Kids-Under-12 FREE Ticket Offer, Jet Cars & NHRA Legends Fuel Pre-Race Buzz
INDIANAPOLIS (July 7, 2011) – Renowned as the ‘World’s Most Prestigious Drag Race,’ the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals is already one of the must-see spectacles in sport. So when you add to the equation three of the sport’s all-time greatest legends, multiple Jet Car exhibitions, and family-friendly ticket incentives including a Kids-Under-12-Free offer, it’s no surprise that race fans are more anxious than ever for the arrival of the 2011 running of the traditional Labor Day weekend event.
“We’re really pleased to be able to add such tremendous value, on and off the track, to what is already one of the most coveted tickets in motorsports,” said Gary Darcy, NHRA senior vice president of sales and marketing. “This is an event that our fans circle on the calendar every year and, especially with the Kids-Under-12-Free offer, it’s gratifying to help our fans celebrate NHRA’s 60th anniversary by making it just a little easier to create and share a whole new set of Mac Tools U.S. Nationals memories with the entire family.”
Complete details about the Kids-Under-12 Free and ‘layaway’ plan (if you select your seats by July 17, you only have to pay 50% at time of purchase and can pay the balance within 30 days) offers can be obtained by calling (800) 884-NHRA.
Once fans have tickets in hand for the marquee event on the NHRA schedule, the 57th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, they can look forward not just to the 7,000-horsepower cars and stars of today, but also to the NHRA Legends who have been a cornerstone of NHRA’s 60th anniversary season.
The featured Legends appearing at the Aug. 31 to Sept. 5 event at historic Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis are:
· “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, who is No. 1 on NHRA’s list of all-time greatest drivers and who famously developed and debuted in 1971 the rear-engine dragster that remains in place 40 years later; he is also tied for second on the all-time win list at venerable Lucas Oil Raceway with eight (1964, ’67, ’68, ’75, ’78, ’84, and ’86).
· Shirley Muldowney, a pioneer for women in sports who won three NHRA Full Throttle Series world championships and won the Mac Tools U. S. Nationals in 1982 in Top Fuel.
· Bob Glidden, the legendary Pro Stock driver whose 85 wins are third on NHRA’s all-time wins list, and whose 10 championships are second on NHRA’s all-time championships list. Glidden has an amazing nine wins at the event (’73, ’74, ’78, ’79, ’83, ’85 – ’88) and is currently the all-time winningest driver in event history.
Glidden and Muldowney will be available throughout the weekend for meet-and-greets and autograph sessions with fans, as well as being honored in special dedications on Saturday and Sunday.
And all three Legends will participate in the increasingly popular Track Walk with A Legend on Monday. Fans who have purchased a reserved ticket can walk beside, and listen to stories told by, one or more of these famed NHRA Legends prior to pre-race.
The event also will feature a Nostalgia Car Display in the Concourse of the west side of the facility; three jet cars the will be part of an exhibition on Friday and Saturday; and a special dedication commemorating the 10-year anniversary of Sept. 11 during pre-race ceremonies on Monday.
The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, Aug. 31 – Sept. 5 at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, will mark the 16th stop in a year-long celebration that will pay homage to the evolution of the hot rod, the impact of the sport’s legendary racers, and the lifeblood provided by the many millions of loyal and passionate NHRA fans.
The celebration will continue throughout the remainder of the year as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series hosts its final six races comprising the Countdown playoffs in Charlotte, Dallas, Reading, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Pomona.
Race fans can frequent NHRA.com or simply ‘like’ the NHRA Facebook page to receive updated news regarding details of the many 60th-themed ticket promotions being offered, and specific activities planned, at each of the remaining six events on the 2011 schedule.
The virtual tour through the first 60 years of NHRA drag racing will extend beyond the track to the desktops, laptops and handheld devices of NHRA fans via the NHRA Facebook page. Throughout the 2011 season, NHRA will enlist the expertise of the fans of the NHRA Facebook page to help determine the greatest moments from the first 60 years of NHRA drag racing. Voting – based on ‘likes’ – has already begun and will continue throughout the season.
