2008 Black Sunday

Many people have probably never heard of the term ‘Black Sunday‘ before and have no idea what it means. Despite the fact that Black Sunday is already a very large event, it is not one that is generally splashed across racing calendars. If you’re an auto racing fan, then you owe it to yourself to show up and support this great event as part of your growing ‘auto’ education.

At least once a year the men and woman who belong to the United Black Drag Racers Association gather together at a single location to take part in Black Sunday. Auto/drag racing may not be the next black national pastime, but it certainly is a lot more popular than many people think. In fact, the event has grown so much in popularity over the years that the African-American fan base is now large enough to facilitate a truly excellent day of sport, car culture, racing and socializing. Apparently Black Sunday has its roots in a bragging-rights day that was organised amongst black drag racers in the St. Louis area. Well, what might have started out as a really simple, small gathering is now a full-scale auto and motorcycle festival with national appeal. It’s a place where fans of the sport can get together and reignite old friendships, test their skills behind the wheel and compare the performances of their machines against each other. The introducing of a purse has further added to the appeal and drama of the event.

The event is also a great way to learn more about the sport and the United Black Drag Racers Association offers a hands-on show and tell-type of educational display on the day. The idea is to spark the imagination of youngsters and get more of them racing from a younger age so that there are more black drivers out on the racing circuits. Far from being a small, minority event, more than 20 000 people turn out to support the event each year. This year’s Black Sunday will be taking place at Gateway International Racetrack on Oct 17-19. So try something new and support this great annual event. You may be surprised at what you find!

Atlanta Motor Speedway has Full Calendar for Next Two Months

The Atlanta Motor Speedway is an awesome, intermediate track that at one point boasted the highest speeds on the NASCAR circuit. Even today it is still one of the fastest tracks on the circuit and fans who come here know that they are in for brilliant, action-packed racing each time. Little wonder then that the Atlanta Motor Speedway already has a full calendar for the months of September and October.

The racing action will get underway on September 11 with the NASCAR Foundation Blood and Marrow Drive. The event is designed to encourage people to become both blood and marrow donors, thus bringing out the goodwill of the community. It will also provide fans with exciting opportunities, since each fan who donates will be given a pace car ride, which will be provided courtesy of Atlanta Motor Speedway. The event will take place between 10:00 and 19:00 and it is advisable that you register for it ahead of time.

After that, it’s a few weeks before the action gets really exciting. The Super Chevy Show will kick off on October 3 to 5 with drag racing, show-n-shine, vendor midway, swap meet and car corral and match race madness with the Queen of Diamonds Jet Car. Nostalgic 409 Super Stocks and some of the biggest Chevy powered dragsters in the country will add more punch to the show’s line-up. This one is not to be missed.

On October 12 the Atlanta Motor Speedway will play host to the March of the Dimes “Ride to the Speedway”. This annual event will include live entertainment, a number of displays by different vendors and plenty of yummy food and refreshing beverages. Visitors will be given the chance to climb the banks of the speedway on their favorite motorcycle as well as have the option of taking a ride in a balloon or a helicopter. The event is for charity and proceeds are given to the March of Dimes and saving Georgia’s children.

On October 18 Corvettes gather to fight Breast Cancer on the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The event, which is run by Corvettes Serving America Foundation Incorporated, is designed to promote breast cancer awareness. Corvettes Against Breast Cancer VI will also help to raise funds for this cause.

October 24 will see the world’s top drivers come together at the raceway to take part in the Hot Shot NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying. Visitors will also get to see practice sessions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The Pep Boys Auto 500 NASCAR race weekend will then continue on October 25 when the Atlanta 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race gets underway with 135 grueling laps of tough truck racing. The day’s events will also include two NASCAR Sprint Cup practice sessions and Legends racing. October 26 sees the grand climax of the weekend’s racing with the Pep Boys Auto 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race. This is the seventh race in the championship and promises to offer unimaginable excitement. So book your tickets now for these fantastic events!

NHRA Decides to Shorten Runs For Safety’s Sake

When drag racing became more and more popular in the early 1950s and 60s, the National Hot Rod Association’s home track was Pomona Raceway in California. The track was built as a quarter-mile and the cars’ speeds were only nearing 200 mph so the logistics worked. But that was then, and this is now. Today cars reach speeds in excess of 325 mph, and officials now fear that the track hasn’t changed enough to accommodate these high speeds.

This fact was brought into sharp relief recently when the life of Scott Kalitta, a Palmetto Funny Car driver, was brought to a catastrophic end when his car launched into the barrier at the end of a run last month in New Jersey, causing the car to explode with the driver still trapped inside. There were likely more factors involved in the crash than simply the lack of space and increase in speed, but the tragic event was a stark reminder that something needed to be done about the problem. The accident took place in Englishtown on a track that was built in 1965 – one of many tracks that, like Pomona Raceway, have run out of space to expand the runoff area at the end of the quarter-mile in case of emergencies such as these. Since the runoffs cannot be expanded, something else needs to be done to ensure that these tracks continue to remain relatively safe places to participate in motor sports. With this in mind, the NHRA has made the decision to shorten the races for Top Fuel and Funny Cars to just 1000 feet instead of the full 1 320-foot quarter-mile that has been the standard up until now. Both events see the fastest cars on the track and the most risks taken, and shortening the track will no doubt see a lot of cars slowing down in order to stay on the track.

Although the NHRA has said that this is only a temporary solution to the problem, a lot of people in the auto racing industry are up in arms about it. They feel that speed is the name of the game and a good driver will just suck it in and do their best. They also fear that the NHRA’s decision will become permanent. However, the decision made by the NHRA is clearly not about slowing the races down – it’s about the long-term safety of the drivers involved in these races. As long as there is insufficient space for a car hurtling down a run at 325 mph to slow down safely, the risk of more accidents like Scott Kalitta’s is just too great. Tracks must be altered, races must be shortened or technology must improve – we will no doubt see interesting developments in all three of these facets of racing in the near future.

NHRA Releases Details for Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 2009

The NHRA recently released the details for the 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. But it isn’t the 24 different events that have everyone talking – it’s the more than $1.3 million purse! The figure is higher than ever before and even beats estimates of what it might have risen to, so fans are excited and drivers are setting their minds on trying to place in next years fantastic NHRA drag racing series.

So exactly how is all that money going to be divided up? There are, after all, 24 different races on the calendar. Well, it starts with the Top Fuel and Funny Car national events which each have a purse of $50 000 (about 25% more than this year). The next biggest winners will be the Pro Stock drivers who stand to take $25 000 home, followed by Pro Stock Motorcyclists who could win $10 000. However even these figures are completely dwarfed by the most prestigious drag racing event in the world – the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The year 2009 will see that 55th running of this massive race and winners of the top two nitro classes will each walk away with a check for a cool $100 000. The event’s Pro Stock winner will take $50 000, while the Pro Stock Motorcycle winner will be able to look forward to spending $20 000. Increases in prize money will also be made for semifinalists, second-round finishers and runner-ups in a number of the different races. The total purse increase for the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes is $1 353 700. For many drivers this is the stuff dreams are made of.

The 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule takes place in the following order: NHRA Winternationals (Pomona), Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals (Phoenix), ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals (Gainesville), O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals (Houston), SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals (Las Vagas), Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals (Atlanta), Midwest Nationals (Madison), O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol), O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals (Topeka), NHRA Route 66 Nationals (Chicago), NHRA SuperNationals (Englishtown), Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals (Norwalk), NHRA Winternationals (Pomona), Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals (Denver), Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals (Seattle), Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals (Sonoma), Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (Brainerd), Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals (Reading), Mac Tools U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis), NHRA Nationals (Concord), O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals (Dallas), O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals (Memphis), Virginia NHRA Nationals (Richmond), ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals (Las Vegas), Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals (Pomona). The races will take place between Feb 5 and November 15, so racing fans have a whole lot of great racing to look forward to.

Bruce Litton – Drag Racing Driver Extraordinaire

Drag Racing is probably one of the fastest and most dangerous sports in the world. It takes a brave and fearless driver to get behind the wheel and face speeds of approximately three hundred miles per hour. And when it comes to respected and legendary Drag Racing drivers, Bruce Litton is your man. This magnificent racing driver has led a balanced life as a driver, husband of more than twenty eight years, dedicated father and successful businessman. He is a role model to young aspiring racing drivers and an inspiration to those around him.

Bruce Litton started his racing career as a motorcycle racer and decided to move over to drag racing after hanging up his motorcycle gloves. In 1992, he started taking drag racing seriously, entering the Top Dragster Quick 8 racing program. His natural talent and flair for this thrilling sport was soon evident as he raked in winning positions in eleven national drag racing events and took the championship title three seasons in a row. After enjoying successful racing seasons, Bruce Litton decided to take on a bigger challenge in 1995 as a Top Fuel drag racing champion.

Now, looking back on eleven Top Fuel seasons, it seems that there is just no slowing down this energetic and greatly skilled drag racing driver. His determination and the dedication of this Lucas Oil Team has seen him through many victories, disappointments and close calls, but has led to him winning numerous awards, such as Sportsman of the Year and Iron Man trophies. On the business side of things, Bruce Litton runs a distribution company that specializes in truck conversions and trailer sales. But one of the most rewarding features in Litton’s life must be the completion of his racing shop that took four agonizing years to rebuild, after a devastating fire in 2001.

On entering the shop, you realize that you have just stepped into Oneida, Litton’s hometown until the age of ten, which takes you back to yesteryear. Here you will find the life-size Mobil Gas Station, with all its trimmings and memorabilia. Tires from the time period are awaiting fitting, oil charts are against the wall and batteries to give new life to vehicles. Webb Brothers Hardware is on the corner, with a customers’ 1920 bicycle leaning against the wall. The Sherrifs office, Scott Movie Theatre, Clyde’s Barber Shop, the Chapel, Phillips Drive-In and Troxel Motors with its sales floor filled with breathtaking vehicles of the time welcome visitors. Walking through this magnificent recreation, of which no detail has been left undone, makes visitors feel as if the town will jump to life at any moment.

And of course, at the back, stands the dragster and transporter, ready for their next road trip to an upcoming racing event. Bruce Litton is an all round success story that looks towards the future and to greater things.

Auto Racing Series and Season Schedules for 2008

The racing world, in all its shapes and forms, is gearing up for the 2008 series season. Schedules have been updated, teams have confirmed drivers, and the fans have already ensured that they have a copy of the 2008 series schedules for their favourite sports. No matter what type of racing fans prefer, it is going to be a year filled with good racing and spectacular events.

In the NASCAR camp, teams are gearing up for the sixtieth year of NASCAR racing, and all its divisions have already confirmed venues and races for their 2008 series schedule. The NASCAR season runs from February to November, and the Sprint Cup Series will be kicking off the new season on the 9th of February 2008 with the Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Raceway. It will be the last season that Craftsman will be sponsoring the truck series and the Daytona 500 will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. A new series will be introduced, namely the NASCAR Nationwide Series, which will replace the NASCAR Busch Series and run from the 16th of February to the 15th of November.

The Formula One arena has a few rule changes for the upcoming year, and their season will start on 16 March 2008 with the last race taking place on 2 November. With seven teams rearing to go, it will be interesting to see how they perform under the new rules. The changes that have been made to the rules include Bridgestone being the 2008 – 2010 official tyre sponsors, the installation of a standard Electronic Control Unit, gearboxes have to remain in the cars for four Grand Prix and changes will be penalised, new restrictions of aerodynamics changes during the season and engine changes, the ban on traction control, and the banning of tyre warming blankets.

The Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing season for 2008 will run from 9 March to 26 October. Two minor changes have been made to the 2008 series schedule, with the Grand Finale being held in Valencia on the 26th of October, instead of the 2nd of November as previously planned, and the Portugal race being moved forward from the 20th to the 13th of April.

January 25th is the date for the first race of the 2008 World Rally Championship Season that will finish at the Wales Rally GP, which is held between the 28th to the 30th of November. Very small changes have been brought forward, in the interest of the public. The term “leg” will from now on be called “day”, and each day the running order will be selected according to the classification of the event.

Other racing organisations such as the Drag Racing circuit and the National Hot Rod Association are also preparing to start their new seasons. With so many racing schedules and noteworthy racing taking place, it is going to be a tough choice to decide which to attend. The year 2008 is going to be a spectacular racing season, where new legends will be made and memorable races will be recalled and spoken of for years to come.

NHRA: A Brief History – Auto Racing

In 1951, Wally Sparks created the National Hot Rod Association to spotlight the sport of drag racing. Starting in the California, Wally and a few friends roll up their top fuel dragsters and created a true American icon of sport. In 1965, Maynard Rupp was crowned the first National Champion and for the past 40 years, a new winner has been awarded the prize of fastest driver in America.

Over the years, legendary racers such as “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Don “The Snake” Prudomme and my favorite Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney have gathered twice a year to race in this event. There are two nationals each year, The Winter and Summer Nationals, and are now raced at the Indianapolis Raceway after a long stint in Pomona California.

Today the racers are as fast as ever with some in the top fuel category reaching speeds in excess of 300 M.P.H. The race has evolved from top fuel to funny cars and pro stock bikes and these racers are true adventurers who thrive on speed.

The NHRA sanctions events all over the country and on most weekends, you can experience the speed of these cars up close. Check with your local track or follow links on this page for information on the next race in your area.

For those who would like to get behind the wheel, join the NHRA and become a speed demon. Most tracks that include the NHRA have opportunities for the novice racer to get behind the wheel and experience the speed of a full opened throttle.