Ford Racing Makes Henry Proud in 2011

One hundred and ten years after first Ford racing victory

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 15, 2011 – Henry Ford would certainly be proud.

One hundred and ten years after the Ford Motor Company founder brought home a victory in his one and only auto race as a driver, Ford racing teams and drivers around the world brought home victories and championships in the program’s 110th anniversary season.

In Ford’s most visible worldwide programs, Ford Fiesta drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala of the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team finished second and fourth in the World Rally Championship after a spirited battle that went down to the final event. The Ford WRC duo captured three wins during the season. In all, Fiesta had its most successful year in rally, capturing 16 regional and national championships worldwide.

In NASCAR Sprint Cup, Ford Fusion driver Carl Edwards ended up in a points tie for the Championship, but lost the tie-breaker (number of wins). Edwards ended up second and Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth fourth in the most competitive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship in history. In addition, rookie driver Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 for the Wood Brothers, capturing Ford’s 600th win at the Cup level.

In NASCAR Nationwide, Mustang scored its first NASCAR win and Ford driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. captured his first NASCAR Nationwide Driver’s Championship, and helped Ford capture the series’ manufacturer’s title as well.

In NHRA Funny Car drag racing, all five Ford Mustang drivers made the championship playoffs, Ford drivers won 12 times (including Ford’s 200th win in the class), and John Force Racing’s Mike Neff finished fourth and Robert Hight fifth in the championship.

In Rallycross, Ford Fiesta driver Tanner Foust captured the inaugural Global Rallycross Championship and Ford Focus driver Sverre Isachsen captured the European Rallycross Championship, with Foust finishing second. Brian Deegan led a 1-2-3 Ford Fiesta sweep of X Games medals with Foust and Marcus Gronholm.

In off-road racing, Ford continued to showits dominance in desert competition, winning seven total championships in LOORS, Best in the Desert and ABSA Off-Road competition.

In Touring Car, Andy Yan captured the ChineseTouring Car Championship in a Ford Focus, Paul Brown won the SCCA World Challenge GTS title in a Mustang Boss 302S and there were successful winning efforts put forth for Mustang Boss 302R in Grand-Am and Focus in British Touring Car.

“It’s been an incredible year for Ford racing teams and drivers around the world,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing, NorthAmerica. “And we’re proud that we still race today for the same reasons Mr. Ford did – to prove out our products against the best competition, and then to market that success to help the company sell more cars and trucks. There’s no question that our winning racing program worldwide helps lift the favorability of the Ford brand.”

“This has been an outstanding season for the Ford Fiesta in rallying, winning so many championships around the world,“ said Gerard Quinn, Ford of Europe motorsport chief. “In its competitive debut the Ford Fiesta RSWRC took a podium lock-out at Rally Sweden and finished the season in similar fashion at the final round, Wales Rally GB. As a factory prepared rallycar or in the hands of private competitors the Ford Fiesta is proving to have the competitive DNA that has seen Ford so successful in rallying over many decades.“

Here’s a listing ofFord championships and awards for 2011 around the world:

· Tanner Foust, Ford Fiesta – Global RallyCrossSuper Rally Championship

· Tanner Foust, Ford Fiesta – Global RallyCrossRallyCross Championship

· Tanner Foust, Ford Fiesta – Global RallyCrossChampionship Overall Champion

· Brian Deegan, Ford Fiesta – X GamesRallyCross Champion

· Ford Motor Company – Global RallyCrossChampionship Manufacturers Champion

· Brian Deegan, Ford F-150 Raptor – Lucas OilOff Road Racing Series Pro 2 Unlimited Champion

· Brian Deegan, Ford Ranger – Lucas Oil OffRoad Racing Series Pro Lite Unlimited

· Sverre Isachsen,Ford Focus – European Rallycross Championship

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford Mustang – NASCAR Nationwide Championship

· Ford – NASCARNationwide Manufacturer’s Championship

· NASCAR EngineBuilder of the Year – Doug Yates, FR9 NASCAR Engine

· SCCA WorldChallenge GTS Championship – Paul Brown, Ford Mustang Boss 302S

· SCCA WorldChallenge GTS Manufacturer’s Championship – Ford Mustang Boss 302S

· Best in the Desert Series Class 7100 – BlakeHenn; Ford Ranger

· Best in the Desert Class 7200 – AlHogan; Ford F-150

· Best in the Desert Class 8000 – Dr. MacraeGlass; Ford F-150

· Best in the Desert Class 8100 – Tim Casey; Ford F-250

· Norwegian Rally Championship – Mads Ostberg,Ford Fiesta

· Swedish Rally Championship – Pontus Tideman,Ford Fiesta

· Finnish Rally Championship (R2 Cup) – JukkaKorhonen, Ford Fiesta

· Australian Rally Championship (2WD) – RazvanVlad, Ford Fiesta

· New Zealand Rally Championship (2WD) – BenHunt, Ford Fiesta

· British Rally Challenge Championship (2WD) –Jack Rowe, Ford Fiesta

· Turkish Rally Championship – Yagiz Avci, FordFiesta

· Austrian Rally Championship (2WD) – PiaSchirnhofer, Ford Fiesta

· South Africa Rally Championship – ConradRautenbach, Ford Fiesta

· FIA African Rally Championship – ConradRautenbach, Ford Fiesta

· Argentine Rally Championship – FedericoVillagra, Ford Fiesta

· FIA Middle East Rally Championship – NasserAl-Attiyah, Ford Fiesta

· Chinese Touring Car Driver’s Championship –Andy Yan, Ford Focus

· Chinese Touring Car Team Championship –Changan Ford Racing Team

· Brazil Prototype S2000 – Ford, Best RacingEngine

· Brazilian Touring Car Championship – Ford,Best Racing Engine

· ABSA Off Road Championship –Ford Ranger TDCi, Manufacturer’s Championship

# # #

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

The Chase Is On: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Live from California

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship continues Sunday, Oct. 10, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in the Pepsi Max 400 at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and ESPN will have a live telecast. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show airs at 2 p.m. ET with the race telecast at 3 p.m. The race’s green flag is at 3:16 p.m. ESPN2 will air NASCAR Sprint Cup practice on Friday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. and qualifying at 6:30 p.m.
 
ESPN2’s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues at Fontana with a telecast of Saturday’s race. NASCAR Countdown airs at 4 p.m. with the race telecast at 4:30 p.m. The green flag flies at 4:46 p.m.
 
Marty Reid will call the action with analysis by Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.  
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion driver Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty, a team owner in the series. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
 
 
NASCAR Telecasts Continue to Include Unprecedented Access
 
During ESPN’s telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, viewers are able to virtually go inside the race teams due to the unprecedented access granted ESPN to in-car communication as well as crew chiefs and team members. Located within the production units in the ESPN TV compound is a radio room in which radio transmissions of all 43 teams in NASCAR races can be recorded during races, allowing producers to be able to lift specific transmissions of any driver or team at any time.In the telecast of Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, ESPN viewers were able to listen as driver Kyle Busch, his crew chief Dave Rogers and other members of the team debated on what repairs to make to the car after contact with David Reutimann damaged the car’s rear end. From the ESPN pit studio, host Allen Bestwick and analysts Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty commented on the transmissions. As Busch is one of the drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the decisions were critical as the team tries to win the series championship.
 
 Andretti, Craven, Evernham on NASCAR Now Roundtable
 
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner John Andretti will join NASCAR on ESPN analysts Ray Evernham and Ricky Craven as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, Oct. 11, at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Mike Massaro will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
 
Nicole Briscoe hosts half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now airing at 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, Thursday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 8:30 p.m. Briscoe also hosts as NASCAR Now surrounds Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Fontana, Calif., with two episodes. The one-hour weekend edition of NASCAR Now presented by 5 Hour Energy airs at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s race, while the weekend wrap-up edition airs that night at 10 p.m. Shannon Spake and Marty Smith will report from California while Craven will join Massaro in the studio.
 
 
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in Pennsylvania
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races this weekend in the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., and ESPN2 will air highlights of qualifying and eliminations. Qualifying action airs Saturday, Oct. 9, at 10:30 p.m. ET, and coverage of eliminations airs Sunday, Oct. 10, at 9 p.m. 
 
The race, which last year celebrated its 25th anniversary, was held in September in the late 1980s and early 1990s, then moved to August a few years ago and now takes a crucial October spot on the schedule as the fourth event of the Countdown playoffs. Maple Grove Raceway has a long history of record performances, including the first side-by-side quarter-mile four-second and 300-mph Top Fuel passes, and the expected cool October climes should offer more of the same.
 
Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at 10 a.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.
 
 
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During California Race
NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during ESPN’s telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now have a place to go on ESPN.com.
 
RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, Oct. 10, RacingLive! California will kick off at 3 p.m. ET to coincide with ESPN’s telecast of the race at Auto Club Speedway.
 
Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.
 
 
ESPN Radio Raceday Airs Saturday, Sunday
 
Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from Daytona Beach, Fla. Patterson also originates the broadcast from several racetracks with key races during the season. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.
 
Additionally, many of ESPN’s NASCAR reporters and analysts contribute each week as ESPN networks televise the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series and the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” championship. A list of ESPN Radio affiliates can be found at www.espnradio.com.

Let the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship Begin!

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship begins Sunday, Sept. 19, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for 300 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., and ESPN will have a live telecast. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show airs at noon ET on ESPN2 with the race telecast on ESPN at 1 p.m. The race’s green flag is at 1:15 p.m.
 
Also from New Hampshire, ESPN2 will air NASCAR Sprint Cup practice on Friday, Sept. 17, at 11:30 a.m. and qualifying at 3 p.m. Sandwiched between the on-track action will be the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup preview, a half-hour program airing at 1 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.
 
Marty Reid will call the action with analysis by Dale Jarrett, the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and two-time champion crew chief Andy Petree. Two-time champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, while pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.  
NASCAR Countdown from the ESPN pit studio will be hosted by Allen Bestwick with analysis by 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion driver Rusty Wallace, three-time champion crew chief Ray Evernham and Brad Daugherty, a team owner in the series. The studio team will interact with the booth during the telecast of the race.
 
 
NASCAR Star Kyle Busch Featured in New All-Access ESPN2 Series
 
A new and highly innovative five-part television series featuring NASCAR star Kyle Busch will air on ESPN2 the week of Sept. 13-17 to help kick off ESPN’s live coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
 
Riding Shotgun: Kyle Busch, produced for ESPN by the Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Media Group, will take viewers on a week-long, all-access journey into the life of the driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 M&Ms Toyota. Cameras will follow Busch starting with this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway and will continue throughout the week leading into the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 19.
 
The half-hour program, which will require a less than 24-hour turnaround time for production, will debut in prime time on Monday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2, following the Monday roundtable edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now. The rest of the week, Riding Shotgun: Kyle Busch will air following NASCAR Now at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
 
 
Brian Vickers Guest Panelist on NASCAR Now Roundtable
 
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Brian Vickers will be a special guest and join ESPN analysts Ray Evernham and Ricky Craven as panelists on NASCAR Now’s weekly roundtable discussion program airing Monday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Allen Bestwick will host the edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program.
 
NASCAR Now will expand to one hour on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 5 p.m. as NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch will join host Nicole Briscoe in the studio to preview the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Briscoe also will welcome Matt Kenseth on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 5 p.m. and Kevin Harvick the next day at 5 p.m. The program also airs Friday at 5 p.m. with a wrap-up of that day’s activities at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
 
NASCAR Now will surround Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire with two episodes that day. The one-hour weekend edition of NASCAR Now presented by 5 Hour Energy airs at 9 a.m. with a preview of that day’s race, while the weekend wrap-up edition airs that night at 10 p.m. Marty Smith and Angelique Chengelis will report from NHMS while Craven will join Briscoe in the studio.
 
 
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series in Carolina
 
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series races this weekend in the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway at Concord near Charlotte, N.C., and ESPN2 will air highlights of qualifying and eliminations. Qualifying action airs Sunday, Sept. 19, at 10 a.m. ET, and coverage of eliminations airs at 7 p.m. 
 
The newest facility in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series was an overwhelming success in its 2008 debut and again last year, when it hosted special four-wide exhibition passes in Top Fuel and Funny Car. The event holds a crucial spot on the schedule as the second event of the Countdown to 1 and the race at which teams continue to battle for traction in their title bids.
 
Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.
 
Also on Sunday, drag racing fans can see 30 minutes of action featuring the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Modifieds from O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. The program airs at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
 
 
ESPN.com Offers RacingLive! During New Hampshire Race
NASCAR fans looking for an online gathering during ESPN’s telecasts of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now have a place to go on ESPN.com.
 
RacingLive! on ESPN.com is a live blog where fans can engage in debate and discussion with ESPN.com writers and editors during the NASCAR Sprint Cup races. On Sunday, Sept. 19, RacingLive! New Hampshire will kick off at 1 p.m. ET to coincide with ESPN’s telecast of the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
 
Fans can join ESPN.com’s NASCAR experts in dissecting every aspect of the race live at http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/.
 
 
ESPN Radio Raceday Airs Saturday, Sunday
 
Each weekend morning, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. ET with host Pat Patterson anchored from Daytona Beach, Fla. Patterson also originates the broadcast from several racetracks with key races during the season. On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, ESPN Radio’s RaceDay listeners get an hour of news, previews and analysis, as well as profiles and interviews with NASCAR’s biggest names and newsmakers and the involvement of listeners via calls and e-mails.
 
Additionally, many of ESPN’s NASCAR reporters and analysts contribute each week as ESPN networks televise the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series and the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” championship. A list of ESPN Radio affiliates can be found at www.espnradio.com.

Erick Rudolph Keeps the Pedal to the Metal

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 8, 2010) – Rain was the only thing that took Heinke-Baldwin Racing driver Erick Rudolph away from the race track over the holiday weekend. Although he is now two weeks into the three-week break in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule, Rudolph has not slowed down..
 
Scheduled to race both Friday and Saturday night, the Ransomville, N.Y., native was forced to race only Saturday due to weather at Spencer Speedway. Late afternoon showers forced officials to postpone racing to Friday, September 10. Clear skies were over the Long Sault, Ontario racetrack of Cornwall Motor Speedway. With an unlucky redraw, Rudolph worked his way from an 11th-place starting spot to finish fifth.
 Although the race at Spencer Speedway was cancelled, the field did get an opportunity to practice before the rain came in. After practice, Rudolph felt confident going into the rescheduled race this weekend. “We had a good set-up at Spencer,” explained Rudolph. “We only had one practice and it was a short run. The car seemed to be right where it needed to be. I am looking forward to going there on Friday.”
 
Saturday found Rudolph and team across the border at Cornwall Motor Speedway. Fast out the gate Rudolph won his heat race. An unlucky redraw led to an 11th-place starting spot for the 100-lap feature event. When the green flag waved, the 18-year-old began his trek to the front.
 
By lap 23 of the 100-lap race, Rudolph worked his way up to the fourth position. At the halfway point, Rudolph held steady in fourth behind the leader Danny O’Brien. Lap 66 found a battle with Mario Clairto maintain fourth. By a lap-80 caution, Rudolph held on to the fourth position with Clairto in tow.
 
By lap 85, Clairto worked his way past Rudolph and pushed him back to fifth. When the checkered flag flew at the Canadian quarter-mile clay oval, Rudolph crossed the finish line in fifth.
 
“The car was really good at Cornwall,” explained Rudolph. “We didn’t make any changes the entire day, just a few minor changes with tire combinations. It was a fun day of racing up there.”
 
Rudolph and team will continue racing in the Northeast and Canada this weekend, starting with the rescheduled Spencer Speedway event on Friday, September 10. Saturday the team will once again travel across the border and compete at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec, Canada.

About Heinke-Baldwin Racing
Heinke-Baldwin Racing was formed in 2009 by H&H Motorsports owner Al Heinke and Tommy Baldwin Racing owner Tommy Baldwin. Both Baldwin and Heinke grew up racing in New England and saw an opportunity to work together to help young drivers pursue their dreams to race.

In 2010, the team’s freshman year, HBR is fielding the No. 98H for driver Jimmy Phelps in the Super DIRTcar Series, with sponsorship from Wave Energy Drink. They will also be fielding the No. 98 for driver Erick Rudolph in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, with additional sponsorship from Pizza Logs, Brigham Concrete and PrimeTyme Motorsports.

About Activ8 Communications

Activ8 Communications, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, specializes in public relations, marketing strategies, brand development and sponsor activation. With focus on NASCAR public relations and relationship building, Activ8 creates unique identities and connections for the drivers and clients under its umbrella.

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

Drag Racing’s Biggest Event, NASCAR Doubleheader at Atlanta

Drag Racing’s Biggest Event, NASCAR Doubleheader at Atlanta 
 
 
ESPN2 Airing 10 Hours of NHRA U.S. Nationals Coverage
 
The biggest event of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season will have more than 10 hours of coverage on ESPN2 this weekend with the running of the 55th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Expanded qualifying and eliminations coverage will culminate with six consecutive hours on Labor Day Monday, the final day of competition.
 
ESPN2’s coverage begins Sunday, Sept. 6, at 11 a.m. ET with NHRA RaceDay to bring viewers up-to-date with the latest NHRA news and set up the day’s action. Immediately following at 11:30 a.m., ESPN2 will telecast 2 ½ hours of U.S. Nationals qualifying. More qualifying coverage airs for two hours starting at 5 p.m.
 
NHRA RaceDay returns on Monday with a special one-hour episode at noon, followed at 1 p.m. by coverage of eliminations. 
 
Each Labor Day weekend, NHRA racers and fans descend on O’Reilly Raceway Park for the biggest, oldest, richest, and most prestigious drag race in the world. The fabled strip is regarded by many as one of the smoothest on the circuit. The event also hosts the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, the bonus event for Pro Stock Motorcycle racers, and is the last event in the Countdown to 10.
 
Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Reporting from the pits will be Gary Gerould, Dave Rieff and John Kernan. Rieff and Dunn also host NHRA RaceDay.

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing from Reading on ESPN2

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing from Reading on ESPN2
 
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series travels to Reading, Pa., to compete at Maple Grove Raceway this weekend, and ESPN2 will air qualifying and eliminations action on a same-day basis. Qualifying from the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals airs Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1 a.m. ET (late Saturday night), and again at 10 a.m., with eliminations airing at 10 p.m. Finals coverage re-airs Monday, Aug. 24, at 2 p.m. on ESPN Classic.
 
Held in mid-September since its inception in 1985, the race moved to an August date in 2006. Maple Grove Raceway has a long history of record performances, including the first side-by-side quarter-mile four-second and 300-mph Top Fuel passes. It’s also the final event for Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors to earn points toward participation in the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle bonus event, held at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
 
Paul Page anchors ESPN2’s coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn host NHRA RaceDay on Sunday at 11 a.m. to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action.
 
Other NHRA programming airing on ESPN Networks this week includes highlights from the 2004 Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., airing Monday, Aug. 24, at 1 p.m. on ESPN Classic.
 
Also, highlights from the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series event at Brainerd, Minn., airs Sunday, Aug. 23, at 5 p.m. on ESPN2, and action from the event in Seattle airs Monday at noon on ESPN Classic.