Division Races announced for 2009
 

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

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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.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

INTERESTING.......Red River in the middle of JULY !!!!!!! Can you say SWEAT ???? :-)
Oh JOY !!!

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Does this mean that Top Sportsman and Top Dragster are gonna be at ALL of our LODRS races now?

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

wow only one conflict between D2 and D4 ( and one that is kinda immaterial). Someone must have pulled their head out of their ***, albeit only temporarily I'm sure

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Indy and Memphis are on top of each other.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

As usual, most of the Division 2 stuff is spaced out a week or two apart over about two months, early February to April, early in the season, all the way at the bottom of the Division, and then two races at the end of the season.


No races that are not in Florida or Georgia, and in Atlanta or South of there. I suppose Division 2 has only two states, and the rest of them do not matter.


If you want to run for points in Division 2 and do not live in the middle of Georgia, or further South in Georgia or Florida, I guess you're supposed to take two months off of work, and burn $10K worth of fuel.


All of that travel, and so much time off all in an 8-10 week period, and the economy is in the tank. PURE genius.:rolleyes:

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

While we are complaining.... I take my turn and vent.
Who is the genius that keeps putting the NORWALK points meet right on top of the BRISTOL national event?
I am sure there are numerous D3 cars that hate missing one of their closest Nationals (or points meet).
Please change the date of the points meet.

Tom

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Often there's not a great deal of cooperation when it comes to scheduling. It's a shame, too. It shouldn't be THAT hard to figure it out and make it work. And like I said, given the economy, you'd think they'd TRY to fix it.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

They were also smart enough to leave the new Charlotte, N.C. track out of divisionals. Probably would have more spectators than any points meet and a great car count.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

How much effort would it take to get all DD's together (on the phone, computer or whatever) and hammer out a cooperative schedule for the next season a few months ahead of time? Opps, I'm sorry, that makes too much sense. Jim

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

I just noticed Belle Rose is in the middle of hurricane season, BRILLIANT!!!!

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Heck Alan, it seems to make more sense for you guys to run Div 3 races than Div 2. Just about every track in Div 3 is closer to Nashville than any Div 2 track except Bristol which hasn't run a divisional race in years (and I don't understand why not). Even here in Chattanooga I'm closer to three Div 3 tracks than any Florida tracks including Gainesville. Suprisingly even Norwalk OH is closer to me than Bradenton or Orlando! Georgia and Florida are friggin' LONG.

See you guys in Reynolds next weekend?

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Wonder why we haven't seen a Class/Category schedule for National Events yet?

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

With the car count lately, do you think they will let all categories in next year?
Patsy & Larry

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

My thinking is lockouts will continue and quotas will get smaller.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Tony,

I'm not sure they will reduce quotas. Money is just too darn tight. If the pro teams drop off as per your prediction they will probably reconsider their current event category structure and possibly allow everyone to race. But, hey they are great at shooting themselves in the foot or is it feet.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Yeah, the plan as of Wednesday night was to run Reynolds. We had to skip Atlanta for a number of reasons.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Close, Bruce. They're great at shooting US in the foot.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

I do not know for certain but I was told by a NHRA employee running the staging lanes during eleminations in Memphis that in 2009 there would NOT be a class kicked out of each of the National Events. Due to the car counts all the classes would run in 2009.
Just What I Was Told

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

That's fine. IF you are able to take that much time away, it works out great.

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Try looking at Division 5,and racing from the Denver area. One race right here,another about 6 and a half hours away,then about a ten hour drive for another,and then the other 3 are around 14 hours or more. Pretty rediculous. Lane

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

No Numidia for D1 and no Charlotte for D2?? I was told by very reliable sources that those two tracks were going to host points races in 09!

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Its was most likey the track that did not want the divional race, not enough money in it for them.

Lane at least you have a track near you, the nearest track to me here in NM is Denver. next would be Tuscon. Thank g/d I am moving back to California (Victorville) so I will not far fom Fontana and Vegas

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

This may not matter but NHRA moved Atlanta National Event on top of Rockingham so Rockingham was going to move up one week. Now they put the NHRA Division 1 Race on that date. Rockingham will still get a good car count but it will hurt both races 50 cars or more. My brother and I will have a stocker togather next year and running the racetrack we cant race as much and with these great people making the schedules out you just cut a date out of our schedule by just being on top of each other. NHRA doesnt care I guess they havent noticed the state of economy and the fact that when no track is running within 300 miles your car count might go up.

Herb Jr

just my .08

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

What does it take for NC to get a division 2 race? There are a lot of us that would like to run more NHRA but can't due to this being "Fla/Ga division'. If they really wanted to grow this division NHRA should entice Bruton to have a divisional at the "Belagio of drag racing"!!

Re: Division Races announced for 2009
 

Every event in 2008 you could get in with one grading point. I say go to a few races, regiater the week of when someone pulls out and pay the fine. Its cheaper than gas to the race.

Herb jr