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NHRA'S DIVISION 3 ADDS TOP
SPORTSMAN CLASS
The much rumored question regarding Top Sportsman
running at 2003 North Central Division events
can now be classified as fact. Top Sportsman
eliminator will be contested at each of the
six NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events
in the division, as well as the 29th annual
Doorslammer National Open at Ohio Valley Raceway.
The first ever NHRA North Central Division
Top Sportsman Champion will be determined
by a racer's best five finishes in his or
her first eight events including up to two
"out of division" races. Point awards will
follow the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series
as outlined in the NHRA rulebook. Top Sportsman
will also be contested in the Southeast (Division
2) and South Central (Division 4) NHRA divisions.
The class will follow current Top Sportsman
rules. Each Division 3 event will feature
a qualified 32-car field with $1,200 posted
for the winner, $600 runner-up, $300 for fourth
round finishers and $200 for third round finishers.
A number of major manufacturers have already
signed up for contingency awards with a complete
posting to be announced soon. NHRA "Wally"
trophies will be presented to each event winner.
A year-end points fund will reward the top
three finishers with $2,000, a Top Sportsman
Gold Card, NHRA "Wally" Division Champion
trophy and jacket to be presented to the champion
at the annual "Land of the Winners" Awards
Banquet to be held January 17, 2004 in Indianapolis.
The runner-up will pocket $1,000 and third-place
will receive $500.
A bonus Top Sportsman Shootout, similar to
the specialty races in NHRA's POWERade Drag
Racing Series will be featured at Beech Bend
Raceway Park on Saturday, August 23. The bonus
race-within-a-race will match the season's
top eight qualifiers based on qualifying points
counted up to the Beech Bend event.
Complete details and announcement of Top
Sportsman presenting sponsors will be announced
soon.
2003 NHRA North Central Division Top Sportsman
Schedule: April 25-27, Route 66 Raceway, Joliet,
IL; May 16-18, Indianapolis Raceway Park;
June 20-22, Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Stanton,
MI; Aug. 1-3, Edgewater Sports Park, Cincinnati,
OH; Aug. 22-24, Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling
Green, KY; Aug. 23, Top Sportsman Shootout
- Beech Bend Raceway Park; Sept. 19-21, Trail
Raceway, Columbus, OH; Oct. 4-5, Doorslammer
National Open (1/8 mile), Ohio Valley Raceway,
Louisville, KY [1-17-2003]
GEOFFRION AWAITS NEW PRO
STOCK FORD ESCORT ZX2
Agent 1320 recently got a note telling him
that Scott Geoffrion, who drove a Hurley Blakeney-backed
NHRA Mustang Pro Stocker last season, is currently
waiting for his brand new Don Ness-built Ford
Escort ZX2 to arrive. "Waiting is the tough
part," Geoffrion commented, "especially with
the impressive times and speeds already being
run at Bradenton - 6.71 seconds at 205 mph
is among the best. We are putting all of our
efforts into getting our new car done and
having the engine ready to race. Right now
we are on a very tight schedule. The car should
be ready for the Winternationals, but we probably
won't have time to do any extended testing
with it. Our realistic goal is to meet the
car in Las Vegas on its way out from Minnesota
and make a few test laps to make sure it goes
straight." Blakeney and Bob Panella, the team's
engine builder, realized creating a Pro Stock
Escort ZX2 would be a time-consuming project.
It is the only one of its kind. Said Geoffrion,
"(Last year's) Mustang was two-hundredths
of a second slower than the other cars on
the last half of the racetrack. That's way
too much to give up when you're racing in
Pro Stock. The Escort ZX2 should be much better."
He concluded, "We hope to prove it at Pomona
in February." [1-17-2003]
CORY MAC IN, COWIN OUT
Cory McClenathan will be at the wheel of
the Darrell Gwynn Racing Top Fueler this season.
Cory Mac replaces Australian Andrew Cowin
who finished a career-best eighth in NHRA
Top Fuel points last season aboard Gwynn's
dragster.
"With the start of the new season upon us,
we found ourselves with a substantial amount
of sponsor funding secured but still short
of the necessary levels to allow us to race.
We were resigning ourselves to the possibility
of not being able to run and perhaps even
permanently dismantling our racing operations,"
said Gwynn. "As it turned out, Cory was essentially
in a similar situation. By combining forces
we were able to solve our respective funding
short-falls and create a very solid program
that includes one of Top Fuel's greatest drivers."
McClenathan has an old connection to the
Gwynn family as he bought his first Top Fuel
dragster from them back in 1990. He brings
with him his sponsors Berryman Products, Dyn-O-Mat,
Centennial Batteries, Don Steves Chevrolet,
Negley Electric, and Fabtech Motorsports.
John Stewart, a veteran Top Fuel driver turned
tuner, has also joined the Gwynn team and
will serve as crew chief. [1-17-2003]
