Everyday motorsports enthusiasts test their mettle and their metal over five grueling days of drag racing, covering more than 1,000 miles in one car and one engine.
September 11, 2015, St. Louis Region – It’s a hot ticket for a hot week! If you know anything about drag racing, you know how fast and furious HOT ROD Magazine’s Drag Week can be.
HOT ROD Drag Week 2015 is all about fast. Tickets to participate in this year’s event sold out online in a record 16 minutes. Street-legal drag-race cars reaching speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour with elapsed times in the five- second range, make quarter-miles runs each day for five days. Participants travel on public streets to four different racetracks for a road trip of 1,000-plus miles, using one car and one engine, unassisted by support vehicles. More than 350 cars are registered to race in this popular annual event presented by Gear Vendors Under/Overdrive and The Eastwood Company.
HOT ROD Drag Week is the ultimate test of a street/strip car, with trophies awarded in multiple classes for vehicles with various levels of modifications. The one car with the lowest average elapsed time over the week of racing is named HOT ROD’s Fastest Street Car in America. Some of the most awe inspiring vehicles in the world will be on display as participants will register times at four drag strips.
“HOT ROD Drag Week has created an amazing world where guys build their cars just to torture themselves on a grueling road-trip in 3,000-horsepower cars and they love every minute of it, and it’s all for nothing but the recognition,” TEN’s Senior Vice President of Content Strategy David Freiburger said. “Drag Week has become recognized as the place to prove both your car and yourself.”
But, according to event organizers, it’s not just about clocking the lowest elapsed time on the strips; the racers will also have to drive their vehicles on a specified route from city to city. The crew at HOT ROD will require photographic evidence from each entry that drivers are adhering to the prescribed route. Thus, drivers will be on the clock for five straight days and must remain alert to all rules.
Fans can follow the action at HOT ROD Drag Week™ 2015 on Twitter using #dragweek15. Learn more about Drag Week™ at http://www.hotrod.com .
HOT ROD Drag Week 2015 Racing Schedule:
Sunday, September 13 – First-ever Drag Week Tech Party – Gateway Motorsports Park, Madison, IL – NASCAR Garages and Kartplex. Gates open 9 a.m. Tech inspection until 5 p.m. Live music from 2-4 p.m. Admission $15
Day 1 – Monday, Sep 14 – Gateway Motorsports Park- Madison, IL – gates open at 7:30 a.m., racing hours from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (or until complete)
Day 2 – Tuesday, Sep 15 – Lucas Oil Raceway- Clermont (Indianapolis), IN – gates open at 7:30 a.m., racing hours from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (or until complete)
Day 3 – Wednesday, Sep 16 – Racing Great Lakes Dragaway- Union Grove, WI – gates open at 7:30 a.m., racing hours from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (or until complete)
Day 4 – Thursday, Sep 17 – Racing Cordova International Raceway- Cordova, IL – gates open at 7:30 a.m., racing hours from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (or until complete)
Day 5 (Finals) – Friday, Sep 18 – Gateway Motorsports Park- Madison, IL – gates open at 11 a.m., racing hours from 2:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (or until complete)
Heads Up Shootout – Saturday, Sept 19 – Gateway Motorsports Park- Madison, IL – gates open at 9 a.m., racing hours from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (or until complete)
Although registration has closed, interested participants can be added to a wait list and as spots open up, they will be given to those on the waitlist in the order requests have been received. Send your email to: dragweek@hotrod.com.
Admission at Gateway Motorsports Park is $10 for ages 13 and up– Monday, September 14 through Thursday, September 17. Admission is $15 for Tech Day on Sunday, September 13, for the Finals on Friday, September 18 and for the Heads Up Shootout on Saturday, September 19. Kids 12 and under can attend free each day with paid adult. Tickets will be available at each individual track.
The Enthusiast Network TEN: The Enthusiast Network is the world’s premier network of enthusiast brands, such as MOTOR TREND, AUTOMOBILE, HOT ROD, SURFER, TRANSWORLD SKATEBOARDING, and GRINDTV. With more than 50 publications, 60 websites, 50 events, 1,000 branded products, the world’s largest automotive VOD channel, and the world’s largest action/adventure sports media platform, TEN inspires enthusiasts to pursue their passions.
HELPFUL LINKS: General Info : http://www.hotrod.com/events/drag-week/ Rules: http://www.hotrod.com/news/1412-final-2015-2017-hot-rod-drag-week-rules-are-here/
Susan C. Ryan