CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 8, 2010) – Some of the fastest drivers, car
owners and mechanics ever to turn left will give it their all to go straight
on Tuesday, Oct. 12, as NASCAR Night returns to zMAX Dragway.
In past NASCAR Night events, more than 100 NASCAR industry personnel
have descended on the Bellagio of drag strips to take their cars down the
concrete quarter-mile. Participants can race anything they wish down the
drag strip, making this a true “run what you brung” event. Previous NASCAR
Night drag racers included NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kurt Busch, Kyle
Busch, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth; team owner Rick Hendrick; and crew
chiefs Chad Knaus and Lance McGrew.
“The first NASCAR Night they hosted at zMAX Dragway a couple of
years ago, I told my guys, ‘We’re going to take something that nobody can
beat,'” said Busch, who will compete on Tuesday night. “It’s a lot of fun to
go to one of the best drag strips in the world, right here in our own
backyard, and do some good old fashion, heads-up grudge racing against some
of the guys you compete against in the garage every weekend.
“We’ll bring our ’70 Dodge Challenger that we raced with at the NHRA
Gatornationals in Gainesville (Fla.) and PINKS All Out at Charlotte earlier
in the year. We’ve put a lot of time and effort into that car and with the
cooler track temperature and night air on Tuesday, we should be able to run
in the low eights (seconds) if we can get it to stick.”
NASCAR Night is open to the public with gates opening at 4:30 p.m. On-track
action is set for 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fans can show a ticket to the upcoming
Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 16 and receive free
admission. Adult tickets are available at the gate for just $5 and kids are
free. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to Speedway Children’s
Charities.
Tickets for all October races at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be
purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the
speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). The Bank of America Fan 4
Pack includes tickets, hot dogs and Coca-Cola drinks starting at just $39.75
per person or fans can get four nights of great racing with the Bank of
America 500 Week Super Ticket for just $99.
For daily updates on October race activities, connect with Charlotte
Motor Speedway by following on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy or
become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway. Connect
with zMAX Dragway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zmaxdragway and on Twitter
at www.twitter.com/zmaxdragway.
Category: Cory McClenathan
Get Close to Your Favorite Drivers at O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals
CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 13, 2010) – Do you dream of meeting your
favorite NHRA drivers and getting their autographs? Think it’s impossible?
Not when every ticket is a pit pass to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA
Nationals Thursday-Sunday at zMAX Dragway.
When fans purchase a ticket to round two of the NHRA Full Throttle
Countdown to the Championship they will have the opportunity to see the
biggest names of the sport up close, including Larry Dixon, John Force, Cory
McClenathan and Tony Schumacher, among others.
“The cool thing about the NHRA and our sport is that when you buy a
ticket it gets you right into the pits,” said Dixon, two-time NHRA Top Fuel
Champion in a recent interview with News 14 Carolina. “It’s not like NASCAR
or Indy Car where you can’t get on pit road or you’ve got to know somebody
to get into the pits.
“You can just walk right up and meet John Force, get his autograph
and buy his merchandise right by his trailer. The interaction that you have
with the drivers and the crews, getting to watch them tear the cars down in
between rounds, that’s the one thing I have always liked about our sport.
You can’t go to a Carolina Panthers game and go in the locker room, but you
can come in ours!”
This unrivaled access allows fans to shake hands, obtain autographs
and even have a face-to-face conversation with NHRA’s biggest stars. It also
gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to set up and tear
down a race car.
“At zMAX Dragway alone I’ve gotten to meet and talk to John Force,
Robert Hight, Steve Johnson, Matt Smith and Melanie Troxel, along with many
others,” said NHRA fan Sherry Santana. “All the drivers are so friendly and
I admit, I’m addicted to NHRA [drag racing] and I’m looking forward to
seeing them all again in Charlotte this week.”
The Bellagio of drag strips is located in the heart of NASCAR
country and gives stock car fans the opportunity to experience the driver
access that NHRA fans have come to know and love.
“I think it’s important for fans to see both sides,” said
McClenathan, defending O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals winner. “It shows
the stock car community there is another source of racing that’s fun for the
whole family. Buying a ticket also gets you into the pits and gives fans the
opportunity to see the full realm of the sport, from the guys working on the
car, to drivers signing autographs, you can experience a lot more at a drag
race.
“I think the NHRA, Full Throttle and zMAX have done a great job of
portraying our sport as different. We get a lot of people that come into the
pits and say they’ve never been there before and that they can’t wait to
come back and watch us again. They want to come back every single year.”
Not only can fans get autographs, but many have the opportunity to
talk with their favorite drivers and learn more about the sport of drag
racing.
“I met Top Fuel driver Antron Brown and he is the coolest,” said
drag racing fan Chris Wood. “He was mixing his fuel and described to me how
he was doing it. It was very cool. All the drivers are so friendly and take
time for us, the fans. I just love it!”
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series returns to zMAX Dragway
this week for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, the second race of the
six-race Countdown to the Championship. The four-day drag racing event held
Thursday-Sunday is sure to play a pivotal role in deciding the world
championships in NHRA’s top four professional classes.
General admission four-pack tickets are available for only $14.75
per person on Friday and $29.75 for Saturday or Sunday. For more information
or to purchase tickets to the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, visit
www.zmaxdragway.com or call the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at
1-800-455-FANS (3267).
Connect with zMAX Dragway and stay up to speed with all the happenings at
the Bellagio of drag strips on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zmaxdragway and
on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zmaxdragway.
Cory Mac Goes For Three in a Row at zMAX Dragway
CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 8, 2010) – Two-wide or four-wide, 34-time NHRA
Top Fuel winner, Cory McClenathan, is a force to be reckoned with at zMAX
Dragway and he is looking for his third straight victory at the Bellagio of
drag strips Sept. 16-19 at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
McClenathan, known to his legion of nitro fans as “Cory Mac,” is the
winningest Top Fuel driver in the history of zMAX Dragway, with victories in
both the 2009 O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals and this year’s inaugural
NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
“To go into a race track knowing we’ve had the kind of success
we’ve had at zMAX Dragway is a big deal,” said McClenathan. “It takes a lot
off my shoulders. We’ve won there two-wide and four-wide and now we’re going
back for the Countdown.
“I know we’re going to the best facility for us to run the best
[elapsed time] and the big mph. I don’t have to worry about that. My job is
to go out there and step on the gas pedal when the tree comes down and
that’s all I have to worry about on Sunday.”
After being introduced to drag racing by his father, Dick
McClenathan, a former drag racer himself, Cory Mac began his racing career
at age 16 driving high-performance Volkswagens. It wasn’t until 1991 that
McClenathan first stepped into a Top Fuel dragster. Since, he has
established himself as one of the best drivers in NHRA’s elite division.
In his Top Fuel career, McClenathan has amassed 34 victories in 64
final round appearances, including three wins this season, and has recorded
504 total round wins. In addition, Cory Mac was the first driver to break
the 4.80-second elapsed time barrier (in the quarter-mile) with a
4.799-second run in Reading, Pa., in 1992 and the first to eclipse the
320-mph barrier with a 322.17-mph run in Dallas in 1997.
Hoping to continue his winning streak, Cory Mac, will return to zMAX
Dragway along with his Top Fuel brethren for round two of the six-race NHRA
Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship Sept. 16-19 at the O’Reilly Auto
Parts NHRA Nationals.
The four-day drag racing event is sure to play a pivotal role in
deciding the world championships in NHRA’s top four professional classes.
McClenathan currently sits in second place going into the O’Reilly Auto
Parts NHRA Nationals, just 46 markers behind point leader Larry Dixon in the
Top Fuel division championship standings.
Tickets for the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Sept. 16-19, at
zMAX Dragway can be obtained by calling the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket
office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or online at www.zmaxdragway.com. General
admission four-packs are available for only $14.75 per person on Friday and
$29.75 for Saturday or Sunday.
Connect with zMAX Dragway and stay up to speed with all the
happenings at the Bellagio of drag strips on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/zmaxdragway and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zmaxdragwa
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