NHRA (NEW JERSEY) - NHRA SPORT COMPACT SPRINGNATIONALS FACT SHEET
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WHAT: Seventh Annual NHRA Sport Compact Springnationals featuring D1 Professional Drift Grand Prix Series, the third of 11 events in the NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series. Heads-up, no breakout competition leading to 2007 NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series world championships in five different championship classes (Pro RWD, Pro FWD, Modified, Hot Rod and Honda Tuning Magazine All Motor). Four heads-up sportsman (Sport RWD, UrbanRacer.com Sport FWD, BFGoodrich Tires Street Stock and Quick 16) classes leading to the 2007 East Region Sportsman Class championships, plus three ET brackets.
WHERE: From the north: New Jersey Turnpike south to Exit 9, follow the signs to Route 18 south. Go six miles to the Englishtown exit. Take Route 527 south five miles. Make a left onto Pension Road (Raceway Park billboard on left). Go 1/4-mile, track entrance on the left.
From the south: New Jersey Turnpike north to Exit 8 to Route 33 east. Go eight miles to the Englishtown Exit. Take
Route 527 north. Go through Englishtown. At the Exxon gas station make a right onto Gordons Corner Road. Go
1/4-mile, make a left onto Pension Road. Go two miles, track entrance is on the right.
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, May 5-6, 2007.
SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, MAY 5
GATES OPEN 10 a.m.
TIME TRIALS (muffled or Turbo only) from noon to 7 p.m.
D1 GRAND PRIX FINAL ROUNDS begin at noon
SPORTSMAN HEADS-UP QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
PRO HEADS-UP QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 6
GATES OPEN 8 a.m.
NHRA XPLOD STYLEFEST begins at 10 a.m.
E.T. TIME TRIALS 9 a.m. (muffled) and 10 a.m. (unmuffled)
HEADS-UP QUALIFYING 10:30 a.m.
ELIMINATIONS (SF, SR, SS, Q16; only if 9 or more cars) scheduled for noon
OPENING CEREMONIES begin at 1:30 p.m.
ELIMINATIONS 2 p.m.
TELEVISION: Race - Tuesday, July 24, 5 pm (ET) ESPN2.
Stylefest – Tuesday, July 24, 5:30 p.m. (ET), ESPN2.
**Check local listings, television schedule subject to change.
TICKETS: For ticket information call Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at (732) 446-7800.
Tickets will be available at the gate. Saturday: Adult $20, Child (6-11) $5, (under 6) free. Sunday: Adult $20, Child (6-11) $5, (under 6) free. Two-day ticket for Saturday/Sunday; Adult $40, Child (6-12) $10.
TRACK RECORDS: Pro RWD - Due to rule change performance record will be set at this event.
Pro FWD - 7.51 seconds and 195.19 mph by Jason Hunt, Chevrolet, May ‘06
Modified - 7.32 seconds by Angel Rodriguez, Toyota, Oct. ’06; 187.16 mph by Justin Humphreys, Lexus, Oct. ‘06
Hot Rod – 7.90 seconds and 188.70 by Mike Crawford, Dodge, Oct. ’06
All Motor - 9.56 seconds by Norris Prayoonto, Honda, Oct. ‘06; 141.56 mph by Jeremy Lookofsky, Honda, May ‘06
NATIONAL RECORDS: PRO RWD - 6.78 seconds and 206.99 mph (April, ’07, Richmond, Va.) by Brad Personett, Scion tC PRO FWD - 7.31 seconds (April, ‘07, Richmond, Va.) by Marty Ladwig, Chevy Cobalt; 196.44 mph (July ’06, Las Vegas) by Jason Hunt, Chevy Cobalt MODIFIED - 7.32 seconds (Sept. ’06, Englishtown, N.J.) by Angel Rodriguez, Toyota Starlet; 187.73 mph (Oct. ‘06, Pomona, Calif.) by Justin Humphreys, Lexus HOT ROD - 7.90 seconds and 184.25 mph (Oct. ‘06, Englishtown, N.J.), by Stephanie Eggum, Honda Civic ALL MOTOR - 9.40 seconds (April ‘07, Richmond, Va.) and 146.31 mph (April, ‘07, Jupiter, Fla.) by
Jeremy Lookofsky, Honda Civic
*** DRIVERS KENNY TRAN AND KEN SCHEEPERS LOOK FOR THIRD WIN IN A ROW AT NHRA SPORT COMPACT SPRINGNATIONALS
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. – With two races in the 11-race series down, no NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series drivers are hotter than Hot Rod competitor Kenny Tran and Modified driver Ken Scheepers.
Tran has raced his Q Scion to back-to-back wins to open the NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series and is looking to make it three-in-a-row heading into the seventh annual NHRA Sport Compact Springnationals at historic Old Bridge Township Race Park. For more information please visit nhrasportcompact.com.
Tran, who is racing his first full season in a Scion, says that he’s more than confident in the way his new ride is handling.
“It’s gone above our expectations this year for sure,” said Tran, speaking of his new Scion. “We finally feel that this is the first season that we have a really good chance to win the championship. It definitely gives you that feeling when you have a car that stays together and runs as well as this one does for us.”
Tran has had his ups and downs at Englishtown over the years. After winning the event in 2004, Tran came back in 2005 all the way to the final round to see his dreams of a second win go up in smoke with a bad transmission. Every year since then Tran has had some sort of trouble that seems to only occur at Englishtown.
“I’ve got a score that I need to settle with E-town,” said Tran. “Every year it gets tougher and tougher and E-town is one of those tracks that is always going to be good so there’s a lot of pressure to do well there. We really don’t have a good record at that track so especially now, with all the success we’ve had so far this season, we really want to have a win there.”
Another driver seeing success in the Sport Compact series is Modified driver Ken Scheepers.
Scheepers, who is also coming off of back-to-back wins this season, says that winning three-in-a-row at Englishtown would be near indescribable.
“It would be the biggest thing I ever accomplished in my drag racing career,” Scheepers said. “Toward the championship it would be awesome as well.”
Scheepers came close to setting a track record at the last event in Virginia but was unable to back it up; an act that Scheepers says was intentional.
“In Virginia I purposely tried for the win rather than go for the record,” said Scheepers. “I was looking at the big picture and not just the 20 points for the record.”
Though Scheepers would love to collect a national record in Englishtown, he says record or not, it’s going to be an exciting event.
“Englishtown is a new day,” said Scheepers. “This event is definitely going to be the biggest one we have this year in Modified, no question about it.”
While the quickest side-by-side sport compact racing in the world is happening on the track, fans will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities in the pit and the entertainment area. The NHRA Xplōd Stylefest will include NHRA Tuner Car Show, which offers the best sport compact show cars, the Modified Magazine NHRA Bikini Xhibition, concerts by today’s hottest artists and other extreme sports exhibitions.
NHRA is the premier sanctioning body for sport compact drag racing. It is presenting the 11-race NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series at nine tracks across the country from March through October.
The series is highlighted by its five championship classes (Pro RWD, Pro FWD, Modified, Hot Rod and Honda Tuning Magazine All Motor). In addition, and at all eight of the stand-alone NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series events, the NHRA Xplōd Stylefest showcases a compliment of the lifestyle and entertainment elements synonymous with today’s sport compact scene. More information is available at nhrasportcompact.com.
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 23 national events through its POWERade Drag Racing Series. NHRA has 80,000 members and 140 member tracks. NHRA-sanctioned sportsman and bracket racing series’ provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels. NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series, NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Street Legal Drags presented by AAA. NHRA also offers the O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 8 to 17.
*** NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series 2007 Point Standings
PRO RWD (Victories in parentheses)
1. Brad Personett, Scion (2) 276
2. Gary White, Toyota 194
4. Manuel Cruz, Mercury 152
5. Carlos Torres, Nissan 75
PRO FWD
1. Ed Bergenholtz, Mazda 195
2. Jason Hunt, Chevrolet (1) 192
3. Marty Ladwig, Chevrolet (1) 191
4. Christian Rado, Scion 131
5. Gary Gardella, Chevrolet 109
6. Bryan Jimenez, Chevrolet 108
MODIFIED
1. Ken Scheepers, Mazda (2) 234
2. Paul Efantis, Toyota 154
3. Eddie Colon, Toyota 107
4. Demetrios Karagiannis, Mazda 105
5. Carlos Perez, Mazda 94
6. Brent Rau, Mitsubishi 78
7. Luis Corujo, Toyota 54
8. Alex Dieguez, Toyota 53
9. Steve Topletz, Toyota 53
7. Brendan Alvarez, Toyota 10
HOT ROD
1. Kenny Tran, Scion (2) 235
2. Stephanie Eggum, Honda 195
3. Chuck Seitsinger, Honda 152
HONDA TUNING MAGAZINE ALL MOTOR
1. Jeremy Lookofsky, Honda (1) 234
2. Norris Prayoonto, Honda (1) 213
3. Leslie Armendariz, Scion 153
5. Julie Stepan, Chevrolet 144
4. Saul Salceda, Honda 132
6. Scott Kelley, Toyota 108
7. Angel Valentin, Mazda 53
8. Jesus Padilla, Mazda 52
9. Doug Parks, Mazda 52