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REYNOLDS, Ga. --
In Top Alcohol Dragster, there is currently a three-way fight for the crown. Going into the division's previous race, at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ashley Force and Artie Allen were tied for the points lead and Aaron Olivarez was 12 points behind them. A resident of Sandy, Utah, Olivarez has not raced a full schedule this year but picked up two wins early in the season, beating Force at the season opener at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway, and knocking off defending Northeast division champ Arthur Gallant at Bradenton (Fla.) Motorsports Park. Allen, who resides in Jacksonville, Fla., has one win on the year, at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Cecil, Ga. Force has yet to score a win on the divisional level but has three runner-up finishes. In Commerce, Allen suffered a first round loss while Force made it to the semis. Olivarez passed both of them in the points standings with a runner-up finish. The question in Top Alcohol Dragster becomes: Will Olivarez compete at Silver Dollar Raceway? And, whether he does or not, will either Force or Allen be able to score enough points to reclaim the points lead? Force is the 23-year-old daughter of 13-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force. Since 2004 she has piloted the Top Alcohol Dragster entry of Jerry Darien and Ken Meadows. The Darien/Meadows team has been the training ground for a spate of current NHRA professional drivers, including reigning Funny Car champ Gary Scelzi, Melanie Troxel, Brandon Bernstein and Morgan Lucas. In her rookie year in the class, Force earned the TAD crown in NHRA's South Central division and was named that division's Rookie of the Year the same year. Olivarez and Allen are both looking for their first divisional titles. Jay Payne has made the Top Alcohol Funny Car championship much less complicated. The Upland, Calif., racer has put together three wins and two runner-up finishes on the year to earn his fifth Top Alcohol Funny Car crown. The veteran driver also has four Top Alcohol Dragster division crowns and one national championship on his resume. This year, Payne won in Gainesville and Commerce as well as an out-of-division event in Baytown, Texas. He was runner-up in out-of-division events in Topeka, Kan., and Joliet, Ill., as well. Silver Dollar Raceway will host the final 2006 NHRA Southeast Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event October 20-22. The race is the last of six in the division where drivers in eight classes can earn valuable in points toward divisional and national championships. The division's TracStar Systems Satellites Top Sportsman class will also be run in conjunction with the event. Gates at Silver Dollar Raceway open at 8 a.m. each day. Qualifying and time trials start at 11 a.m. Friday and continue Saturday at 9 a.m. Comp Eliminator and Top Sportsman qualify Friday at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, Top Sportsman will qualify at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. and Comp Eliminator will run at 2 and 5 p.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car are slated for two qualifying passes on Saturday at 4 and 7 p.m. Eliminations begin Sunday at 9 a.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car will run first round at 1 p.m. Tickets for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event are $10 Friday, $20 Saturday and $20 Sunday. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. Military personnel with valid ID are eligible for discounted tickets. Silver Dollar Raceway is located in Reynolds, Ga., 23 miles west of Interstate 75 on Georgia Highway 96. The track is 50 miles east of Columbus and 40 miles southwest of Macon. For more information call the track, (478) 847-4414, or visit http://www.SilverDollarRaceway.com. Although the race at Silver Dollar Raceway is the last on the NHRA Southeast division calendar, racers may still earn points toward championships at out-of-division races. NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES FACT SHEET WHAT: NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where drivers earn points leading to divisional and national championships. Categories include Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. The event is the last of six in Southeast Division competition. The division's TracStar Systems Satellites Top Sportsman Series will also be run in conjunction with the event. WHERE: Silver Dollar Raceway, Reynolds, Ga. Track is located on state Highway 96 West, just west of US Highway 341. WHEN: Friday through Sunday, October 20-22, 2006
SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, Oct. 21 -- Gates open at 8 a.m. Final qualifying and time trials are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Top Sportsman qualifying is at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Comp Eliminator will qualify at 2 and 5 p.m. Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car qualifying sessions are scheduled at 4 and 7 p.m. SUNDAY, Oct. 22 -- Gates open at 8 a.m. Eliminations begin at 9 a.m. Comp Eliminator and Top Sportsman will begin eliminations at 10:30 a.m. and eliminations for Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car begin at 1 p.m. TICKETS: GENERAL ADMISSION/PIT PASS -- $10 Friday, $20 Saturday, $20 Sunday. A two-day pass is $35. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. Military personnel with military ID can purchase up to 2 tickets for half-price. For more information please call Silver Dollar Raceway, (478) 847-4414 or visit http://www.SilverDollarRaceway.com. PURSE: The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors will vie for cash and contingency awards of $160,800, as well as a chance at a share of the year-end purse of more than $560,000. 2005 EVENT WINNERS: Richard Putz, Top Alcohol Dragster; Bob Newberry, Top Alcohol Funny Car; Van Puckett, Comp Eliminator; Hugh Meeks III, Super Stock; Mickey Whaley, Stock Eliminator; Todd Ewing, Super Comp; Ryan Bolin, Super Gas; Larry Cox, Super Street
BONUS PROGRAMS: JEG'S ALLSTARS: The best of the best from each of NHRA's seven divisions will compete for a share of the $100,000 point fund from Jeg's High Performance. The 2007 Jeg's Allstars event will culminate a year-long points battle between drivers in each of NHRA's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series' eight classes. The top points earner in each category will qualify to represent his/her division at the 2007 Jeg's Allstars. Points are based on in-division races only. The winning division's team will share $20,000 and individual awards include $7,000 each to the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car champions, $6,000 to champions in Comp Eliminator and Super Stock, and $4,500 to the Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street champions. Runners-up in all categories will earn $2,000 apiece. Each Allstars competitor will also receive a share of a $20,000 towing fund to get to the event. Event sponsor, Jeg's High Performance, is offering a "double up" bonus to Jeg's Allstars participants. Any 2007 Jeg's Allstars champion who also wins the national event will have his/her Allstars prize doubled. TRACSTAR SYSTEMS SATELLITES TOP SPORTSMAN SERIES: Run in conjunction with the Lucas Oil Series, competitors in the Top Sportsman class are vying for division championships and a share in the $3,500 purse. Top Sportsman racers may run the seven Southeast Division Lucas Oil events as well as three Lucas Oil Series races in either the North Central or South Central Divisions.
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