NHRA News: Summit Racing Series offers something for everyone (5/7/2004)

Summit Racing Series offers something for everyone

By Kevin McKenna, National DRAGSTER
5/7/2004

With more than 80,000 participants racing regularly at more than 140 NHRA member tracks, the NHRA Summit Racing Series is by far the largest and most successful E.T. drag racing Series in the history of organized drag racing. By whatever yardstick one chooses to measure – total number of participants, facilities, prize money, or prestige – no other sanctioning body's E.T. bracket series comes close to the NHRA Summit Racing Series, which will offer a total of $740,180 in cash purses and contingency payouts in 2004.

A staple of NHRA's sportsman racing program since the mid-1970s, the NHRA Summit Racing Series is a multi-tiered series that begins on a local level and culminates in the crowning of four national champions in Pomona, Calif., at the end of each season.

"Our NHRA Summit Racing E.T. Series is unique in that it offers opportunities for many bracket racers from all over North America to be successful," explained Len Imbrogno, NHRA's Director of Sportsman Racing. "Rather than just give a large sum of money to one individual, we have chosen to spread the wealth. Under the current format of the NHRA Summit Racing E.T. Series, each and every bracket racer has the opportunity for financial reward as well as national recognition.

"Also, there are no complex rules and no obligation to buy anything," Imbrogno continued. "With 95 percent of our NHRA member tracks involved in the series, racers from virtually anywhere in North America can get started simply by showing up at their nearest NHRA member track each week to test their skills against local competitors."

Participants in the NHRA Summit Racing E.T. Series begin earning points and cash by racing in qualifying events hosted by their local member tracks throughout the country. Drivers who gain the most points at their local participating tracks are then eligible to compete for individual and team honors at one of seven NHRA Summit Racing Division E.T. Finals events located within NHRA's seven geographic regions. This year, those events are located in Delmar, Del., Commerce, Ga., Indianapolis, Ind., Ennis, Texas, Topeka, Kan., Mission, B.C., and Bakersfield, Calif. The payout for the division events totals $204,180 in addition to available contingency payouts of $418,000.

In addition to the purse and contingency money, individual divisional winners in each category (28 total) receive a divisional champion's trophy, and a jacket. They also receive an invitation to participate in the Summit National Finals which is held during the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals each November. Once in Pomona, each of the 28 champions also receives $3,500. In Pomona those 28 individuals have the honor of competing side-by-side with NHRA's POWERade Series professional drivers for the right to be crowned a national champion. Each of the four national champions will receive an additional $5,000 bonus. With division payouts, contingency payouts, cash appearance fees and champions bonuses, the grand total equals $740,180 available to NHRA Summit Series E.T. racers.

"E.T. racers are the foundation upon which NHRA was built," said Imbrogno, himself a former E.T. bracket racer. "The NHRA Summit Racing Series is just one of the many exciting programs we have to offer for sportsman and E.T. racers. With the success of the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the National DRAGSTER Challenge, the NHRA King of the Track and Be a Winner, Be a Member programs, we feel we have a grass roots series that is unrivaled in all of motorsports."

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