From left, Surprise, Ariz., Chief of Police Daniel Hughes; Jerrie Foss, NHRA; Surprise Mayor Lyn Truitt; and Bernie Longjohn, Speedworld Dragstrip.

Lt. Randy Rody performed a burnout in the Surprise Police Mustang.

Speedworld Dragstrip officially kicked off its new Beat the Heat program with help from the city of Surprise, Ariz. The program, which falls under the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA program, is held on select Wednesday nights; four more are scheduled this year.
 
Surprise Mayor Lyn Truitt was on hand and named honorary starter for the night’s activities along with City Council member John Williams and Daniel Hughes, chief of police. Truitt did some racing himself against several teenage participants as well as Speedworld owner Dave Matthews. Truitt got the best of Matthews in their race down the quarter-mile track. Representatives from several other Surprise programs were also on hand to support the event, including SADD (Students Against Drunk Drivers), UTI (Universal Tech Institute), and the National Guard.
 
Speedworld’s program runs form 6 to 10 p.m. with fun-grudge racing in street-legal cars. No eliminations are held, so everyone can race their friends, family, and even a police car all night for just $10. Lt. Randy Rody of the Surprise Police Department teamed with Speedworld managers Bernie Longjohn and Victoria Griffey on the idea several months ago. The three have been working on the program and held two events at Speedworld earlier this year to get the ball rolling. The goal of the program, along with that of the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style program, is to get kids off the city streets and give them a place to race their cars in a controlled environment.
 
For more information on the program, log on to www.speedworlddragstrip.com or NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style, www.nhra.com/streetlegal/default.aspx.