Record-setting ticket sales to provide festive backdrop for CARS RV & Sport & Marine Rocky Mountain Nationals Presented by Torco Racing Fuels
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/EdmontonCrowd31.jpg" alt="EdmontonCrowd31" align="right"borders="0"/>
NORWALK, OHIO; June 30, 2008 – The Canadian fans that pack Castrol Raceway in Edmonton for the Rocky Mountain Nationals keep upping the ante. For the third consecutive season the advance ticket sales are off the charts, setting records for duckets sold. The Rocky Mountain Nationals have come to the forefront as the premiere event on the IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam schedule due to a variety of factors…the rabid passion of the fans, the hard work and forward thinking of track operators Rob and Kim Reeves and the commitment IHRA has made to making the Rocky Mountain Nationals something special.
“NHRA has the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and the rest of their events kind of lead up to that one,” IHRA president Aaron Polburn said. “We have the Rocky Mountain Nationals. While our other national event venues are strong with great fans, there is just a different kind of feeling when you walk into Castrol Raceway on race day. Rob Reeves and his entire team put on a great show but, honestly, you can find the major difference in the stands. Those fans are unbelievable.”
Case and point, Dr. Tom Carter has a memory of Castrol Raceway he will never forget.
“This was a couple of years ago. It was raining really hard and there was no way we were going to race for quite some time,” the Alcohol Funny Car driver from Cuero , Texas said. “I looked up in the stands and there were hundreds, literally hundreds, of fans sitting there having a great time. There was no shot we were going to get any racing in for hours but they were there having a blast. You just don’t find passion for drag racing like that anywhere else.”
Castrol Raceway in Edmonton is the Westernmost and Northernmost facility on the IHRA Nitro Jam national event schedule. It takes a strong commitment from IHRA racers to make the trip but, as defending Torco Pro Nitro Top Fuel World Champion Bruce Litton said, the long haul is quickly forgotten when the energy and enthusiasm of the fans is felt.
“The fans in Edmonton make you feel special,” Litton said. “They are always so appreciative of you coming out to run in front of them. I know it’s a really long drive but you completely forget about it once you get there and spend time with those fans.”
The passionate fans are just one feature of a great race experience in Edmonton . Rob Reeves has provided another bonus for those racers who make the trip, spending over $100,000 to improve what was already one of the top racing surfaces on the IHRA circuit. He did so for one simple reason…to give something back to his racers.
“Realizing how much commitment and dedication to the series it takes for the IHRA stars to make the trip to Edmonton , it’s my job to ensure they are racing on the finest race track possible,” Reeves said. “I probably didn’t need to spend another $100,000 on new asphalt and a complete regrinding of the entire racing surface, but this event is a big deal to Western Canada and to the IHRA series. I’m going to do everything I can to make the trip worthwhile for the IHRA competitors who support the series.”
One of those IHRA competitors who are coming to support the series will be Torco Pro Modified driver Mike Janis. Janis has skipped the Edmonton before and it has cost him. In fact, two times during his IHRA career not attending the Rocky Mountain Nationals has cost Janis the world championship…once in 2004 and once last season.
“It’s going to be a long ride, but we are excited to race in front of all those great Edmonton fans,” Janis’ Crew Chief, Mike Janis Jr. said. “They make the whole trip worth the long drive.”
Top Fuel pilot Terry McMillen won his first career Top Fuel Ironman in Edmonton . He loves everything about the race.
“The fans are unbelievable,” he said. “They really make the place special. I’ve gotten over 200 e-mails over the last couple of weeks from people I’ve met in Edmonton who have taken an interest in my career. They follow what I’m doing all season and really come out to support everyone when we’re there…they will do anything for you. They want to take you out to eat, bring you gifts…all kinds of things.
“When you get to Castrol Raceway they make you feel like one of the family,” McMillen continued. “They’ll do anything for you and are really grateful IHRA comes out to put on such an entertaining program. To legitimately run for a world championship in IHRA you have to go to Edmonton . And once you get there you will have the time of your life.”
IHRA has incentives in place for drivers and teams who make the trip. There is a cash incentive in addition to a free car and driver and four free crew entries for each race team.
“I appreciate the crew passes and everything IHRA does for us,” Tom Carter said. “But the thing about Edmonton is the fans. I think they are the best fans anywhere. They appreciate us being there and appreciate the show we put on. And you make so many new friends up there. I can’t wait to get to Edmonton and can’t wait to get back in the car.”
The CARS RV & Marine & Motorsport Rocky Mountain Nationals presented by Torco Racing Fuels will begin Friday, July 4 with professional and sportsman qualifying starting at 9:00am. Saturday will feature two Nitro qualifying sessions and IHRA’s legendary Cervus Contractors and JCB Heavy Equipment “Night of Fire.” Final eliminations, part of PartSource Championship Sunday, will be held Sunday, July 6.
About IHRA
Headquartered in Norwalk , Ohio , the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a division of Live Nation, promotes professional, semi-professional and local-level racing opportunities for drivers at all levels. The $21.5 million Knoll Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is a 10-event North American professional drag racing circuit. In 2008, the series will be comprised of eight events in major cities throughout the United States and three in Canada . The Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Championship presented by Mr. Gasket consists of competition at national events and 40 events in six regional divisions, while IHRA’s Summit SuperSeries is conducted nearly every weekend at over 85 IHRA-sanctioned tracks. Providing a safe environment to develop future stars, IHRA offers the Junior Dragster Racing Series for youths ages 8-17. Stand-alone events include Live Nation’s entertainment-filled “Thunder Jam” shows and the street legal racing and lifestyle event series Street Warriorz.
About Live Nation
Live Nation is the world's largest live music company. Our mission is to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. We strive to create superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate, have booking rights for and/or have an equity interest in more than 160 venues, including House of Blues® music venues and prestigious locations such as The Fillmore in San Francisco, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Wembley Arena. Our websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment/event websites in the United States , according to Nielsen//NetRatings. In addition, we also produce, promote or host theatrical, specialized motor sports and other live entertainment events. In 2006, we connected nearly 60 million fans with their favorite performers at approximately 26,000 events in 18 countries around the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles , California , Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.”
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/EdmontonCrowd31.jpg" alt="EdmontonCrowd31" align="right"borders="0"/>
NORWALK, OHIO; June 30, 2008 – The Canadian fans that pack Castrol Raceway in Edmonton for the Rocky Mountain Nationals keep upping the ante. For the third consecutive season the advance ticket sales are off the charts, setting records for duckets sold. The Rocky Mountain Nationals have come to the forefront as the premiere event on the IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam schedule due to a variety of factors…the rabid passion of the fans, the hard work and forward thinking of track operators Rob and Kim Reeves and the commitment IHRA has made to making the Rocky Mountain Nationals something special.
“NHRA has the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and the rest of their events kind of lead up to that one,” IHRA president Aaron Polburn said. “We have the Rocky Mountain Nationals. While our other national event venues are strong with great fans, there is just a different kind of feeling when you walk into Castrol Raceway on race day. Rob Reeves and his entire team put on a great show but, honestly, you can find the major difference in the stands. Those fans are unbelievable.”
Case and point, Dr. Tom Carter has a memory of Castrol Raceway he will never forget.
“This was a couple of years ago. It was raining really hard and there was no way we were going to race for quite some time,” the Alcohol Funny Car driver from Cuero , Texas said. “I looked up in the stands and there were hundreds, literally hundreds, of fans sitting there having a great time. There was no shot we were going to get any racing in for hours but they were there having a blast. You just don’t find passion for drag racing like that anywhere else.”
Castrol Raceway in Edmonton is the Westernmost and Northernmost facility on the IHRA Nitro Jam national event schedule. It takes a strong commitment from IHRA racers to make the trip but, as defending Torco Pro Nitro Top Fuel World Champion Bruce Litton said, the long haul is quickly forgotten when the energy and enthusiasm of the fans is felt.
“The fans in Edmonton make you feel special,” Litton said. “They are always so appreciative of you coming out to run in front of them. I know it’s a really long drive but you completely forget about it once you get there and spend time with those fans.”
The passionate fans are just one feature of a great race experience in Edmonton . Rob Reeves has provided another bonus for those racers who make the trip, spending over $100,000 to improve what was already one of the top racing surfaces on the IHRA circuit. He did so for one simple reason…to give something back to his racers.
“Realizing how much commitment and dedication to the series it takes for the IHRA stars to make the trip to Edmonton , it’s my job to ensure they are racing on the finest race track possible,” Reeves said. “I probably didn’t need to spend another $100,000 on new asphalt and a complete regrinding of the entire racing surface, but this event is a big deal to Western Canada and to the IHRA series. I’m going to do everything I can to make the trip worthwhile for the IHRA competitors who support the series.”
One of those IHRA competitors who are coming to support the series will be Torco Pro Modified driver Mike Janis. Janis has skipped the Edmonton before and it has cost him. In fact, two times during his IHRA career not attending the Rocky Mountain Nationals has cost Janis the world championship…once in 2004 and once last season.
“It’s going to be a long ride, but we are excited to race in front of all those great Edmonton fans,” Janis’ Crew Chief, Mike Janis Jr. said. “They make the whole trip worth the long drive.”
Top Fuel pilot Terry McMillen won his first career Top Fuel Ironman in Edmonton . He loves everything about the race.
“The fans are unbelievable,” he said. “They really make the place special. I’ve gotten over 200 e-mails over the last couple of weeks from people I’ve met in Edmonton who have taken an interest in my career. They follow what I’m doing all season and really come out to support everyone when we’re there…they will do anything for you. They want to take you out to eat, bring you gifts…all kinds of things.
“When you get to Castrol Raceway they make you feel like one of the family,” McMillen continued. “They’ll do anything for you and are really grateful IHRA comes out to put on such an entertaining program. To legitimately run for a world championship in IHRA you have to go to Edmonton . And once you get there you will have the time of your life.”
IHRA has incentives in place for drivers and teams who make the trip. There is a cash incentive in addition to a free car and driver and four free crew entries for each race team.
“I appreciate the crew passes and everything IHRA does for us,” Tom Carter said. “But the thing about Edmonton is the fans. I think they are the best fans anywhere. They appreciate us being there and appreciate the show we put on. And you make so many new friends up there. I can’t wait to get to Edmonton and can’t wait to get back in the car.”
The CARS RV & Marine & Motorsport Rocky Mountain Nationals presented by Torco Racing Fuels will begin Friday, July 4 with professional and sportsman qualifying starting at 9:00am. Saturday will feature two Nitro qualifying sessions and IHRA’s legendary Cervus Contractors and JCB Heavy Equipment “Night of Fire.” Final eliminations, part of PartSource Championship Sunday, will be held Sunday, July 6.
About IHRA
Headquartered in Norwalk , Ohio , the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a division of Live Nation, promotes professional, semi-professional and local-level racing opportunities for drivers at all levels. The $21.5 million Knoll Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is a 10-event North American professional drag racing circuit. In 2008, the series will be comprised of eight events in major cities throughout the United States and three in Canada . The Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Championship presented by Mr. Gasket consists of competition at national events and 40 events in six regional divisions, while IHRA’s Summit SuperSeries is conducted nearly every weekend at over 85 IHRA-sanctioned tracks. Providing a safe environment to develop future stars, IHRA offers the Junior Dragster Racing Series for youths ages 8-17. Stand-alone events include Live Nation’s entertainment-filled “Thunder Jam” shows and the street legal racing and lifestyle event series Street Warriorz.
About Live Nation
Live Nation is the world's largest live music company. Our mission is to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. We strive to create superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate, have booking rights for and/or have an equity interest in more than 160 venues, including House of Blues® music venues and prestigious locations such as The Fillmore in San Francisco, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Wembley Arena. Our websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment/event websites in the United States , according to Nielsen//NetRatings. In addition, we also produce, promote or host theatrical, specialized motor sports and other live entertainment events. In 2006, we connected nearly 60 million fans with their favorite performers at approximately 26,000 events in 18 countries around the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles , California , Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.”
