NEWS NUGGETS
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DRIVERS PREPARE FOR CHARLOTTE AND SECOND STOP IN NHRA COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: With just one event complete in the six-race 2010 NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs and the recently completed Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the excitement and tension couldn’t be bigger in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Now the series heads to Charlotte, North Carolina, and zMAX Dragway for the second stop of the Countdown to the Championship—the third annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
Two drivers particularly excited for the stop are both sitting in the second spot in their category point standings—Top Fuel’s Cory McClenathan and Funny Car’s Jack Beckman. McClenathan enters the event not only the defending event winner, but the defending Top Fuel winner at zMAX, winning both the 2009 event as well as the inaugural NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in March. With a win this Sunday, McClenathan could become the first driver in the track’s three-year history to win three straight events.
“To go into a race track knowing we’ve had the kind of success we’ve had at zMAX Dragway is a big deal,” said McClenathan. “It takes a lot off my shoulders. We’ve won there two-wide and four-wide, and now we’re going back for the Countdown.”
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McClenathan trails Top Fuel points leader Larry Dixon by a mere 46 points, but Dixon is riding a hot-hand of 10 wins in 10 final-round appearances for the season heading into zMAX Dragway. In Funny Car, Beckman currently sits just 60 points behind leader John Force but has been riding a wave of success for most of the second half of the season. Since his last visit to zMAX Dragway in March for the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, Beckman has picked up three runner-up finishes and five semifinal round appearances. Beckman is no stranger to success at zMAX Dragway either. He won the inaugural event in 2008 and could become the first Funny Car driver to win two events at zMAX Dragway.
“I really love going to Charlotte and running in front of a lot of diehard NASCAR fans,” said Beckman. “Our goal is never to take fans from any other sport, but our goal is to build fans that are fans of other sports.”
Beckman will have plenty of competition, though, including recent U.S. Nationals winner Ashley Force Hood, who is currently fourth in the point standings, and defending event winner and world champion Robert Hight, who currently sits in the fifth spot. In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards hopes to be the first driver to win three Charlotte races in a row. Edwards dominated the 2009 event, picking up almost every point he could from the event, then went on to win his first world championship at season’s end.
This year, Pro Stock veterans Allen Johnson, Jeg Coughlin and Greg Anderson will look to end Edwards' dominating defense of his title by picking up their first wins at zMAX Dragway. Pro Stock Motorcycle defending world champion Hector Arana is hoping to defend his event win in Charlotte and pick up his first win of the season, but current points leader Andrew Hines, who set the national record for time at the recently completed Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, looks to continue his success with a win at zMAX Dragway. But don’t count out NHRA 4-Wide winner Matt Smith who is hungry for another win at his hometown track.
Tickets for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway are still available by calling 800/455-3267 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
ESPN ANNOUNCES TELEVISION SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS AT zMAX DRAGWAY: Television schedule changes for this weekend’s O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway have been announced by ESPN. Qualifying coverage on ESPN2 HD has been moved to a one-hour show on Sunday, September 19, starting at 10:00 a.m. (EST). "NHRA Race Day," the popular 30-minute preview show, will now air on September 19 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2 HD, which will serve as the lead in to three hours of eliminations coverage scheduled to air at 7:00 p.m.
The following is the complete weekend television schedule: Sunday, September 19, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 10:00 a.m. (EST). ESPN3.com will air live coverage of eliminations starting at 12:00 p.m. (EST). ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise "NHRA Race Day," a 30-minute news magazine show, at 6:30 p.m. (EST). ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage starting at 7:00 p.m. (EST).
COMING ATTRACTIONS O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA NATIONALS, zMAX DRAGWAY, September 16-19: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop of the season in North Carolina and second stop of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Defending event winners include Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Mike Edwards (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800/455-3267 or online at Ticketmaster. For media credentials, please contact Media Relations Manager Zak Elcock at zelcock@nhra.com.
O’REILLY SUPER START BATTERIES NHRA FALL NATIONALS, TEXAS MOTORPLEX, September 23-26: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series makes its second stop in the Lone Star State and third stop of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Defending event winners include Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 800/MOTORPLEX (668-6753) or online at texasmotorplex.com. For media credentials, please contact Director of Public Relations Michael Padian at mpadian@nhra.com.
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TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS, MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY, October 7-10: The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads back to the East Coast and Pennsylvania for its fourth stop in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Defending event winners include Larry Dixon (Top Fuel); Bob Tasca (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock); and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle). For tickets, call 610/856-7200 or online at maplegroveraceway.com. For media credentials, please contact Communications Director Evan Jones at ejones@maplegroveraceway.com.
HE SAID, SHE SAIDTHE HOMETOWN KID: Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Matt Smith on winning the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in March, his first win at his hometown track, zMAX Dragway: “This is our home track. We only live an hour away from here. I wanted to win the first race here (in 2008). We were the No. 1 qualifier, but we just couldn’t pull it off. We came back two years later and were the No. 1 qualifier at the first four-wide race, and then we ran the table.”
INSIDE THE NUMBERS  |
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3: The number of winners of last year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway that went on to win the world championship at season’s end. Below are the drivers:
Robert HightMike Edwards
Hector Arana
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DID YOU KNOW…
…that two-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals winner Ashley Force Hood will chronicle her experiences in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs for www.usatoday.com readers? Fans can access Force Hood’s diary throughout the Countdown to the Championship by visiting www.usatoday.com.