California Speedway to host Pacific SPORTSnationals

Racing series	NHRA-SM
Date	2006-09-13

NHRA PACIFIC SPORTSNATIONALS PRESENTED BY K&N AT AUTO CLUB DRAGWAY AT CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY SEPT. 28 -- OCT. 1

The best Sportsman racers on the West Coast will converge on Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway for the NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N on September 28 -- October 1.

Everything from Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street as well as the division's Top Comp and Super Eliminator categories will be showcased during the Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway event. A $5,000-to-win Mopar Hemi Shootout will also take place during the weekend.

Racers from throughout the region will vie for national recognition and a chance to accumulate national contingency points for end of season payouts. The event is similar to a national competition because competitors need a certain amount of grade points to qualify. One grade point is required to compete. All competitors should pre-register online. For more information on how to register, go to www.nhradiv7.com. Entries will be accepted at the gate for a penalty late registration fee.

Competitor parking will begin as early as Monday, September 25th. There will be a track test n tune session on Thursday, September 28th. Only competitors who are eligible and participating in the race weekend may take advantage of the test n tune opportunity on Thursday.

Gates open each day (Friday -- Sunday) at 8 a.m. Time Trials and Qualifying begins on Friday at 8 a.m. with Top Comp and Competition Eliminator Qualifying at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Stock Class Eliminations will take place throughout the day on both Friday and Saturday. Time trials and qualifying begins on Saturday at 8 a.m. with Top Comp and Competition Eliminator Qualifying at 11 a.m. Mopar Hemi Challenge Round 1 will take place at noon with eliminations starting at 2 p.m. and Top Comp and Competition Eliminator round 1 begin at 5 p.m. Eliminations will continue on Sunday.

When race fans purchase tickets to an Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway event, it always includes a pit pass and free parking. Thursday and Friday tickets are $10 per person, per day with Saturday and Sunday tickets at $20 per person, per day. Children 12 and under are free with a paid adult admission.

It was announced in November 2005 that the Automobile Club of Southern California signed a five-year entitlement agreement for the new quarter-mile strip, home to a very competitive Division 7 Junior Drag Racing program sponsored by the Auto Club and the AAA-sponsored NHRA Street Legal Drag Racing program. In addition to these events, NHRA's Summit Series, Pacific Street Car Association and Super Categories use the strip. Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway is a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) sanctioned track.

Drag racing has taken place at California Speedway since 2001 where the dragstrip was previously located in Lot 1 behind the Speedway's main grandstand. An announcement was made in November that the strip would be permanently relocated to the North side of the facility in Lots 6 and 8 along. Construction began in February and Auto Club Dragway opened in June for Jr. Drag and Summit racing events. The dragstrip hosted an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 7 event on June 22-25, 2006, the first major NHRA event on the new strip. This weekend's NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals will mark the first national competition on the strip.

For more information on Auto Club Dragway at California Speedway and the NHRA Pacific SPORTnationals, please visit www.californiaspeedway.com or call 909-429-5060.

-credit: cs