Mon, 27 May 2013, 14:34 PM New York Native Nobile Ready to Grab a Pro Stock Victory at Hometown Track in Englishtown

Courtesy of NHRA Communications Photo copyright 2013 NHRA

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. --

Vincent Nobile

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races to the East Coast for the Toyota NHRA Summernationals on May 30-June 2, and Pro Stock racer Vincent Nobile is thrilled to once again return to his racing roots.

Nobile, in his third full season in Pro Stock, is a resident of Melville, N.Y. and has long considered Old Bridge Township Raceway Park as his home track which is located a little over 70 miles from his home.

"It is a lot of fun, my whole family comes out," Nobile said. "My dad and my mom usually come to every race. My extended family, my aunts, my uncles, and friends all come out to support me when we race at Englishtown, so it is really fun to go there."

Along with Nobile, all of the stars of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will be looking to earn victories at the ninth of 24 events in the 2013 season. Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Johnny Gray (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals, which will be televised nationally on ESPN2HD.

Nobile has raced down the historic track many times in his career as he was honing his skills before racing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. He raced Jr. Dragsters there and amazingly won the first race he entered as an NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League competitor. He also has class wins, as well as a King of the Hill victory when he was just eight years old. His first visit to the track in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series was in 2011 and Nobile felt the added pressure of having so many eyes on him during the weekend.

Vincent Nobile

"The first year I went there I was pretty nervous because I had my whole family there," he said. "I wanted to make everybody proud, but after that first year I got that under my belt and it's like any other race."

When Nobile entered the event in 2011 he had raced to two final round appearances and was coming off his first career Pro Stock win when he defeated Rodger Brogdon in Houston. Nobile powered to his third final of the year but a red-light start handed the win to Allen Johnson and cost the family an incredible opportunity to celebrate at a track that already holds special memories.

"If I could go back to 2011 and not red-light in the finals I would do anything to do that," Nobile said. "That would have meant the world to win that race in front of my whole family because that would be one pretty good winner's circle picture to have my whole family in it. To win there would mean a lot for me and my dad, because we have always wanted to win Englishtown."

Nobile won the season opening event in Pomona when he defeated his new teammate Jeg Coughlin in the final round. Since that win the team has had some struggles and hasn't raced past the quarterfinals. Nobile and his team are working diligently and are confident they will find a successful setup going into the Toyota NHRA Summernationals.

"We have been working on car setup and kind of got behind the eight ball," Nobile said. "We are starting to look at last year's notes and go back a bit so we will see what happens. If we qualify where we should we will be good. We are like a five, six player I believe. If we qualify there we should be happy. If we do that, we should go some rounds."

Vincent Nobile celebrates Pomona win with Mountain View Tire team. Photo copyright 2013 Auto Imagery, Inc.

The Pro Stock category is once again proving to be one of the toughest categories in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series with winners and losers separated by only hundredths of a second during many of the elimination rounds. Mike Edwards has the points lead in the category on the strength of two wins with Jeg Coughlin and Allen Johnson breathing down his neck in second and third in points. Jason Line, Erica Enders-Stevens and Greg Anderson, who has the most Pro Stock wins at the track with five, will all be competing for the coveted NHRA Wally on Sunday.

The Top Fuel category will feature intense racing action with Chesterfield, N. J. native and defending world champ Antron Brown vying for his first Top Fuel victory at the track to go next to his two Pro Stock Motorcycle wins. Tony Schumacher, Spencer Massey, Doug Kalitta, two-time season winner Shawn Langdon and Brandon Bernstein will also be looking for wins at the tradition-rich event.

Johnny Gray and Cruz Pedregon are the early leading championship contenders in the Funny Car category, with each claiming multiple wins early in the season. Matt Hagan is showing renewed success and defending champ Jack Beckman, Robert Hight and Courtney Force will try to add their names to the NHRA history book as Englishtown winners. Four-time E-Town winner John Force, 2006 winner Ron Capps, two-time winner Del Worsham and 2008 winner Tim Wilkerson will all be working to get another victory at the legendary track.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle season has been dominated by Hector Arana Jr. on his Lucas Oil Buell but the Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson tandem of Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec will be looking to put an end to that streak. Surging Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki rider Steve Johnson, Hector Arana Sr. and John Hall are all among the top contenders for the NHRA Wally in the two-wheel category at the event.

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as every ticket is an exclusive pit pass, allowing them firsthand to see the highly skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds. While visiting the pits, interactive NHRA Nitro Alley and the NHRA Manufacturers Midway are two popular areas fans won't want to miss.

The race also will feature exciting side-by-side racing action in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Pro Mod Series.

• SCHEDULE: NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 and 6:15 p.m. Friday, May 31, and will continue Saturday, June 1 18, at noon and 2:15 p.m. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 2.

• TICKETS: For tickets, call Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at (732) 446-7800. Tickets also are available online at www.racewaypark.com.

• TELEVISION: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 5 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 1, and two hours and 30 minutes of eliminations coverage at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 2.