Ready, Set, Let’s Go! To NHRA’s Thunder in the Park

Ready, Set, Let’s Go! To NHRA’s Thunder in the Park

 On your mark…get set…GO! Mark your calendar for October 7-9 and make plans to head to the Thunder Valley Raceway in Noble, Oklahoma, for the Lucas Oil Division 4 Thunder in the Park event. This is sure to be another action packed showdown.

This year’s event opens with Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Sportsman and Alcohol Funny Car. But no matter who is on the track, Thunder in the Park doesn’t slow down for anything!  All of your division 4 classes will step up and put the hammer down as points leaders push it harder than ever. Drivers like James Thompson, Forrest Fair, and Michael Manners will bring their dragsters to the line to see if they have what it takes to blow the doors off of the competition and stay at the top of their class.

You can count on seeing New Yorker Tony Bartone, driver for Rick Jackson Racing, in his Chevy Monte Carlo Centre Pointe Funny Car back in the lineup for this year’s event. As you may remember, Tony's quest for a win at the 2011 NHRA Lucas Oil World Championship took a turn for the worse at the 57^th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, IN, after a first round loss. The loss was caused by the failure of an on-board safety device, but Tony will be back and ready to take down all challengers to his 260 MPH Funny Car.

Bartone’s first round loss, paired with the success of defending World Champion Frank Manzo, leaves his Centre Pointe Collision sponsored Top Alcohol Funny Car team in second place in the points battle for a national series championship. With only four races left to claim the number one spot, including this year’s Lucas Oil event at Thunder Valley Raceway, count on the Rick Jackson Racing team to be determined and on fire.

All of the point’s leaders and their standings can be found at the NHRA’s website, at www.nhra.com. Be sure to catch up on everything happening in NHRA as the 2011 season winds down to an exciting finish.

So clear your weekend schedule and get ready…get set…GO! Make your way to Noble, Oklahoma and grab your seat for this year’s Thunder in the Park at Thunder Valley Raceway. Gates open at 8am and the first car rolls through the burn out tray at 9am, so you’ll need to get there early. Also, make sure you make your way to the pits during a break so you can shake hands with your favorite drivers and get some autographs. All of the teams love the support of their fans, so bring the family out to Thunder Valley Raceway for one fantastic time at the races.

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