From the director's chair

National Dragster, Nov 7, 2003 by Holt, Bill

Though the Southeast Division's Winter Series events at Orlando Speed World Dragway and Moroso Motor-sports Park remain on the schedule, the 2003 season is beginning to wind down. Reflecting on the events of the last 10 months, it isn't an exaggeration to suggest that this has been one of our more successful seasons. Signs of growth are everywhere; here are a few of my personal observations:

Our seven Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events in Orlando, Fla.; Gainesville; Reynolds, Ga.; Montgomery, Ala.; Atlanta; Bristol; and Darlington, S.C. experienced a 30 percent increase in attendance across the board. The spectator count at each race was also up by a significant amount. Our race at Ed Swearingen's Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds had to be rescheduled because of rain, yet it still attracted 70 more entries than last year's event.

Even though it was run on the same weekend as the rescheduled national event in Reading, the final Lucas Oil Series race at Darlington Int'l Dragway featured a strong car count. With several divisional and national championships on the line, the final Lucas event east of the Mississippi River took on added importance for many racers. Jason Cannon drove to an upset victory to pass Tony Bartone for the lead in Top Alcohol Dragster, and Steve Cohen, fresh off his win at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, picked up his ninth Southeast Division championship with a clutch win in Super Comp.

The John Bleakley Motorhomes Top Sportsman Series has also been a hit. In its second season, the class has blossomed, and more and more quality entries are joining the tour at each stop. The series will continue during the NHRA Winter Series with a stop at Moroso Motorsports Park for the Citrus Nationals.

The recently completed Summit Racing Series Finals at Gainesville Raceway was also a memorable event, attracting nearly 600 racers from 18 NHRA Southeast Division member tracks. The competition for the overall team title could not have been closer; the defending champs from Music City Raceway finished in a tie with New Bama Dragway. Music City racer Ricky Cook, who won the Super Pro Bike crown, broke the tie. When the final points were tallied, the top nine teams were separated by just four points.

Congratulations to John Wooley, Derek Putnam, Casey Miles, and Ricky Cook, our newly crowned Southeast Division E.T. champions. These four talented individuals are currently making plans to travel to Pomona Raceway and compete for a national championship. Much like our Jeg's Allstars program, where the Sportsman racers are the stars of the show, the Summit E.T. drivers who attend the Pomona season finale are also given a red-carpet treatment. The festivities begin with Thursday's awards dinner at the historic Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum and conclude during Sunday's action-filled final rounds, where national champions are crowned in front of one of the largest crowds in drag racing. All of the racers who have made the trip in the past have raved about the Pomona festivities, and I'm sure those who go this year will enjoy a similar experience.

I am already looking forward to the 2004 season and beyond. One of the projects that I'm most excited about is our newest member track, South Georgia Motorsports Park, in Cecil, Ga. Construction is progressing nicely on the track, which is located close to the Georgia/Florida state line near Valdosta, Ga. I'm happy to announce that the track will be on our Lucas Oil Series schedule next season with a date to be announced shortly.

Track operator Larry Dean and his son, Shad, are building a first-rate motorsports facility that will include a quarter-mile dragstrip and a half-mile oval track. The state-of-the-art track, which is built on more than 400 acres, will feature a unique design with two-sided concrete bleachers running between the two tracks. Suite buildings on top of the stands will allow a view of each track from each side. Tim Pafford, the former track operator of U.S. 19 Dragway in Albany, Ga., has been hired to manage the oval track.

I am planning to attend the track's grand opening and media day on Nov. 11. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is expected to attend; I believe that's another sign of just how far our sport has come in the last five decades.

Finally, as much as I am reluctant to admit it, we didn't win the overall team title at the Jeg's Allstars race. I know I predicted a victory, but Craig Hutchinson's Division 4 team was just too tough this year. Still, I'm proud of the effort put forth by all of our racers in Chicago. The Jeg's Allstars event remains a wonderful showcase for our best Sportsman drivers, and I'm already looking forward to next year's event.

with Bill Holt, Southeast Division director