Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Friday Night Drags drag racing series is set to open its 2017 season Friday night, April 28.
The weekly single-elimination tournament-style competition, held on the pit lane dragstrip on the frontstretch of the speedway, will run each Friday night through Aug. 18, excluding May 26 in observance of Memorial Day Weekend.
Drivers will compete in 16 events, featuring 18 different racing divisions for nightly bragging rights and trophies, as well as season championships and in some cases, cash and prizes to the top finishers.
New for this year, 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.
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 pm at the speedway’s main infield tunnel, and all racing competitors must sign a safety waiver and wear a DOT-approved helmet.
For more information, visit AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.
