News

The 2005 Strip banquet has been postponed to Jan. 21, 2006.

Here's one more reason to drop the drumstick and head over to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thanksgiving Day: NHRA Top Fuel Dragster drivers "Hot Rod" Fuller and "Fast Jack" Beckman have submitted entries for the fourth annual Las Vegas Bracket Nationals. Fuller drives a Valvoline-sponsored Top Fuel Dragster in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series but will compete in the Super Pro category over the weekend. Beckman recently completed his rookie season behind the wheel of the Menards/Mail Terminal Services dragster.

Shannon Jenkins of Tuscaloosa, Ala., won the $25,000 first prize at this weekend's PSCA Street Car Supernationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway - and he'll spend some of it to repair the engine. Jenkins' 1968 Camaro was paired against Bill Glidden of Kingston, Il., in the Pacific Street Car Association's Pro Street finale. All hopes of a traditional 200-mph, side-by-side final soon were dashed as Glidden experienced problems early in his run and coasted across the finish line at 77 mph. Jenkins' engine expired before he crossed the finish line but he outran Glidden for the $25,000 payday.

Tickets for the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals, April 6-9, 2006, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, are now on sale. The announcement comes on the heels of one of the most intense and exciting NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events held at The Strip at LVMS, just three days ago. Tony Schumacher clinched his third consecutive Top Fuel Dragster championship on Friday, won the Bud Shootout on Saturday, then overpowered David Grubnic to grab the final-round victory on Sunday. The event also featured the tightest Funny Car points race in the history of the sport, pitting perennial favorite John Force against teammates Ron Capps (who won the final round Sunday) and three-time Top Fuel Dragster champion Gary Scelzi, who is looking for his first Funny Car title.

Tony Schumacher completed a dominating weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by racing to the Top Fuel victory Sunday at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals. He also won Saturday's Bud Shootout and clinched the 2005 Top Fuel championship on Friday. Ron Capps, Kurt Johnson and Chip Ellis also were winners at the $1.8 million race, the 22nd of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Tony Schumacher claimed his second straight and third overall POWERade Series world championship in Top Fuel Friday by making a qualifying run at the fifth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Schumacher needed to add only 10 points to his 268-point lead entering the weekend to clinch the world championship and he accomplished that with his first qualifying pass, giving Schumacher the $400,000 series crown.

For John Force, drag racing's most prolific winner, it's Deja Vu all over again this week at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's fifth annual ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals. Three years ago, Force needed a standout performance in the same event just to hold off Funny Car teammate Tony Pedregon, who had closed to within 13 points in the race for the championship.

Six months after making his professional debut behind the wheel of the Menards/Mail Terminal Services Top Fuel dragster, "Fast Jack" Beckman will be returning to the place where it all began; The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend's AC Delco Las Vegas Nationals. Technically he's still a rookie, but Beckman comes into this weekend's NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event wiser, more experienced, and more determined than ever before.

If you happened to stroll through the multi-team Don Schumacher Racing operation before the last race in Dallas, you would have seen a happy-go-lucky group of three Funny Car guys, patting each other on the back, smiling, kibitzing, poking fun at each other, and having a good ol' time.

On October 20, Anheuser-Busch again will host the NHRA Fan Fest at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Don Schumacher Racing also will host a free autograph session at the T.I. (formerly known as Treasure Island) on the Las Vegas Strip from 6-8 p.m. These two events will kick off the fifth annual NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 20-23. The free NHRA Fan Fest area will include a driver autograph session from 5-6:30 p.m.

During the past two years, StriVectin-SD® - the stretch-mark cream turned anti-wrinkle phenomenon - has raced to the top of the international cosmetics industry… shattering American sales records while becoming a worldwide sensation and the #1 anti-wrinkle cream in France (of all places). Now StriVectin hopes to be shattering speed records and stereotypes as the cosmetics giant Klein-Becker usa, maker of StriVectin, has agreed to a three-year deal with Kalitta Motorsports to sponsor "Aussie Dave" Grubnic and the former Zantrex-3™ car. The newly designed pink-and-black StriVectin racer will debut with Grubnic behind the wheel at the upcoming AC Delco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Oct. 20-23.

Steve Cox of Hesperia, Calif., took all the marbles at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Fire & Thunder Festival Saturday night. Cox, driving a 1968 Camaro, outran Rod Fuller of Rogers, Ark., to win the $3,000 Super Pro (electronic) category. Michael Edmonds of Henderson defeated Neil Evans of Las Vegas for the $1,500 Pro (non-electronic) victory. Bill Dudley won the Street finale and Kahea Woods claimed the final round of Motorcycle competition.

Another round of NHRA Jr. Dragster competition is now history at The Strip and Las Vegas Motor Speedway and four winners went home with coveted "Wally" trophies. Wally trophies ¿ statuettes modeled after NHRA founder Wally Parks ¿ are a drag racer's most prized possession. To straight-line racers, they carry the same amount of significance as the Motion Picture Industry of America's "Oscar."

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is dark until the weekend of October 1-3. Friday, Oct. 1, begins with a Test 'n' Tune and Gambler Race at 6 p.m., followed by Midnight Mayhem -- The Strip's safe alternative to illegal street racing -- at 10 p.m. Midnight Mayhem is open to any licensed driver with proof of insurance and any street-legal car or bike. Entry fee is $10 and spectator admission is $5. Midnight Mayhem attractions include live local radio broadcasts, hip-hop DJs and Euro Entertainment car shows. The Short Line Express Markets NHRA Jr. Dragster Series will compete in the National Dragster Challenge on Saturday morning, Oct. 2. The Super E Association will join the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series on Saturday evening, beginning at 4:30 p.m. (No "time-only" runs or license passes will be permitted.) Motorcycle Madness will complete the evening at 10 p.m. Motorcycle Madness is open to any licensed rider and street-legal motorcycle (entry fee is $20). The Las Vegas Bug-In will take place at The Strip on Sunday, Oct. 3. The event is a track rental and features all-Volkswagen drag racing, car show and vendor/swap meet areas.

The NHRA Sport Compact Series returns to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the third annual NHRA Las Vegas Sport Compact Nationals Sept. 9 and 10. The nighttime lifestyle event begins both evenings at 6 p.m.

Drag racers competing at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway over the Labor Day Weekend took it upon themselves to aid fellow enthusiasts in Louisiana devastated by Hurricane Katrina. While The Strip and its sister track, the Bullring (LVMS' asphalt short track), collected money to be donated to the American Red Cross' Hurricane Katrina relief effort, local drag racers decided to raise money for a bracket racer and Jr. Dragster team hit hard during last week's hurricane and subsequent flooding.

Perennial favorite Ed Thornton of Chino Hills, Calif., claimed yet another Pacific Street Car Association (PSCA) Pro Street final-round victory at The Strip at Las Vegas Speedway Sunday night. Thornton's black 1957 Chevrolet outran John Scialpi of West Covina, Calif., to claim top honors in the PSCA Product Engineering Las Vegas Nationals. The PSCA Pro Street Cars proudly proclaim they are "200-mph doorslammers" and they did not disappoint the Labor Day Weekend crowd. Both Thornton and Scialpi exceeded 200 mph in the thrilling finale.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be collecting money throughout the month of September to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, speedway officials announced Wednesday.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host two NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events in 2006. The 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule, released today, contained some minor changes from the 2005 NHRA dates at LVMS. The NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals will be held April 6-9, 2006, which is a week earlier than this past April's event. The NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals, scheduled this year for Oct. 20-23, will be held Oct. 26-29 in 2006.

A full Thursday-Friday-Saturday night weekend of drag racing at The Strip! Stock car racing at the Bullring resumes Aug. 6.

The next two Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series events at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will have later starting times in order to help racers and fans beat the summer heat. On Saturday, July 16, The Strip will present its second annual Pajama Party. All class winners will receive a custom bathrobe and LVMS teddy bear. All spectators arriving at the track dressed in their pajamas will be admitted for $3. Gates will open at 5 p.m., with time trials at 8 p.m. and racing at 11 p.m.

Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. Sheriff Bill Young raced each other tonight during the fourth round of Thursday Night Street Wars at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. To find out who won, click on the full story.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Bill Young and Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller will participate in tonight's Thursday Night Street Wars at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 8 p.m. Young and Heller will compete in street-legal cars and will race each other, as well as local drivers and members of the media.

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will present the third round of the 2004 Hankook Tires Drifting Series on Friday, June 18 at 6 p.m. Drifting consists of racing on a specially-designed road course while trying to maintain a controlled slide. Racers are judged on their lap times and sliding ability. The 2004 Hankook Tires Drifting Series is officiated by the North American Drifting Association (NADA, www.nada.com). Participants may enter four different classes, including Amateur Solo, NADA Stock, NADA Modified and NADA Outlaw (pro).

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway presented "Night of Destruction" Saturday, featuring monster trucks, jet cars, Fuel Altereds, Alcohol Funny Cars and fireworks. While legendary monster trucks Bigfoot and Snakebite took center stage, Tony Santos, Robin Harris, Ron Winters, Kahea Woods, Bill Dudley and Ryan Valandingham all shared the spotlight as final-round bracket-racing winners.

Carl "Pizza Man" Cannavo won the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series Super Pro finale at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night. Cannavo, of N. Las Vegas, defeated Brian Miller of Las Vegas for the victory.

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway held its 2005 NHRA King of the Track event Saturday night and John Phlegar of Las Vegas is the new titleholder. Phlegar, driving his Super Pro-class 1972 Chevelle, defeated former Motorcycle champion Leo Shaver for the coveted NHRA "Wally" trophy. Chris Naffziger of Las Vegas defeated Becky Phlegar to claim Super Pro final-round honors in Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series competition. Other Jerry's Nugget Series winners included: Charlie Boyd (Pro), Walter Shupe (Street), Leo Shaver (Motorcycle) and Bill Dudley (Sport Compact).

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will launch its new Repeat Offender program during BFGoodrich Midnight Mayhem Friday night. The new program encourages repeat customers, adding another incentive to race at The Strip and not on the street.

Las Vegas Metro police officer Kyle hirschi won the Street finale as a three-day run drag racing at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway came to an end at 11:10 p.m. Saturday. The Strip's busy weekend included the following series: Thursday Night Street Wars, GlobePC.com Show 'n' Go Friday, Meadow Gold NHRA Jr. Dragster Series Presented By Short Line Express Markets and Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series.

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will hold its third round of Thursday Night Street Wars on Thursday, May 12, at 8 p.m. Thursday Night Street Wars was launched by The Strip at LVMS to combat illegal street racing - also referred to as "the illegals" - on March 17. Like The Strip's popular BFGoodrich Midnight Mayhem program, Thursday Night Street Wars is open to any licensed driver with proof of insurance. All cars and motorcycles must be street legal, driven to the track and pass a safety inspection. As an added incentive, Thursday Night Street Wars will award $100 and a trophy to the drivers turning in the fastest speed and lowest elapsed time (E.T.).

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and GlobePC.com have announced the creation of a new, exciting class which honors active-duty military personnel, police officers, firemen and EMTs. The American Heroes Street-Legal Challenge will be contested as part of GlobePC.com Show 'n' Go Fridays Presented By Short Line Express Markets. Racers who meet the qualifications of the category will receive a free race entry.

2005 class rules and procedures.

Starting May 13, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host the LVMS High School Drag Racing Series Presented By Meadow Gold & Short Line Express Markets, as part of its GlobePC.com Show ¿n¿ Go Friday Series. The five-race series is open to all registered high school students and will be contested May 13, June 10, July 15, August 12 and September 16. Each race winner will receive $100, a trophy, a winner¿s decal and an LVMS hat. Each racer¿s four best finishes will count toward the points championship.

The paths to the titles of the sixth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals have been set as professional qualifying at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway raced to a close Saturday evening. The hot conditions and cloudless sky forced drivers to abandon attempts at Friday leaders Doug Kalitta, Gary Scelzi, and Warren Johnson, but there was still plenty of great racing action as lower-ranked and unqualified drivers pushed their way up the three pro ladders.

This weekend will be very special for Top Fuel dragster driver "Hot Rod" Fuller of Las Vegas. The NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will mark this veteran campaigner¿s first outing before a hometown crowd as a professional competitor. The winner of 13 NHRA national events and 28 regional races in the sportsman ranks, Fuller will be competing in only his fourth NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series national event since being selected by Houston, Texas, home builder David Powers to drive his brand-new David Powers Motorsports dragster.

Cruz Pedregon and the Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo Nitro Funny Car will head towards Las Vegas this weekend to compete in the sixth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The last time the speedy stars of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series competed on the quarter-mile drag strip at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October of 2004, Kalitta Motorsports' NHRA-only, three-car Top Fuel dragster team had such a thrilling weekend that even the neon-glitz and twinkling bright lights of the other famous Las Vegas "strip" seemed dim by comparison - Mac Tools/Jesse James Top Fuel driver Scott Kalitta qualified No.1 for final eliminations, Zantrex-3 dragster driver "Aussie Dave" Grubnic won the $100,000 Budweiser Shootout special event as well as qualifying No. 3 and Mac Tools nitro hot rod pilot Doug Kalitta won the event trophy on Halloween night after qualifying No. 2.

Jerry¿s Nugget, a well known local casino and track series sponsor at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will host an autograph and fan interaction promotion at their booth during the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at the track April 14-17. Sport Compact drivers Lisa Feeheley of L&B Racing and Joe Demaree of SSC Racing will be on hand to sign autographs and challenge all fans to a race at the Christmas tree. Jerry¿s Nugget will have a full size Christmas tree on hand and fans can compete to Beat the Pros. Fans also will have an opportunity to enter to win great prizes and giveaways over the course of the weekend. Jerry's Nugget will have a drawing at the end of the weekend and one lucky fan will walk away with a personal handheld practice tree to take home.

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will kick off its sixth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals weekend (April 14-17) tonight with a free NHRA driver autograph session from 7-8 p.m. at the ESPN Zone at the New York, New York Hotel & Casino. Drivers who have agreed to participate include: Tony Schumacher, defending Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson, Morgan Lucas, two-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Jim Yates, Pro Stock driver Erica Enders, Dan Fletcher, Kenny Koretsky, Mark Pawuk, Las Vegas resident and recently-licensed Top Fuel Dragster driver Rod Fuller, Ashley Force, Jeff Arend, Tony Bartone, Gary Densham, 2000 and 2002 NHRA Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. and David Baca.

No surprises here: Micah Roberts, oddsmaker for Station Casinos in Las Vegas, has picked three big names as favorites to win Sunday afternoon¿s NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals finals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Two-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel Dragster champion Tony Schumacher tops the list at 2-to-1. In the Funny Car category, 13-time champion John Force is favored at 5-to-2 and dominant doorslammer Greg Anderson boasts 8-to-5 odds in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock ranks.

Three members of the Sirens of TI cast ¿- including former American Idol TV show contestant Amanda Avila ¿- will sing the National Anthem at the sixth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday morning. Joining Avila in the kick-off of Sunday¿s eliminations will be fellow cast members Jasmine Jonas and Tyren Perry.

If you¿re a betting person, the name Bernstein would probably entice you to lay some money down at the window prior to the SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway April 15-17. Six-time champion Kenny Bernstein won this event twice in three outings. Now owner of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster driven by his son Brandon, both Bernsteins would claim that this track holds one of the fondest memories of their combined careers to date. It was on this quarter-mile in 2001 that the duo became the first father/son to win at the same national event in NHRA¿s 50-year history.

Juddi Lin, 19, is an ex-illegal street racer. The Community College of Southern Nevada automotive tech student used to tear up the streets of Clark County until she got torn up -- twice -- herself. "I've been through six cars in the past five years," Lin admitted. "Two out of the six were (demolished) in street-racing accidents. Both of them were a total loss. I was at the illegal street races and I wasn't wearing my seatbelt and my forehead hit the (windshield) and my chin hit the steering wheel. They sent me to the trauma unit. It was an unhappy picture."

With a new crew chief, Todd Smith, at the helm, Carrier Boyz Racing begins anew to make the team a factor in the 2004 NHRA POWERade Top Fuel championship chase as the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series moves to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals.

Complete schedule for the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip April 14-27.

Class winners -- SUPER PRO: Mark Piel (Boulder City). PRO: Ty Ishibashi (Las Vegas). STREET: Stephanie Wong (Las Vegas). MOTORCYCLE: Lonnie Woodruff (Bountiful, Utah). SPORT COMPACT: Bill Dudley (Las Vegas).

Results from the Feb. 27 PSCA 2005 season opener at The Strip.

Now in its fourth year at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Midnight Mayhem¿s purpose is to attract illegal street racers to the safer confines of the The Strip. Midnight Mayhem is open to any licensed driver with proof of insurance. Open to any street-legal car or motorcycle. $10 to race, $5 for spectators. Each Midnight Mayhem features hip-hop DJs, car shows hosted by Euro Entertainment and midway attractions.

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been recognized by Drag Racing Action Magazine as the Best Race Track Facility of the Year. The honor was bestowed in the ¿Best of 2004¿ feature in the March 2005 issue of Drag Racing Action Magazine. Chris Blair, LVMS¿ senior director of drag racing operations, also was noted as one of the sport¿s best promoters in John DiBartolomeo¿s column in the same issue.

NHRA Sport Compact star Abel Ibarra tested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend in preparation for the inaugural GM Performance NHRA Sport Compact Nationals in Las Vegas on March 15-16.

Classic nitro drags at The Strip Feb. 15-16, featuring Nitro-X fuelers, A/Fuel, Nitro Fuel Altereds, Sportsman Bracket, Pro Nitro Compact-X, car and truck show. This event is a track rental.

Rain once again washed out drag racing activity at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The weather has interfered with the 2005 Bracket Championship Kickoff, washing out the remainder of Friday¿s program and all of Saturday¿s as well. Drag racing will resume at 8 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, beginning with time trials for Street, Pro and Super Pro classes. Time trials will be followed by the completion of Friday¿s show, followed by Sunday¿s regularly-scheduled program. Sunday¿s Super Pro winner will earn $5,000.

An exciting, fun new promotion at The Strip!

Some of the biggest names in professional drag racing will return to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Feb. 4-6 to squeeze in one final test session before the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series begins at Pomona, Calif., Feb. 10-13. The event is open to the public and admission fees include pit access.

John Boyd and Joe Roubicek earned wins in the SoCal Top Comp Association¿s doubleheader, held at The Strip Saturday and Sunday during the NHRA Nitro Blast-off test session. John Boyd¿s ¿Saturday¿ win actually happened on Sunday, as racing was suspended Saturday evening due to the lateness of the hour. Boyd scored his win on Sunday morning while Roubicek won on Sunday evening. Forty cars were entered in Saturday¿s show; 37 cars answered Sunday¿s call. Best effort for a local driver was turned in by Gary Gilbert of Henderson. Gilbert lost in the semi-final on Sunday to Robert Tievs.

Reigning NHRA POWERade Funny Car champ John Force has begun the 2005 season in much the same way as he finished 2004: overpowering the competition. Force turned in a stellar performance during Friday's test session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. While other drivers limited themselves to mostly half-passes, Force's Castrol Ford lit up the clocks with three full runs, including a 4.747 run that matches Tony Pedregon's track record, which was set at the Summit Racing Equipment.com NHRA Nationals last April. Force's other efforts, a 4.80 and a 4.77, were equally impressive

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will honor its 2004 Jerry¿s Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series and Short Line Express Markets NHRA Jr. Dragster champions on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m. at the speedway¿s clubhouse. Drivers and riders to be honored include John Phlegar (Super Pro), Carl Cannavo (Outlaw Super Quick), Nick Ariotti (Pro), Bill Dudley (Sport Compact), Kahea Woods (Motorcycle), Scott Parsons (Street), Ryen Lamb (Jr. Dragster, Thunder) and Ryan Valandingham (Jr. Dragster, Lightning).

Second annual Rockabilly Rod Reunion set for Saturday, Oct. 15 -- 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit www.rockabillyrodreunion.com for a complete schedule and information.

Some of the biggest names in professional drag racing -- including John and Ashley Force -- will converge on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jan. 21-23 for the annual Nitro Blast-off. The three-day preseason test session is open only to NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series teams. Testing is set each day from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.