Sunday
TOPEKA, Kan. (Sept. 20, 2009) – The legend of the home field advantage helped Team Heartland Park Topeka today as the group from the home track won a tight battle for the team title at the NHRA West Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals.  This weekend, the best bracket racers from tracks around the division came to HPT to square off, fighting for team and individual honors.

It was a close fight between HPT and the squad from Tri-State Raceway in Earlville, Iowa.  HPT scored a total of 52 points to Tri-State’s 50.

Tom Williams of Leonardville, Kan., helped lead Team HTP to the championship with his win in Super Pro.  In the final Williams ended up being unopposed as Dan Welch, Wichita, Kan., racing for Kansas Int’l Dragway, could not make the call.  Welch had blown his motor in the shutdown area after the semis and could not get back for the final. Williams did not get a time in the last round because staged the car and took the green light without making a run.

Bagley , Minn., resident Todd Larson, racing for Interstate Dragways, scored the win in Pro.  Larson wheeled his ’78 Corvette to the win over Bob Ingman of Andover, Minn., who represented Brainerd Int’l Raceway.  Ingman drove his ’70 Cougar to the final.

SRCA Dragstrip racer Darrel Goheen of Hays, Kan., ousted Denver’s Rick Schillereff in the Sportsman final.  Goheen piloted his ’67 Chevelle and Schillereff was behind the wheel of his ’01 Camaro.

 In the Motorcycle class, Michael Nichols, Knoxville, Iowa, racing for Eddyville Raceway Park, rode to the win, beating Tom Gilligan of Fremont, Neb.  Gilligan was running for Kearney Raceway.

The division’s High School champion is Kyle Tripp of Golden, Colo.  The Bandimere Speedway racer defeated Jaron Miller of Chase, Kan., who was representing SRCA Dragstrip.

William, Larson, Goheen and Nichols will have the opportunity to race for a national championship at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  The winners in each of the top four classes face off against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions.  The winner in each category comes away with the title and the winner-take-all $5,000 payday.

Following are the NHRA West Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals champions:
SUPER PRO
Tom Williams, Leonardville, Kan., Heartland Park Topeka, dragster, took the green light def.
Dan Welch, Wichita, Kan., Kansas Int'l Dragway, dragster, broke

SUMMIT PRO
Todd Larson, Bagley, Minn., Interstate Dragways, '78 Corvette, 11.150, 119.06 def.
Bob Ingman, Andover, Minn., Brainerd Int'l Raceway, '70 Cougar, 10.665, 124.57

SPORTSMAN
Darrel Goheen, Hays, Kan., SRCA Dragstrip, '67 Chevelle, 12.350, 107.25 def.
Rick Schillereff, Denver, Colo., Bandimere Speedway, '01 Camaro, 12.608, 105.25

MOTORCYCLE
Michael Nichols, Knoxville, Iowa, Eddyville Raceway Park, dragster, 9.614, 130.32 def.
Tom Gilligan, Fremont, Neb., Kearney Raceway, '77 Kawasaki, 9.002, 142.96

HIGH SCHOOL
Kyle Tripp, Golden, Colo., Bandimere Speedway, dragster, 11.352, 117.65 def.
Jaron Miller, Chase, Kan., SRCA Dragstrip, '70 El Camino, foul

Following are the final team point standings from the NHRA West Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals:
Team Points
1.  Heartland Park Topeka         52
2.  Tri-State Raceway                  50
3.  Kansas City Int'l Raceway     46
4.  Eddyville Raceway Park        45
5.  Bandimere Speedway           45
6.  Brainerd Int'l Raceway           41
7.  Interstate Dragways               41
8.  SRCA Dragstrip                      40
9.  Cordova Dragway Park         34
10. Kansas Int'l Dragway           34
11. Rock Falls Raceway            33
12. Grove Creek Raceway         32
13. Pueblo Motorsports Park     29
14. Kearney Raceway Park        28
15. Rolling Thunder Dragstrip   26
16. Cedar Falls Raceway            21
17. Oahe Speedway                     19
18. Dougls Motorsports Park      15
19. Western Colorado Dragway  11
20. Julesburg Dragway              1
 

Saturday

TOPEKA, Kan. (Sept. 19, 2009) – Racing continued today at the NHRA West Central Division Summit Racing Series Finals at Heartland Park Topeka.  The best bracket racers in the region have converged on the track vying for individual and team honors. Competing classes are Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle and High School.

Saturday’s action pitted the top points earning drivers from each track against each other in head-to-head competition in the Race of Champions (ROC).  The squad from Cordova Dragway Park in Illinois had three racers in the final rounds of the ROC.  They came away with two wins. 

Super Pro racer Anthony Lane, Coal Valley, Ill., scored points for Cordova when he beat Jerry Dietz of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who was running for Tri-State Raceway.  LeClaire, Iowa’s Justin Rosenbohm scored the second win for Cordova, ousting Tim Larson of Littleton, Colo., running for Bandimere Speedway in the Sportsman final.  Tom Klemme of Davenport, Iowa, was the third Cordova racer in the final.  In the Motorcycle final, he was runner-up to his son, Steve, of Taylor Ridge, Ill., racing for Eddyville Raceway Park.  In the Pro class, Shane Boney of Belview, Minn., representing Grove Creek Raceway, wheeled his ’94 S-10 to the win over Emporia, Kan., racer Troy Ross who is running for Heartland Park Topeka.

Last year, Tom Klemme came away as the division’s Motorcycle champion and went on to claim the national title during the NHRA Finals at in Pomona, Calif.  Racers who win their division’s Summit Series Finals in the top four classes then go to Pomona to race against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions. They compete for the national championship and a winner-take-all $5,000 purse.

Eliminations for all classes start Sunday morning at 8.  Gates at HPT open at 8 a.m.

Heartland Park Topeka is located off U.S. Highway 75, four miles south of Topeka.  From Interstate 470, take Forbes Field exit and proceed on U.S. Highway 75 to Gary Ormsby Drive.  For more information call the track, (785) 862-4781, or visit www.HPT.com or www.NHRAdiv5.com.

Following are the West Central Division Race of Champions winners from the Summit Racing Series Finals:

SUPER PRO
Anthony Layne, Coal Valley, Ill., Cordova Dragway Park, dragster, 7.480, 179.52 def. Jerry Dietz, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Tri-State Raceway, '27 roadster, foul

PRO
Shane Boney, Belview, Minn., Grove Creek Raceway, '94 S-10, 9.400, 133.51 def.
Troy Ross, Emporia, Kan., Heartland Park Topeka, '69 Nova, 9.950, 136.93

SPORTSMAN
Justin Rosenbohm, LeClaire, Iowa, Cordova Dragway Park, '87 Corvette, 14.610, 75.98 def.
Tim Larson, Littleton, Colo., Bandimere Speedway, '57 BelAir, 12.150, 104.19

MOTORCYCLE
Steve Klemme, Taylor Ridge, Ill., Eddyville Raceway Park, '73 Kawasaki, 9.310, 137.19 def.
Tom Klemme, Davenport, Iowa, Cordova Dragway Park, '77 Kawasaki, 8.659, 149.56

Friday
TOPEKA, Kan. (Sept. 18, 2009) – The top bracket racers in the NHRA West Central Division have gathered at Heartland Park Topeka for the division’s Summit Racing Series Finals.  The three-day event kicked off today with time trials for the more than 500 racers in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle/Snowmobile as well as a High School category who are representing 20 tracks.  Racers are competing for team and individual honors and a share of the nearly $16,000 purse.

Saturday’s action will include the Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points-earning drivers from each track square off in head-to-head competition. 

On Sunday, racers will run down to one winner in each of the division’s five categories.  The champions in the top four classes will have the opportunity to race at the NHRA finals in Pomona, Calif., against the winners from NHRA’s other six divisions for a national championship and a winner-takes-all $5,000 purse.

Gates at Heartland Park Topeka at Indianapolis open at 8 a.m. each day. Time trials will continue Saturday at 9 a.m. The Race of Champions will also run on Saturday.  Eliminations will start Sunday morning at 8.

Heartland Park Topeka is located off U.S. Highway 75, four miles south of Topeka.  From Interstate 470, take Forbes Field exit and proceed on U.S. Highway 75 to Gary Ormsby Drive.  For more information call the track, (785) 862-4781, or visit www.HPT.com or www.NHRAdiv5.com.

BELOW ARE TRACKS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE WEST CENTRAL DIVISION SUMMIT RACING SERIES FINALS:
? Bandimere Speedway; Denver
? Brainerd International Raceway; Brainerd, Minnesota
? Cedar Falls Raceway; Janesville, Iowa
? Cordova Dragway Park; Cordova, Illinois
? Douglas Motorsports Park; Douglas, Wyoming
? Eddyville Raceway Park; Oskaloosa, Iowa
? Grove Creek Raceway, Grove City, Minnesota
? Heartland Park Topeka; Topeka, Kansas
? Interstate Dragways; Morehead, Minnesota
? Kansas City International Raceway; Kansas City, Missouri
? Kansas International Dragway; Maize, Kansas
? Kearney Raceway Park; Kearney, Nebraska
? Oahe Speedway; Pierre, South Dakota.
? Pueblo Motorsports Park; Pueblo, Colorado
? Rock Falls Raceway; Eau Claire, Wisconsin
? Rolling Thunder Dragstrip at Mid-America Motorplex; Pacific Junction, Iowa
? S.R.C.A. Dragstrip; Great Bend, Kansas
? Sturgis Dragway, Sturgis, South Dakota
? Tri-State Raceway; Earlville, Iowa
? Western Colorado Dragway; Grand Junction, Colorado

Preview
TOPEKA, Kan. – Heartland Park Topeka will host the NHRA Summit Racing Series West Central Division Finals, Sept. 18-20.  The event will feature teams of the series’ best racers representing NHRA Member Tracks from across the region.  Drivers in five classes will compete for individual and team honors and a share of the nearly $16,000 purse.  More than 500 drivers are expected to compete in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Super Pro Bike, and High School categories.  Racers in the High School category will run for trophies and a scholarship award.

The individual winners in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Super Pro Bike will advance to a national run-off in California in November at the NHRA Auto Club of Southern California Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona where they will vie for a national championship and a winner-take-all $5,000 payday in each class.  Each driver who competes in Pomona will also receive an additional $3,500.

Gates at HPT open at 8 a.m. each day.  Time trials start at 9 a.m. Friday and continue Saturday at 9 a.m.  The Race of Champions, a race within a race for the top points earning drivers at each track, is slated to start at 1 p.m. Saturday.  Eliminations for the Summit Racing Series Finals will start Sunday morning at 9.

Heartland Park Topeka is located off U.S. Highway 75, four miles south of Topeka.  From Interstate 470, take Forbes Field exit and proceed on U.S. Highway 75 to Gary Ormsby Drive.  For more information call the track, (317) 291-4090, or visit www.NHRAdiv5.com.

SUMMIT RACING SERIES WEST CENTRAL DIVISION FINALS: Fact Sheet

WHAT: NHRA Summit Racing Series Finals, where top drivers from NHRA member tracks across the West Central division compete in five classes for individual and team honors.  Individual champions will advance to a national run-off at the NHRA Auto Club of Southern California Finals at Pomona Raceway in Calif.  The Race of Champions, a race within a race where the top points earners from each participating track run head-to-head for individual honors, will run on Saturday.

WHERE: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas.  Track is located off U.S. Highway 75, four miles south of Topeka.  From Interstate 470, take Forbes Field exit and proceed on U.S. Highway 75 to Gary Ormsby Drive.

WHEN:  Friday through Sunday, September 18-20, 2009.

SCHEDULE: Time trials schedule for the Summit Racing Series West Central Division Finals:
FRIDAY, Sept. 18 -- Gates open at 8 a.m.  Time trials begin at 9 a.m.
    
SATURDAY, Sept. 19 -- Gates open at 8 a.m.  Final time trials begin at 9 a.m.  The Race of Champions, a race within a race for top points earning drivers from each track, will run on Saturday. 

SUNDAY, Sept. 20 -- Gates open at 8 a.m.  Eliminations begin at 8 a.m.

PURSE: The Summit E.T. Racing Series competitors in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman and Motorcycle/Snowmobile will compete for cash and contingency awards of more than $100,000.  The winners in each category will advance to compete against winners from NHRA’s other six divisions at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., in November.  They will each receive $3,500 for competing in the Finals and the winner in each class will receive an additional $5,000.  The special High School Eliminator winners will receive a trophy and other awards.

2008 EVENT WINNERS:  Pueblo Motorsports Park, Pueblo, Colo., team champion; Jeff Solomon, Kansas City Int’l Raceway, Super Pro; Andy Schmall, Brainerd Int’l Raceway, Pro; Tim Lewandowski, Brainerd Int’l Raceway, Sportsman; Tom Klemme, Cordova Dragway Park, Motorcycle; Ricky James, SRCA Dragstrip, High School.