NHRA (INDIANAPOLIS) - SPORT COMPACT ADVANCE PACKAGE...
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WHAT: Inaugural Indy NHRA Sport Compact Nationals presented by BP featuring O’Reilly’s ITB presented by Royal Purple, the seventh 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 West Region Sportsman Class championships, plus two ET brackets.
WHERE: O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, Clermont, Ind. >From I-465, exit Crawfordsville Road (Hwy. 136). Head west for approximately four miles through the town of Clermont. The main entrance to the facility is on the left-hand side, one-half mile past Raceway Road.
WHEN: Friday- Sunday, Aug. 17-19, 2007.
SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, AUG. 17
GATES OPEN 10 a.m.
FAMILY FUN ZONE 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
FUN RUNS 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, AUG. 18
GATES OPEN 9 a.m.
NHRA HEADS-UP QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3, 6 and 8 p.m.
SUNDAY, AUG. 19
GATES OPEN 9 a.m.
NHRA XPLOD STYLEFEST from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
E.T. TIME TRIALS 9:30 a.m. to noon
ELIMINATIONS (SF, SR, SS, Q16; only if 9 or more cars) 10 a.m.
NHRA OPENING CEREMONIES begin at 1 p.m.
ELIMINATIONS begin at 1:30 p.m.
TELEVISION: Race - Tuesday, Oct. 16, 5 p.m. (ET) ESPN2.
Xplōd Stylefest – Tuesday, Oct. 16, 5:30 p.m. (ET), ESPN2.
**Check local listings, television schedule subject to change.
TICKETS: Discount advance tickets are available at O’Reilly Auto Parts locations and Ticketmaster.
Tickets will be available at the gate. Advance: Adult $10, Child $5. Gate: Adult $15, Child $5. Two-day ticket for $20. Three-day ticket $30.
NATIONAL RECORDS: PRO RWD - 6.55 seconds and 213.13 mph (June, ’07, Topeka, Kan.) by Gary White, Toyota Celica PRO FWD - 7.27 seconds and 201.55 mph (May ’07, Englishtown, N.J.) by Marty Ladwig, Chevy Cobalt MODIFIED – 7.33 seconds (June ’07, Atco, N.J.) and 192.36 mph (May ‘07, Englishtown, N.J.) by Paul Efantis, Toyota Solara HOT ROD - 7.90 seconds and 184.25 mph (Oct. ‘06, Englishtown, N.J.), by Stephanie Eggum, Honda Civic HONDA TUNING MAGAZINE ALL MOTOR - 9.33 seconds (May ‘07, Englishtown, N.J.) and 146.31 mph (April, ‘07, Jupiter, Fla.) by Jeremy Lookofsky, Honda Civic
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VETERAN XPLŌD SERIES DRIVERS EXCITED FOR OPPORTUNITY TO RACE AT HISTORIC O’REILLY RACEWAY PARK AT INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS – The drivers of the NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series are excited to get the opportunity to show off their skills in front of the fans at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis for the inaugural Indy NHRA Sport Compact Nationals presented by BP featuring O’Reilly’s ITB presented by Royal Purple, Aug. 18-19.
This will be the first time that most of these drivers will have an opportunity to race down the historic quarter-mile strip in Indianapolis. For them, this is a dream that didn’t seem possible before this year.
In four of the five categories there is at least one driver who has been participating every year in the Xplōd Series since the beginning in 2001, but has never had the opportunity to drive on the famed track in Indianapolis. Those drivers are: Ed Bergenholtz and Gary Gardella (Pro FWD), Ken Scheepers (Modified), Kenny Tran (Hot Rod), and Scott Kelley (Honda Tuning Magazine All Motor). These drivers are as excited as can be to have this chance.
For the driver with the most career NHRA races (57) before coming to Indianapolis, Tran couldn’t be more thrilled with the prospect of racing his car down the track at O’Reilly Raceway Park. He has been here before for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, but he has never raced his own car here. Tran, driving his Q Scion tC, will be looking to do well so that he can overcome his 24-point deficit to points leader Stephanie Eggum.
“This means a lot to me,” said Tran. “I have been here before for the POWERade Series, and I saw all the fans that come out for that. It is a big deal for me and it will be exciting to race here for the first time. I want to make a big impression on the fans, since this is the first sport compact event at Indy.”
Another driver that has been waiting a long time to conquer the track in Indy is Scheepers in his Mazdaspeed RX-8. He has been a dominating force in the Modified Category in 2007. He won three of the first four races to keep himself atop the points standings.
“I am really, really looking forward to it,” said Scheepers. “To be able to go in as the points leader and win it would mean a lot. It would be in the history books forever.”
While the Pro FWD category will be back racing for the first time at the end of the month with the POWERade Series, two drivers are aware of the fact that they will be able to race first as part of the Xplōd Series. Reigning category champion Ed Bergenholtz and Gary Gardella will drive their cars hoping for the first Xplōd Series win at Indy.
“It is the hallowed grounds of drag racing,” said Bergenholtz, driver of the Mazdaspeed 6. “I have never set foot at the track. The prestige to even get to race there is exciting. It would be pretty exciting for whoever gets the first win there. I have been racing a long time and have learned to respect places where people have gathered like at Indy.”
Gardella, who drives the Red Bull/Dupont Chevy Cobalt, knows that the track at Indy will provide the drivers with the opportunities they need to win.
“The track is fast,” said Gardella. “It is a beautiful facility and one of the nicest there is. They get a lot of fans out there. I think it’s great that we are going there and I am really excited at the opportunity. It is a big goal to make it there for the sport compact series.”
Lastly, the winner of Honda Tuning Magazine All Motor in Las Vegas and driver of the Toyo Tires Bullet Toyota Corolla, Kelly, sums it well for all Xplōd Series racers.
“I have been waiting for this for a while,” said Kelly. “It is a very exciting opportunity to race at Indy. It is every drag racer’s dream to race at Pomona and Indy. I have run at Pomona and now I get to run at Indy. It has been a long time coming.”
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 the 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 complement 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 NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series. NHRA has 80,000 members nationwide 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 NHRA Street Legal Drags presented
by AAA. NHRA also offers the O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag Racing League for youths ages 8 to 17.
**** NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series 2007 Point Standings
PRO RWD (Victories in parentheses)
1. Brad Personett, Scion (4) 628
2. Gary White, Toyota (1) 527
3. Manuel Cruz, Mercury 228
4. Boris Rojas, Mazda (1) 117
5. Carl Stevens Jr., Nissan 98
5. Carlos Torres, Nissan 75
PRO FWD
1. Jason Hunt, Chevrolet (3) 484
2. Marty Ladwig, Chevrolet (2) 479
3. Ed Bergenholtz, Mazda 404
4. Gary Gardella, Chevrolet 378
5. Christian Rado, Scion 293
6. Bryan Jimenez, Chevrolet 267
MODIFIED
1. Ken Scheepers, Mazda (3) 500
2. Paul Efantis, Toyota 465
3. Brent Rau, Mitsubishi (2) 412
4. Demetrios Karagiannis, Mazda 265
5. Luis Corujo, Toyota 164
6. Eddie Colon, Toyota 163
7. Steve Topletz, Toyota 106
8. Carlos Perez, Mazda 94
9. Thomas Shambaugh, Chevrolet 55
10. Alex Dieguez, Toyota 53
HOT ROD
1. Stephanie Eggum, Honda (3) 549
2. Kenny Tran, Scion (2) 525
3. Chuck Seitsinger, Honda 228
4. James Farrer, Chevrolet 153
5. Mike Crawford, Dodge 75
6. Tony Garcia, Honda 75
7. Jason Ames, Honda 54
8. Steven Tan, Honda 53
9. Eric Del Rosario, Honda 52
HONDA TUNING MAGAZINE ALL MOTOR
1. Jeremy Lookofsky, Honda (2) 527
2. Norris Prayoonto, Honda (2) 505
3. Leslie Armendariz, Scion 375
4. Saul Salceda, Honda 355
5. Scott Kelley, Toyota (1) 335
6. Julie Stepan, Chevrolet 322
7. Doug Parks, Mazda 207
8. Richie Gibson Jr. 107
9. Angel Valentin, Mazda 53
10. Jesus Padilla, Mazda 52