NORWALK, Ohio (January 19, 2012)
– Over the past 10 years the fastest growing and most lucrative
grassroots drag racing program in the sport has been the International
Hot Rod Association's Summit Racing SuperSeries.
Designed
as a championship program for bracket racers around the world, the
Summit SuperSeries has crowned nearly two dozen champions and awarded
over $1 million in cash and prizes since 2002 and now, through the
continued partnership of Summit Racing Equipment, the IHRA is pleased to
announce a brand new Summit SuperSeries program for Junior Dragster
racers beginning with the 2012 racing season.
Nearly
identical to the same program that has revolutionized grassroots drag
racing, the Summit SuperSeries Junior Dragster World Championship will
deliver the same incredible racing as its larger-car counterparts all on
the biggest stage of them all at the IHRA World Finals at Memphis
International Raceway.
"The
Summit Racing SuperSeries is a very successful sportsman program we
have built with the IHRA; racers and track operators have really jumped
on board with the series. We were excited to expand the Top and Mod
classes to 16 car fields in 2011," said Jim Greenleaf, Summit Racing's
Motorsports and Events Manager. "We discussed opportunities to grow the
program and the addition of the Junior Dragster class is a natural fit.
These racers are the future of our sport, as we have seen many former
Junior drivers as part of the Top and Mod championships.
"The
IHRA has put together an incredible prize package for the winner and
we're proud to be able to crown our first IHRA Summit SuperSeries Junior
World Champion. It's going to be a very exciting IHRA Sportsman Finals
in Memphis this October."
The
Summit SuperSeries Junior Dragster World Championship is the first and
only program to gather the best Junior Dragster racers in the sport and
have them compete for an undisputed World Championship. The program will
be made up of the 16 best Junior Dragster racers from over 90 IHRA
tracks around the globe. The 16 racers, 15 of which will be named at
their local Summit Team Finals plus one Wild Card entry, will meet at
the IHRA World Finals to race for the first-ever Junior Dragster World
Championship in October with over $40,000 in cash and prizes up for
grabs.
"Summit
Racing Equipment has really shown their dedication and commitment to
the sportsman racers with the Summit SuperSeries," said Sherrie Barbour,
IHRA Director of Special Programs. "Including Junior Dragsters in that
program and crowning a World Champion is a huge step forward with the
program and will become a huge hit with the Junior competitors and their
families. We are very excited to hit the ground running with this new
program."
Beginning
at the local level, Junior Dragster racers will compete at their local
participating track throughout the year with a Summit SuperSeries track
champion being named at the conclusion of the racing season. From there
the Junior Dragster track champions will move on to the Summit Team
Finals where they will square off against other track champions in their
Summit SuperSeries division for the right to advance to the Summit
SuperSeries Junior Dragster World Championship. For tracks unable to
compete in the Summit Team Finals, one track champion will be selected
as a "Wild Card" out of a pool of tracks to complete the 16-car field.
At
the IHRA World Finals the 16 Junior Dragster racers made up of all age
groups will compete for the World Championship with the winner taking
home a $6,000 savings bond courtesy of Summit Racing Equipment in
addition to a prize package that includes a brand new Vic Puglia Junior
Dragster with an engine courtesy of Steve Waller of Junior Specialties,
an IHRA Gold Card, a World Champion Ironman and World Champion Diamond
Ring. The runner-up will take home a $4,000 savings bond. All racers in
attendance will be allotted $750 cash in tow money, pushing the total
championship purse to $21,000.
For
more information on the new Summit SuperSeries Junior Dragster World
Championship, including a complete list of rules, visit www.ihra.com for complete details.
