INDIANAPOLIS - Only two short weeks ago Indianapolis Raceway Park played host to 900 of NHRA’s finest POWERade and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series racers during the most prestigious event on the NHRA tour, the 51st Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. This weekend, IRP welcomes nearly 800 more NHRA racers of a different breed as they play host to one of the most celebrated events for NHRA’s “grass roots” racers, the North Central Division’s Summit Racing Series Finals, which began today.

In all, 20 NHRA member tracks spanning NHRA’s North Central Division will converge on IRP this weekend where they will compete for individual and teams honors. In addition to the coveted team and individual championships, another component of this weekend’s event is the VP Racing Fuels Race of Champions, which will be contested tomorrow. This portion of the event is only open to each track’s top points earners in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle and has a combined purse of $4000.

On Saturday, the racers in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle, will take to the track for another round of time trials as well as their opening rounds of eliminations. Saturday will also feature time trials for the competitors in the High School eliminator. This category is open to competitors currently enrolled in High School or 2005 graduates. The winner of that eliminator will receive a trophy and jacket and will be honored as a part of the North Central Division’s annual awards banquet in January.

Sunday’s action will feature the highly regarded individual championships in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle. The winner in each category will advance to the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., where they will compete for a National Championship and $5000 against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions. Drivers at this weekend’s event will also contend for the coveted team championship, won last year by National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio.

Gates will open Saturday at 7 a.m., with time trials set to begin at 9 a.m. For more information on the event call Indianapolis Raceway Park at (317) 291-4090 or visit them on the web at www.IRPOnline.com.