National Dragster: From The Director's Chair

As we look forward to the 2005 NHRA Northeast Drag Racing Season, we must first reflect on 2004, which was another record-setting year in the Northeast Division. Nearly every facility had record car counts; Sony and RC. Richard & Son came onboard as sponsors of the National Open Series; Mason-Dixon Dragway and Napierville Dragway held their first National Opens; Sunoco Race Fuels took the sponsorship reins of our Top Stock program; and Top Sportsman arrived in the Northeast Division as a category at the Dutch Classic. Needless to say, 2004 was as exciting for us as it was for racers.

This year brings even more excitement. The 2005 Lucas oil Drag Racing Series will visit Maple Grove Raceway May 27-29, Lebanon Valley Dragway July 1-3, U.S. 13 Dragway July 15-17, Numidia Raceway Aug. 12-14, Cecil County Dragway Aug. 26-28, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park Sept. 9-11, and Atco Raceway Oct. 7-9. We would like to give special thanks to Forrest and Charlotte Lucas and the entire Lucas oil family for their support of Sportsman racers and sponsorship of Top Alcohol Funny Car kingpin Frank Manzo.

Sony and PCRichard.com are returning to back our National Open program, and racers at the Napierville Dragway National Open will earn points toward the Sony/PCRichard.com National Open Series championship. Also in our National Open Series, Foxwoods Resort and Casino and will be the presenting sponsor of Top Sportsman, and Sunoco Race Fuels will return for Top Stock Saturday. For details on these programs, log on to www.nhradivl.com.

This year's Sony/PCRichard.com National Open Series will include an additional race, June 11-12 at Island Dragway in Great Meadows, N.J., that will feature Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street.

The Sony/PCRichard.com National Open Series is run using a best four-of-six races format, similar to the Lucas oil Drag Racing Series points system (see related article on these pages for details). All racers entering the Open Series events will claim Division 1 as their home division and will receive small points. Racers are eligible to compete in all six events but will only claim their best four finishes. The series will be contested at Atco Raceway April 8, Maple Grove Raceway April 15, Mason-Dixon Dragway April 30, Island Dragway June 11, Napierville Dragway July 9, and Maple Grove Raceway Oct. 14-16.

Top Sportsman will be run at the National Opens at both Maple Grove events, Mason-Dixon, and Atco and at the Lucas oil Drag Racing Series events at Lebanon Valley and U.S. 13. Like the National Open Series, the program will use a best four-of-six format.

Also new for 2005, Aeromotive will sponsor the low-qualifier award in Comp, Super Stock, and Stock. The racer who earns the most low-qualifier positions in those classes at the 2005 Lucas oil Drag Racing Series events will earn a jacket for the achievement, and bonuses will be awarded in the three categories at each of the seven Lucas oil Drag Racing Series events.

Rounding out the Northeast Division schedule, the 2005 Summit Racing Series Finals will be held Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at U.S. 13 Dragway.

In addition to all of our series and program sponsors, we would like to thank some of the behind-the-scenes folks who have helped us produce fine events in the last few years: CRC Industries for supporting the King of the Track program; Click Fire Equipment for helping to keep the jet running and the tracks dry when Mother Nature has fought us; Hillwood Sales for the Haulmark Trailer that carries our equipment from event to event; Luzerne County Community College for tremendous support of the High School Challenge at the Summit Series Finals; and RBS Trailer Sales for sponsoring the Race of Champions at the Summit Series Finals.

On behalf of the many NHRA member tracks, sponsors, and staff, we thank everyone for their support and dedication to drag racing and the growth of NHRA. None of our success would be possible without you.

with Bob Lang, Northeast Division Director