Garreth Sheppeard Wins 2022 Summit Racing Series National Championship

Garreth Sheppeard won his second straight NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championship in the Motorcycle class.

Sheppeard, out of Springfield, Ohio, rode his Division 3-based Hayabusa to a final-round victory over Division 2’s Dalton Markham. Sheppeard turned on the win light with an 8.120 on his 8.09 dial while Markham broke out with a 9.147 on his 9.20 target.

Prior to the final, Sheppeard defeated Division 6 racer Terry Holloway and Division 4 ace Cody Couch while Markham downed two-time Division 1 champ Jeff Tisdale and Division 2 representative Dalton Markham.

Round 1

W – Garreth Sheppeard (Dial: 8.06) 0.021 / 8.163 / 151.66
L – Terry Holloway (Dial: 9.56) 0.022 / 9.697 / 129.08

W – Beau Drexler (Dial: 8.61) 0.014 / 8.61 / 8.673 / 0.063
L – Clayton Howey (Dial: 8.66) 0.005 / 8.740 / 150.85

W – Dalton Markham (Dial: 9.05) 0.018 / 9.230 / 136.25
L – Jeff Tisdale (Dial: 9.24) 0.010 / 9.452 / 134.48

W – Cody Couch (Dial: 8.33) 0.022 / 8.425 / 150.46
L – Stacy Hesch (Dial: 9.21) 0.018 / 9.383 / 134.28

Round 2

W – Garreth Sheppeard (Dial: 8.09) 0.052 / 8.142 / 162.47
L – Cody Couch (Dial: 8.38) 0.014 / 8.486 / 146.16

W – Dalton Markham (Dial: 9.15) 0.010 / 9.183 / 145.06
L – Beau Drexler (Dial: 8.67) 0.025 / 8.694 / 145.72

Round 3

W – Garreth Sheppeard (Dial: 8.09) 0.016 / 8.120 / 166.23
RU – Dalton Markham (Dial: 9.20) 0.023 / 9.147 / 135.54

Qualifying Order

1. Dalton Markham / Bowling Green KY / 2007 Hayabusa
2. Terry Holloway / Yakima WA / 2003 GSXR
3. Beau Drexler / Ellis KS / 1990 ZX
4. Stacy Hesch / Eatonville WA / 1983 GS
5. Jeff Tisdale/ Glastonbury CT / 1994 Mudskipper
6. Garreth Sheppeard / Springfield OH / Hayabusa
7. Clayton Howey / Hanford CA/ 2006 ZX14 2
8. Cody Couch / Cypress TX/ 2008 Hayabusa

About NHRA Summit Racing Series

Summit Racing Equipment, an industry leader in the distribution of auto racing parts and equipment through catalogs and the Internet, is the primary sponsor of the NHRA E.T. drag racing series.

The NHRA Summit Racing Series is contested across North America forms the world’s largest motorsports program in terms of racer participation. The bracket racing format allows drivers in many types of vehicles, including dragsters, roadsters, sedans, and coupes, to compete on an equal basis against each other. In addition to three categories of competition for cars, a motorcycle category is featured.

Participating NHRA member tracks across North America host regularly scheduled events and award points. At the end of the season, each track selects a team of racers from among its top points finishers to represent the track at the divisional Summit Racing Series Finals. Competitors, running in different categories based on performance, race until a champion is crowned in each category. Points totals also are tallied for team honors.

Division champions in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, and Motorcycle receive a division champion’s trophy, jacket, and purse. They then advance to the NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championship at the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals Presented By Pennzoil in Las Vegas, where they receive $3,000 travel money for attending the event in Nevada and compete for a lucrative Summit prize fund, the national championship trophy, and jacket and contingency awards.

The commitment by Summit Racing was a huge boost to the Sportsman series, which has long been the backbone of drag racing. The sponsorship more than doubled the financial commitment to the series, including a record increase in cash payouts and awards, and features the national championship in four categories. Summit Racing has expanded the member track participant kit and developed extensive programming for both consumers and enthusiasts designed to increase visibility for the sport on a national level. Internet components and links to Summit Racing (www.summitracing.com) and NHRA (www.NHRA.com) websites are part of the initiative to increase racer participation.

As many as 80,000 racers participate in the NHRA Summit Racing Series; it is the largest organized series in drag racing nationwide.

“Many racers can’t travel across the country to participate in the professional drag racing circuit,” said Jeff Winters, Summit Racing marketing manager. “The NHRA Summit Racing Series gives weekly Sportsman racers an opportunity to be more than a champion in their division — they have a shot at winning a national championship. There are racers in the series who would otherwise not be able to compete at such a level, and we’re happy to support such a program.”

NHRA has featured an E.T. drag racing series since the mid-1970s. It provides even and exciting competition for the local racer, the backbone of NHRA.

Founded in 1968, Summit Racing Equipment is the world’s largest mail-order and Internet supplier of performance automotive and truck equipment. Headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, the company has retail stores and distribution centers in Tallmadge; Sparks, Nev.; and McDonough, Ga.

ABOUT NHRA
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 22 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service, SAM Tech.edu Factory Stock Showdown and Mickey Thompson Tires Top Fuel Harley Series. Twice a year, NHRA hosts a ‘race-within-a-race,’ during the JEGS Allstars and Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle specialty competitions. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. With over 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing-related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates four racing facilities: Atlanta Dragway in Georgia; Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.