Shelly Howard Noble preview

Howard shooting for championship at home track

NOBLE, Okla. - As NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver Shelly Howard heads into her home state event, she will also be competing for the Division 4 Championship during this weekend's Division 4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series closer at Thunder Valley Raceway Park just outside of Oklahoma City, Okla. The Tulsa, Okla., native trails current leader Lee Callaway by a mere two points and can win the championship by going one more round than him.

Despite the championship and home state hype, Howard and her team plan to just run their own race.

"All of the hype can be a distraction if you get into it," said Howard. "We're not treating this race any differently than any other race. We always strive to do our best and just run the round we're in. That's really all we can do. Worrying about it doesn't do any good."

"I don't want it to sound like we don't enjoy racing in our home state of Oklahoma, though," continued Howard. "It's really nice to race close to home like this, after traveling the country all year. Some of our friends from home can come and watch us, so we like racing here."

Qualifying begins on Friday for the alcohol cars and will continue on Saturday with two sessions. Final eliminations will conclude the event on Sunday. Stay tuned to InsideTopAlcohol.com for the latest news in alcohol racing.

For more information on the team, visit their website at ShellyHoward.com