John Force, Spencer Massey First Two Drivers Entered Into NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout

(John Force celebrates his 2012 Winternationals win with his grandchildren. Photo by NHRA)

15-time NHRA Full Throttle World Series Funny Car Champion John Force and Top Fuel pilot Spencer Massey, became the first two drivers entered into the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout to be held at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis during the Mac Tools U. S. Nationals. Both drivers earned their spot in the coveted eight car field with their respective wins at the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries held at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona on Sunday.

The NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout is a special 'race-within-a-race' that will feature eight racers in both the Funny Car and Top Fuel ranks to be held during the Mac Tools U. S. Nationals. The Top Fuel event will be on Saturday, Sept. 1, and the Funny Car event will take place on Sept. 2. The winner in each class will receive $100,000 to win with runners-up receiving $15,000 and the semifinal losers earning $7,500 each.

Massey was able to defeat Don Schumacher Racing teammate Antron Brown in the finals to earn his spot in the field and Force bested his teammate Mike Neff to get the event win and the entry into the field.

“(NHRA president Tom) Compton said if we won this race we would make the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. That is a big deal. I can’t wait to get to Indy,” said Force following the race. “I want to thank Traxxas for giving the Funny Car and Top Fuel teams this extra money.”

There will be three ways for Top Fuel and Funny Car teams to qualify for the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts.

First, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points leaders in Top Fuel and Funny Car after the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int'l Raceway, Aug. 16-19, will automatically qualify as top seeds for the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts, even if the respective points leaders have yet to win a national event.

Second, the first seven winners in both categories of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season will qualify, beginning at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries, Feb. 9-12 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California, and concluding at the Brainerd event. If the points leaders do not win one of the first 16 events of the season in each category, their provisional spots will bump the seventh event winner in each category. If there are fewer than seven different winners in each category prior to the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, rankings in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points standings after the Brainerd event will fill any open positions up to No. 7. Seeding for the top seven positions will be based on the season-long points standings in both categories after the Brainerd event.

Third, once the first seven positions in the fields are set, the eighth and final spot in each category will be determined by a fan vote and a lottery-style drawing. The fan-vote selections in each category will be eligible to become the eighth seeds in the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts.

The fan vote for the eighth seeds will be conducted on NHRA’s Facebook page and through a lottery-style drawing at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. All remaining unqualified drivers in Top Fuel and Funny Car who have competed in all 16 NHRA Full Throttle events this season leading up to the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals will be included in the NHRA Facebook fan-voting process. Based on the percentage of fan votes received, drivers will receive an equivalent percentage of chances in the lottery. For example, if a driver earns 15 percent of the fan vote, he or she will have 15 chances out of 100 in the lottery-style drawing. All eligible drivers will have at least one chance in the drawing.

Tickets for the 58th annual Mac Tools U. S. Nationals will go on sale to the general public on Feb. 14. The Mac Tools U. S. Nationals is the worlds largest drag race and a win at the event is the pinnacle to any drag racer during their career. Defending winners are Antron Brown in Top Fuel, Mike Neff in Funny Car, Greg Anderson in Pro Stock and Hector Arana Jr. in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout Scheduled for Big Go

NHRA officials announced today details of the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout in Top Fuel and Funny Car, a program first identified last month with the announcement of Traxxas as the Official Radio Controlled Performance Products of the NHRA.

The NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts, which are races within a race, will be conducted at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, with Top Fuel showcased on Saturday, Sept. 1, and Funny Car featured on Sunday, Sept. 2. 

“The NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts redefine what a race within a race is all about,” said Mike Jenkins, owner and president of Traxxas. “We worked with NHRA to craft a program that rewards the winners of NHRA Full Throttle events and the leaders in the points standings while at the same time provides an opportunity for fans to vote for their favorite drivers.”

There will be three ways for Top Fuel and Funny Car teams to qualify for the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts. 

First, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points leaders in Top Fuel and Funny Car after the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 16-19, will automatically qualify as top seeds for the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts, even if the respective points leaders have yet to win a national event. 

Second, the first seven winners in both categories of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season will qualify, beginning at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries, Feb. 9-12 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California, and concluding at the Brainerd event. If the points leaders do not win one of the first 16 events of the season in each category, their provisional spots will bump the seventh event winner in each category. If there are less than seven different winners in each category prior to the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, rankings in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points standings after the Brainerd event will fill any open positions up to No. 7. Seeding for the top seven positions will be based on the season-long points standings in both categories after the Brainerd event.

Third, once the first seven positions in the fields are set, the eighth and final spot in each category will be determined by a fan vote and a lottery-style drawing. The fan-vote selections in each category will be eligible to become the eighth seeds in the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts. 

The fan vote for the eighth seeds will be conducted on NHRA’s Facebook page and through a lottery-style drawing at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. All remaining unqualified drivers in Top Fuel and Funny Car who have competed in all 16 NHRA Full Throttle events this season leading up to the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals will be included in the NHRA Facebook fan-voting process. Based on the percentage of fan votes received, drivers will receive an equivalent percentage of chances in the lottery. For example, if a driver earns 15 percent of the fan vote, he or she will have 15 chances out of 100 in the lottery-style drawing. All eligible drivers will have at least one chance in the drawing.

The NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts will award $100,000 to the winners in both the Top Fuel and Funny Car events. The program will award the top four finishers in each event, with the runners-up receiving $15,000 and the semifinal losers earning $7,500 each. The NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts will be featured on the Sunday, Sept. 2, qualifying shows on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD.   

In addition to backing the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootouts, Traxxas is the Official Radio Controlled Performance Products of the NHRA and the primary sponsor for Courtney Force, who will make her debut in the Funny Car class at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries in the Traxxas Ford Mustang.

NHRA Funny Cars on Display in Indianapolis Prior to the Super Bowl

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Cars from Don Schumacher Racing and John Force Racing will be prominently displayed at two leading tourism destinations across central Indiana leading up to Super Bowl XLVI. 

NFL fans that touchdown at the Indianapolis International Airport will be greeted by the Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford driven by John Force and the Auto Club Ford Mustang driven by Robert Hight.  Both cars competed in the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.  One car will be on display at Concourse A and the other at Concourse B and both will be highly visible to those arriving into the city.  The displays will feature custom welcome signage and information about the ‘Big Go,’ the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, held at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis during Labor Day weekend.

DSR and JFR cars will also be on display at the Super Celebration Site at Metropolis Mall in Plainfield, Ind., located in Hendricks County.  Both the NAPA Funny Car driven by Ron Capps and the 2010 John Force Castrol GTX 25th anniversary Ford Mustang will be a focal point of the 18,000 square foot Super Celebration Site display.

At the Super Celebration Site, fans will not only be able to see the Funny Cars but also be able to race an IndyCar simulator and test their football skills on the NFL Blitz video game.   Metropolis Mall will also house a replica Izod Indy Car featuring the decals of the Baltimore Ravens as part of the Super Cars promotion. For more information on the Super Celebration Site, visit www.TourHendricksCounty.com/SuperSite.

“Having the Super Bowl in Indianapolis is an enormous thrill for all of us who live and work here,” said Mike Lewis, vice president of Don Schumacher Racing based in Brownsburg.  “Considering the culture of auto racing in Indiana it only makes sense for industry leaders like Don Schumacher Racing to become involved in Super Bowl activities. We hope NFL fans will want to experience our brand of 320 MPH excitement at some of the 23 NHRA events around the country.”

"Having my hot rods on display as part of the Indianapolis Super Bowl events is great for the NHRA and my sponsors like Castrol, Ford, Auto Club, Traxxas, Mac Tools and BrandSource. I put the John Force Road Show together to spread the gospel of NHRA and you aren't going to get a bigger crowd than Indianapolis this week,” said 15 time Full Throttle Series Champion, John Force.  “I played football growing up and to have my Castrol GTX HIGH MILEAGE Ford Mustang Funny Car, my 25th anniversary Castrol Funny Car and Robert Hight's Auto Club Ford Mustang on display at the airport and the Metropolis Mall is pretty cool."

“When we first heard we would be a Super Celebration Site and featuring a Super Car, we knew we had to showcase our own NHRA Super Cars as part of the festivities,” said Jaime Bohler Smith, associate director for the Hendricks County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the group overseeing the site. “Our hope is that guests coming to see the big game, will come back and join us for the Big Go (the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway) right here in the motorsports capitol of the world,” she added.

The cars at the airport will be continuously on display and those at Metropolis Mall will be on display from Feb. 2nd from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Feb. 5th from noon to 4 p.m.  Metropolis Mall is located on the eastern edge of Hendricks County and just minutes from downtown Indianapolis. 

ARCA, USAC, CRA Super Series to Headline 2012 Lucas Oil Speedway SpeedFest

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

The 2012 installment of SpeedFest at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis will feature both open-wheel and stock car racing with three of the leading racing sanctioning bodies taking to the oval during two nights of action packed racing. On Thursday July 26th the United States Auto Club (USAC) will run a double header event featuring the Midget and Silver Crown Series. Friday July 27th will mark the return of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards along with the CRA Super Series.

“The history and tradition Lucas Oil Raceway has with USAC is long and storied with past race winners include some of the greatest names in racing,” said Wes Collier, general manager of Lucas Oil Raceway. “We are also pleased to welcome back the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for their second consecutive season following their thrilling race last year and the CRA Super Series has long been a valuable partner and we are anxious for a tremendous two nights of racing.”

The first USAC event was held at Lucas Oil Raceway dates back to 1961 when A. J. Foyt won the 30-lap race that was raced on dirt, prior to the paving of the oval. Through the years Bill Vukovich, Gary Bettenhausen, Tom Bigelow, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon have honed their skills on the .686-mile oval. Last year Kody Swanson was able to defeat Tracy Hines in the Silver Crown race and 18-year-old Kyle Larson won his first pavement race in the Midget Series.

During SpeedFest last season, ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards returned to Lucas Oil Raceway for the first time in 25 years to a facility eager to see the series take to the oval. The packed house watched young up and coming driver Ty Dillon wheel his way to victory lane. Dillon found his way to victory lane seven times during the season in route to his first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards series championship.

The CRA Super Series is a top stock car sanctioning body and features some the finest up and coming talents in all of racing. Past CRA winners at Lucas Oil Raceway have included Scott Hantz, Jeff Land and Ross Kenseth who is quickly becoming a top talent in racing.

A schedule of events for the weekend and ticket prices will be announced shortly.