Deby
Nitro Member
Pro Stock Points Chase Heating Up
Mopar Canadian Nationals will separate those who have a shot at the 2008 championship from those who will look to build for 2009
<p style="width:310px;float:left;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/dobbins11.jpg" alt="dobbins11"
<br><font color="Navy">Dobbins knows the Mopar Canadian Nationals will be pivotal if he hopes to keep the points lead.</font>
<p> Norwalk, Ohio (July 10, 2008) – As usual, the battle at the top of the Torco Pro Stock points standings is extremely tight, which is why the Mopar Canadian Nationals will be critical as a number of teams will look to cut the distance between themselves and current points leader Jeff Dobbins.
Just 109 points separate Bob Bertsch, currently in sixth position in the standings, from Dobbins at the top of the heap. There are four drivers in between them. Chances are, at the end of the year, the 2008 World Champion will be one of those six drivers, which is why the race at Grand Bend Motorplex is so critical.
Dobbins, a two-time winner this season, leads the pack with 327 points. IHRA Spring Nationals champion Elijah Morton is second with 300 points. Frank Gugliotta, the winner in Milan , is second with 300 points. John Montecalvo, the San Antonio winner, is fourth with 284 points while Pete Berner is fifth with 239. Bob Bertsch rounds out the top six contenders with 218 points, but his standing is better than it may appear as he is the only driver eligible for the 41 bonus points for attending every race.
Dobbins knows the Mopar Canadian Nationals will be pivotal if he hopes to keep the points lead.
“From here on out every race is very important,” he said. “And it starts in Grand Bend. We only have five races left so if someone gets three or four rounds out on you there isn’t that much time to make it up. Right now every round is crucial.”
Defending World Champion Pete Berner, 86 points behind Dobbins, expects the entire field to step it up.
"We're at the half-way point of the season," Berner said, "These last five races coming up will show some intense competition in Pro Stock. Any of the guys are capable of winning a championship and many of them have already done so. The Pro Stock class has always been home of some of the toughest competition and closest racing in the sport. I'm excited to see that play out through the rest of the season."
This season has played out in typical fashion in the Pro Stock class. Usually five or six drivers distance themselves from the rest of the pack, then slug it out down the stretch to determine the championship. In years past Dobbins was one of the drivers on the outside, looking in. This season he has put himself in the middle of everything…but it did not happen overnight.
Last season Dobbins finished 14th in the points standings, but captured the Ironman at the World Finals in Rockingham while building for the 2008 season.
“We kept working and progressing to get the car fast,” Dobbins said. “It takes two or three years of hard work to get your program to progress, then it starts showing.”
The Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol will take place July 18-20 at Grand Bend Motorplex. For more information please visit the event page on nitrojam.com.
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. More information can be found at NitroJam.com.
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.”
Mopar Canadian Nationals will separate those who have a shot at the 2008 championship from those who will look to build for 2009
<p style="width:310px;float:left;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/dobbins11.jpg" alt="dobbins11"
<br><font color="Navy">Dobbins knows the Mopar Canadian Nationals will be pivotal if he hopes to keep the points lead.</font>
<p> Norwalk, Ohio (July 10, 2008) – As usual, the battle at the top of the Torco Pro Stock points standings is extremely tight, which is why the Mopar Canadian Nationals will be critical as a number of teams will look to cut the distance between themselves and current points leader Jeff Dobbins.
Just 109 points separate Bob Bertsch, currently in sixth position in the standings, from Dobbins at the top of the heap. There are four drivers in between them. Chances are, at the end of the year, the 2008 World Champion will be one of those six drivers, which is why the race at Grand Bend Motorplex is so critical.
Dobbins, a two-time winner this season, leads the pack with 327 points. IHRA Spring Nationals champion Elijah Morton is second with 300 points. Frank Gugliotta, the winner in Milan , is second with 300 points. John Montecalvo, the San Antonio winner, is fourth with 284 points while Pete Berner is fifth with 239. Bob Bertsch rounds out the top six contenders with 218 points, but his standing is better than it may appear as he is the only driver eligible for the 41 bonus points for attending every race.
Dobbins knows the Mopar Canadian Nationals will be pivotal if he hopes to keep the points lead.
“From here on out every race is very important,” he said. “And it starts in Grand Bend. We only have five races left so if someone gets three or four rounds out on you there isn’t that much time to make it up. Right now every round is crucial.”
Defending World Champion Pete Berner, 86 points behind Dobbins, expects the entire field to step it up.
"We're at the half-way point of the season," Berner said, "These last five races coming up will show some intense competition in Pro Stock. Any of the guys are capable of winning a championship and many of them have already done so. The Pro Stock class has always been home of some of the toughest competition and closest racing in the sport. I'm excited to see that play out through the rest of the season."
This season has played out in typical fashion in the Pro Stock class. Usually five or six drivers distance themselves from the rest of the pack, then slug it out down the stretch to determine the championship. In years past Dobbins was one of the drivers on the outside, looking in. This season he has put himself in the middle of everything…but it did not happen overnight.
Last season Dobbins finished 14th in the points standings, but captured the Ironman at the World Finals in Rockingham while building for the 2008 season.
“We kept working and progressing to get the car fast,” Dobbins said. “It takes two or three years of hard work to get your program to progress, then it starts showing.”
The Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol will take place July 18-20 at Grand Bend Motorplex. For more information please visit the event page on nitrojam.com.
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. More information can be found at NitroJam.com.
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.”
