LAS VEGAS (Oct. 26, 2023) – It’s a huge weekend for the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the world’s largest motorsports program when it comes to racer participation, as 40 of the nation’s top drivers will compete for a NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championship as part of this weekend’s NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Competitors in the NHRA Summit Racing Series, a list that includes more than 75,000 drivers at NHRA member tracks across North America, race in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle and Street Legal EV categories, hoping to end up with a win this weekend in Las Vegas.
The “Road to Vegas” saw standout racers picking up event wins and divisional titles, but with more than $140,000 set to be paid out to the 40 competitors attending the finals, plus contingency bonuses, a national championship Wally trophy, a championship jacket, and more, this weekend is huge on every level for the title hopefuls.
“It was another tremendous season in the NHRA Summit Series and we’re thrilled to see a great conclusion in Las Vegas as we crown national champions,” NHRA Sportsman Racing Manager Sara Walker said. “We’ve enjoyed great growth in the series and there are so many talented drivers competing this weekend. It’s exciting to put the spotlight on them in Las Vegas and we can’t wait to see who will come out on top as a NHRA Summit Racing Series National Champion.”
In 2023, the series continued to boast incredible participation and it finishes with a must-see national championship in Las Vegas. It’s also a diverse group of drivers competing in many types of vehicles, including dragsters, roadsters, sedans, coupes, motorcycles, and electric cars.
On the line is ultimate bragging rights, trophies and the impressive purse. Each divisional champion racing in Las Vegas received a Wally trophy, jacket, and purse, along with $3,000 bonus money to attend the national championship in Las Vegas. The race weekend opens with a welcome dinner and competitors are also introduced onstage during the official pre-race ceremonies at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, putting the racers in front of the fans before running for a championship.
“The NHRA Summit Series so unique and appealing because anybody can go out and compete. That entry-level foundation of our sportsman programs is so important to the growth of our sport, so it’s great to reward these talented drivers with a big weekend in Las Vegas,” Walker said. “Our EV class, which was introduced last year, continues to grow and our traditional classes are enjoying great support as well. You really see the passion from all these drivers and it’s also very exciting to see support from partners like Summit Racing Equipment to help this series thrive.”
For more information on the NHRA Summit Racing Series, visit https://www.nhra.com/sportsman.
2023 NHRA SUMMIT RACING SERIES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITORS
| Division | Position | Class | Driver’s Name |
| Division 1 | Finalist | Super Pro | Billy Boyko |
| Division 1 | Finalist | Pro ET | Mike Larose |
| Division 1 | Finalist | Sportsman | Denny Renninger |
| Division 1 | Finalist | Motorcycle | Mike Konopacki |
| Division 1 | Finalist | Street Legal EV | Danny Hoff |
| Division 2 | Finalist | Super Pro | Michael Valli |
| Division 2 | Wild Card | Super Pro | Mark Horton |
| Division 2 | Finalist | Pro ET | Jesse Edens |
| Division 2 | Finalist | Sportsman | Van Greer |
| Division 2 | Finalist | Motorcycle | Santi Rodriguez, Jr |
| Division 2 | Finalist | Street Legal EV | Ross Gould |
| Division 3 | Finalist | Super Pro | Tony Virgilio |
| Division 3 | Finalist | Pro ET | Randy Burwell |
| Division 3 | Wild Card | Pro ET | Mike Tewell |
| Division 3 | Finalist | Sportsman | James Ring |
| Division 3 | Finalist | Motorcycle | Jason Drnach |
| Division 3 | Finalist | Street Legal EV | Josh Rogers |
| Division 4 | Finalist | Super Pro | Jacob Sterling |
| Division 4 | Finalist | Pro ET | Jeff Riedel |
| Division 4 | Finalist | Sportsman | Gage Wilson |
| Division 4 | Finalist | Motorcycle | Robert Sanders |
| Division 4 | Finalist | Street Legal EV | Bryan Tilson |
| Division 5 | Finalist | Super Pro | Matt Driskell |
| Division 5 | Finalist | Pro ET | Eugene Rowson |
| Division 5 | Finalist | Sportsman | Joseph Moriarty |
| Division 5 | Finalist | Motorcycle | Patrick Roetto |
| Division 5 | Finalist | Street Legal EV | Kevin Rolph |
| Division 5 | Wild Card | Street Legal EV | Darrell Goheen |
| Division 6 | Finalist | Super Pro | Zach Meziere |
| Division 6 | Finalist | Pro ET | Steve Kelly |
| Division 6 | Finalist | Sportsman | Jake Biscay |
| Division 6 | Finalist | Motorcycle | Terry Holloway |
| Division 6 | Wild Card | Motorcycle | Cody Baldwin |
| Division 6 | Finalist | Street Legal EV | Sherry Wilson |
| Division 7 | Finalist | Super Pro | Chuck Hawk |
| Division 7 | Finalist | Pro ET | Sean Brewster |
| Division 7 | Finalist | Sportsman | AJ Crader |
| Division 7 | Wild Card | Sportsman | David Rudd |
| Division 7 | Finalist | Motorcycle | Michael O’Neil |
| Division 7 | Finalist | Street Legal EV | Craig Merrilees |
About Summit Racing Equipment
Summit Racing Equipment has been the World’s Speed Shop® for over 50 years! Summit Racing is the world’s largest e-commerce, mail order, and retailer of performance automotive parts and accessories. Summit Racing offers a huge selection of parts in stock from over 1,500 manufacturers for all forms of racing, street performance, off-roading, restoration, tools, and yes, diesel. It also offers fast ground service shipping to most areas of the country and same-day shipping on in-stock items. Summit Racing has the industry’s top-rated customer service and a full-time technical department to answer your questions. With headquarters in Tallmadge, Ohio, Summit operates distribution and retail stores in Tallmadge, Sparks, NV, McDonough, GA, and Arlington, TX.
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About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown™ and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
