DRAG CITY NEWS: January 2012

Welcome to Drag City News

Here's a breif history of what Drag City News was and is now. It was a newspaper started back in 1976 by then Farmington Dragway track operators Jim Turner and Jerry Joyce to PROMOTE racing at Farmington, but to also give their racers extra exposure to the world. Enter Norman Drouilard, Sr, with out his connections in the newspaper printing world, there wouldn't have been a DCN. Again it featured Race Results, Up coming events and features on racers ...but most importantly it had PICTURES. Later I brought it back to life PROMOTING the Carolina Coalition. Like everything else in this world it has gone to computers. There quicker to update and don't cost as much to do. BUT there is still nothing like seeing pictures in news print. What I hope to do here is bring back a little of that past and mix it with todays modern blog.

I want to go back it time, but not get stuck there. I want to keep a posting on local track races, race results and it's racers. Bascicly have a daily newspaper for anyone interested in the world of drag racing.

Thanks,

Mark Joyce

Monday, January 23, 2012

In Memory of Doug McGraw

We've lost another member of our great racing family today Doug McGraw. Doug was a truly great racer and a true weekly warrior. I was proud to have presented him the LeftOver National weekend Points Championship back in 2006, when Mike and I were operating Mooresville. It was always a pleasure to see Doug and his family, "the Cooterback crew" , riding the golf cart around the track. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Good Bless.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees this Saturday, January 14, 2012

Please don’t forget that this Saturday, January 14^th, 2012 at the annual Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod Expo will induct Tommy Mauney, Doug Herbert, Ralph Seagraves and Curtis Smith into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame at 11 AM at the Greensboro Coliseum.

2012 NCDRHoF Inductee "TM" Tommy Mauney..back in the day.

Tommy was an original member of Farmington Dragway's one and only....4&5 second CLUB.

TM also captured the first 4&5 second Shootout race in 1983 driving the Reese & Anderson '81 Chevrolet Camaro.

Tommy Plott Crowed First 4&5 second SHOOTOUT Champion at PTRA Banquet

The 2011 Million Dollar Race runner-up Tommy Plott of Winston-Salem, NC was officially crowned the first champion of the 4&5 second SHOOTOUT Series this past Saturday Night, January 6^th, at the Unviersity Hilton in Concord, NC The Multi- time weekly track champion Plott accepted his championship in front of a capacity crowd on hand for PTRA Awards Banquet. Plott, drove his TSR, Hank Thomas Performance, Beal Racing Engines Ford Mustang to the championship with a first career 4&5 Shootout victory this past year at the Mooresville Dragway. Plott said “it was an honor to be the first 4&5 champion and said he may take a look at doing a little pro tree PTRA racing”.

The 4&5 second Shootout race is made up of entries running from 0 to 5.99 ET, with all the Door cars running together and all the Open Bodied entries doing the same. Then the two class winners square of for the overall Shootout race victory. The Shootout series director Mark Joyce is looking forward to a great year. “I’ve teamed up with PTRA’s Tony Brown to help represent the new 4 & 5 second class at all six PTRA events in 2012” said Joyce. He is also planning to have a separate 4&5 second Shootout Series of his own. Eight 4&5 second Shootout “NATS” are planned.

The tracks and dates so far include:

“the 4&5 sec. SHOOTOUT Series Gets kicked Off With a Blast at ROCK”

Rockingham Dragway (Richmond County)- Wed. July 4^th

Elk Creek Dragway (Independence, VA) – Saturday, August 4^th

Piedmont Dragway (Greensbroro, NC)- Monday, September 3^rd

Farmington Dragway (Mocksville, NC) - Sunday, September 16^th

Mooresville Dragway (Mooresville, NC)- Saturday, October 20th

. “The great think about the 4&5 second Shootout series is that the first race want start till after July 1^st. Traditionally the shootout has always been in the late summer and fall of the year, said the former Farmington Dragway owner Joyce.

Full 4&5 second Shootout race and series details will be released at this weekend’s Shriners Drag Racing & Hot Rod Expo in Greensboro, NC January 13-14.