LODRS returns for 12th season in 2013

Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series returns for 12th season in 2013
Courtesy of NHRA Communications

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will return for its 12th season with 45 events across the United States in 2013. Three double events, two events during one weekend, and the return to Rocky Mountain Raceways in Salt Lake City will highlight the rich and diverse schedule. The 2013 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season will kick off at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville in February and conclude at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November.

During the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, 24 regional events will feature the 250-mph Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes. A minimum of six events will be held in each of the seven NHRA divisions.

Regional, divisional, and national championship points and a purse of more than $500,000 in seven categories will be up for grabs during the racing season. The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series also includes three Sportsman-focused national events: the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals, the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals, and the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals.

Adding to the excitement of 10 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events across the country will be the addition of the new NHRA Screamin’ Eagle Championship Motorcycle Series. Top Fuel, Pro Gas, Draggin’ Bagger, V-Rod, and Hot Street riders will compete for a total purse of $152,800 among the five classes.

“The core of NHRA Drag Racing is the grassroots racers that compete in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series,” said Forrest Lucas, owner and CEO of Lucas Oil Products. “It’s important for the long-term health of drag racing to support these talented drivers and teams, which is one of the main reasons we continue to back this series. Many of these racers also benefit from our products, which further strengthens the bond between Lucas Oil and the competitors out there giving it their all every weekend.”

Bonus programs available to competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series include the $100,000 JEGS Allstars and the NHRA Perfectly Strange Performance Award, for which a total of $45,000 is available throughout. Individual divisions may also have additional bonus programs available to racers.

Prominent graduates of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series who have gone on to successful careers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series include Brandon Bernstein, Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, Courtney Force, Alexis DeJoria, and Jeg Coughlin Jr.

2013 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule

Northeast Division
April 12-13 Virginia Motorsports Park Petersburg, Va.* (E)
May 24-26 Maple Grove Raceway Reading* (E)
June 14-16 Lebanon Valley Dragway West Lebanon, N.Y.* (E)
July 19-21 New England Dragway Epping, N.H.* (E)
Aug. 2-4 Atco Raceway Atco, N.J.
Aug. 16-18 Cecil County Dragway Rising Sun, Md.* (E)
Sept. 6-8 Old Bridge Township Raceway Park Englishtown

Southeast Division
Feb. 15-17 Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville Gainesville* (E)
March 8-10 South Georgia Motorsports Park Cecil, Ga.
May 23-24 Atlanta Dragway Atlanta
May 25-26 Atlanta Dragway Atlanta
Sept. 20-21 Bristol Dragway Bristol
Oct. 11-13 Silver Dollar Raceway Reynolds, Ga.

North Central Division
April 26-28 Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis Indianapolis* (NC)
May 17-19 Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park Norwalk* (NC)
June 7-9 Route 66 Raceway Chicago* (NC)
July 19-21 National Trail Raceway Columbus* (NC)
July 27-28 Mid-Michigan Motorplex Stanton, Mich.
Aug. 23-25 Beech Bend Raceway Park Bowling Green, Ky.* (NC)

South Central Division
March 1-3 Royal Purple Raceway Houston* (C)
April 19-21 Texas Motorplex Dallas
June 8-9 No Problem Raceway Park Belle Rose, La.
June 21-23 Tulsa Raceway Park Tulsa, Okla.* (C)
Sept. 13-15 Royal Purple Raceway Houston
Oct. 4-6 Thunder Valley Raceway Park Noble, Okla.* (C)

West Central Division
May 4-5 SRCA Dragstrip Great Bend, Kan.
June 1-2 Brainerd Int’l Raceway Brainerd
June 14-16 Bandimere Speedway Denver* (C)
June 21-22 Cordova Dragway Park Cordova, Ill.* (NC)
Aug. 23-24 Heartland Park Topeka Topeka* (C)
Sept. 6-8 Tri-State Raceway Earlville, Iowa* (C)

Northwest Division
April 26-28 Firebird Raceway Boise, Idaho
May 24-25 Spokane County Raceway Spokane, Wash.
June 14-16 Mission Raceway Mission, B.C.* (W)
July 12-14 Woodburn Dragstrip Woodburn, Ore.* (W)
Aug. 15-16 Pacific Raceways Seattle
Aug. 17-18 Pacific Raceways Seattle (W)

Pacific Division
Feb. 28-Mar. 1 Firebird Int’l Raceway Phoenix
March 2-3 Firebird Int’l Raceway Phoenix* (W)
March 29-31 The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas* (W)
June 8-9 Top Gun Raceway Fallon, Nev.
July 19-21 Sonoma Sonoma
Sept. 27-29 Rocky Mountain Raceways Salt Lake City
Oct. 31-Nov. 3 The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas* (W)

*Denotes regional events with Top Alcohol classes; E=East; NC=North Central; C=Central; W=West