NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Conference Finals Returns to Tulsa and Bristol

GLENDORA, CA – December 11, 2017 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Conference Finals will return to familiar surroundings for the 2018 season as the Western Conference Finals will take place at Osage Tulsa Raceway Park in Tulsa, Okla., and the Eastern Conference Finals will be held at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee.

Oklahoma’s Osage Tulsa Raceway Park will host the event for the third season on June 21-22, while the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Eastern Conference Finals will return to Eastern Tennessee’s famed Thunder Valley, July 19-21.

“The amount of talented racers on display at each event bodes well for the future of NHRA racing,” said Eric Lotz, director of field marketing, NHRA. “The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League is where the future stars of NHRA learn skills that will prepare them for the future. Both facilities make the racers and their families welcome during the course of the busy weekend.”

Osage Tulsa Raceway Park is a member of NHRA’s Division 4, South Central Division and is outside of downtown Tulsa, Okla. The facility acquired the Western Conference Finals in 2016 and continues to grow the event each season.

“Osage Tulsa Raceway Park is very excited to be hosting the Western Conference Finals for a third year. We learned a lot of things the first and second years and this season will be the best by far,” said Todd Martin, co-owner of Osage Tulsa Raceway Park. “This is one of my favorite experiences as a racer, getting to race with my son and all the other kids for a week is so much fun. Seeing them grow year to year as racers and young ladies and gentlemen. We have a lot of Jr. activities planned leading up to the Western Conference Finals that will make this the one you will not want to miss.”

Since 2004 Bristol Dragway has played host to the Eastern Conference Finals and the track also hosts the very popular NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

“This is the 15th season that Thunder Valley will host the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League’s Eastern Conference Finals,” said Julie Bennett, vice president of Bristol Dragway. “It is an awesome showcase of the sport’s next generation of racers and continues to be one of the most important events that Bristol Dragway presents each year. We are looking forward to another really fun weekend as these talented young drivers compete for the ultimate prize while learning important life lessons about friendship, sportsmanship and teamwork.”

Nearly 1,000 kids compete for individual and team honors at the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Eastern and Western Conference Finals. Each winner will take home the NHRA Wally champion’s trophy as well as a share of the event purse. Tracks in NHRA’s divisions 1, 2 and 3 will send teams to the Eastern Conference Finals while tracks in divisions 4, 5, 6 and 7 will compete at the Western Conference Finals.

Created in 1992, the NHRA Summit Jr. Drag Racing League allows kids between the ages of 5 and 17 to experience the thrill of motorsports competition in a controlled environment at tracks in each of NHRA’s seven geographic divisions. The NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League creates family involvement in drag racing at an affordable level. Many of the league’s former participants have gone on to compete in other NHRA classes. Top Fuel racer Shawn Langdon (the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Series Top Fuel world champion and a two-time Super Comp national champion in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series) and two-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders, are among the league’s most accomplished graduates.

About National Hot Rod Association

Headquartered in Glendora, CA, NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 24 national events featuring the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. National Hot Rod Association provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. NHRA also offers NHRA Jr. Street program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. In addition, NHRA owns and operates five racing facilities: Atlanta Dragway in Georgia; Gainesville Raceway in Florida; National Trail Raceway in Ohio; Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Source: National Hot Rod Association