2012 NHRA SUMMIT SERIES: MAY 27!
Irwindale, Calif. (May 16, 2012) - - The good news for racing fans just keeps on keeping on at Irwindale. And, with the announcement today of the six-race 2012 NHRA Summit Drag Racing Series, full-out motor competition is back after a three-month closure of the well-known facility.
“We’re all pretty pleased about that,” said Bob Klein, who will manage the events for a team which includes the track owners: NuWay Industries’ Jim Mnoian and Jay Garrett, and Jim Cohan who operates the track’s LA Racing Experience stock car driving school. “We need to thank these guys, they’ve all gone above and beyond to get us back on the track and racing,” said Klein.
Racing will kickoff on Sunday May 27 (appropriately enough, on Memorial Day weekend) with races following on June 17, July 8, August 5, August 26, and September 9 (all Sundays).
The four NHRA classes which will compete are Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, and Pro Bike and each has a elapsed time (in seconds) range that it competes in: Super Pro (5.70 – 7.49), Pro (6.40 – 8.59), Sportsman (7.50 – 12.60) and Pro Bike (5.70 and slower). Electronics are allowed in the Super Pro class (that means it’s OK to use trick staging and launch control stuff). There’s no limit on the number of classes that racers can compete in and the entry fee for each class is the same: $55.
The gates open early at 7:30AM with tech inspection starting at 8, a competitor’s meeting at 10, and time trials firing off at 10:15. Eliminations (the racing!) begin at 1PM and runs until 4PM.
Fans of course, very welcome and, as everyone knows, the eighth-mile Dragstrip at Irwindale is a great place to watch two quick cars smoking tires and scratching for speed. All 660 feet of every run is easy to see and every driver comes back all the way past the entire grandstands for the fans to show their approval of the last run and their encouragement for the next. There’s great concession food and drink, plenty of free parking, and pits that are open to the public.
Adults are $10, Kids are $5, with children under 5 admitted free.