange embers. Track president and co-owner Bill Bader Jr. was not pleased, but later realized how much the fans enjoyed it. The rest, they say, is history, as it's a part of the NUF show annually. I think there were maybe two instances where the sign was not burned down.
Over the years, the Bader's have brought in several attractions to mix it up and make it an amazing event, year after year. In 2006, Ashley Force made a few passes in her Mattel A/Fuel car. In 2007, Bill Reichert (A/Fuel) and Jeff Bohr (Blown Alcohol) competed in a few match races during the event. One year, the Bar's Leaks Supercharged Thunder group was part of the show. This year, there will be four jet dragsters, two wheelstanders, and Larry McBride's Top Fuel Motorcycle. Elaine Larsen, Jill Canuso, Ernie Bogue, and Lou Pereira will make up the Jet Dragster field; Danny O'Day and Richard Hutchins will be the wheelstanders.
Along with the jets and wheelstanders, there will be an 8-car Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car field. The entry list doesn't look much different than it would in the 70's. Dale Pulde or James Day in the War Eagle, the Dick Harrell tribute car driven by Lee Paul Jennings, Ronnie Young in the Blue Max car, the Jungle Jim car driven by Jon Capps, Mike Savage's Candies & Hughes flopper, Brian Stewart in Tom Hoover's Showtime car, Doc Halladay in the Telastar, and the one and only Frank Hawley behind the wheel of the Chi Town Hustler! This is the first time that these legendary cars and drivers have been all together at a track in this area, so I'm really looking forward to this part of the show.
There's a program that's been absent at Norwalk this year, but it's coming back this weekend for the largest single day drag racer in the world. I'm talking about the Outlaw Dragster and Outlaw Door Wars program. It's basically like the NHRA's Top Dragster/Top Sportsman class, but they run the 1/8th mile heads-up, instead of the quarter mile on a dial-in. Last year, Troy Stone in the wicked Vintage Trailers dragster won. I'm not sure if the door cars ran, or who won if they did. This year, there will be four dragsters and eight door cars, I believe. You can quote me; Troy Stone is going to win Outlaw Dragster again.
The amount of cars for the modern-day Nitro Funny Car portion of the show is a little short this year, but it'll still be awesome. Robert Hight, Jeff Arend, and Ohio favorite Jim Head will be the drivers in Fuel Funny Car, along with some guy named John Force. Although they're tuned down a bit because the race isn't for points, the Nitro cars are almost always the highlight of the night. The amazing fireworks show that follows the Funny Cars is also a must-see.
Once the funny cars and fireworks are over, the real race begins. This is one of Norwalk's regular Saturday points races, one that brings in over 600 sportsman racers from all across the eastern U.S. and Canada. The sportsman points race begins after "the show" and is run until completion; usually around 12 the next day!
You can see why I and so many other Ohio race fans are drawn to Night Under Fire every year. I know I'm ready, and the racers certainly are. They've already lined up to get a pit spot, and the actual on-track racing doesn't start for another day and a half! One way or another, I'll be posting a complete event wrap-up from Night Under Fire, either on this blog or Top Alcohol News. Thanks for reading!
NUF is one of SMP's premiere events that attracts throngs of fans and racers annually. Way back when it was Norwalk Dragway, the track started Night Under Fire with a couple jet cars and a few local fast cars, along with basic racing. 1994 was the first year that they brought John Force in to the mix to attract more fans. Local Funny Car racer Dean Skuza was the other Nitro Funny Car. Over the years, they've added more Funny Cars and other exhibition vehicles.
One of those attractions is Bob Motz and his legendary Jet Kenworth semi-truck. Originally, he was brought in to make a pass or two in the truck; nothing more. One year, he decided to park the truck closer to the big head-of-staging sign that's behind the burnout box. He started the truck, locked the brakes, and let the jet fuel flow into the jet engine, burning the sign until it was nothing more than a frame of orange embers. Track president and co-owner Bill Bader Jr. was not pleased, but later realized how much the fans enjoyed it. The rest, they say, is history, as it's a part of the NUF show annually. I think there were maybe two instances where the sign was not burned down.
Over the years, the Bader's have brought in several attractions to mix it up and make it an amazing event, year after year. In 2006, Ashley Force made a few passes in her Mattel A/Fuel car. In 2007, Bill Reichert (A/Fuel) and Jeff Bohr (Blown Alcohol) competed in a few match races during the event. One year, the Bar's Leaks Supercharged Thunder group was part of the show. This year, there will be four jet dragsters, two wheelstanders, and Larry McBride's Top Fuel Motorcycle. Elaine Larsen, Jill Canuso, Ernie Bogue, and Lou Pereira will make up the Jet Dragster field; Danny O'Day and Richard Hutchins will be the wheelstanders.
Along with the jets and wheelstanders, there will be an 8-car Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car field. The entry list doesn't look much different than it would in the 70's. Dale Pulde or James Day in the War Eagle, the Dick Harrell tribute car driven by Lee Paul Jennings, Ronnie Young in the Blue Max car, the Jungle Jim car driven by Jon Capps, Mike Savage's Candies & Hughes flopper, Brian Stewart in Tom Hoover's Showtime car, Doc Halladay in the Telastar, and the one and only Frank Hawley behind the wheel of the Chi Town Hustler! This is the first time that these legendary cars and drivers have been all together at a track in this area, so I'm really looking forward to this part of the show.
There's a program that's been absent at Norwalk this year, but it's coming back this weekend for the largest single day drag racer in the world. I'm talking about the Outlaw Dragster and Outlaw Door Wars program. It's basically like the NHRA's Top Dragster/Top Sportsman class, but they run the 1/8th mile heads-up, instead of the quarter mile on a dial-in. Last year, Troy Stone in the wicked Vintage Trailers dragster won. I'm not sure if the door cars ran, or who won if they did. This year, there will be four dragsters and eight door cars, I believe. You can quote me; Troy Stone is going to win Outlaw Dragster again.
The amount of cars for the modern-day Nitro Funny Car portion of the show is a little short this year, but it'll still be awesome. Robert Hight, Jeff Arend, and Ohio favorite Jim Head will be the drivers in Fuel Funny Car, along with some guy named John Force. Although they're tuned down a bit because the race isn't for points, the Nitro cars are almost always the highlight of the night. The amazing fireworks show that follows the Funny Cars is also a must-see.
Once the funny cars and fireworks are over, the real race begins. This is one of Norwalk's regular Saturday points races, one that brings in over 600 sportsman racers from all across the eastern U.S. and Canada. The sportsman points race begins after "the show" and is run until completion; usually around 12 the next day!
You can see why I and so many other Ohio race fans are drawn to Night Under Fire every year. I know I'm ready, and the racers certainly are. They've already lined up to get a pit spot, and the actual on-track racing doesn't start for another day and a half! One way or another, I'll be posting a complete event wrap-up from Night Under Fire, either on this blog or Top Alcohol News. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Winning is Fun!
Wow, I had an amazing time at Norwalk this past weekend! I was working with Brandon Booher and the AB Construction Top Alcohol Dragster team, who just happened to runner-up at the event! Well, it didn't just happen, it took a fantastic driver and crew to get there.
On Thursday night, I headed out to the track to help Brandon and his dad, Aaron, set up the pit area. We got set up and prepared the car for two rounds of qualifying on Friday. Or so we thought. Periodic drizzles and downpours wreaked havoc on the area, leaving track officials to cancel all of the day's events, including the aforementioned qualifying sessions. By Saturday morning, NHRA decided to give TAD two qualifying runs, with 1st round around 10 pm. When qualifying was all said and done, we were qualifed 7th with a 5.44 at 260 MPH, leaving us to run Robin Samsel, who qualified 10th with a 5.49.
We entered the staging lanes around 9:30, optimisticly hoping to win first round. I thought we had a pretty good chance of winning the round, considering the gap in between our qualifying ET's. Well, I was wrong! Brandon did win the round, but Robin and crew put up one heck of a fight! Robin ran a 5.38, to Brandon's winning 5.46. Now that took a serious holeshot!
Here's a summary of the rest of our eliminations:
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.047 5.460 259.76
(L) Robin Samsel (A/FD) 0.127 5.389 260.31
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.045 5.476 259.61
(L) Dan Page (A/FD) 0.070 5.533 263.77
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.023 5.497 259.26
(L) Karen Stalba (A.A. Auto Salvage A/FD) 0.142 5.574 250.64
(W) Marty Thacker (Rapid Transit B/AD) 0.048 5.403 263.26
(L) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.015 6.465 107.66
It was cool to run Marty Thacker and the Rapid Transit team in the finals, mostly because we're friends with him and a few of his crew guys. We couldn't have lost to a better group!
Although we had a great weekend, easily the team's most successful in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster competition, the motor took a serious hit. Around the 1,000 ft mark, crap hit the fan. Standing on the starting line, all we could see was the parachutes come out early, which usually means a problem with the supercharger. Upon further inspection in the turnoff area, it was determined that the rods failed, putting holes in the oil pan and block, also damaging the pistons and sleeves. It was a disappointing end to an exciting day. Now the team is forced to miss the rescheduled NHRA divisional at Norwalk, as well as the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Brandon's home track.
Even though it was big set-back for the team, the weekend was still a huge morale boost for the whole team, especially Brandon and his dad, Aaron. The car hadn't been running well for almost a year, so the consistent E.T.'s and results were a sign of a turning point in the car's performance. The car wasn't the only thing performing well. Brandon took the holeshot in every single round, even against Marty, who cut a perfect .000 light earlier in eliminations. Without the driver doing his job on the line, we would've been packing up after Round 1.
With all that being said, winning makes racing a lot more fun! I had never experienced such a winning weekend in previous trips to the track. To be with the runner-up team at my home track's national event was such a blast. I look forward to more round wins and hopefully a few Wally's in the future! Before I end this little smorgasbord of literature, I'd like to congratulate our final round opponent, Marty Thacker and his crew, as well as Troy Stone and the Vintage Trailers Top Dragster team. Also, final congratulations to Brandon, Aaron, and the crew; Shannon Pappas, Pete Brady, and John Halloran.
Thanks for reading my blog this week, I'll post another after this weekend's NHRA Division 3 race in Norwalk. To read more on Brandon and the AB Construction team, visit www.nitronate.com/booher, www.facebook.com/booherracing, or www.twitter.com/booherracing.com. Congratulate him while you're there! Follow me on Twitter (@nitronate1320) at www.twitter.com/nitronate1320.
Thanks again for reading!
Nitro Nate
On Thursday night, I headed out to the track to help Brandon and his dad, Aaron, set up the pit area. We got set up and prepared the car for two rounds of qualifying on Friday. Or so we thought. Periodic drizzles and downpours wreaked havoc on the area, leaving track officials to cancel all of the day's events, including the aforementioned qualifying sessions. By Saturday morning, NHRA decided to give TAD two qualifying runs, with 1st round around 10 pm. When qualifying was all said and done, we were qualifed 7th with a 5.44 at 260 MPH, leaving us to run Robin Samsel, who qualified 10th with a 5.49.
We entered the staging lanes around 9:30, optimisticly hoping to win first round. I thought we had a pretty good chance of winning the round, considering the gap in between our qualifying ET's. Well, I was wrong! Brandon did win the round, but Robin and crew put up one heck of a fight! Robin ran a 5.38, to Brandon's winning 5.46. Now that took a serious holeshot!
Here's a summary of the rest of our eliminations:
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.047 5.460 259.76
(L) Robin Samsel (A/FD) 0.127 5.389 260.31
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.045 5.476 259.61
(L) Dan Page (A/FD) 0.070 5.533 263.77
(W) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.023 5.497 259.26
(L) Karen Stalba (A.A. Auto Salvage A/FD) 0.142 5.574 250.64
(W) Marty Thacker (Rapid Transit B/AD) 0.048 5.403 263.26
(L) Brandon Booher (AB Construction B/AD) 0.015 6.465 107.66
It was cool to run Marty Thacker and the Rapid Transit team in the finals, mostly because we're friends with him and a few of his crew guys. We couldn't have lost to a better group!
Although we had a great weekend, easily the team's most successful in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster competition, the motor took a serious hit. Around the 1,000 ft mark, crap hit the fan. Standing on the starting line, all we could see was the parachutes come out early, which usually means a problem with the supercharger. Upon further inspection in the turnoff area, it was determined that the rods failed, putting holes in the oil pan and block, also damaging the pistons and sleeves. It was a disappointing end to an exciting day. Now the team is forced to miss the rescheduled NHRA divisional at Norwalk, as well as the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Brandon's home track.
Even though it was big set-back for the team, the weekend was still a huge morale boost for the whole team, especially Brandon and his dad, Aaron. The car hadn't been running well for almost a year, so the consistent E.T.'s and results were a sign of a turning point in the car's performance. The car wasn't the only thing performing well. Brandon took the holeshot in every single round, even against Marty, who cut a perfect .000 light earlier in eliminations. Without the driver doing his job on the line, we would've been packing up after Round 1.
With all that being said, winning makes racing a lot more fun! I had never experienced such a winning weekend in previous trips to the track. To be with the runner-up team at my home track's national event was such a blast. I look forward to more round wins and hopefully a few Wally's in the future! Before I end this little smorgasbord of literature, I'd like to congratulate our final round opponent, Marty Thacker and his crew, as well as Troy Stone and the Vintage Trailers Top Dragster team. Also, final congratulations to Brandon, Aaron, and the crew; Shannon Pappas, Pete Brady, and John Halloran.
Thanks for reading my blog this week, I'll post another after this weekend's NHRA Division 3 race in Norwalk. To read more on Brandon and the AB Construction team, visit www.nitronate.com/booher, www.facebook.com/booherracing, or www.twitter.com/booherracing.com. Congratulate him while you're there! Follow me on Twitter (@nitronate1320) at www.twitter.com/nitronate1320.
Thanks again for reading!
Nitro Nate
Monday, June 20, 2011
Norwalk National Event Week!
It's finally time for the race I look forward to the most, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park. This is easily my favorite race weekend of the year because Norwalk is my hometrack and I have a lot of local friends that will be in attendance. This is also one of the few national events that I'll be attending this year, so I try to have as much fun at this race as possible. Along with the typical race activities, there are a few special parts of the event.
One of those activities that is sure to be fun is an NHRA Countdown to the Championship PS2 tournament, held by Stefan Kontos and the Kon Rodz Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team in their pit area. If everything goes as planned, we'll be playing from 10:30 Friday night until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. So far, the entry list includes some top alcohol and nitro crew guys, with a few possible Pro drivers attending. If you're at the track, stop by and enter the race, it'll be a good time. $10 entry fee, winner recieves $100, RU gets $25, then there are $10-20 awards for low qualifier, top speed, etc.
Another cool feature of the Norwalk event is the K&N Filters Horsepower Challenge. This is a special bonus race for the Top 7 drivers in Pro Stock, along with an eighth driver that is voted in by the fans. As of June 5th, the drivers are Jason Line, Allen Johnson, Mike Edwards, Greg Anderson, Ron Krisher, Rodger Brogdon, Shane Gray, and Erica Enders as the fan-voted driver. The winner goes home with a cool $50,000, so all of the drivers will be on their A-game, providing a great show for the fans.
One of the factors that make this race so enjoyable for myself, the drivers, fans, and anyone at the track is the hospitality and show that the Bader family puts on. I feel that they go above and beyond when it comes to promoting and scheduling all of their events, especially the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This year's special attractions include passes by Bob Motz's jet Kenworth and Danny O'Day's wheelstander, a Sunday pre-race concert, and the fantastic fireworks show after Friday Night qualifying. And we can't forget the famous $1 for a pound ice cream that everyone raves about.
The amount of cars on the entry lists for the race are some of the highest of NHRA national events this year. In the nitro classes, there are currently 17 drivers entered in Top Fuel Dragster and 20 in Fuel Funny Car. Pro Stock has the highest Pro counts, with 27 in Pro Stock Car and 24 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The top Sportsman classes (Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car) have 26, 15, and 20, respectively.
All of these factors should make for another amazing weekend in "the Maple city". If you're within 200 miles of the track, I'd give the track a call, order tickets, hop in the car and head to Norwalk! If not, be sure to watch it on ESPN2, as well as the results on NHRA.com and dragracecentral.com. Check back here later in the week for another blog about the upcoming race weekend.
See ya at the track!
Nitro Nate
One of those activities that is sure to be fun is an NHRA Countdown to the Championship PS2 tournament, held by Stefan Kontos and the Kon Rodz Racing Top Alcohol Funny Car team in their pit area. If everything goes as planned, we'll be playing from 10:30 Friday night until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. So far, the entry list includes some top alcohol and nitro crew guys, with a few possible Pro drivers attending. If you're at the track, stop by and enter the race, it'll be a good time. $10 entry fee, winner recieves $100, RU gets $25, then there are $10-20 awards for low qualifier, top speed, etc.
Another cool feature of the Norwalk event is the K&N Filters Horsepower Challenge. This is a special bonus race for the Top 7 drivers in Pro Stock, along with an eighth driver that is voted in by the fans. As of June 5th, the drivers are Jason Line, Allen Johnson, Mike Edwards, Greg Anderson, Ron Krisher, Rodger Brogdon, Shane Gray, and Erica Enders as the fan-voted driver. The winner goes home with a cool $50,000, so all of the drivers will be on their A-game, providing a great show for the fans.
One of the factors that make this race so enjoyable for myself, the drivers, fans, and anyone at the track is the hospitality and show that the Bader family puts on. I feel that they go above and beyond when it comes to promoting and scheduling all of their events, especially the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This year's special attractions include passes by Bob Motz's jet Kenworth and Danny O'Day's wheelstander, a Sunday pre-race concert, and the fantastic fireworks show after Friday Night qualifying. And we can't forget the famous $1 for a pound ice cream that everyone raves about.
The amount of cars on the entry lists for the race are some of the highest of NHRA national events this year. In the nitro classes, there are currently 17 drivers entered in Top Fuel Dragster and 20 in Fuel Funny Car. Pro Stock has the highest Pro counts, with 27 in Pro Stock Car and 24 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The top Sportsman classes (Pro Mod, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car) have 26, 15, and 20, respectively.
All of these factors should make for another amazing weekend in "the Maple city". If you're within 200 miles of the track, I'd give the track a call, order tickets, hop in the car and head to Norwalk! If not, be sure to watch it on ESPN2, as well as the results on NHRA.com and dragracecentral.com. Check back here later in the week for another blog about the upcoming race weekend.
See ya at the track!
Nitro Nate
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