NHRA
NHRA SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION RUMBLES TO AN END AT THUNDER IN THE HEARTLAND
LEXINGTON, OK – Thunder Valley Raceway Park will host the Thunder in the Heartland, the final event for the 
NHRA South Central Division, on October 7-9. The event is one of 45 scheduled across the country where drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series earn points leading to divisional, regional and national championships as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $519,000. Categories include Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Sunset Performance Top Sportsman Series, KPE Top Dragster Series and NHRA Sportsman Motorcycle Series presented by Harley-Davidson will also be run in conjunction with the event.
Gates at Thunder Valley Raceway open at 8 a.m. each day. Time Trials are Friday and Saturday at 9 a.m. Top Dragster, Comp Eliminator and Top Sportsman qualify Friday and Saturday at noon and 3 p.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car qualify Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car run round one of eliminations on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and rounds two and three on Sunday. Eliminations continue for all other classes on Sunday at 9 am. A special Jet Car exhibition will close the nights on both Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.
TEXAS MOTORPLEX TAKES TEAM TITLE; FOUR ADVANCE TO NATIONALS
ENNIS, Texas – The Team from Texas Motorplex dominated the team competition finishing nearly 20 points ahead 
of second place Royal Purple Raceway at the NHRA Summit Racing Series South Central Division Finals at Texas Motorplex. Max McGlothin won the Super Pro / Pro run off and will join Jake Howard, Jeff Hefler and Tony Davis in advancing to the Summit Racing Series National Championship in Pomona, Cali.
Racking up 83 points, the Motorplex team ran away from Royal Purple Raceway (64 points), Texas Raceway (50 points) and the eight other NHRA member tracks that brought teams to the event.
Winners Crowned at Midwest Nationals
Madison, IL – In the final rounds of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, fifth annual AAA Insurance NHRA 
Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motor Sports Park’s dragstrip, drivers delivered an exciting show to attending fans. Winners recognized in Comp Eliminator, Stock, Super Comp and the rest of the classes that encompass the nationwide series.
Comp Eliminator hosted a Midwest showdown. Terry Smith, Liberty Twp, Ohio, worked his way through the field and ran 6.547 seconds, 198.29 mph in his final round victory over Fred Allen, Winamac, Ind., who clocked in at 7.387 seconds, 177.63 mph.
In the Super Stock final round, Larry Cummings, Hammond, La., got off to a great start posting a reaction time of 0.005 seconds, scoring a victory lap of 8.538, 157.65. Keith Lynch, West Jordon, Utah, posted a runner up lap of 9.713 136.06.
ELLIS AND VAN PAEPEGHEM SWAP TITLES IN LUCAS OIL DOUBLE-HEADER
WEST VALLEY CITY, UT – Ralph Van Paepeghem won the first event and then traded spots with event one runner 
up, Alan Ellis, who won the second event at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Night of Fire at Rocky Mountain Raceways outside Salt Lake City, Utah.
In the first event on Friday, Van Paepegham, Garden Valley, Idaho, drove his ’32 Bantam to a win over local racer Ellis, out of Mapleton, Utah. Both drivers had great reaction times with Van Paepegham having a quicker pass at 7.574 seconds at 170.10 mph over Ellis’ 6.854 seconds at 197.06 mph runner-up pass.
Ellis came back in the second event on Sunday, after taking the No.3 qualifier spot, to face off with Van Paepegham again in the final round. Ellis had a better light while Van Paepeghem missed running his index. Ellis collected his 13th NHRA Wally trophy in Comp Eliminator with a 7.032 second 151.59 mph run.
NHRA DIVISION 4 SUMMIT ET FINALS SCHEDULE CHANGE
ENNIS, TX – Due to the weather forecast for Sunday at the Texas Motorplex the NHRA Summit Racing Series South Central Division Finals event schedule has been adjusted in an effort to complete the event on Saturday and crown champions in all classes, as well as the Race of Champions.
Friday’s racing action will start at 8 a.m. with two time trials in all classes followed by the Race of Champions for the Box, No Box and Motorcycle classes. A clean up time trial session will be given on Friday to those who have not had at least one pass down the track. Friday evening will consist of the spirit games along with the Managers Race of Champions.
Saturday’s action will begin with round 1 of eliminations at 8 a.m. Eliminations will continue throughout the day along with the action in the Race of Champions for High School and Jr. Street
TEXAS MOTORPLEX WELCOMES BACK NHRA’S SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION SUMMIT SERIES FINALS
ENNIS, TX – Texas Motorplex will host the 2016 NHRA South Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals, September 23-25. Top drivers from NHRA member tracks across the South Central division will compete in six classes for individual and team honors. Individual champions in No-Electronic Quick, No-Electronic Street, Motorcycle, and Super Pro (or Pro) will advance to a run-off against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November. (The winners in Super Pro and Pro have a runoff to determine who will compete in Pomona.)
Participants in the top classes will compete for cash awards of more than $20,000. Drivers who advance to Pomona will each receive an additional $3,000 and the champions in each class will earn $5,000. Competitors in the High School class will earn trophies.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACEWAYS HOST THE PACIFIC DIVISION’S NIGHT OF FIRE DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND
WEST VALLEY CITY, UT – The Pacific Division arrives at Rocky Mountain Raceways for the Night of Fire Doubleheader on Sept. 22-25. The event is one of 45 scheduled across the country where drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series earn points leading to divisional, regional and national championships as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $519,000. Categories include Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The division’s Pacific Division Top Sportsman Series, Top Dragster Series and Sportsman Motorcycle Series presented by Harley-Davidson will also run in conjunction with the event.
The first race on the doubleheader starts with qualifying and time trials Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Top Sportsman, Top Dragster and Comp Eliminator qualify at 2 and 6 p.m. on Thursday. Eliminations begin 1p.m. on Friday for the first race. Jet cars run at 9 p.m. Friday night
LUCAS OIL WINNERS CROWNED IN WOODBURN
WOODBURN, OR – Champions were recognized yesterday for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Northwest Division Drag Race at Woodburn Dragstrip. Fans in attendance were treated to Top Alcohol Dragster, Funny Car, Comp, Super Stock, Super Gas, and the rest of the classes that encompass the nationwide series.
The track audience witness home state racer Garrett Bateman, Albany, Ore., score the victory in the Top Alcohol Dragster final round. Bateman recorded a winning pass of 5.252 seconds, 272.39 mph to outpace Megan McKernan, Sierra Madre, Calif., who posted a runner-up pass of 5.526 seconds, 267.53 mph. Garrett Bateman was the winner here last year and at the recent Seattle race. He has six prior wins and four runner-ups. Megan McKernan has one prior win and three runner-ups.
RACERS WIN BIG AT THUNDER ROAD
GILLIAM, LA – The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series crowned champions for the NHRA, South Central Divisional, event at Thunder Road Raceway Park.
In Comp Eliminator, Keith Hall, Ravenna, Texas, took home his eighth win, in eleven final rounds as he defeated Brian Browell, Lafayette, Ind. who fouled with a red light. Hall posted a winning run of 8.452 seconds at 142.43 mph.
David Latino, Donaldsonville, La., worked his way through the field in his’00 Corvette and captured his fourth divisional win running a 10.574 second at 123.87 mph lap in his final round victory in Stock Eliminator over Greg Stanfield, Bossier City, La.
Texas racer Christopher Dodd of Double Oak took home the win in Super Comp. This was Dodd’s second Divisional final round appearance and win. Dodd posted a winning run of 8.919 seconds at 169.17 mph while Gina Mundt, Longview, Texas, went 8.914 seconds at 155.83 mph.
HOME TEAM TAKES TITLE, SHELTON DOUBLES UP
TOPEKA, KS – The team from Heartland Park Topeka collected 71 points to take home the team championship while four individual racers earned NHRA Summit Racing Series West Central Division Championships and a trip to Pomona, Calif., for the Summit National Championship in November.
Racers from Heartland Park Topeka racked up 71 points and a commanding lead in the team championship as they beat Rock Falls Raceway and Brainerd International Raceway who were second and third with 54 and 53 points respectively. SRCA Dragstrip at 51 finished in fourth place, and Kansas International Raceway finished up fifth with 40.
