BRAINERD MOTORSPORTS PARK BRINGS WDRA SUMMIT SOUTHERN BRACKET FINALS CHAMPIONSHIP BACK TO GEORGIA

Brainerd Motorsports Park earned first and third points in the Team Standings during the WDRA Summit Southern Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance.

MONTGOMERY, AL: Eleven teams of racers gathered at Montgomery International Dragway over the weekend for the WDRA Summit Southern Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance. Weather surrounding the event created a couple of schedule changes and the omission of one gamblers race, but eventually winners emerged in all classes during three separate races.

The Fuel Factory Race of Champions was contested on Friday where track operators and drivers could brag about which track champion was superior to the rest in their region. Brainerd Motorsports Park and Montgomery International Dragway each claimed two wins while Gulfport Dragway celebrated one winner. In the Junior Dragster final, both drivers were .028 on the tree, but CJ Handy ran dead on his 7.96 dial to get the win at his home track over Ryan Alexander from Atmore Dragstrip.

In the Box class, Rob Major from London Dragway had a .009 reaction time but breaks out by nine-thousandths while David Taylor (Montgomery) runs dead on his 4.56 dial in for the win. Brainerd’s Chad Brewer is .011 on the tree and runs two above his dial for the No Box win while leaving Chris Hester from I-22 Dragway mathematically ineligible.

MARYLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY NEARLY SWEEPS COMPETITION TO CLAIM WDRA SUMMIT EASTERN BRACKET FINALS CHAMPIONSHIP

NEW ALEXANDRIA, PA: The WDRA crew traveled to the northeast for the next stop on the WDRA Summit Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance tour. Keystone Raceway Park hosted the event for the second year and welcomed teams of racers from Sumerduck Dragway, Beaver Springs Dragway, Maryland International Raceway, Empire Dragway, US 13 Dragway, and Lancaster Dragway.

Maryland took the top spot in the Team Standings with 73.5 points, followed by Beaver Springs (56), Keystone (44), Empire (39), Lancaster (37), US 13 (35), and finally Sumerduck with 18 points.

Early arriving racers could participate in Thursday’s test and tune session for extra passes before entering the always-fun pit vehicle race. It was an all-Keystone final round, with Matt Brehm earning the first winner’s circle celebration after defeating Levi Lear.

GEN-Y HITCH OFFERS EXCLUSIVE WDRA DISCOUNT

GEN-Y Hitch, a leader in high-quality products, excellent customer support, and comprehensive warranties, will be offering exclusive product discounts to World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) racers as they join or renew their WDRA license for 2025.

“GEN-Y Hitch is excited to partner with WDRA and we are confident that racers across America will appreciate the ride benefits that our products provide” said Gen-Y Marketing Director Donna Schmucker.  “Our patented TORSION-FLEX Technology was designed to create the smoothest ride on the market, while protecting your valuable assets. We look forward to seeing our American Made products in the hands of more racers!”

Team WDRA will also be towing their official WDRA trailer to all events sporting The BOSS GEN-Y Torsion Flex hitch to all race markets in the USA & Canada.

“Our rig, although small and relatively light, has a larger percentage of tongue weight than we can manage with weight distribution alone. Adding the BOSS to our setup has dramatically improved the ride and lessened the stress on our truck, our cargo and our backs,” said Jon O’Neal of the WDRA. “The fact that the racers of the WDRA get an exclusive deal on such a high caliber piece that’s made here in the USA is point of pride for us.”

AQUAPHALT JOINS THE ALLIANCE TO SUPPORT MEMBER TRACKS AND RACERS

NORWALK, OH:  Revolutionary asphalt and concrete repair manufacturer Aquaphalt has joined the WDRA as a partner in the Alliance and offers an exclusive discount program to assist WDRA member tracks through 1^st Ayd.

“We are thrilled to introduce Aquaphalt to the sport on a large scale as this is a revolutionary product for both racing surface and general facility repairs,” said WDRA’s Jon O’Neal.  “We got to see this product used in a real-world drag racing environment and were very impressed with the repair.  The fact that it was speedy and our test repair has lasted several months now under extreme abuse at a drag strip and shows no signs of deteriorating.  This product is designed as a permanent repair not a temporary fix.”

 “Aquaphalt keeps the race going with fast repairs for damaged tracks — you just pour it in, spray some water on it and tamp it down, and it begins to harden right away so you can drive on it immediately,” says Michael Wertheim of Aquaphalt, “It’s a bad day to be a pothole.”

CORDOVA DRAGWAY SECURES OVERALL TEAM VICTORY AT WDRA SUMMIT MIDWEST BRACKET FINALS

The 2024 WDRA Summit Bracket Finals, presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance, kicked off with the Midwest event contested at Eddyville Raceway Park.

OSKALOOSA, IA: After competing all season long at their respective racetracks, WDRA members converge regionally to compete against neighboring facilities in hopes of clinching victory as a team and/or a coveted invitation to the WDRA Summit World Championships presented by SunCoast Performance. WDRA member tracks Cordova Dragway, Mid America Dragway, I-29 Dragway, and Mo-Kan Dragway competed alongside the host facility, Eddyville Raceway Park, to kick off these end-of-year festivities during the WDRA Summit Midwest Bracket Finals, presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance over the weekend.

On-track action kicked off on Friday with a Gamblers Race for the Box, No Box, and Junior Dragster classes. Eddyville racers nearly swept the competition with five of the six finalists hailing from the home track. Mark Lambert defeated Gary Smiley in the top bulb class, while the lone Cordova Dragway representative, Ryan Robinson, earned the No Box win over Donnie Ellison. A nearly heads-up final in Junior Dragster ended with Jailin Breeding winning over Ty Ratcliff.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT EXTENDS WDRA’S SPORTSMAN RACING PROGRAMS THROUGH 2026

Norwalk, Ohio – To kick-off the 2024 WDRA Summit Bracket Finals series that starts this weekend in the United States and Canada, the World Drag Racing Alliance announced today that Summit Racing Equipment has extended its commitment to the WDRA and its sportsman racing programs through the 2026 season.  The Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series (SSDRS) will again be the WDRA’s centerpiece of bracket racing programming at WDRA member tracks.  The 2024 edition of the WDRA Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series World Championships will be hosted by Montgomery International Dragway in October. 

“Sportsman racers along with the facilities and entities that support them will always remain a keystone of the Summit Racing Equipment family,” said Motorsports and Events Manager Jim Greenleaf. “The opportunity to continue our work with the WDRA, the facility owners and operators, and every racer in the program is a point of pride for us.”

The Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series presented by Suncoast Performance has followed the growth trajectory of WDRA as an organization.  As the number of WDRA sanctioned tracks grew by 25% in 2024, the participation levels of the Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series followed suit with a 22% increase.  The upcoming Summit Bracket Finals Series is expected to see a 45% jump in car counts in 2024 thanks to so many new sanctioned tracks and the expansion of the series into Western Canada.

THE 100GROUP JOINS THE WDRA PARTNERSHIP FAMILY TO SUPPORT MEMBER TRACKS AND RACERS

NORWALK, OH:  The growing list of companies that have joined the Alliance to support WDRA sanctioned tracks and racing license holders has grown again with the recent partnership addition of the 100Group.  The 100Group is a single platform for a number of business services that member tracks and racer-owned businesses must have.  The 100Group will act as a business service concierge to streamline ticketing, payments, point of sale software, and much more. They are here to support WDRA tracks and license holders who operate their own businesses.

The 100Group will begin the partnership by working to reduce the operational costs of a track’s credit card processing fees.  “Individually, WDRA and its member tracks don’t have much processing volume but together we represent a larger opportunity,” said WDRA’s Skooter Peaco.  “When we pool our processing volume, we can get much better processing rates than we can individually.  This is another area where WDRA tracks can start saving money immediately.  The 100Group is already involved with motorsports operations, which is why we wanted to partner with them.  The 100Group understands how tracks operate.  That is a huge advantage for the tracks that get in this program.”

“100Group is committed to optimizing race track operations through our state-of-the-art payment processing and Point of Sale solutions. Our innovative systems not only ensure smooth and efficient transactions but also drive substantial cost savings. By reducing transaction fees and operational expenses, we empower race tracks to allocate more resources toward enhancing the racing experience and maximizing their profitability,” said 100Groups Nathan Hughes.  

KIRK FAMILY STEPS UP TO SAVE CLOSED WEST VIRGINIA DRAG STRIP

NORWALK, OH:  The Kirk family, led by ’91 and ‘93 IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock champion Doug Kirk, son Justin, and partner Ronnie Herald have stepped in to save the former IHRA sanctioned track, once known as Twin Branch. The Delbarton West Virginia facility, which sits on a reclaimed coal mine, was never developed past a racing surface and concrete wall.  The track was only operated a few days before the management disbanded after a ten-year struggle to get the concept approved.  The track has entered into a multi-year sanction agreement with WDRA and will be known as 304 Motorsports Park. The facility will be operated by Doug and his son Justin, the 2016 PDRA Top Dragster champion. 

“WDRA is proud to be chosen by Doug, Justin, and Ronnie to help them on their journey to finish the build on 304 Motorsports Park and to use our knowledge base to advise them and help them get to the finish line with this project,” said WDRA’s Skooter Peaco.  “We have been blessed with the opportunity to assist two tracks becoming active again so far this season. The hope is that the Kirk family and staff can get the facility to a soft open point before the season ends to add to that number.  Having three tracks return to prosperity is amazing for our sport and we are grateful that these tracks trust us to help them become viable again.”

Summit Racing Expands Leadership Role In Drag Racing With The Creation Of New Traction Compound

Drag Racing’s leading supporter joins forces with industry experts to improve track prep and reduce costs to facilities

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The World Drag Racing Alliance is proud to release to the sport a historic improvement in track preparation with the creation of a new generation of traction compound.  Summit Racing’s Pro Trac traction compound was created and extensively tested as a joint effort between industry leaders Summit Racing Equipment, Bill Bader Jr., owner of Summit Motorsports Park, and Total Venue Concepts owner Kurt Johnson. 

The idea for this new generation of traction compound was born during the great glue shortage our industry experienced.  Summit Racing’s Chief Marketing Officer Al Noe saw firsthand what happened to the business of owning a drag racing facility during the shortage.  A drag racing enthusiast, Al wanted to ensure that drag racing facilities would not be squeezed or priced out of business.  Using the immense buying power of Summit Racing Equipment to secure the components, Al then recruited Bill Bader Jr. and Kurt Johnson to form a dream team that would work for two years to create not just another traction compound, but one that would be priced more affordably for the facilities and one that would work differently than what is currently available.       

Summit Pro Trac has been extensively tested by Bill and Evan Bader at Summit Motorsports Park in Northern Ohio in weather conditions that cover the spectrum.  This product was privately tested in a double-blind test with select racers as well as SMP events that exceeded 400 cars of all types.  The testing proved better results than anyone expected.  “During our double-blind test, Summit Pro Trac outperformed “brand x” with cars running one hundredth quicker in the Pro Trac lane.  Cars were both faster and more consistent.  Summit Pro Trac has exceeded my expectations and will be used confidently at all Summit Motorsports Park produced events in 2024.”