The local drag racing season kicks off Jan. 24-25.
The 2008 edition of the Las Vegas Bracket Nationals now is history. Peter Biondo of Maspeth, N.Y., won the $42,000 winner-take-all Ultimate Gambler race during the final day of the Las Vegas Bracket Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Forty-two drivers each paid $1,000 entry fees for the opportunity to earn the winner-take-all purse. In the end, it boiled down to two men: Biondo and Super Comp world champion Shawn Langdon.
New Yorker Pete Biondo won the $42,000 winner-take-all Ultimate Gambler race during the final day of the Las Vegas Bracket Nationals at The Strip. Forty-two drivers each paid $1,000 entry fees for the opportunity to earn the winner-take-all purse. In the end, it boiled down to two men: Maspeth, New York's Pete Biondo and Super Comp world champion Shawn Langdon. Biondo, in the left lane, posted a reaction time of .006 and won the $42,000 prize. For the record books, it was Biondo over Langdon, 4.806 sec./142.61 mph to 4.893 sec./135.37 mph.
Kirk Wilmes of Oklahoma defeated Vinny DeMieri of Dix Hills, N.Y., to claim the $20,000-to-win Pro Street finale at the Street Car Super Nationals at The Strip. Wilmes' 1968 Firebird 4.092 sec. at 183.67 mph in the 1/8-mile to DeMieri's 4.253 sec. at 171.34 mph.
It took a day longer than planned but the Short Line Express Market Gambler Shootout, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is in the books. It was the last of 44 races on the 2008 Lucas Oil Series schedule and boasted more than 800 cars with racers vying for last-minute points toward divisional and national titles. Ultimately, Shawn Cowie, Richmond, B.C., wheeled his Top Alcohol Dragster to the winner's circle and was joined there by Top Alcohol Funny Car pilot Steve Harker of Gainesville, Ga.
7:08 p.m. -- Comments from 2008 NHRA Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher, who earned his 15th victory of the season and the 56th of his career Sunday at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals:
Professional classes identified as: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Bike, Pro Mod, Pro Street, Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car, Nostalgia Top Fuel, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny car, Top Fuel Harley.
Professional classes identified as: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Bike, Pro Mod, Pro Street, Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car, Nostalgia Top Fuel, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny car, Top Fuel Harley.
6:40 p.m. - Comments from Robert Hight, the top qualifier in Funny Car:
"That was probably the most confusing run I've ever made, having to do the burnout, it's raining, I see the water on the side windows, I get back past the tree and then have to shut it off. That kind of scenario throws you all off and we can't have that - it can be dangerous.
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway held a children's Halloween costume contest Oct. 31 during the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals. The contest was conducted at the POWERade display on the midway behind the grandstands.
7:29 p.m. -- Comments from provisional Pro Stock Motorcycle pole-sitter Angelle Sampey following the second round of qualifying:
"This is actually my favorite race of the whole year because I love Las Vegas and I love Halloween - it's my favorite holiday, next to Christmas. We had a great run. We've had, I think, all of our bad luck in the beginning and the middle of the year and I'm really hoping these last couple of races has mercy on us and we get to do well for our sponsors who have been so wonderful. I've won a race -- at least one -- every season and it's really, really killing me that we haven't (won this year) because I know that I can and I know that my team can. We haven't shown what we're capable of."
All reserved seats for Sunday's elimination rounds of the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals have been sold, it was announced Thursday by Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials.
Pro Stock ace Jeg Coughlin, Funny Car dynamo Tim Wilkerson and soon-to-be-champ-again Tony Schumacher should win Sunday's NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
U.S. Army Top Fuel driver Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher has heard all of the title talk for the better part of two weeks, but he's just not going to buy into any of it right now. The Chicago-area resident needs to qualify for this weekend's ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals here at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to clinch his fifth consecutive POWERade world championship and the sixth of his career.
Revised Aug. 26
"The approach to Las Vegas this year is definitely different than it has been the last few years," said Capps, who is looking for his first victory of the year.
If you want to see four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion Gary Scelzi race one last time in Las Vegas, don't miss the upcoming NHRA national event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Halloween weekend.
With Halloween coming up this Friday, there's nothing more that J.R. Todd would like to instill than a little fright into the Top Fuel field for this weekend's running of the eighth annual ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals on The Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Of course, he wants the treats for the race and not any of the tricks.
Competitors in the JEGS ProMod Challenge will be making a record 12 stops in 2009 as they battle for the most prestigious trophy in Pro Modified drag racing. JEGS officials, working with NHRA, released the schedule earlier than ever before to allow top-tier racers enough time to make plans for the upcoming season.
With two races remaining in the 2008 POWERade Drag Racing season, ACDelco Cobalt racer Kurt Johnson remains firmly in contention for this year's Pro Stock Championship. Entering this weekend's ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, he is 74 points out of the lead with three wins in five final round appearances, a solid showing on all accounts. As he prepared to head to the Nevada desert, Johnson took time to offer his perspective on his season, his team and his outlook for the crucial final two events:
Switzerland's only Top Fuel pilot, Urs Erbacher, has earned four FIA European championships in his drag racing career. Now he'll travel 6,000 miles from Geneva to Las Vegas to add another piece of hardware to his trophy case -- a Wally from an NHRA national event.
Rookie-of-the-Year favorite Mike Neff has learned a lot during his first season behind the wheel of the John Force Racing Old Spice Ford Mustang. He has become more comfortable with his growing legion of fans as well as the news media attention directed his way. One of the biggest things he has learned is dealing with the pressure from the driver's perspective as a race unfolds.
Tim Henry of Valencia, Calif., defeated Mike Maggio for PSCA Mickey Thompson Tires Nationals Pro Street honors at The Strip Sunday night. Henry's Firebird beat Maggio's Corvette, 6.779 sec./209.07 mph to 6.998 sec./197.48.
The final event of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing NHRA divisional series - the Gambler Showdown Presented by Short Line Express Markets at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- traditionally is one of the most spectacular Sportsman drag racing events of the season. With more than 970 entrants, a stellar field of Top Alcohol Dragsters and Funny Cars and NHRA national points titles decided at The Strip at LVMS, the Nov. 7-9 event is a true showcase of grassroots drag racing. This year, the event will be even more spectacular with the addition of the WHRA Top Fuel Motorcycle Finals.
Two-time NHRA U.S. Nationals Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Steve Johnson will participate in the NHRA Fan Fest at Third Street at The Fremont Street Experience on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 6-8 p.m. The fan fest is free to the public and will include an NHRA driver/rider autograph session, live entertainment and show cars. Johnson is expected to be joined by 30 of the NHRA's stars.
Final 2008 Jr. Dragster points -- Short Line Express Markets series
The 2008 Short Line Express Markets Jr. Dragster Series at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and three drivers closed out the season with victories on National Dragster Challenge Day. Two of the three final rounds of eliminations were won on the starting line due to foul starts.
Final 2008 points for The Strip
The final night of points racing for the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series now is history. Saturday's winners include: John Phlegar (Super Pro), John Irving (Pro), Jeff Shaw (Sportsman) and Kahea Woods (Motorcycle). Points will be finalized and released Tuesday.
Doug Schneider of Las Vegas claimed Super Pro honors in the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night. Schneider's opponent, Joe Niswonger, fouled (red-lit) in the Super Pro finale, handing the win to the 1971 Dodge driver.
It's 2:30 a.m. - do you know where your children are? If you're in Las Vegas, they probably were at The Strip, watching the PSCA Pro Street finale. The Pacific Street Car Association's Labor Day Nationals at The Strip at LVMS wound up in the wee hours on Monday morning and they saved the best for last. Giuseppe Gentile of Sun Valley, Calif., defeated John Mihovetz of Ontario, Calif., to win the Pro Street class and also turned in the fastest speed of the night: 228.50 mph (at 6.349 sec.).
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway presented its annual Labor Day Weekend Junior Dragster doubleheader on Saturday, Aug. 30, and Sunday, Aug. 31. Festivities included a water balloon fight and Meadow Gold ice cream party.
BUGORAMA Las Vegas: Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
On Saturday, Aug. 23, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and INEX officials conducted a Bandolero test session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to explore future drag racing applications. The Bandolero car, which is mass-produced by LVMS's parent company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc., under the 600 Racing banner, is designed for competition by children 8 years and older and is primarily raced on ovals and road courses.
Officials from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Arm Drop Live! Racing Association today announced that the Rich Christensen Arm Drop Live! TV show event originally scheduled for November 4-5, 2008, has been postponed due to the host's television filming schedule. The SPEED TV show series will kick off its 2009 season in Las Vegas on a date to be announced next month.
The Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities will hold its fifth annual "Cards for Kids" Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Cannery Hotel & Casino at 2121 E. Craig Rd. in North Las Vegas. The charity tournament will kick off the Oct. 30-Nov. 2 NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Rick Newport of West Valley, Utah, is the new King of the Track at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Newport won tonight's King-of-the-Track finale over another motorcycle rider, something that never has occurred before at The Strip.
8th Annual ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals Schedule of Events
A popular promotion has been revived at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: individual suite tickets now are available for the Oct. 31-Nov. 2 NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Michael Hadtrath of Las Vegas won tonight's inaugural Top Dog competition for street-legal cars during Midnight Mayhem Presented By MetroPCS at The Strip. Hadtrath, who recently moved here from Southern California, defeated Frank Yee with a 140-mph pass for the $1,000 prize and the bragging rights of owning the fastest street-legal car in Las Vegas.
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the latest drag-racing facility to join www.1320go.com. The service will provide live Compulink timing from The Strip's events, enabling fans to access instant results from home and racers to download a record of past runs. A subscription to www.1320go.com costs $40 per year.
Eighth bracket points race of the 2008 season includes Las Vegas Corvette Association Club and King-of- the-Track eliminations. Please note later starting times for this event.
The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will be known as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in 2009. Although the series has a new name, it still will deliver the same brand of thrilling drag-racing entertainment to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway twice next year. For the ninth consecutive year, The Strip at LVMS will host a pair of NHRA national events.
A television production company is coming to do a "reality series" on Midnight Mayhem Presented By MetroPCS and its (legal) street racers.
The 2008 edition of the Super Tuner Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway now is history. Although weather - lightning and rain - threatened both days, it affected neither fan participation nor on-track competition.
Veteran Las Vegas drag racer Ron Landram (EZ Money Camaro) is in the hospital and could use some cheering up. He is in Sunrise Hospital (3186 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas) in Room 346. Ron was taken to the hospital Friday (July 4) and now is allowed to receive visitors.
Dowd, Doughty, Phlegar, Conner Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series victors -- Final-round results for the June 7 Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series meet at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
Final-round esults from the May 31 meet at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series and Short Line Express Markets Jr. Dragster Series.
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will present the seventh annual Las Vegas Bracket Nationals Nov. 27-30. The event is only six months away. New features for the 2008 event include: Super Pro increases to $7,500-to-win on Saturday and Sunday; Pro increases to $2,000-to-win on Saturday and Sunday; and the addition of a split-tree E.T. Motorcycle category.
Carl Cannavo of N. Las Vegas defeated Glen Copley of Las Vegas to win the Super Pro finale in the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series at The Strip. On Saturday afternoon, the April 19 make-up race for the Super Pro class (the race was postponed due to high winds) was won by Rob Dawson of N. Las Vegas over Glen Copley.
The inaugural Las Vegas Speed Spectacular at The Strip ended with a bang as Nathan "Li'l Nate" Bugg won the nostalgia Funny Car finale as opponent and No. 1 Qualifier Mendy Fry crashed in the right lane. The impact shed the body from the chassis and a fire erupted, but Fry was not injured.
The three-day PSCA K&N Filters Nationals at The Strip now resides in the record books. Kelly Bluebaugh of Phoenix topped the Pro Street class with a final-round win over John Mihovetz, but Giuseppe Gentile also caused quite a stir. With the quarter-mile strip back in its usual excellent form, Gentile's Mustang shattered the PSCA's Pro Street ET record. Gentile, of Sun Valley, Calif., bettered the old marks with a pass of 6.297 seconds at 226.05 mph.
Kahea Woods of Las Vegas won the inaugural Jason Whitenack Memorial Shootout for motorcycles at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway tonight. The event was held in memory of 2003 LVMS Motorcycle champion Jason Whitenack, who lost his life in a highway accident last October.
Cory McClenathan claimed his first Top Fuel win in more than a year, and Tim Wilkerson ended a winless drought that extends back to the 2004.
McClenathan and Wilkerson were joined in the winner's circle by former POWERade champion and Summit-backed racer Jason Line, who claimed his first win of the season over Greg Stanfield, who was seeking to win his first Pro Stock event. All three were first-time winners at Las Vegas.
Final qualifying results for Sunday's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at LVMS.
Ron Capps has two positive things going for him as he heads to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend's NHRA Nationals: the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car he drives for Don Schumacher Racing is showing promise after four straight first-round losses, and the quarter-mile at The Strip has arguably one of the best racing surfaces in the country.
After earning the No. 6 spot in 2007, Mike Ashley had high hopes for his Gotham City Racing ventures this year. He added Melanie Troxel and was looking to make another big splash on the drag racing scene. Now, after several bumps in the road and a less than stellar start, Ashley has drawn a line in the sand and is guaranteeing a turnaround.
After making a little bit of drag racing history March 30 in Houston when he became the first European racer in 30 years to win a Top Fuel elimination round, reigning FIA Champion Urs Erbacher will try to make another entry in NHRA's annals with an event victory this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Don Schumacher Racing drivers Tony Schumacher, Cory McClenathan and Jack Beckman will sign autographs for fans at the Orleans Hotel & Casino, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., from 7-8 p.m. on Saturday, April 12. The autograph-signing area will be set up at the South end of the Race and Sports Book at the hotel.
Station Casinos' oddsmaker Micah Roberts likes Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight and Greg Anderson in the final rounds of next weekend's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Complete results from the April 5 Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series and Short Line Express Markets Jr. Dragster Series events at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Mopars At The Strip is a track rental and not an LVMS event. Mopars At The Strip is an all-Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth) drag racing, car show and swap meet event. For schedules, pricing and information, please contact the promoters at http://www.moparsatthestrip.com/.
Frank Hawley -- 1982 and 1983 NHRA Funny Car champion and proprietor of Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School -- was testing at The Strip today in order to earn his NHRA Funny Car license.
"Super Bowl Sunday" was not so super after all -- if you're a drag racer -- as rain forced cancellation of Sunday's Bracket Championship.
Jeg Coughlin won the third annual Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown at The Strip. Coughlin, in the left lane, defeated Allen Johnson of Greenville, Tenn., 6.711 sec./204.94 mph to 6.735 sec./203.92 mph.
The 2008 Midnight Mayhem Presented By MetroPCS season began Friday night at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Now in its seventh year, the Midnight Mayhem program was instituted to offer a safe alternative to illegal street racing in Las Vegas and Clark County.
The seventh annual Nitro Blast-off Test Session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway now is history. The weekend session, conducted under sunny skies, was without incident and concluded at today at 4:50 p.m.
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway honored its 2007 champions in the Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series and Short Line Express Jr. Drag Racing Series on Saturday, Jan. 19, at its annual awards banquet in LVMS' Blackjack Club in the infield of the superspeedway.
Through the years, the Las Vegas test has been the proving ground for technical and safety developments, the debut of new teams and the opportunity for drivers to obtain professional competition licenses.