Wednesday Night Drags begin March 7 at Sears Point Raceway

Fans Take Over Drag Strip for Start of 'Wednesday Night Drags,' March 7

SONOMA, Calif. (March 1, 2001) - Everything from grandma's station wagon and dad's Chrysler to supercharged Chevrolet Camaros and Corvettes will once again take to the strip for the "Wednesday Night Drags" at Sears Point Raceway beginning March 7.

Drag racing enthusiasts from around the Bay Area -- young and old, male and female, experienced and novice - will be "putting the pedal to the metal" on the quarter-mile drag strip over each Wednesday night through November 14. Anyone is eligible to compete as long as his or her car passes a simple technical inspection and is muffled. Sears Point Raceway is the only facility in Northern California that opens its gates to fans who would like to take a memorable stroll down a drag strip once per week.

The quarter-mile drag strip will play host to an average of 300 vehicles each week, ranging from the family station wagon to highly modified dragsters. Categories are as follows: Jackpot, Comp Rod, Super Rod, Motorcycle, Street, Sport Street and High School.

Since 1989, the Wednesday Night Drags have provided students, parents, grandparents and business people the opportunity to race on the track, not the street. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., time trials begin at 5 p.m. and eliminations start at 7 p.m. The participant fee is $17 and the spectator fee is $10. High school students with a student identification card pay $14 to compete. The Wednesday Night Drags Season Pass is also available for $225, which covers 31 weeks of racing.

For an additional $10 fee, participants may enter the S.P.O.R.T. (Sears Point Race Team) series, a competition spanning the entire 33-week season. At mid-season, the winners in each category compete in a run-off to determine champions in each classification. The final Wednesday night of the season, finalists from each division compete to determine the 2001 Wednesday night S.P.O.R.T. drags champion. Winners receive various merchandise and trophies. All drivers must be licensed and vehicles must meet standard safety requirements. Some classes may also require helmets.

For more information, call 800-870-RACE or visit www.searspoint.com. You can purchase your season pass on Sears Point Raceway's Web-site. Also, please look over Sears Point Raceway's season schedule on www.searspoint.com as there are certain Wednesdays where the program will not run.

- John Cardinale