Thu, 5 Dec 2002, 09:09 PM NHRA Announces NHRA Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley-Davidson Exhibition Tour

Courtesy of NHRA Communications At Three National Events in 2003

GLENDORA, Calif. -- The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) announced the creation of the NHRA Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley-Davidson exhibition tour to be held at three national events in conjunction with the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour.

The three NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events in 2003 that will showcase the NHRA Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley-Davidson exhibitions will be the Mac Tools Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals, Bristol, Tenn. Dragway (April 25-27), the NHRA Route 66 Nationals, Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Ill. (Sept. 25-28), and the O’Reilly Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas (Oct. 9-12).

The three exhibitions will provide unprecedented exposure for the Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley class as they compete side-by-side with the biggest names in drag racing and in front of the hundreds of thousands of fans that attend each and every NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national event.

“We are excited to have Harley-Davidson become a larger part of the NHRA entertainment package and take advantage of the inherent value of being associated with the world’s premier drag racing sanctioning body,” said Bob Wagner, vice president of sales for NHRA. “The brand brings a great amount of credibility to NHRA and this form of racing brings a tremendous amount of entertainment value to our fans.”

The invitation-only exhibition tour will feature a maximum of 14 Nitro Harley-Davidson teams who will compete to qualify for an eight-bike elimination field. Qualifying will take place on Friday and Saturday during each national event, with eliminations held on Sunday alongside the biggest stars of the sport of drag racing in the Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock ranks.

Each exhibition winner will be awarded a special trophy and participate in a NHRA Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley winner’s circle ceremony at the conclusion of each event. Total event purse for the eight-bike field is $11,500 with $4,000 going to the winner and $2,000 for runner-up.

“As we continue our focus on the racer, adding NHRA to the mix of the Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley team's venues fulfills our quest to deliver a schedule that gets this exciting class in front of NHRA fans," said Mike Kennedy, director of marketing for Harley-Davidson's parts and accessories. "There is no better place to showcase the raw power and speed of these Harley racers than at an NHRA national event.”