Nitro Dogs Racing

2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule released; more than $1.3 million event purse increase

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NHRA has released its 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule today featuring 24 events. In addition, NHRA announced an event purse increase in excess of $1.3 million.Beginning in 2009, national event winners in both Top Fuel and Funny Car will each receive $50,000, an increase of 25 percent.  Pro Stock national event winners will receive $25,000, while Pro Stock Motorcycle winners will receive $10,000. At the most prestigious drag racing event in the world, the 55^th running of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, winners in the top two nitro classes will receive a check for $100,000, while Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle winners will earn $50,000 and $20,000, respectively.   

Increases at national events also were announced for runners-up, semi-finalists and second round finishers.  At the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, increases were announced for semi-finalists and second round finishers in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock categories, while Pro Stock Motorcycles received increases for runner-up and second round finishers.   In all, the total increase in event purses in the four professional classes is $1,353,700.

The 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series returns to the same venues as 2008, with only slight changes to the dates due to the change of holiday weekends.   The series, however, will celebrate several landmark anniversaries at some of its long-standing and fan-favorite facilities.  Celebrating its 40^th anniversary, and serving as the East Coast kick-off to the season, will be the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. (March 12-15). The NHRA SuperNationals in

Englishtown, N.J. (June 11-14), also will feature a 40^th anniversary theme.   Also celebrating significant special anniversaries will be the 30^th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver (July 10-12), the 25^th annual Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals in Phoenix (Feb. 20-22), the 25^th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa. (Aug. 20-23), and the 10^th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in

Las Vegas (April 2-5). 

The season will begin at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in

Southern California, with the 49^th annual NHRA Winternationals, Feb. 5-8.   Scheduled for its traditional Labor Day weekend date will be the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 2-7 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at

Indianapolis.  The world’s largest drag racing event will represent the final race in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship regular season and serve as the last opportunity for racers in all four professional categories to lock down a spot in the Top 10 and a chance, over the last six events of the season (five events for Pro Stock Motorcycle) to win the inaugural NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championship.   

The six-race Countdown to 1 will feature a challenging four-week stretch of back-to-back races beginning with the NHRA Nationals in Concord, N.C. (Sept. 17-20); O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas (Sept. 24-27); O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn. (Oct. 2-4); and the Virginia NHRA Nationals in Richmond, Va. (Oct. 9-11).  From there the series heads to Nevada for the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, and concludes two weeks later at the 45^th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (

Calif.), Nov. 12-15.

Rounding out the schedule includes: the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals (March 27-29) in Houston; the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals (April 16-19) at Atlanta Dragway; the O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals (May 1-3) outside St. Louis; the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals (May 15-17) at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway; O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan. (May 29-31); and the NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Chicago (June 4-7).  The summer months will once again include a stop in Norwalk, Ohio for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals (June 25-28) and the historic Western Swing, starting in Denver and continuing with the Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals in Seattle (July 17-19) and the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Calif. (July 24-26).   The 28^th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in

Brainerd, Minn. will take place Aug. 13-16.

ESPN2 and ESPN2HD, a part of the ESPN network, the worldwide leader in sports, will once again provide exclusive television coverage, on a same-day basis, for all 24 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events featuring action from Saturday’s qualifying rounds and Sunday’s race.

Earlier this year, NHRA announced that Full Throttle, The Coca-Cola Company’s energy drink, will replace POWERade as the series sponsor beginning in 2009.

2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Schedule
49th annual	NHRA Winternationals	Feb. 5-8	Pomona, Calif.
25th annual	Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals	Feb. 20-22	Phoenix
40th annual	ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals	March 12-15	Gainesville, Fla. (PSM)
22nd annual	O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals	March 27- 29	Houston (PSM)
10th annual	SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals	April 2-5	Las Vegas
29th annual	Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals	April 16-19	Atlanta (PSM)
13th annual	O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals	May 1-3	St. Louis (PSM)
Ninth annual	O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals	May 15-17	Bristol, Tenn.
21st annual	O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals	May 29–31	Topeka, Kan.
12th annual	NHRA Route 66 Nationals	June 4-7	Chicago (PSM)
40th annual	NHRA SuperNationals	June 11-14	Englishtown, N.J. (PSM)
Third annual	Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals	June 25-28	Norwalk, Ohio (PSM)
30th annual	Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals	July 10-12	Denver (PSM)
22nd annual	Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals	July 17-19	Seattle
22nd annual	FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals	July 24-26	Sonoma, Calif. (PSM)
28th annual	Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals	Aug. 13-16	Brainerd, Minn. (PSM)
25th annual	Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals	Aug. 20-23	Reading, Pa. (PSM)
55th annual	Mac Tools U.S. Nationals	Sept. 2-7	Indianapolis (PSM)
Second annual	NHRA Nationals	Sept. 17-20	Concord, N.C. (PSM)
24th annual	O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals	Sept. 24-27	Dallas (PSM)
22nd annual	O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals	Oct. 2-4	Memphis, Tenn. (PSM)
Fourth annual	Virginia NHRA Nationals	Oct. 9-11	Richmond, Va.
Ninth annual	ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals	Oct. 29 - Nov. 1	Las Vegas (PSM)
45th annual	Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals	Nov. 12-15	Pomona, Calif. (PSM)
(PSM) - Event will include Pro Stock Motorcycle

2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Event Purses                                  
(bold represents increases)

Top Fuel/Funny Car	Pro Stock	Pro Stock Motorcycle
Winner: $50,000	Winner: $25,000	Winner: $10,000
Runner-up: $22,000	Runner-up: $11,000	Runner-up: $4,000
Semi-finalists: $18,000	Semi-finalists: $9,000	Semi-finalists: $2,000
Second round: $14,000	Second Round: $7,000	Second Round: $1,600
First round: $10,000	First Round: $5,000	First Round: $1,200
17th & 18th place: $3,000	17th & 18th place: $1,500	17th & 18th place: $500

2009 Mac Tools US Nationals Purse
(bold represents increases)

Top Fuel/Funny Car	Pro Stock	Pro Stock Motorcycle
Winner: $100,000	Winner: $50,000	Winner: $20,000
Runner-up: $30,000	Runner-up: $15,000	Runner-up: $5,500
Semi-finalists: $20,000	Semi-finalists: $10,000	Semi-finalists: $3,000
Second round: $15,000	Second Round: $7,500	Second Round: $2,000
First round: $11,000	First Round: $5,500	First Round: $1,500
17th & 18th place: $3,000	17th & 18th place: $1,500	17th & 18th place: $500