Southwestern International Raceway to host third stop on 2011 Nitro Jam tour
Norwalk, Ohio, January 31, 2011 – After a few weeks of deliberation culminating with a unanimous vote by the racers, the International Hot Rod Association and Feld Motor Sports is proud to announce that Tucson, Ariz. based dragstrip Merles Southwestern International Raceway has joined the IHRA family of member tracks.
Merles Southwestern International Raceway has confirmed that the venue will be sanctioned by the IHRA and, according to new owner LJ Motorsports and CEO Bernie Longjohn, the IHRA affiliation will bring with it many racer friendly programs including the Summit SuperSeries and Teen Championship Racing, culminating with the southwestern United States debut of the fastest growing motorsports event in the country as Nitro Jam comes to SIR the weekend of March 25-26 with one of the biggest shows of the year.
"We here at Merles Southwestern International Raceway are thrilled to be teaming up with the International Hot Rod Association in bringing great racing, great shows and a fresh start to the Tucson area," Longjohn said. "This is a great partnership, not just for local racers, but for the entire region as we welcome an incredible Nitro Jam show to the track the last weekend of March and present many great racing options for the fans. It is sure to be a great event and a great year for everyone here at SIR."
The Tucson region has always had a rich tradition of great motorsport events and now Merles Southwestern International Raceway can proudly say that the best is coming March 25-26 as the Arizona Nitro Jam invades Tucson with the world's fastest cars and stars and a show that is sure to rock southwestern Arizona.
It will also be the farthest west the IHRA and Nitro Jam has ever traveled in the United States.
"We are thrilled to welcome SIR to the IHRA family and we are even more excited to bring a Nitro Jam to the western part of the United States and give those fans a unique show they can't see anywhere else," said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. "We have an incredible show lined up for Tucson that includes four nitro classes and a finale Arizona fans won't soon forget.
"We will also be working with Southwestern International Raceway to bring other unique and exciting programs to the track in the future as the IHRA continues its expansion west."
The 2011 Arizona Nitro Jam Tour will feature the world's fastest race machines as Top Fuel dragsters invade the Arizona strip, in addition to championship Prostalgia Nitro Funny Cars, insane Nitro Harleys, out-of-control Fuel Altereds, flame-throwing jet dragsters and the "Cool Bus" wheelstanding school bus. And it will all be capped off with a historical finale as, for the first time ever, fans as SIR will witness the legendary Grave Digger monster truck take on a 30,000 horsepower jet semi in a showdown between two of the most exciting trucks in the world.
In addition to the Arizona Nitro Jam, Merles Southwestern International Raceway will also welcome the Summit SuperSeries, which provides local racers an opportunity to compete for a world championship, and many other great racer programs.
For more information about Southwestern International Raceway visit the track website at www.sirdragstrip.com or check out www.nitrojam.com to learn more about the Arizona Nitro Jam the weekend of March 25-26.
