162 drivers currently qualified for IHRA's championship finale
NORWALK, Ohio (September 20, 2012)
– With the fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of
Champions presented by AMSOIL just a few weeks away, drivers are making
final preparations and gearing up for the last race of the 2012 season
with a shot at over $10,000 to the winner and the title of IHRA World
Champion at stake.
This
year's class of TOC qualifiers totals 162 drivers, with seven spots
still available at the last-chance Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman
Spectacular presented by AMSOIL one day before the big go all at the
Summit Racing Equipment World Finals October 12-14 at Memphis
International Raceway.
Jacob Elrod was the winningest driver in 2012, taking home seven Ironman trophies
Among
the 162 drivers currently qualified for the field, 17 are former world
champions combining for 31 IHRA championships spanning 21 years from
1990 Hot Rod champion Daryl Griffin to 2011 champions Glenn Wright (TS),
Gianni Cantusci (SS), Steve Furr (SR) and Chip Johnson (HR).
The
2012 Summit Tournament of Champions will also feature a diverse group
of racers from 20 states and four Canadian provinces. North Carolina has
the most representatives with 33 drivers, followed by Texas with 21,
Florida with 16 and the Canadian province of Alberta with 16.
Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Michigan, British Columbia, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Washington, West Virginia and Manitoba will
also have representatives in this year's TOC field.
Drivers
have multiple ways to qualify for the Summit Tournament of Champions
throughout the year. Among them, drivers in Top Sportsman, Top Dragster,
Super Stock, Stock, Quick Rod, Super Rod and Hot Rod must either finish
in the top three in their respective Summit Pro-Am division, win a
Nitro Jam national event or divisional Tournament of Champions qualifier
or win one of IHRA's special events held throughout the year such as
the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Spectacular presented by AMSOIL
held in May, July and again in October.
Of
the 162 drivers currently qualified for this year's championship
tournament, six have qualified in more than one class including Jacob
Elrod, Steve Dweck, Brett Nesbitt, Michael Beard, Mark Faul and Patrick
Forster. Drivers with the most success within one specific class include
Steve Furr in Super Rod and Pete Peery and Pete D'Agnolo in Super Stock
who each qualified for the TOC in their respective class three
different ways.
Donny Urban won five times this season and won the Top Sportsman title in Division 3
Easily
the most impressive resume entering the 2012 edition of the Summit
Tournament of Champions belongs to Harrod, Ohio's Jacob Elrod. Elrod was
one of two drivers to win a divisional championship in two separate
classes, winning the Top Dragster and Super Rod crown in the North Stars
division. He also compiled an IHRA-leading seven Pro-Am victories in
nine finals, winning races in an unheard of five different classes
throughout the year including a rare triple victory at the MOPAR Nitro
Jam Nationals at the Grand Bend Motorplex in July where he took home the
Ironman in Quick Rod, Hot Rod and Top ET. While Elrod may have
qualified for the TOC in four separate classes, the rules state that a
driver may only qualify for the tournament in a maximum of two different
classes so Elrod will represent his divisional championships in
Memphis.
The
other double divisional champion was Steve Dweck who won the Top
Dragster and Hot Rod titles in the Heat Wave division on the strength of
six final rounds, winning three of those matchups.
Other
strong resumes in 2012 belong to North Stars Top Sportsman champion
Donny Urban who compiled five Pro-Am victories in six finals including a
big victory at the Summit Sportsman Spectacular at Maryland
International Raceway in July, Division 2 Super Stock champion Michael
Beard who visited six finals this season in Super Stock and Stock with
two wins to qualify in both classes, Division 6 Stock champion Mark Faul
who qualified in Stock and Super Stock on the strength of four wins
including a win at the Edmonton Nitro Jam in July and Division 4 Hot Rod
champion Bart Nelson who had four wins including the Mardi Gras Nitro
Jam in May.
Check
back with IHRA.com over the coming weeks as we break down each IHRA
class and let you know who to watch for, who are the favorites and what
to expect entering sportsman drag racing's biggest weekend with over
$200,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs at the IHRA Summit Racing
Equipment World Finals October 12-14 at Memphis International Raceway.
Below is a complete list of drivers qualified for this year's Tournament of Champions and how they did on the year:
Steve Dweck won two divisional titles in 2012 in Top Dragster and Hot Rod
