The heart-pounding action of side-by-side 1/8-mile street drag racing returns to the pit lane drag strip at Atlanta Motor Speedway this Friday night, as the 11th season of O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-N-Shine kicks into high gear with a fresh take on one of the largest organized street-style drag racing programs in the country.
The weekly single-elimination tournament-style competition will run each Friday night from April 28 through Aug. 18 - excluding May 26 in observance of Memorial Day Weekend - for 16 installments featuring 18 different racing divisions competing for nightly bragging rights and trophies, as well as season championships and in some cases, cash and prizes to the top finishers.
The season kicks off with this Friday's season opener, at which each of the first 3,000 fans through the gates will receive a free magnetic schedule presented by Rinnai, and follows with three more pre-season nights in preparation for the points season which runs from June 2 through the Aug. 18 championship night.
New for O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags, Atlanta Motor Speedway will introduce the Street Wars series on three select dates during the 2017 season: May 19, June 23 and Aug. 4. Street Wars nights will feature money races for one big-tire division and one hard-tire division, while non-Street Wars classes will compete in a separate three-night points series that does not count toward overall season championships.
The 28-inch & 275 drag radial big-tire Street Wars division will pay a $1,000 guaranteed winner's purse plus a racer's pot, while the runner-up will take home $250. Semi-final-round losers will also each be awarded $50. In the hard tire division, the victor will win $500 with runner-up and semi-final-round loser payouts the same.
Each Street Wars driver will pay $30 toward the racer's pot, and a chip draw at registration will determine the race pairings.
Also new for 2017, a buyback program will be available for any division with more than four car entries. Drivers in those divisions who are eliminated in the first round may choose to pay $10 and return to compete in the second round of competition.
Divisional updates for 2017 include the addition of the New Edge and Street Performer classes and the elimination of both the Truck Advanced and Domestic Advanced classes. Drivers who have competed in the Truck Advanced and Domestic Advanced classes in the past remain eligible and will be placed in a new division for this year's competition.
For car clubs interested in a fun night out with the group, the Car Club Challenge program will allow clubs to pre-register for both the Show-N-Shine and drag racing competition in which club members will compete only against other club members. There must be a minimum of four club participants, and a trophy will be awarded to each main-event-winning car club driver.
Participation in O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags is open to any car, truck or motorcycle-driver possessing a valid driver's license for just $20. Registration gates open each week at 6 p.m. at the speedway's main infield tunnel, and all racing competitors must sign a safety waiver and wear a DOT-approved helmet.
Friday Night Drags also affords local car enthusiasts the opportunity to show off their prized vehicle in the weekly Show-N-Shine competition, with registration fees also just $20 apiece. Awards are given to each week's top vehicles in various categories. All Show-N-Shine entrants are invited to participate in each week's Speedway Cruise around Atlanta Motor Speedway's famous high banks. The weekly cruise begins at approximately 8:05 p.m.
Spectator admission to O'Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags is just $10 with children five and under free. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and exterior parking is free, while infield parking is $20.
For more information, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorama.com.
