Junior Dragster Team Finals - August 6-8 at Dallas Raceway

If any of you guys are interested in going, please let me know ASAP. ginger@tulsaracewaypark.com or 645-1535.

This event is a "team" event and we can have 3 teams of 10 on each team... so it's not limited to IHRA or NHRA kids. It is by track and by team. Please read below and get the word out to other junior dragster parents who may not read the forum. Thanks guys!

http://www.ihra.com/article/5935.html

In 2010 IHRA will once again be taking a new approach to the traditional Junior National event schedule, replacing the events with all-new IHRA Junior Nationals Team Finals.

Each track that participates in the program may send up to three teams of 10 junior racers to represent their facility. This will depend on the track’s participation level and its ability to fill each team. On Sunday of the Junior event teams will earn points to determine the track championship and competing for an individual championship…just like at the Summit Team Finals.

“Over the past two years this format has created a new excitement in our junior program,” said IHRA Special Programs Director Sherrie Barbour. “We feel more juniors will sign up for track points knowing they will be able to qualify for a junior team final designed just for them.”

This new format will not change the Summit Team Finals format. The same number of juniors will still be able to participate with the big cars at Summit Team Finals events.

“We all want to ensure the future growth of drag racing, so we think we have to start by growing the junior programs at our local tracks,” Barbour said. “This is a great platform track operators can use to get kids involved.”

There will not be a team entry charge to the tracks to participate in this program. Each racer will be responsible for their car & driver entry as well as their crew member’s entries. There will be bonus events on Saturday and the main team competition will be contested on Sunday. Awards will be issued for Best Appearing Team, Best Team Spirit, Best Engineered and Best Appearing. The winning track will also receive an Ironman and Team Champion bragging rights. Tracks will submit rosters prior to the event just like the Summit Team Finals.

Royce Miller, owner/operator of Maryland International Raceway, is looking forward to a huge weekend when the juniors roll into town.

“The addition of the team competition to an already great IHRA Jr. Dragster Nationals is going to be awesome,” Miller said. “We are preparing for a yelling, stomping, cheering good time. Bring the air horns, banners and team spirit and get ready for the best Jr. Dragster race we have ever had.”

Sammy Lattner, track operator at Dallas Raceway, can’t wait to get the party started.

“We’re going to put the fun back into the big junior dragster events,” Lattner said. “We’re really excited and our racers are as well. I want to thank IHRA for bringing one of these events to our Concrete Palace…it’s going to be a big event with both sanctioning bodies coming together to have a good time. What else could you ask for?”

IHRA will be inviting NHRA juniors to the party as well. Any NHRA-sanctioned track wishing to participate in the Junior Dragster Team Finals should contact Sherrie Barbour at (419) 660-4209.

The dates and venues for these events are Maryland International Raceway July 9-11 and Dallas Raceway August 6-8. Event schedules will soon be made available as soon as details are completed.