Sat, 12 Nov 2011, 20:33 PM NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series to Feature 43 Events Including New Regional Level in

Courtesy of NHRA Communications

GLENDORA, Calif. -- 2012 NHRA released its 2012 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule today, which features 43 events, with a minimum of five races conducted in each of NHRA's seven divisions and four series specialty events.

In its 11th year, the Lucas Oil Series also includes the addition of a newly created Regional level of events that will feature the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car categories. There will be four Regions: East, North Central, Central and West with a total of 23 Regional events across the country.

Returning to the schedule in 2012 will be Orlando Speedworld Dragway with an event on Feb. 10-12 and the addition of a second stop at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

NHRA Lucas Oil Series drivers in seven categories compete for valuable points leading to regional, divisional and national championships and a share of over $500,000 purse. The series also includes three sportsman-focused national events: the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals in Belle Rose, La.; the JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals in Fontana, Calif.; and the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, Ohio.

Other categories that compete in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series are Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street. Some divisions also opt to run additional categories, including Top Sportsman, Top Dragster and the Sportsman Motorcycle Series presented by Harley-Davidson.

"Sportsman racing is the core of our sport and the people that compete at this level are not only our customers, but our friends," said Forrest Lucas, owner and CEO of Lucas Oil Products. "It gives us great pride to support the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and we're excited about a promising 2012 season."

Bonus programs available to competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series include the $100,000 JEGS Allstars, the NHRA Perfectly Strange Performance Award, in which a total of $45,000 is up for grabs throughout, and the Sportsman Motorcycle Series presented by Harley-Davidson. Individual divisions may also have additional bonus programs available to racers.

Some prominent graduates of the NHRA Lucas Oil Series who have gone on to successful careers in the NHRA Full Throttle Series include Brandon Bernstein, Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, Alexis DeJoria, and Jeg Coughlin.

2012 NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES SCHEDULE

NORTHEAST DIVISION
April 20-21    Virginia Motorsports Park            Dinwiddie, Va. **
May 25-27      Maple Grove Raceway                  Mohnton, Pa. **
June 22-24     Lebanon Valley Dragway               West Lebanon, N.Y. **
July 20-22     New England Dragway                  Epping, N.H. **
Aug. 3-5       Atco Raceway                         Atco, N.J.
Aug. 17-19     Cecil County Dragway                 Rising Sun, Md. **
Sept. 7-9      Old Bridge Township Raceway Park     Englishtown, N.J.

SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Feb. 10-12     Orlando Speedworld Dragway         Orlando, Fla.
Feb. 17-19     Gainesville Raceway                Gainesville, Fla. **
March 2-4      South Georgia Motorsports Park     Valdosta, Ga.
June 22-23     Atlanta Dragway                    Commerce, Ga.
Sept 28-30     Bristol Dragway                    Bristol, Tenn.
Oct. 12-14     Silver Dollar Raceway              Reynolds, Ga.

NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION
April 27-29    Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis          Indianapolis **
May 18-20      Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park   Norwalk, Ohio **
June 8-10      Route 66 Raceway                           Joliet, Ill. **
July 20-22     National Trail Raceway                     Hebron, Ohio **
July 28-29     Mid-Michigan Motorplex                     Stanton, Mich.
Aug. 24-26     Beech Bend Raceway Park                    Bowling Green, Ky. **

SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION
March 2-4      Royal Purple Raceway Park                  Baytown, Texas
April 20-22    Texas Motorplex                            Ennis, Texas
June 1-3       No Problem Raceway                         Belle Rose, La.
June 22-24     Tulsa Raceway Park                         Tulsa, Okla. **
Sept. 14-16    Thunder Valley Raceway Park                Noble, Okla. **
Oct. 12-14     Royal Purple Raceway Park                  Baytown, Texas

WEST CENTRAL DIVISION
May 5-6        SRCA Dragstrip                              Great Bend, Kan.
June 2-3       Brainerd International Raceway              Brainerd, Minn.
June 15-17     Bandimere Speedway                          Morrison, Colo. **
Aug. 10-11     Cordova Raceway Park                        Cordova, Ill. **
Aug. 24-25     Heartland Park Topeka                       Topeka, Kan. **
Sept. 7-9      Tri-State Raceway                           Earlville, Iowa **

NORTHWEST DIVISION
May 4-6        Firebird Raceway                Boise, Idaho
May 25-27      Mission Raceway                 Mission, B.C. **
June 22-24     Spokane County Raceway          Spokane, Wash.
July 13-15     Woodburn Dragstrip              Woodburn, Ore. **
Aug. 17-18     Pacific Raceways                Kent, Wash.
Sept. 7-9      Woodburn Dragstrip              Woodburn, Ore. **

PACIFIC DIVISION
Feb. 24-26     Firebird International Raceway              Chandler, Ariz.
March 23-25    The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway       Las Vegas **
June 9-10      Top Gun Raceway                             Fallon, Nev.
July 20-22     Infineon Raceway                            Sonoma, Calif. **
Nov. 2-4       The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway       Las Vegas **

NHRA LUCAS OIL SERIES SPECIAL EVENTS
March 16-18    JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals            Belle Rose, La.
TBA            JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals          Fontana, Calif.
Sept. 21-23    JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals         Hebron, Ohio

** Denotes Regional events with Top Alcohol classes

NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Feb 12- 75th Anniversary Celebration Kickoff at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 10- Wally Parks 75th Anniversary Appreciation Fund Part of $27 Million Overall Purse
Feb 08- NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Releases 2026 Schedule
Feb 07- Huge List of Legends Set to Appear at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Feb 05- NHRA and Legends Global Extend Merchandise Partnership Ahead of 75th Anniversary Season
Feb 04- Doug Foley Announces Addition of Ron Douglas as Consultant to Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel Team
Feb 04- Tickets Now on Sale for NHRA's Debut at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and Rockingham Dragway
Feb 04- Reed, Zetterström to Share Driving Duties of Reed Trucking & Excavating Top Fuel Dragster
Jan 29- NHRA to Honor Iconic John Force in 2027 with "50 Years Of Force"
Jan 28- Top Fuel All-Star Callout Returns to Open NHRA's 75th Anniversary Season at Gatornationals