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NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series rolls through Montgomery
04/04/2002
NHRA's Southeast division will continue its 2002 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series with the 7th Annual Dixie Nationals at Montgomery Motorsports Park, April 5-7. The event will feature more than 400 drivers in eight racing categories including 260-mph Top Alcohol Dragsters (TAD) and Top Alcohol Funny Cars (TAFC). As competition heats up in the Series, there is a fight brewing in Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC). And competition in Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) seems to be up in the air after two races.
Jay Payne, of Upland, Calif., and Von Smith, from Oak Ridge, Tenn., are tied for first in TAFC action. Each driver has one win going into the division's third race of the season. Payne, in his Valvoline-backed Camaro, took the win at the season opener in Gainesville, Fla., and Smith wheeled his Jensen Audio Firebird to the win in Orlando, Fla.
Last year, these two competitors battled it out down to the wire for the division championship. In the end, Payne won it by 16 points. However, Smith is the defending champion at this race.
Things in TAD are a little less defined. Jason Cannon is leading the points with one win and a semi-final round appearance. The Middleburg, Fla., resident beat Northeast Division competitor Billy Gibson in Orlando. Another Middleburg resident, the defending division champion Michael Gunderson, has yet to reach a final round in 2002. However, Gunderson boasts a fast car and is not likely to be kept down.
Gates at Montgomery Motorsports Park open at 9 a.m. Friday and qualifying and time trials begin at noon. Saturday, gates open at 8 a.m. and racing action continues at 10 a.m. TAD and TAFC will begin first round of eliminations at 6 p.m. Sunday, gates open at 8 a.m. and eliminations start at 10 a.m. TAD and TAFC will continue eliminations at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Adult tickets are $15 each day. A three-day pass is $40 and children under 12 are admitted free with a paid adult.
The event is part of a 45-race, $6.5 million series contested across the country. Drivers are competing for a part of a $561,000 champions' purse. They will earn points leading to national and division titles as well as a berth on the team that will represent the Southeast division at the Jeg's Allstar event in September.
The other classes competing in the event are Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street.
The track is located at 2600 North Belt Drive. From I-85, take exit 6 and go north on North Blvd. to North Belt Drive. From I-65, take exit 173 and go north on North Blvd. to North Belt Drive. For more information, contact Montgomery Motorsports Park, (334) 260-9660, or visit the web site at www.mmpdragracing.com.
NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES: Fact Sheet
WHAT: The 7th Annual Dixie Nationals, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where drivers earn points leading to divisional and national championships. Categories include Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The event is the third of seven in Southeast Division competition.
WHERE: Montgomery Motorsports Park, Montgomery, Ala. Track is located at 2600 North Belt Drive. From I-85, take exit 6. Go north on North Blvd. Turn right on North Belt Drive. From I-65, take exit 173 and go north on North Blvd. Turn left on North Belt Drive.
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, April 5-7, 2002
SCHEDULE: Time trials and qualifying schedule for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series:
FRIDAY, April 5 -- Gates open at 9 a.m. Qualifying and time trials begin at noon. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car qualifying sessions are scheduled at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, April 6 -- Gates open at 8 a.m. Final qualifying and time trials are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car begin eliminations at 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, April 7 -- Gates open at 8 a.m. Eliminations begin at 10 a.m. Eliminations for Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car continue at 10 a.m.
PURSE: The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors will vie for cash and contingency awards of $152,700, part of the 45-race, $6.5 million series.
2001 EVENT WINNERS: Michael Gunderson, Top Alcohol Dragster; Von Smith, Top Alcohol Funny Car; Mike Saye, Comp Eliminator; Don Barber, Super Stock; Gary Emmons, Stock Eliminator; Len King, Super Comp; Scotty Richardson, Super Gas; Lamar Stevenson, Super Street
BONUS PROGRAMS:
NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES POINTS FUND -- a $561,000 point fund from Lucas Oil, which will be shared by 2002 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional champions and national champions. Divisional awards include $8,500 each to the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car champions; $3,000 to the champions in both Competition and Super Stock; $2,000 each to the champions in Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The seven national champions will share a bonus of $135,000.
SEALED POWER LOW QUALIFIER BONUS -- a $220,500 overall bonus fund from Federal-Mogul's Sealed Power brand to the low qualifiers at each of the 45 Lucas Oil events and the 23 NHRA national events: $1,250 each in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car; $400 each in Comp Eliminator and Super Stock; and $200 in Stock. (TAD and TAFC compete at 16 of 23 national events.)
JEG'S ALLSTARS: The best of the best from each of NHRA's seven divisions will compete for a share of the $100,000 point fund from Jeg's High Performance. The 2002 Jeg's Allstars event will culminate a year-long points battle between drivers in each of NHRA's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series' eight classes. The top points earner in each category will qualify to represent his/her division at the 2002 Jeg's Allstars, held in conjunction with the NHRA Nationals in Chicago, Sept. 26-29, 2002. Points are based on in-division races only.
The winning division's team will share $20,000 and individual awards include $7,000 each to the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car champions, $6,000 to champions in Comp Eliminator and Super Stock, and $4,500 to the Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street champions. Runners-up in all categories will earn $2,000 apiece. Each Allstars competitor will also receive a share of a $20,000 towing fund to get to the event.
FEATURES: More than 400 drivers in the eight racing categories. Eight-car fields in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car, featuring five-second, 260 mph side-by-side racing.
TICKETS: GENERAL ADMISSION/PIT PASS -- $15 Friday, $15 Saturday, $15 Sunday. A three-day pass is $40 and children 12 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. For more information please call Montgomery Motorsports Park, (334) 260-9660.
Return to 2002 Sportsman News Archive