Posted on 01/23/2009 3:07:02 PM PST by flattorney
ESPN2’s coverage of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series for 2009 will feature final eliminations action in prime time, continuing a pattern of consistent scheduling that includes finals telecasts from 18 of 24 events in Sunday night viewing times. With exclusive coverage of the NHRA for the ninth consecutive season, ESPN2’s season begins Feb. 7-8 with the 49th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals from Pomona, Calif. ESPN2 will have coverage of qualifying and finals rounds from all 24 events in the series, with expanded coverage from drag racing’s biggest event, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. All coverage is produced in high definition. The final six events, which comprise the “Countdown to 1” in the NHRA’s “Countdown to the Championship,” all will air in the 7-10 p.m. time slot on Sunday nights.
"We're looking forward to getting the season started at Pomona," said Shawn Murphy, ESPN senior coordinating producer who oversees the NHRA production. "Our team has been working together for several years now and all of us are ready to go." ESPN2’s drag racing coverage team returns in 2009 led by Paul Page, who became lead announcer in 2006. The award-winning Page has worked in motorsports broadcasting since 1974 and served as lead announcer for the Indianapolis 500 on either radio or TV for more than 25 years. Former drag racer Mike Dunn, a 22-time winner in NHRA competition and one of only three drivers to have scored more than 10 wins in both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, returns for his eighth season as ESPN’s drag racing analyst. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff return as pit reporters for the full season, with motorsports television veteran John Kernan joining them as a third reporter for the final seven events.
Rieff and Dunn continue as hosts of NHRA RaceDay, a news and information program airing on Sunday morning of all 24 NHRA Full Throttle event weekends on ESPN2. NHRA RaceDay sets up the day for fans at home with must-see matchups, interviews with stars of the sport, driver features, news and analysis, a review of qualifying and what to look for during the finals action. The show originates from NHRA’s Nitro Alley, allowing fans attending the race to watch and participate in the show. NHRA coverage is distributed internationally by ESPN International. Rieff also continues as anchor for coverage of the NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series on ESPN2 in 2009.
2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series TV Schedule (all times Eastern, all on ESPN2 unless noted)
Feb 07 Pomona Qualifying 10 p.m. – midnight
Feb 08 Pomona Finals 6:30 – 10 p.m.
Feb 22 Phoenix Qualifying 2 – 4 a.m.
Feb 22 Phoenix Qualifying (re-air) 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Feb 22 Phoenix Finals 7 – 10 p.m.
Mar 15 Gainesville Qualifying 2 – 4 a.m.
Mar 15 Gainesville Qualifying (re-air) 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Mar 15 Gainesville Finals 3 - 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Mar 28 Houston Qualifying 8 – 10 p.m.
Mar 29 Houston Finals 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Apr 04 Las Vegas Qualifying 8 - 10 p.m.
Apr 05 Las Vegas Finals 4 – 7 p.m.
Apr 18 Atlanta Qualifying 6 - 8 p.m.
Apr 19 Atlanta Finals 7 - 10 p.m.
May 02 St. Louis Qualifying 8 – 10 p.m.
May 03 St. Louis Finals 7 - 10 p.m.
May 16 Bristol Qualifying 8 – 10 p.m.
May 17 Bristol Finals 7 – 10:30 p.m.
May 30 Topeka Qualifying 9:30 – 11:30 p.m.
May 31 Topeka Finals 4 - 7 p.m.
Jun 06 Chicago Qualifying 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Jun 07 Chicago Finals 4 - 7 p.m.
Jun 13 Englishtown Qualifying 7 – 8 p.m.
Jun 13 Englishtown Qualifying 11:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Jun 14 Englishtown Finals 10 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Jun 27 Norwalk Qualifying 8 - 10 p.m.
Jun 28 Norwalk Finals 8 – 11 p.m.
Jul 11 Denver Qualifying 10 p.m. – midnight
Jul 12 Denver Finals 8 - 11 p.m.
Jul 18 Seattle Qualifying 7 - 9 p.m.
Jul 19 Seattle Finals 9 p.m. – midnight
Jul 25 Sonoma Qualifying 6 – 8 p.m.
Jul 26 Sonoma Finals 9 p.m. – midnight
Aug 15 Brainerd Qualifying 6 – 7 p.m.
Aug 16 Brainerd Finals 10 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Aug 23 Reading Qualifying 1 - 3 a.m.
Aug 23 Reading Qualifying (re-air) 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Aug 23 Reading Finals 10 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Sep 05 Indianapolis Qualifying 11 p.m. – midnight
Sep 06 Indianapolis Qualifying 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Sep 06 Indianapolis Qualifying 5 - 7 p.m.
Sep 07 Indianapolis Finals 1:30 – 6 p.m.
Sep 19 Charlotte Qualifying 11:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.
Sep 20 Charlotte Finals 7 - 10 p.m.
Sep 25 Dallas Qualifying 10 p.m. – midnight
Sep 26 Dallas Finals 7 - 10 p.m.
Oct 04 Memphis Qualifying 1 – 3 a.m.
Oct 04 Memphis Qualifying (re-air) 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Oct 04 Memphis Finals 7 – 10 p.m.
Oct 10 Richmond Qualifying 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Oct 11 Richmond Finals 7 – 10 p.m.
Oct 31 Las Vegas Qualifying 10 p.m. – midnight
Nov 01 Las Vegas Finals 7 - 10 p.m.
Nov 14 Pomona Qualifying 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Nov 15 Pomona Finals 7 - 10 p.m.
TAB #300
Hi flattorney, nice to see you again.
Come over and visit the Nascar thread - we are finishing up the off season doldrums getting ready for Daytona.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2136272/posts?page=907#907
So I guess you’re a Steeler fan. :)
The smell of nitro,nothing like it.
Atlanta, not far off
Still have`nt gotten over our Titans blowing that Ravens
playoff game
The nitro cars rule. Hopefully we can get through the NHRA season without another nitro funny car driver being killed. Losing a driver two years in a row is not fun. And hopefully there will not be a nitro shortage again this season like last. ~ TAB
Thank you, that’s quite an honor. :)
Yes, I’ve been in Texas about 5 years now.
Send us a report after Daytona, we love on scene info.
Seeing them do a blistering 45 second quarter mile will be one of the most thrilling things one will see.
Almost time!
Last I heard Hillary Will has no sponsor hence no ride this year. Sad...
That’s not a good thing and sadly, I think it will be fairly prevalent this year across all motorsports.
| NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 2009 Schedule |
||
| February 5-8 |
Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Pomona, Calif. |
| February 20-22 |
Arizona NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| March 12-15 |
ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Gainesville, Fla. |
| March 27-29 |
O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Houston, Texas |
| April 2-5 |
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| April 16-19 |
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| May 1-3 |
O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Madison, Ill. |
| May 15-17 |
NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Bristol, Tenn. |
| May 29-31 |
O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Topeka, Kan. |
| June 4-7 |
Info Tickets Schedule |
Chicago, Ill. |
| June 11-14 |
NHRA SuperNationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Englishtown, N.J. |
| June 25-28 |
Info Tickets Schedule |
Norwalk, Ohio |
| July 10-12 |
Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Denver, Colo. |
| July 17-19 |
NHRA Northwest Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Seattle, Wash. |
| July 24-26 |
Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Sonoma, Calif. |
| August 13-16 |
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Brainerd, Minn. |
| August 20-23 |
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Reading, Pa. |
| September 2-7 |
Info Tickets Schedule |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
| September 17-20 |
NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Concord, N.C. |
| September 24-27 |
O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Dallas, Texas |
| October 2-4 |
O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Memphis, Tenn. |
| October 9-11 |
Virginia NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Richmond, Va. |
| October 29-November 1 |
Las Vegas NHRA Nationals Info Tickets Schedule |
Las Vegas, Nev. |
| November 12-15 |
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals Info Tickets Schedule |
Pomona, Calif. |
MAR
I was at the Nationals at Indy last year at Hillarys
trailer and she was signing autographs.
Guy came up to her with a plaque made up from guys in a unit
in Iraq she visited on tour there.She was very touched.
As you say sad...
Samoa strip started in 53 or 54 when I started racing there and became a NHRA track in 1955. Oldest NHRA strip in the nation and the company I retired from still sponsors the Nostalgia Drags each August. I got to make the first pass down the newly leveled and paved surface with my grandson 2 years ago. Made the evening news and the paper.
Here ya go - Over 100 photos from NHRA teams Day 1 testing/time trials at Firebird yesterday | More photos at Competition Plus
NHRA TOP FUEL DRIVER CARNAGE
- - There have been plenty of times in the past – including 2008 – when Top Fuel hasn’t been fully subscribed at 16 cars. However, it doesn’t bode well for the sport to have so many dropouts since the finale at Pomona in November of 2008.
CURRENT TOP FUEL DRIVERS SIDELINED THAT DROVE LAST YEAR (Top Guns Only)
Doug Kalitta(1) - Connie’s nephew
Hillary Will (2)
Dave Grubnic(2)
Bob Vandergriff(3)
Doug Herbert(4)
Rod Fuller(5)
JR Todd (6)
Cory McClenathan (7) No news yet
(1) Will run part-time, race-by-race, as former primary sponsor Mac Tools has scaled back to associate status. The team will continue to look for primary sponsorship.
(2) 01.07.09: KALITTA MOTORSPORTS RESTRUCTURES FOR 2009 SEASON
- - Connie Kalitta will celebrate his 50th year of drag racing in 2009 but drops from three nitro cars to one. Top Fuel drivers Hillary Will and Dave Grubnic sidelined
<> Faced with the tough economy, Kalitta Motorsports has decided it will compete in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series with one only full-time entry, the DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car driven by Jeff Arend (in memory of two time NHRA world top fuel champion Scott Kalitta who was killed last season in a massive top end explosion and crash. - FlA) The decision has temporarily put Top Fuel dragster, Hillary Will -- a Fortuna native -- on the shelf until primary sponsorship is acquired. Also sidelined until a primary sponsor can be found is fellow dragster Dave Grubnic. ”We run our race team just like a business, and in these economically difficult times, our business has to make some tough decisions,” Jim Oberhofer, Kalitta Motorsports general manager, said. “Connie's business, Kalitta Air, has been no exception to fiscal challenges either, so we have made the changes to our race team that we feel will give us the best financial stability possible as well as the best opportunity to compete at the highest level. We certainly hope that opportunities will arise for us to bring our other dragsters back into competition, but until those happen, we will carry on the best we can.” Hillary Will most recently claimed the inaugural Scott Kalitta Memorial Trophy by winning the Shannons U.S.A. versus Australia Top Fuel Showdown at Western Sydney International Dragway in Australia on Dec. 28.
(3) Bob Vandergriff Jr. finished 13th on the season and it was evident his program was fairly unstable, as UPS decided to part ways with the driver.
(4) Snap-On Tools did the same with Doug Herbert after 2008 was done, even though they’d been together a long time and Herbert did make the Countdown to the Championship for the second consecutive year, albeit fading from sixth to eighth from Las Vegas to Pomona.
(5) Shortly after the mid-November finale on the Auto Club Raceway dragstrip in Pomona, it was revealed that 3B Racing would acquire the Matco Tools rail driven with such finesse to fifth in points by Top Fuel newcomer Antron Brown, leaving David Powers owning only the brother car of “Hot” Rod Fuller. In late December, Powers parked the Arkansas native, who was runner-up to Tony Schumacher in 2007, as the Caterpillar sponsorship dropped their sponsorship. This occurred even after Fuller spent days upon days doing promotional work for Cat, and right after he moved into a new Las Vegas home.
(6) At the Performance Racing Industry show in Orlando mid-December, Morgan Lucas announced sponsorship from Geico Insurance, which continues with Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Bike - FlA). His teammate, J.R. Todd was severed from the Lucas group, despite completing the 2008 campaign 11th and ending a win streak by Tony Schumacher.
(7) Cory McClenathan’s plans for the coming year have not been announced yet – pending notification of participation from his longtime sponsor Fram.
Angelle through the trap at 192+ mph. Note rear tire distortion 
1979 Home VIDEO of John Force (with wife Laurie staging him) doing what he does best in his TF/FC Corvette.
Angelle used to have a poster that said something like
“Why does a 90# girl drive a 600# motorcycle 190 mph?
Because she can.
She has always been one of my favorites.
TAB
Didn`t know the carnage was gonna be this bad.
Thought Fuller had a contract for this yr.Saw
him last year right after his new Lambo caught
fire and burned up.
I kinda liked the 1000` raceing in TF,so much
safer.
That really shook me last year,the death of Scott.
We always go to Atlanta,Memphis,Indy and Bristol,
Probably not this year.
Just **mn,after JF was getting the cars much safer
A JOHN FORCE CHRISTMAS. Bring your own Kleenex...
http://www.nhra.com/content/news/34465.htm
I will bet the game warden was Walter Gray from here in Eureka. A couple of wardens covered the whole north coast in those days.
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