Division Races announced for 2009

[Bob Gullett]

http://www.nhra.com/content/news/33419.htm
2009 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series scheduled announced

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/16/2008



NHRA has released the 2009 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule. The Series, which is headlined by the powerful Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes, features 44 races across the country throughout NHRA's seven geographic regions. Competitors in eight classes in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series vie for divisional and national championships and a share of the year-end purse worth more than $560,000.

In addition to the Alcohol-powered categories, the Series also features NHRA's Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street classes. Each division also runs a Top Sportsman and a Top Dragster series in conjunction with their Lucas Oil events, and a Sportsman Motorcycle Series presented by Harley Davidson is contested in selected divisions.

"It's hard to believe that the 2009 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is already around the corner," said Lucas Oil Products President and CEO Forrest Lucas. "We are so pleased and excited to continue our involvement with NHRA's sportsman racers. They really are the backbone of this sport and we know first-hand what it takes to be involved in drag racing at this level and it's not easy. We truly appreciate every one of those racers who is out there supporting the Lucas Oil Series."

The 2009 schedule also includes three JEGS SPORTSnationals events and the JEGS Allstars Invitational. The SPORTSnationals are designed to highlight NHRA's sportsman racers and give them a national event all their own. They will be run in Belle Rose, La., Fontana, Calif., and Columbus, Ohio. The JEGS Allstars event is the culmination of a year-long points battle where the top points-earning drivers in each class represent his or her division and square off against each other at the NHRA national event at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. The JEGS Allstars purse is worth $100,000.

In addition to giving local racers an opportunity to race for championships close to home, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series has been a training ground for many drivers in NHRA's POWERade Drag Racing Series. Funny Car racers Jack Beckman and Tony Bartone are among today's pros who have earned national championships in the Lucas Oil Series. Other former Lucas Oil national champions include Pro Stock drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Jason Line, as well as Top Fuel pilot Steve Torrence. Many other current POWERade racers claim divisional titles on their resumes.

2009 NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES SCHEDULE

NORTHEAST DIVISION

April 24-26
Virginia Motorsports Park
Petersburg, Va.

May 22-24
Maple Grove Raceway
Reading, Pa.

June 19-21
Atco Raceway
Atco, N.J.

July 3-5
Lebanon Valley Dragway
West Lebanon, N.Y.

Aug. 28-30
Cecil County Dragway
Rising Sun, Md.

Sept. 11-13
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Englishtown, N.J.

Oct. 2-4
Atco Raceway*
Atco, N.J.



SOUTHEAST DIVISION

Feb. 13-15
Bradenton Motorsports Park
Bradenton, Fla.

Feb. 20-22
Raceway Gainesville
Gainesville, Fla.

March 6-8
Orlando Speed World Dragway*
Orlando, Fla.

April 3-5
South Georgia Motorsports Park
Cecil, Ga.

Sept. 11-13
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, Ga.

Oct. 23-25
Silver Dollar Raceway
Reynolds, Ga.



NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION

April 24-26
O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
Indianapolis

May 15-17
Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park
Norwalk, Ohio

June 12-14
Route 66 Raceway
Joliet, Ill.

July 11-12
Mid-Michigan Motorplex*
Stanton, Mich.

July 24-26
National Trail Raceway
Columbus, Ohio

Aug. 28-30
Beech Bend Raceway Park
Bowling Green, Ky.



SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION

April 3-5
Texas Motorplex
Ennis, Texas

April 24-26
Memphis Motorsports Park*
Memphis, Tenn.

May 15-17
Houston Raceway Park
Baytown, Texas

July 17-19
Red River Raceway
Gilliam, La.

Sept.18-20
No Problem Raceway
Belle Rose, La.

Oct. 23-25
Thunder Valley Raceway Park
Noble, Okla.



WEST CENTRAL DIVISION

April 24-26
SRCA Dragstrip
Great Bend, Kan.

May 22-24
Brainerd Int'l Raceway
Brainerd, Minn.

June 19-21
Bandimere Speedway
Morrison, Colo.

Aug. 7-8
Cordova Raceway Park
Cordova, Ill.

Aug. 28-29
Heartland Park Topeka
Topeka, Kan.

Sept. 11-13
Tri-State Raceway
Earlville, Iowa



NORTHWEST DIVISION

May 1-3
Firebird Raceway*
Boise, Idaho

May 22-24
Mission Raceway
Mission, B.C.

June 19-21
Pacific Raceways
Kent, Wash.

July 10-12
Woodburn Dragstrip
Woodburn, Ore.

Aug. 21-23
Yellowstone Dragstrip
Acton, Mont.

Oct. 2-3
Champion Raceway
Eagle Point, Ore.



PACIFIC DIVISION

Feb. 27-Mar. 1
Firebird Int'l Raceway
Chandler, Ariz.

March 6-7
Southwestern Int'l Raceway*
Tucson, Ariz.

April 24-26
Auto Club Dragway at Auto Club Speedway
Fontana, Calif.

June 13-14
Top Gun Raceway
Fallon, Nev.

July 31-Aug. 2
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, Calif.

Sept. 11-12
Auto Club Famoso Raceway
Bakersfield, Calif.

Nov. 5-8
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas



NHRA LUCAS OIL SERIES SPECIAL EVENTS

March 20-22
Jegs NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals*
Belle Rose, La.

April 17-19
Jegs NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals*
Fontana, Calif.

June 6
Jegs Allstars
Joliet, Ill.

Sept. 25-27
Jegs NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals*
Columbus, Ohio



* Top Alcohol classes not contested



Schedule subject to change.