39 Days remain to renew tickets for the 25th Annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals

Time is flying by, there are only 39 days left until the 2010 O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals ticket renewal deadline.   Renewing your tickets is the only way that you can guarantee that you will have the same great seats that you had in 2009 for this years event celebrating 25 years of NHRA Drag racing at the Texas Motorplex on September 23-26, 2010.

You can renew your tickets now by clicking here, by calling 800-Motorplex (800-668-6775) or by visiting www.texasmotorplex.com.

Hawley conducts lecture at NASA

Recently, Frank Hawley, founder and instructor of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, was invited to speak to a group of NASA employees of the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The offer to conduct a lecture was extended to Hawley after Chip Kroll, a NASA engineer, attended a Super Class at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School’s Gainesville, Fla., location in June.

In his free time, Kroll races the Friday Night Street program at Houston Raceway Park in Texas, and he attended Frank Hawley’s class while working to acquire his NHRA license. After the lecture, he decided the topic may be appropriate for colleagues at work and approached management about how to invite Hawley to talk to them.

Once the offer was extended to Hawley, he graciously accepted and plans were made for his trip to Texas.

On Dec. 10, Hawley spoke to a room of approximately 90 attendees, made up mostly from the Avionics Systems Division.

“To me, there are numerous similarities to the extremely fast decisions that need to be made by folks who hold highly technical positions and those of drag racers,” Hawley said. “Many of the same things I teach to my students during a Super Class were conveyed during my lecture for the NASA employees, with maybe a little more emphasis on items that would apply to the general population. Everyone deals with stress in their lives. Some, of course, have a lot more than others. If you work in an environment where you may be challenged with making critical decisions, it can help to have a better understanding of your own human performance capabilities and develop methods with which you can train yourself to handle these situations more efficiently.”

The trip was not Hawley’s first time visiting a NASA facility, but it was his first time being invited for a speaking engagement.

“I am a huge fan of the space program and the folks who make it happen. I have photos of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo rockets in my office,” said Hawley. “On a clear day in Florida, you can see the shuttle launch from the track in Gainesville. We have even stopped classes for a few minutes to watch it. The chance to spend time with these folks at this facility was a great experience.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed my entire visit to Johnson Space Center,” he added. “During my time there, I was pleased to be able to share with them the things I’ve learned throughout my career. It was a very enlightening experience for me, and I sincerely look forward to any opportunities to return in the future.”

2010 O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals Ticket Renewals are in the Mail

Ticket Renewals for the 25th Anniversary O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals held at the Texas Motorplex September 23-26, 2010 are in the mail and heading to your house.   2010 saw no ticket price increases so you will be able to get the same great seats in 2010 for the same great price that you paid in 2009.   We are also introducing a new payment plan option to help in 2010, more details will be on your Ticket Renewal invoice.

If you have your Ticket Renewal invoice handy you can even renew your ticket order online now by clicking here.

Super Chevy Show Series Announces Car Show and Feature Category Information for 30th Anniversary Season

KANSAS CITY (Dec. 8, 2009) – The Super Chevy Show series announced bracket and car show class information along with early information about the new Shoebox Shootout class on its redesigned Web site today.

The ownership group wants to give fans and participants as much specific information as possible about the car show and bracket series. SCSW, Inc., purchased the Super Chevy Show series in November. The ownership group is a mix of race track owners, promoters and racing experts who want the 30th anniversary season in 2010 to be its best year yet.

Summit Motorsports Park’s Bill Bader said one of the ways to make the 2010 season shine is to bring a good, old, American classic back to the track – the 1957 Chevy. The Shoebox Shootout will feature a racing category for 1960 and older Chevy models at each of the national Super Chevy Show events. The rules and car specifics will be announced in January, but Bader wants people to pull their heavy metal out of the garage now and start preparing for the 16-car showdown at each track.

“The Shoebox Shootout is still in its infancy phase and we’re working on the rules and structure but it will certainly be a race category for 1960 and older vehicles,” Bader said. “We want those really fast, big, heavy ’55 Chevys, ’57 Chevys and bubbletops back out at the track. They have a tremendous amount of mainstream appeal and when you see a ’57 Chevy blasting down the track at a high rate of speed, you won’t be able to help but watch. It’s going to be very entertaining.”

Bader said the series wanted to give a home to a stylish and quick vehicle that seems to have lost its place in racing over the years. All of the vehicles will be body-correct and look just the way they did when they rolled off the original assembly line.

The Shoebox Shootout will have qualifying and then move to a dial-in format for the single-elimination bracket of 16 to get down to the winner. Bader hopes the series will move to a heads-up format in the future when the fields are ready.

“A lot of these cars have been parked over the years because racers couldn’t compete with other makes and models,” Bader said. “These cars are in garages and barns and it’s time they start inspiring ‘wows’ at the race track again. It will take a couple of years for this class to mature but we know this is going to be a tremendous class for racers and fans alike. This is going to be a completely unique feature of the Super Chevy Show.”

The car show also will have some changes in 2010. Virginia Motorsports Park’s Bryan Pierce is on the Car Show Committee and said the goal is to listen to what car show participants have to say about the series and incorporate the high-priority changes as early as next season.

“I’ve been talking with car show participants from around the country and they all said the top priority needs to be better and more detailed descriptions of the car show classes,” Pierce said. “The car show is a gathering for car enthusiasts from around the country to come together and it’s an important element of the series. We want to make it easy for people to go online and see where their car will fit in the car show. We’re working on ways to make it more fun and relaxing to come out with your car and be part of the experience.”

Pierce said the committee is feverishly working on what he considers the most important element of the car show – prestige.
“The Super Chevy Show has a tremendous history and we want to respect the history and bring back the prestige of winning a trophy at the event,” Pierce said. “We want a high-quality car show so that if you win a trophy, you are honored by the award.”

Racers, car show participants, fans, vendors, and sponsors alike can call 1-800-692-6230 to receive further information on the Super Chevy Show series.

Congratulations to the 2009 O’Reilly Bracket Racing Series Class Champions

On Saturday, December 5th, Ellis County Auto and Reher-Morrison presented the 2009 Racer Appreciation Awards Banquet in the Texas Motorplex Champions Club. Racers and crew came together to look back on the 2009 O’Reilly Bracket Racing Series and crown the class champions.
Over $5,500 was awarded to the top racers, along with their 2010 Gold Card, trophy, $200 from Royal Purple, and Reher- Morrison apparel. Jr Class Champions also received a Game Card from Speed Zone.

Throughout the banquet, door prizes were given out. Some of the door prizes included an autographed hockey blade from the Dallas Stars, 4 game day tickets to see the Dallas Stars in action, ShowBiz Cinemas movie tickets, and tickets to see the Waxahachie Tour of Homes Christmas Show. Local restaurants donated gift certificates, including Fat Daddys, Cotton Patch, Buffalo Wild Wings, TaMolly’s, and Chick-Fil-A. Die cast cars from Robert Hight, Tony Pedregon, and Gary Scelzi were also on the prize table. Autographed pistons from John Force, Ashley Force Hood, and Robert Hight were among the door prizes as well. Royal Purple t-shirts, hats, visors, and gloves were another popular choice with winners.

The winner of the new JCL 4X4 300 four wheeler was Carol Jenkins of Dawson, Texas. Throughout the season, entry forms were given out at bracket races. Bradley Wilson, Jr Overall Points Class Champion, stepped up to draw the winning name.

Jeff Lopez and Jackie Jones went to the final round at the AER Race Of Champions “Run For The Block” race on October 31st, 2009 and were awarded their AER Long Block at the banquet.

Congratulations to all of the Class Champions, runner ups, and top finalists in each class, as well as our Contingency Connection Bonus Winners, and Special Recognition Winners.

JR Sportsman: Bradley Wilson, Ryan McClaskey
JR Modified: Taylor Bright, Adrian Acevedo, Nicholas Aydelotte, Bailey Williams
JR Top Eliminator: Ryan Gleghorn, Kyle Armstrong, Will Winn, Daniel Aydelotte
JR Overall Points Champion: Bradley Wilson
Super Pro: Jeff Lopez, Jackie Jones, Bob Koski, Rusty Branum, Jack Mauldin Jr
Pro: Robby Lopez, Jack Mauldin Jr, Jeff Lopez, Jackie Jones, Doug Haning
No Electronics: Austin Williams, Charles Dickenson, Wayne Pratt, Jimmy Falkenbach, Glenn Morphew
Quick 16: Jeff Lopez, Doug Haning, Mike Crader, Shane Cox
Bracket Overall Points Champion: Robby Lopez
Hedman Hedders/Trans-Dapt Champion: Jackie Jones
PerformanceParts.com Champion: Charles Dickenson
PX3 Lubricants All Stars Champion: Doug Haning
JE Pro Seal Rings Sportsman of the Year Champion: Jack Mauldin Jr
Richmond Gear Weekend Warrior Champions: Wayne Pratt, Jason Rogers, Jeff Lopez, Cliff Loveless, Robby Lopez, Austin Williams
AER Race of Champions Finalists: Jeff Lopez, Jackie Jones
Reher Morrison Engine Building School Winner: Mike Crader
NHRA King of the Track Aerospace Components Champion: Jeff Lopez
2009 ET Finals Race Of Champions representatives: Robby Lopez, Austin Williams
2009 ET Finals Class Winners: Warren Wrights, Jason Kizlinski
2009 Summit Racing Series Finals Participants: Warren Wright, Jason Kizlinski