LAS VEGAS (Oct. 18, 2024) – After a thrilling road to Las Vegas, 40 standout competitors are now ready to race for a NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championship as part of the upcoming Ford Performance NHRA Nationals, which takes place Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
This annual event pits the nation’s top drivers from the NHRA Summit Series, which has a list 75,000 drivers at NHRA member tracks across North America, looking for their shot at a championship in the Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle and Street Legal EV categories.
The ”Road to Vegas” started with racers competing in the Summit E.T. Finals across the seven NHRA divisions, with winners advancing to take part in the championship as part of the national event. It’s the culmination of an impressive program that includes nearly $300,000 in annual series contingency postings up for grabs. Along with the purse, also up for grabs is a national championship Wally trophy, a championship jacket and much more.
“We’re thrilled to be part of another incredible season in the NHRA Summit Series and everyone at Summit Racing Equipment is looking forward to a tremendous finish in Las Vegas and the chance to crown national champions,” said Jim Greenleaf, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports & Events Manager. “These racers deserve a spotlight like the one they will get in Las Vegas and it’s also exciting to see some of the new special prizes and opportunities that have been added to the weekend for the competitors. There continues to be great growth and participation in the series, and we can’t wait to see who becomes a NHRA Summit Racing Series National Champion.”
This season, the series continued to boast incredible participation, as each of the NHRA divisions offered a multitude of new and unique items at their respective Summit E.T. Finals. An Eastern Canadian E.T. Finals also took place for the first time in NHRA history in 2024 at Napierville Dragway in Quebec. The E.T. Finals there were a championship-level event mirroring the seven NHRA Divisional E.T. Finals currently contested.
Now, it finishes with a must-see national championship in Las Vegas and 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. The intense racing action in Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Motorcycle and Street Legal EV categories will put on a memorable experience at the NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championship in Las Vegas, and it’s a weekend filled with excitement for the 40 competitors.
It starts with a welcome dinner on Thursday, Oct. 31, which will also feature a chip draw for the first four positions, who will then call out the remaining drivers to set the first-round matchups.
Special prizes will also be raffled off between the 40 finalists, including NHRA suite passes for a day, experience a nitro car warmup in the pits and more. All finalists will have marquee access during Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying sessions, as well as a parade in front of the grandstands in Vegas and introductions 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.
“It’s been a terrific year in the NHRA Summit Series, which continues to be a great way for a driver to compete in NHRA Drag Racing. That entry-level foundation of our sportsman programs remains a vital part of the sport’s growth and longevity, which makes a weekend like the one in Las Vegas so exciting,” said Evan Jonat, NHRA Vice President of Live Events. “Each of the classes have enjoyed strong support in 2024 and it’s great to see outstanding partners like Summit Racing Equipment see the value and importance in this series.”
For more information on the NHRA Summit Racing Series, visit https://www.nhra.com/sportsman.
2024 NHRA SUMMIT RACING SERIES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITORS
| DIVISION | NAME | CLASS |
| Division 1 | Richard Copertino | Super Pro |
| Division 1 | Paul Northrop | Pro ET |
| Division 1 | David Harvey III | Sportsman |
| Division 1 | Heather Bamound | Motorcycle |
| Division 1 | Danny Hoff | Street Legal EV |
| Division 1 | Jeff Kushinskie (wild card) | Super Pro |
| Division 2 | Michael Carpenter | Super Pro |
| Division 2 | William Craft | Pro ET |
| Division 2 | Bart Pangilinan | Sportsman |
| Division 2 | Jerry Turner | Motorcycle |
| Division 2 | Mark Horton | Street Legal EV |
| Division 2 | Josh Carroll (wild card) | Sportsman |
| Division 3 | Scott Sill | Super Pro |
| Division 3 | Andrew Innes | Pro ET |
| Division 3 | Nick Hastings | Sportsman |
| Division 3 | Jason Drnach | Motorcycle |
| Division 3 | Scott Sheppeard | Street Legal EV |
| Division 3 | Steven Collier (wild card) | Street Legal EV |
| Division 4 | Jacob “Crue” Garrett | Super Pro |
| Division 4 | Alvie Merrill | Pro ET |
| Division 4 | Camron Nelson | Sportsman |
| Division 4 | Cody Couch | Motorcycle |
| Division 4 | Camron Nelson | Street Legal EV |
| Division 5 | Andrew Quinn | Sportsman |
| Division 5 | Gordon Fangmeyer | Motorcycle |
| Division 5 | Tyler Vaughn | Super Pro |
| Division 5 | Jean Milton | Pro ET |
| Division 5 | Jimmy Paulson (wild card) | Motorcycle |
| Division 5 | Todd Larson | Street Legal EV |
| Division 6 | Zach Meziere | Super Pro |
| Division 6 | Tony Price | Pro ET |
| Division 6 | Charles Burkeics | Sportsman |
| Division 6 | Marty Reeves | Motorcycle |
| Division 6 | Michael Webster | Street Legal EV |
| Division 7 | David Myhre | Super Pro |
| Division 7 | Tim O’Moore | Pro ET |
| Division 7 | CW Hoefer | Sportsman |
| Division 7 | Dan Schneider | Motorcycle |
| Division 7 | Omar Leon | Street Legal EV |
| Division 7 | Noel Cuevas (wild card) | Pro ET |
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.
Summit Racing Equipment
www.summitracing.com
1-800-230-3030
About NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. 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 110 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.
