NHRA News: Barry Grant to sponsor NHRA King Demon Crown (05/18/2002)

Barry Grant to sponsor NHRA King Demon Crown

05/18/2002

The National Hot Rod Association has signed a multi-year agreement with Barry Grant, Inc. to sponsor the NHRA King Demon Crown, a lucrative bonus event for Pro Stock competitors, it was announced Saturday during a press conference at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

The NHRA King Demon Crown is a special race-within-a-race bonus program for the top Pro Stock drivers in the NHRA POWERADE Drag Racing Series. The $76,000 NHRA King Demon Crown will take place on May 17, 2003 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J., and will feature a special elimination pairing with the eight quickest Pro Stock drivers who have accumulated the most points in qualifying during the bonus series. This program was formerly called the NHRA Pro Stock Challenge.

Drivers will begin earning 2003 NHRA King Demon Crown points at this weekend's Matco Tools SuperNationals and will continue to accumulate points through the 2003 Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac at Atlanta Dragway.

The winner of the NHRA King Demon Crown will earn $50,000, and the runner-up will earn $10,000. The two semifinalists will earn $3,000 each, while the four first-round finishers will receive $2,500 each.

"We are looking forward to some very exciting head-to-head racing among the sport's best Pro Stock racers in the NHRA King Demon Crown," said Barry Grant, president and CEO of Barry Grant, Inc. "Obviously Barry Grant, Inc. has been heavily involved in NHRA Pro Stock racing for many years and this is our way of saying 'Thank you' to the racers for their continued loyalty and dedication to our products. We know how important the NHRA King Demon Crown is to the Pro Stock community and the fans that follow the category. We couldn't be happier to be the title sponsor of this prestigious program."

The NHRA King Demon Crown features an overall purse of $145,000. In addition to the $76,000 NHRA King Demon Crown, Barry Grant, Inc. also will award $69,000 in qualifying bonuses to quick Pro Stock qualifiers throughout the NHRA King Demon Crown series. Low qualifiers earn $3,000 at each of the 23 events in the King Demon Crown series.

"This is absolutely one of the key attractions for our Pro Stock community, an event that the drivers and fans look forward to with great anticipation," said Bob Wagner, NHRA vice president of sales and business development. "With Barry Grant's support of this competitive bonus program, we're guaranteed many more thrilling side-by-side races in the future. The NHRA King Demon Crown definitely adds a certain level of drama and intrigue to the Matco Tools SuperNationals and provides an opportunity for the eight top drivers to showcase their talents in the competitive world of Pro Stock racing."

Past winners of the event include Jim Yates, Jeg Coughlin, Warren Johnson, Darrell Alderman, Kurt Johnson, Larry Morgan, Bruce Allen and Bob Glidden.

This is the first major sponsorship involvement with NHRA for Barry Grant, Inc. The company has been a major contingency sponsor for many years and is the primary sponsor for Grant's own 2002 Pontiac Grand Am Pro Stock entry. Starting in 2003, the King Demon carburetor has been approved by the NHRA Tech Dept. for use in Pro Stock competition. Additionally, OEM-style Speed Demon carburetors have been recognized for use in specific Super Stock and Competition Eliminator categories in 2003.

Barry Grant, Inc. is located in Dahlonega, Ga., north of Atlanta, and is a leader in premium-quality fuel-air management products for competition and street engine applications. The company manufactures and markets Demon carburetors (high performance carburetors), plus BG Fuel Systems (fuel pumps, pressure regulators, fuel system service components), Rush Performance Filters (premium cleanable, reusable air filters) and NitrousWorks (nitrous oxide assisted performance enhancement systems).

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