NHRA
Holley EFI Race News: Barker Doubles Up in Gainesville, Massel Rules NMCA in Bradenton
Two of the biggest names in door-car drag racing – Jeffrey Barker and Bruno Massel – are already racking up wins in 
2017. Barker dominated Top Sportsman competition in Gainesville, Fla., on consecutive weekends, and Massel topped all challengers in the Holley EFI Factory Super Cars category at the NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem event in Bradenton, Fla.
Barker, the most successful driver in the championship era of NHRA Top Sportsman racing, scored not just once but twice at Gainesville Raceway, first at the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Southeast Division event and the following week at the prestigious Gatornationals, one of the oldest events on the NHRA tour. At the wheel of his NOS nitrous-oxide-fed ’06 Chevy Cobalt, Barker earned the first of his back-to-back victories with a final-round decision over John Lynch at the Division 2 race. He led all qualifiers with a 6.55 at 213 mph – not far from what today’s Pro Stock cars run in the quarter-mile.
AEROMOTIVE CLAIMS SPONSORSHIP OF NHRA WEST CENTRAL DIVISION SUPER SHOOTOUT
Independence, MO – The NHRA’s West Central Division announced today that Aeromotive is the title sponsor to the 
Super Shootout. The Aeromotive Super Shootout is run in conjunction with the West Central Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events. Racers in Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street pay a $20 entry cost for the opportunity to compete in the Shootout, held the day before final eliminations. The eight racers that run closest to their respective 8.90, 9.90, and 10.90 indexes that paid to enter the Shootout compete in the three-round eliminator for their share of the $1000 per-class per-event purse.
Aeromotive, a leading manufacturer of fuel systems, is also continuing support of the West Central Division’s ‘Aeromotive Stealth Jet Dryer’ and presenting rights to the Jerry Haas Top Sportsman series, contested at all 2017 West Central Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events.
COMP ELIMINATOR FIREMATIC FIRST REACTOR AWARD
$200 will be awarded to the racer with the best .00X reaction time in a winning elimination round throughout 
eliminations at each NHRA Northeast Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event. The tiebreaker would be who did it first. Single runs do not count. If no racer accomplishes this during the event, the $200 will roll over to the next event accumulating until won and then reset to $200. If the criteria are not met for the award at any of the 7 LODRS events, the total $1400 will go to the driver who had the best winning reaction time of the year at the Northeast Division Awards Banquet.
ACCELERATED TRAVEL TO AWARD #1 QUALIFIERS IN TAD & TAFC AT NORTHEAST DIVISION REGIONAL EVENTS
LANCASTER, PA – The NHRA Northeast Division announced that Accelerated Travel will present the No. 1 Qualifier 
in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car with $100 at each NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Regional event in The Northeast Division for the 2017 season. In order to qualify for the award, racers will be required to have Accelerated Travel decals on their race vehicle for the duration of the event. Decals will be available through Jackie Fricke and at the D-1 Tech Trailer.
NHRA LUCAS SERIES BACK IN VEGAS
LAS VEGAS – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will be back at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the 
second week in a row. The NHRA Pacific Division will host its second of seven events this year and first of two at The Strip.
Garrett Bateman and Shane Westerfield will be looking to repeat their wins in Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car from this past weekend’s Denso NHRA Nationals.
Racing categories include Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Top Sportsman and Top Dragster Series will also be run in conjunction with the event. Tickets are $25 each day; children 6-14 are $5 per day and kids 5 and under are free. The schedule is as follows:
NHRA SOUTHEAST DIVISION RACES AT GALOT
RALEIGH, NC – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Southeast Division arrives at GALOT Motorsports Park for 
the fourth of the seven events in the division, this weekend, April 7-9. Drivers will be racing for points leading to divisional and national championships as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $519,000.
Racing categories include Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Stott’s Ford Top Sportsman Series and Hickory Enclosed Trailer Sales Top Dragster Series will also be run in conjunction with the event. Tickets are $10 each day for adults and children. The schedule is as follows:
NHRA LUCAS SERIES HEADS TO NO PROBLEM RACEWAY
BELLE ROSE, LA – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series South Central Division is heading to No Problem 
Raceway in Belle Rose, La., for Nitro on the Bayou this weekend, April 7-9.
The event is the second of six in the 2017 South Central division where drivers will earn points leading to national, regional and division championships, as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $519,000.
Classes scheduled to run include Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s SDPC Raceshop Top Sportsman Series and SDPC Raceshop Top Dragster Series will also be run in conjunction with the event. Tickets are $20 on Friday, $25 on Saturday and $20 on Sunday. Children 10 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. The schedule is as follows:
BATEMAN, WESTERFIELD WIN BIG IN VEGAS
LAS VEGAS – The 18th annual Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals took place this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor 
Speedway with the NHRA Lucas Oil Racing Series in full gear as winners were recognized in Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Stock, Super Comp and the rest of the classes that encompass the nationwide series.
Garrett Bateman, Albany, Ore., and Casey Grisel, Orangevale, Calif., faced off in the Top Alcohol Dragster final round. Grisel’s car was up in smoke early and clicked off, registering a runner up pass of 8.195 seconds, 112.59 mph. Bateman finished strong at 5.384 seconds, 271. 24 mph to reel in the victory.
In an all California Top Alcohol Funny Car final round, Shane Westerfield, Anaheim, Calif., earned his 2nd national event win of the season and 3rd overall. Doug Gordon, Paso Robles, Calif., fouled at the line giving Westerfield the victory. Westerfield registered a victory pass of 5.547 seconds, 265.17 mph.
RAMPY DOUBLES AT SOUTH GEORGIA MOTORSPORTS PARK
CECIL, GA – David Rampy scored the elusive double-up at this weekend’s NHRA Southeast Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at South Georgia Motorsports Park taking home the trophy in both Comp Eliminator and Super Stock.
The veteran racer from Piedmont, Ala., worked his way through eliminations and lined up with Bobby Dennis, Shorter, Ala., in Super Stock for his first of two final rounds. Rampy took the early lead which proved to be the difference as he collected his fifth win in Super Stock on a hole shot running 10.152 seconds at 123.68 mph to Dennis’ 10.808, 124.45.
Rampy would then face off with Randy Daniels, Grantsboro, N.C., in Comp Eliminator with his familiar ’32 roadster. Rampy again left first and crossed the finish line in 7.379 at 152.93 to secure the Double-Up and his 35th divisional win in Comp.
NHRA WEST CENTRAL DIVISION PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE PATTERSON ELITE AS LOW QUALIFIER SPONSOR
Independence, MO – The NHRA’s West Central Division is proud to welcome Patterson Elite Performance as the 
title sponsor to the NHRA West Central Low Qualifier Bonus Award. The Patterson Elite Performance Low Qualifier Bonus is awarded to racers who earn the #1 qualifier position in Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, and Stock categories at the NHRA West Central Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events.
Patterson Elite Performance, hailing from Augusta, Kan., is well known for providing high-powered, reliable performance to Sportsman racers across the country and around the globe. The Patterson’s have been building winning engines for top drag racers since 1979. During this time, Patterson power has propelled Sportsman racers to win over 100 NHRA, European FIA, and Australian ANDRA events.
