2012 New Alcohol Regions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NHRA Communications, (626) 914-4761
NHRA Media Center Online: http://media.nhra.com

TOP ALCOHOL CLASSES WILL COMPETE IN NEW LUCAS OIL SERIES REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM IN 2012

GLENDORA, Calif. (Nov. 12, 2011) – The two premier classes in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series – Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car – will be showcased in four regions as part of a new Regional Championship program in 2012.

The four regions that will feature the Top Alcohol classes will be designated as East, North Central, Central and West.

“During the development of the Regional Program, we worked with several of our Lucas Oil event host tracks and others within the industry,” said Josh Peterson, vice president of racing administration, NHRA. “While everyone recognized the importance of the Top Alcohol categories to the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, emphasis was placed on reducing the number of events, maintaining successful events and establishing consistency into the program.”

As part of the new Regional Championship program, NHRA will pay the Top Five drivers in the series point standings for each class in each of the four regions. Regional Lucas Oil Champions will be based on five of seven events.

In addition to the change in points structure for the Regional Program, the Lucas Oil National Championship will change from the current points structure of the best five of eight both at the National and Divisional Event level to seven of 10 for National Events and three of five for Regional Events.

The two categories will continue to be featured at 16 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events and television coverage of those races will continue to air on ESPN2 HD in 16 one-hour shows. Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street will continue to compete at all NHRA Lucas Oil events.

Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011. As the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States, NHRA presents 22 national events featuring the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. NHRA also offers the Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 8 to 17. In addition, NHRA owns and operates five racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Atlanta Dragway in Georgia; National Trail Raceway in Ohio; Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

2012 NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES REGIONAL SCHEDULE

EAST REGION
Feb. 17-19 Gainesville Raceway Gainesville, Fla.
April 20-21 Virginia Motorsports Park Dinwiddie, Va.
May 25-27 Maple Grove Raceway Mohnton, Pa.
June 22-24 Lebanon Valley Dragway West Lebanon, N.Y.
July 20-22 New England Dragway Epping, N.H.
Aug. 17-19 Cecil County Dragway Rising Sun, Md.

NORTH CENTRAL REGION
April 27-29 Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Indianapolis
May 18-20 Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park Norwalk, Ohio
June 8-10 Route 66 Raceway Joliet, Ill.
July 20-22 National Trail Raceway Hebron, Ohio
Aug. 24-26 Beech Bend Raceway Park Bowling Green, Ky.

CENTRAL REGION
June 15-17 Bandimere Speedway Morrison, Colo.
June 22-24 Tulsa Raceway Park Tulsa, Okla.
Aug. 10-11 Cordova Raceway Park Cordova, Ill.
Aug. 24-25 Heartland Park Topeka Topeka, Kan.
Sept. 7-9 Tri-State Raceway Earlville, Iowa
Sept. 14-16 Thunder Valley Raceway Park Noble, Okla.

WEST REGION
March 23-25 The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas
May 25-27 Mission Raceway Mission, B.C.
July 13-15 Woodburn Dragstrip Woodburn, Ore.
July 20-22 Infineon Raceway Sonoma, Calif.
Sept. 7-9 Woodburn Dragstrip Woodburn, Ore.
Nov. 2-4 The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas

-30-

 

I don't know if anyone remembers this or not but in the early 80's division 6 and 7 were combined into one division. Then about 1985 or so it was seperated again back into two divisions. I remember at the time there was big fields of alcohol dragsters but not a lot of funny cars at the divisional at Woodburn. There were like 16 dragsters going for an 8 car field and 5-8 funny cars depending on the year going for an 8 car field. This is before the screw blower "screwed" up the economics of the class. You could always count on Brad Anderson coming up along with Bruce McDowell, Steve Fedeli and a few others from California every year.

 

This freakin' sucks...not a single race in Texas. What's this, the final nail in the coffin? NHRA just keeps screwing things up, oh yea and something else to recert....F##K!

 

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Boy it dont seem like it would be a good idea to go out and buy a TAD or TAF right now huh? In this economy....................... well you all know the deal. GOD help us all.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the tulsa track recently get sold?

 

@Bryan YES but an un-named Racer has leased the property for 3 years to keep it open. Mike Edwards does a LOT of testing there and some deep pockets behind him, not saying it's him, but just saying......


@Ro -- You and Steve Burck were the first that came to mind for us......(as you know) We have been using the last 2 years developing and setting up a new business unit in Texas (Agreeing with Mark Billington, Alky Racing is why we moved to Texas) and are planning a 2012 come back, this schedule definitely takes some looking at and recalculating our strategy. Recerting the hans was necessary anyway for the ADRL, everything else is just of the Norm for re-certs.

I'm pulling out the 2012 National Event schedule and comparing the Alky events.

I'll post my findings, but get your day planners out, this is going to be good

 

This is what I've compiled so far (this is only for a quick reference chart, in no way shape or form are we complaining, hopefully it will be useful to some, and if I've missed something or you find a discrepancy, please feel free to correct, it's a lot of dates and numbers close together) I'm only listing where there appears to be an impact,

Also NOTE: Some of these races (division / National) are the same as it's been, difference being, some are now lumped to the same "REGION" making it different than it once was for most.

EAST:
Gainesville -- 1 week after Pomona (no change)
Dinwiddie -- 1 week after 4 Wide, 1 week Before Houston
Maple Grove -- 1 week before E-Town
Cecil County -- Same as Brainerd (effects certain racers)
NOTE: BIG CHANGES FOR D-2

NORTH CENTRAL:
Indy -- Same weekend as Houston National
Norwalk -- Same Weekend as Topeka Nationals
Beech Bend -- 1 week before Indy (No Change)

CENTRAL:
Denver to Tulsa 1st two races in June 1 week apart
(no National conflict, just travel)
Cordova -- 1 wk after Seattle, 1 wk before Brainerd (I think No Change)
Topeka -- 1 week before Indy (no change)
Earville -- 1 week after Indy (no change)
Noble -- 1 week before Dallas
NOTE: Many of these are NO CHANGE, but with all of Texas losing our races, this is a big change for D-4

WEST:
Vegas -- 1 week before Vegas 1 National (at least no travel)
Woodburn -- 1 week after Indy (I think this is a change)
Vegas -- 1 week after Vegas, 1 wk b4 Pomona (no change, less travel)

 

TAD -------- death

my pro mod/ 4.70 car surr does look good now,, thank u jesus
i new jay payne new his stuff and predicted this way back

N Bama

 

No Concord NC Z-MAX race or Atlanta...... Great!

 

No races in Texas or Louisiana. Nothing. That's the dumbest damn thing I've ever heard. There has ALWAYS been alcohol racing here. If the Angel family just signed Royal Purple then where the hell is all that money going (other than their pockets)?????? I simply cannot fathom this racetrack having two LODRS races and ZERO alcohol cars.

 

"The two premier classes in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series"
By the way NHRA treats the alcohol racers, I find this statement ironic.