A trio of NHRA racers spent the off weekend racing. Representing three of the pro divisions, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson, and Doug Herbert participated in a celebrity late model charity race on the .533- mile Bristol Motor Speedway during the track’s NASCAR event weekend. The rules of the race, dubbed the Saturday Night Special, were simple. A celebrity was paired with a former NASCAR Bristol race winner with a $100,000 purse up for grabs. The winning team, that of NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Sterling Marlin, was awarded $25,000 for his favorite charity. The second place finisher, Rusty Wallace, the retired 1989 Cup champion, earned $10,000 for his charity of choice, and every other participating driver earned $5,000 for their designated charity.
The event kicked off with a 15-lap heat race run by the celebrities in order to set the lineup for the 35-lap race, run by retired NASCAR legends Cale Yarborough and Junior Johnson. In addition to some of drag racing’s most notable, the celebrity field was peppered with TV personalities and several athletes and coaches, spanning NCAA, the NFL, and the NBA.
Capps, a two-time NHRA event winner already this season and the current points leader in Funny Car, was paired with 1982 and 1985 Nationwide Series champion Jack Ingram, racing for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. He was entered in the second heat race and finished third. Former NASCAR crew chief and car owner Andy Petree won under caution after Ray Evernham, four-time champion Jeff Gordon’s former crew chief, spun and wrecked his car on lap 10. Petree was paired with Marlin, giving Marlin the pole for the feature.
Television analyst and former NBA player Brad Daugherty moved up to second after Evernham wrecked out. Capps finished third and Evernham fourth. "I wish we could have run better," Capps said. "I was just texting my crew chief Ace (Ed McCullough), he asked me what happened. Being in California, these guys spent more time on their cars and testing. Ray (Evernham) was in one of Rusty’s cars. "It’s fun to come out here and see some friends, Mike (Waltrip, fellow NAPA-sponsored driver) and all of the guys."
Neither Anderson nor Herbert participated in the heat races. During the morning practice session, the two got caught up in a typical Bristol run-in. Known as one of the toughest short tracks on the NASCAR circuit, Bristol has a reputation for multiple melees. Anderson had troubles off of turn 4 and Herbert was in the wrong place at the wrong time, wrecking hard on the front stretch. He climbed from his battered machine unhurt. "Anderson hit the wall right in front of me," Herbert said. "He didn’t hang me out but I was doing everything I could to get away from him and I ended up spinning my car in the process. I owe Greg one." Anderson, who is fourth in the Pro Stock points, was aligned with former champ and current driver of the No. 07 Toyota in the Nationwide Series, David Green. Herbert, who has been absent from the Top Fuel field this season due to sponsorship troubles, was partnered up with 1986 and ’87 Nationwide Series champ Larry Pearson. - Credit: RDRN
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03.17.09: NHRA Driver Doug Herbert to Participate in NASCAR Activities at Bristol Motor Speedway
NHRA Top Fuel Driver Doug Herbert will participate in activities surrounding the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held at Bristol Motor Speedway, March 21-22. Herbert will compete in a celebrity amateur race as part of the Scotts Saturday Night Special Charity Event, and will start his dragster in front of nearly 160,000 spectators during the pre-race ceremonies prior to Sunday's Food City 500. Herbert's Top Fuel Dragster will be on display outside Bristol Motor Speedway throughout the weekend, beginning Friday for Food City Race Night, but will be moved inside the .533-mile oval Sunday morning, when he will start the 8,000-horsepower machine on the track's frontstretch. "Bristol is one of my favorite races," said Herbert, who scored his first Top Fuel victory at Thunder Valley in 1992. "Before they built zMAX Dragway in Charlotte last year, Bristol was my home track. I like going up there so I was excited when they asked me to be at the circle track. When we start the dragster for all the NASCAR fans I'm sure they'll love it!"
During the Scotts Saturday Night Special Herbert will wheel a late model car in a 15-lap, celebrity amateur race. Each celebrity is paired with a pro driver and the celebrity heats help determine the starting spots of their pro driver teammate, who will then run 35 laps. "Driving in Saturday's UARA event will be really fun," said Herbert. "When we were racing in Bristol last year the Speedway had a NHRA Circle Track Challenge, where a bunch of NHRA drivers raced in street stock cars, and I loved it. My buddy Ray Evernham will be there racing too, maybe he can give me a little expert advice!" Herbert, who is currently working with Evernham to build a land speed car to run at the Bonneville Salt Flats, will be at the dragster display on Saturday, March 21, from 1:30-2:30 p.m., to greet fans and sign autographs. Although the veteran racer is not running the full 2009 NHRA schedule, he plans to compete in the upcoming NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, May 15-17.
"We're really happy to have Doug back at the round track at Bristol," said Jeff Byrd, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. "He's used to tearing it up at Thunder Valley but last May he got a little taste of the Speedway and we really thought he would enjoy taking part in the celebrity portion of the Saturday Night Special. This is a big event for us and we're excited about him being in the race and also about him bringing his Top Fuel dragster here. He's going to start it up in in front of a packed house on Sunday and believe me, the fans will go crazy."
- Credit: Doug Herbert Racing
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