NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals
zMax Raceway
October 11-13, 2019
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Monday Eliminations
Andrew Hines picked up his eighth Pro Stock Motorcycle win of the season in his Harley-Davidson when his pass of 6.805 at 199.37 defeated Karen Stoffer in the final round. He secured wins against Michael Ray, Scott Pollacheck and Hector Arana Jr. before facing Karen Stoffer in the finals for the second consecutive time this season. Stoffer took the victory when they met in St. Louis in September.
Stoffer raced to her third final round of the season after defeating Kelly Clontz, Eddie Krawiec and No. 1 qualifier Steve Johnson.
“It was a tough day,” said Hines. “We were sitting around during the rain delay yesterday talking about this Pro Stock Motorcycle class and how stacked it is right now. If you look at the top ten in qualifying, any one of those people could be number one at any given time. You just never know when that’s going to happen, so these races right now are hard-fought and hard-earned.”
FIRST ROUND
| Driver | Ryan Oehler – WIN | Angelle Sampey |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .071 | .005 |
| 60 FT | 1.086 | 1.112 |
| 330 FT | 2.888 | 2.939 |
| 660 FT | 4.404 | 4.583 |
| 660 FT MPH | 162.16 | 140.96 |
| 1000 FT | 5.729 | 6.315 |
| ET | 6.860 | 8.078 |
| MPH | 198.15 | 120.27 |
|
Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 55 percent, barometer 29.39 inches, adjusted altitude 2,393 feet, track temperature 77 degrees. Sampey is 1 – 0 against Oehler in prior events. Sampey with a great light, but the bike is drifting out of the groove over by the centerline and she is off the throttle Oehler with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. |
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| Driver | Angie Smith | Hector Arana Jr – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .104 | .037 |
| 60 FT | 1.080 | 1.050 |
| 330 FT | 2.880 | 2.848 |
| 660 FT | 4.410 | 4.361 |
| 660 FT MPH | 160.50 | 162.41 |
| 1000 FT | 5.749 | 5.684 |
| ET | 6.899 | 6.815 |
| MPH | 193.24 | 198.12 |
|
Arana Jr is 10 – 3 against Smith in prior events. Arana Jr. with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He runs his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. |
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| Driver | Hector Arana | Scott Pollacheck – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .021 | .001 |
| 60 FT | 1.073 | 1.077 |
| 330 FT | 2.876 | 2.876 |
| 660 FT | 4.399 | 4.380 |
| 660 FT MPH | 161.30 | 163.31 |
| 1000 FT | 5.733 | 5.697 |
| ET | 6.872 | 6.831 |
| MPH | 196.87 | 197.39 |
|
Pollacheck is 6 – 5 against Arana in prior events. Pollacheck with a near-perfect light and never trailed for the win. |
||
| Driver | Kelly Clontz | Karen Stoffer – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .074 | .025 |
| 60 FT | 1.095 | 1.066 |
| 330 FT | 2.921 | 2.852 |
| 660 FT | 4.462 | 4.353 |
| 660 FT MPH | 159.36 | 163.67 |
| 1000 FT | 5.810 | 5.666 |
| ET | 6.970 | 6.793 |
| MPH | 192.17 | 198.96 |
|
This is the first time Clontz and Stoffer have faced each other in eliminations. Stoffer with the starting line advantage and runs her quickest and fastest pass of the weekend for the win. |
||
| Driver | Michael Ray | Andrew Hines – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .012 | .029 |
| 60 FT | 1.079 | 1.106 |
| 330 FT | 2.887 | 2.913 |
| 660 FT | 4.419 | 4.424 |
| 660 FT MPH | 160.21 | 162.88 |
| 1000 FT | 5.768 | 5.740 |
| ET | 6.927 | 6.866 |
| MPH | 193.05 | 198.88 |
|
Hines is 7 – 4 against Ray in prior events. Ray with the starting line advantage, but Hines was able to chase him down around 800 feet and take |
||
| Driver | Andie Rawlings | Steve Johnson – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | — | .057 |
| 60 FT | — | 1.060 |
| 330 FT | — | 2.869 |
| 660 FT | — | 4.389 |
| 660 FT MPH | — | 161.42 |
| 1000 FT | — | 5.721 |
| ET | — | 6.867 |
| MPH | — | 194.69 |
|
Johnson is 1 – 0 against Rawlings in prior events. Rawlings is a no-show. Johnson was number one qualifier for the first time since Englishtown 2013. He is straight down the groove on the single. He will give up lane choice to Oehler in the next round. |
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| Driver | Matt Smith | Eddie Krawiec – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .002 | .043 |
| 60 FT | 1.080 | 1.074 |
| 330 FT | 2.866 | 2.863 |
| 660 FT | 4.369 | 4.379 |
| 660 FT MPH | 163.73 | 162.00 |
| 1000 FT | 5.699 | 5.703 |
| ET | 6.942 | 6.835 |
| MPH | 171.42 | 198.06 |
|
Krawiec is 24 – 16 against Smith in prior events. Smith with a near perfect light and lead until on the top end when the bike has problems again and Krawiec rides around him for the win. He will give up lane choice to Stoffer in the next round. |
||
| Driver | Jianna Salinas – WIN | Jerry Savoie |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .069 | -.012 |
| 60 FT | 1.093 | 1.054 |
| 330 FT | 2.983 | 2.844 |
| 660 FT | 4.569 | 4.345 |
| 660 FT MPH | 155.88 | 163.53 |
| 1000 FT | 5.948 | 5.657 |
| ET | 7.125 | 6.784 |
| MPH | 190.19 | 198.26 |
|
This is the first time Salinas and Savoie have faced each other in eliminations. Savoie goes red to Salinas the win, her first-round win in her young career. She will give up lane choice to Arana Jr. in the next round. Savoie runs low E.T. of the event in the losing effort. |
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SECOND ROUND
| Driver | Steve Johnson – WIN | Ryan Oehler |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .048 | -.020 |
| 60 FT | 1.066 | 1.083 |
| 330 FT | 2.881 | 2.892 |
| 660 FT | 4.425 | 4.434 |
| 660 FT MPH | 158.99 | 158.97 |
| 1000 FT | 5.778 | 5.777 |
| ET | 6.937 | 6.923 |
| MPH | 192.66 | 195.96 |
|
Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 42 percent, barometer 29.39 inches, adjusted altitude 2,316 feet, track temperature 97 degrees. This is the first time Johnson and Oehler have faced each other in eliminations. Oehler goes red to give Johnson the win. |
||
| Driver | Andrew Hines – WIN | Scott Pollacheck |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .030 | .000 |
| 60 FT | 1.068 | 1.069 |
| 330 FT | 2.852 | 2.885 |
| 660 FT | 4.367 | 4.397 |
| 660 FT MPH | 162.24 | 162.31 |
| 1000 FT | 5.688 | 5.721 |
| ET | 6.815 | 6.855 |
| MPH | 198.82 | 197.54 |
|
Hines is 23 – 5 against Pollacheck in prior events. Pollacheck with a perfect light, but Hines chases him down at half-track and takes the win in a close one. Andrew Hines’ MOV: 0.0102 seconds (approximately 3 feet). |
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| Driver | Jianna Salinas | Hector Arana Jr – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .067 | .004 |
| 60 FT | 1.084 | 1.088 |
| 330 FT | 2.905 | 2.904 |
| 660 FT | 4.446 | 4.428 |
| 660 FT MPH | 158.67 | 161.54 |
| 1000 FT | 5.808 | 5.764 |
| ET | 6.983 | 6.984 |
| MPH | 189.87 | 172.96 |
|
Arana Jr is 1 – 0 against Salinas in prior events. Arana Jr. with a great light and the holeshot win. Arana Jr. slows on the top end, but holds for the win. He will give up lane choice to Hines in the semifinal. Salinas with her quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort. |
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| Driver | Eddie Krawiec | Karen Stoffer – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .025 | .030 |
| 60 FT | 1.080 | 1.075 |
| 330 FT | 2.876 | 2.861 |
| 660 FT | 4.394 | 4.367 |
| 660 FT MPH | 161.98 | 163.04 |
| 1000 FT | 5.721 | 5.683 |
| ET | 6.855 | 6.809 |
| MPH | 197.48 | 199.05 |
|
Krawiec is 25 – 11 against Stoffer in prior events. Krawiec with the slight starting line advantage, but Stoffer has the lead by the time they go by the Christmas tree and never trails from there on for the win. Karen Stoffer’s MOV: 0.0412 seconds (approximately 12 feet). She runs low E.T. of the round and will have lane choice over Johnson in the semifinal. |
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SEMI-FINAL ROUND
| Driver | Hector Arana Jr | Andrew Hines – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | -.041 | .048 |
| 60 FT | 1.072 | 1.075 |
| 330 FT | 2.874 | 2.861 |
| 660 FT | 4.395 | 4.381 |
| 660 FT MPH | 161.63 | 161.73 |
| 1000 FT | 5.723 | 5.703 |
| ET | 6.859 | 6.831 |
| MPH | 196.76 | 198.90 |
|
Weather conditions: air temperature 76 degrees, relative humidity 38 percent, barometer 29.36 inches, adjusted altitude 2,206 feet, track temperature 108 degrees. Hines is 19 – 11 against Arana Jr in prior events. Arana Jr. goes red to Hines the win. Hines advances to his 10th final round this season and the 96th of his career. |
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| Driver | Steve Johnson | Karen Stoffer – WIN |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .029 | .110 |
| 60 FT | 1.083 | 1.069 |
| 330 FT | 2.930 | 2.846 |
| 660 FT | 4.466 | 4.354 |
| 660 FT MPH | 160.61 | 162.90 |
| 1000 FT | 5.804 | 5.671 |
| ET | 6.952 | 6.797 |
| MPH | 193.85 | 199.20 |
|
Stoffer is 17 – 9 against Johnson in prior events. Johnson with the starting line advantage, but Stoffer has the difference made up by 330 feet and never trails from there on for the win. She will have lane choice in the final. She is advancing to her third final round this season and the 23rd of her career. |
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FINAL ROUND
| Driver | Andrew Hines – WIN | Karen Stoffer |
|---|---|---|
| RT | .041 | .100 |
| 60 FT | 1.069 | 1.077 |
| 330 FT | 2.850 | 2.857 |
| 660 FT | 4.361 | 4.363 |
| 660 FT MPH | 162.57 | 163.12 |
| 1000 FT | 5.681 | 5.679 |
| ET | 6.805 | 6.804 |
| MPH | 199.37 | 199.20 |
|
Weather conditions: air temperature 81 degrees, relative humidity 29 percent, barometer 29.34 inches, adjusted altitude 2,579 feet, track temperature 110 degrees.Hines is 23 – 9 against Stoffer in prior events and Hines is 2 – 1 against Stoffer in prior final rounds. Hines with the starting line advantage and the power to hold on for the hole shot win. Andrew Hines’ MOV: 0.0589 seconds (approximately 17 feet). He wins his eighth Wally this season and the 56th of his career. |
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POINTS STANDINGS
| POS | DRIVER | POINTS | BEHIND LEADER |
VEHICLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Andrew Hines | 2387 | 0 | Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson |
| 02 | Karen Stoffer | 2330 | -57 | White Alligator Racing Suzuki |
| 03 | Eddie Krawiec | 2272 | -115 | Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson |
| 04 | Jerry Savoie | 2245 | -142 | White Alligator Racing Suzuki |
| 05 | Hector Arana Jr | 2242 | -145 | Lucas Oil Buell |
| 06 | Matt Smith | 2236 | -151 | Elite Motorsports Denso Auto Parts EBR |
| 07 | Angelle Sampey | 2171 | -216 | Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson |
| 08 | Angie Smith | 2148 | -239 | Elite Motorsports Denso Auto Parts EBR |
| 09 | Ryan Oehler | 2127 | -260 | Flyin’ Ryan Racing/B&K Cylinder Heads |
| 10 | Hector Arana | 2096 | -291 | Lucas Oil Buell |
| 11 | Scotty Pollacheck | 550 | -1837 | Matt Smith Racing EBR |
| 12 | Steve Johnson | 494 | -1893 | Steve Johnson Racing Suzuki |
| 13 | Kelly Clontz | 416 | -1971 | Steamfitter Local 602 |
| 14 | Joey Gladstone | 408 | -1979 | Cory Reed Racing |
| 15 | Cory Reed | 318 | -2069 | Cory Reed Racing |
| 16 | Jianna Salinas | 277 | -2110 | Scrappers Racing Suzuki |
| 17 | Michael Ray Jr | 190 | -2197 | |
| 18 | Jimmy Underdahl | 147 | -2240 | Suzuki Extended Protection |
| 19 | Andie Rawlings | 143 | -2244 | In the Sun Concepts Suzuki |
| 20 | John Hall | 95 | -2292 | |
| 21 | Melissa Surber | 83 | -2304 | Kosman Specialties / Junior Pippin Trucking Buell |
| 22 | Marc Ingwersen | 83 | -2304 | Thiel’s Wheels Buell |
| 23 | Katie Sullivan | 72 | -2315 | Sullivan Drilling Suzuki |
| 24 | Chris Bostick | 48 | -2339 | |
| 25 | Eiji Kawakami | 32 | -2355 | |
| 26 | Fred Camarena | 31 | -2356 | Prolong Suzuki |
| 27 | Ronald Tornow | 31 | -2356 | |
| 28 | Lance Bonham | 10 | -2377 | Constellation Motorsports EBR |
| 29 | Odolph Daniels | 10 | -2377 | |
| 30 | James Surber | 10 | -2377 | |
| 31 | Dylan Hendrix | 10 | -2377 | |
| 32 | Scott Bottorff | 5 | -2382 | |
Sunday Eliminations
With continuing precipitation in the forecast, Sunday’s activities at the 12th annual NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway have been postponed until Monday.
Gates will open at 9:00 a.m. ET with competition beginning at 10:00 a.m. with Top Fuel eliminations.
Saturday Qualifying
In one of the most surprising developments of the year, Steve Johnson will start from the top of a Pro Stock Motorcycle field for the first time since the 2013 Englishtown race. Johnson took the qualifying lead after round three with an impressive career-best pass for him at 6.786!
RT / .069
60’ / 1.047
330’ / 2.827
1/8 ET / 4.335
1/8 MPH / 163.14
1000’ / 5.653
1/4 ET / 6.786
1/4 MPH / 196.70
Steve Johnson qualifies No. 1 in Pro Stock Motorcycle for the first time since 2013
Johnson’s performance aside, the quickest bike in Charlotte belongs to Jerry Savoie. The winner in Indy and Reading, Savoie rode his Tim Kulungian-tuned White Alligator Suzuki to a pair of 6.787 runs on Saturday, just missing the top spot by a thousandth of a second. Savoie was also the low qualifier after Friday’s qualifying rounds with a 6.801. Savoie has only competed in nine events this year, but he’s got two wins, a runner-up and a semifinal for his efforts. He will race rookie Jianna Salinas in round one.
Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec were both quick and consistent on their FXDR bikes. Hines, the incoming points leader, is the No. 3 seed with a 6.814 while Krawiec is just four-thousandths slower with a 6.818. Hines is paired against Michal Ray while Krawiec’s reward for his strong qualifying effort will be a match against Matt Smith. The reigning Mello Yello series champion struggled with transmission and clutch issues on his Denso EBR and never made a full run to the finish line. Smith’s best performance of 6.932 at just 179.85 is in no way indicative of his potential.
Karen Stoffer, who won the most recent event in St. Louis to move to the No. 2 spot in the standings, also put together a solid qualifying performance with a 6.819 on her Big St. Charles/Skillman Auto Suzuki. Stoffer is paired with Kelly Clontz in round one and faces a potential quarterfinal match against the winner of the Matt Smith vs. Eddie Krawiec battle.
Final Qualifying Order
| POSITION | DRIVER | ET | MPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Steve Johnson | 6.786 | 196.7 |
| 02 | Jerry Savoie | 6.787 | 198.73 |
| 03 | Andrew Hines | 6.814 | 198.79 |
| 04 | Eddie Krawiec | 6.818 | 198.47 |
| 05 | Karen Stoffer | 6.819 | 197.97 |
| 06 | Scott Pollacheck | 6.822 | 197.94 |
| 07 | Hector Arana Jr | 6.856 | 196.73 |
| 08 | Angelle Sampey | 6.860 | 196.5 |
| 09 | Ryan Oehler | 6.863 | 198.03 |
| 10 | Angie Smith | 6.866 | 198.15 |
| 11 | Hector Arana | 6.886 | 197.22 |
| 12 | Kelly Clontz | 6.915 | 194.88 |
| 13 | Matt Smith | 6.932 | 179.85 |
| 14 | Michael Ray | 6.945 | 193.43 |
| 15 | Jianna Salinas | 7.043 | 190.11 |
| 16 | Andie Rawlings | 7.214 | 182.26 |
Friday Qualifying
Jerry Savoie’s WAR Suzuki dominates day one qualifying in Charlotte
After the first day of qualifying for the NGK NHRA Carolina Nationals, Jerry Savoie leads the Pro Stock Motorcycle field at zMax Dragway. Savoie, the 2016 Mello Yello champion, rode his White Alligator Suzuki to a 6.801 on Friday afternoon and that run held up as the quickest pass of the day. The next quickest bike in the field is Eddie Krawiec’s Harley-Davidson with a 6.818. Savoie, the winner of the Countdown opener in Reading, did not get down the track on the second run of the day, but still managed to bank three additional qualifying points and the qualifying lead heading into Saturday’s final qualifying.
“I’m being a little greedy this weekend. I felt like I didn’t get a fair shake at the last race in St. Louis,” said Savoie. “I lost to Hector [Arana] Jr. in the first round and that cost me the points lead. I made the decision to change things. We’ve been testing a lot of things in qualifying and then trying to put it all together on race day. We can’t do that anymore. We have to gather up every point that we can in order to win this thing. You never know what it’s going to take when it gets down to the very end. I think I did a good job and Tim [Kulungian, crew chief] did a great job tuning. I felt like we got everything out of it for the first run.
“The second run, I screwed that up,” he admitted. “I went up there and my glove got caught up in the clutch lever. I just shut it off. It was frustrating because I think the conditions were better. I think someone would have run a 6.78 out there. I’m surprised that no one did. That’s one thing about me. I’ll tell you when I do something wrong. I definitely gave one away there.”
Championship leader Andrew Hines also made just one clean pass on Friday. Hines, the runner-up two weeks ago in St. Louis, missed the afternoon session but returned to post a third-best 6.837 on his Harley-Davidson FXDR. Hines has been the championship leader after 11 of the first 12 events this season and has seven wins so far in 2019. Like Savoie, Hines also padded his score with three bonus points on Friday.
Karen Stoffer, the most recent winner on the tour, continued her recent string of strong performances with a 6.842 on her Big St. Charles/Skillman Auto Suzuki. Stoffer, currently ranked No. 2 in the Mello Yello standings, made two consistent runs in the 6.8s and holds down the No. 4 spot. The third Harley-Davidson ridden by Angelle Sampey is fifth-best with a 6.860.
Reigning series champion Matt Smith has also had his share of troubles on the first day of the zMax event. Smith could only muster a 7.07 on his Denso EBR during Q1 and things didn’t get any better on Q2 when he coasted to a stop before the finish line later in the day. Smith is currently in the No. 14 spot, well back of the leaders.
| POSITION | DRIVER | ET | MPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Jerry Savoie | 6.801 | 196.85 |
| 02 | Eddie Krawiec | 6.818 | 198.47 |
| 03 | Andrew Hines | 6.837 | 198.41 |
| 04 | Karen Stoffer | 6.842 | 196.64 |
| 05 | Angelle Sampey | 6.860 | 196.5 |
| 06 | Steve Johnson | 6.883 | 194.52 |
| 07 | Hector Arana | 6.886 | 197.22 |
| 08 | Hector Arana Jr | 6.886 | 197.13 |
| 09 | Scott Pollacheck | 6.892 | 195.62 |
| 10 | Ryan Oehler | 6.897 | 194.74 |
| 11 | Angie Smith | 6.956 | 193.32 |
| 12 | Michael Ray | 6.977 | 191.65 |
| 13 | Kelly Clontz | 7.031 | 192.36 |
| 14 | Matt Smith | 7.076 | 162.49 |
| 15 | Andie Rawlings | 7.214 | 182.26 |
| 16 | Jianna Salinas | 7.276 | 187.47 |
PRE-ENTRY LIST
| # | Driver | Make | Eng | Entry |
| 1 | Matt Smith | ’17 EBR | S&S 160 | DENSO/STOCKSETH/MSR |
| 2 | Eddie Krawiec | ’18 V-Rod | HD 160 | SCREAMIN EAGLE/VANCE & HINES |
| 3 | Hector Arana Jr | ’10 EBR | S&S 160 | LUCAS OIL |
| 5 | Gerald Savoie | ’11 Suzuki | SUZK 107 | SAVOIE’S ALLIGATOR FARM |
| 6 | Andrew Hines | ’19 H-D Street Rod | HD 160 | HARLEY-DAVIDSON/VANCE&HINES |
| 7 | Angelle Sampey | ’19 H-D Street Rod | HD 160 | HARLEY DAVIDSON/VANCE&HINES |
| 8 | Angie Smith | ’19 EBR | S&S 160 | DENSO RACING |
| 10 | Scott Pollacheck | ’18 EBR | S&S 160 | QUALITY TIRE/MSR |
| 206 | Andrea Rawlings | ’98 Suzuki GSXR | SUZK 113 | IN THE SUN CONCEPTS |
| 235 | Hector Arana | ’10 EBR | S&S 160 | LUCUS OIL PRODUCTS |
| 370 | Marc Ingwersen | ’08 Buell | S&S 160 | THIEL’S WHEELS H-D |
| 413 | Michael Ray Jr | ’17 Victory | S&S 160 | MSR |
| 751 | Steve Johnson | ’13 Suzuki | SUZK 113 | SLICK 50 SUZUKI |
| 777 | Karen Stoffer | ’03 Suzuki | SUZK 113 | RAY SKILLMAN-BIG ST CHARLES |
| 1981 | Kelly Clontz | ’03 Suzuki | SUZK 113 | UA STEAMFITTERS LOCAL 602 |
| 3284 | Ryan Oehler | ’18 EBR | S&S 160 | FLYIN RYAN RACING |
| 7253 | Jianna Salinas | ’03 Suzuki | SUZK 113 | SCRAPPERS RACING |
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 24 national events featuring the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. NHRA also offers NHRA Jr. Street program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. 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
