Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood was one of the first to identify Kenny Nowling’s American Drag Racing League as “the next big thing” in professional drag racing.  On The Rock’s 2011 schedule, he’ll make it official.  
 
Earwood, whose track has hosted major national events promoted by the National Hot Rod Association, the old American Hot Rod Association and, most recently, the International Hot Rod Association, announced Friday that The Rock’s marquee event next season will be the ADRL’s Dragstock VIII, scheduled for September 9 and 10.
 
“We’re just acknowledging what the fans already told us with their attendance,” Earwood said.  “In 2004, the first Dragstock set records at a track that’s featured some of the top drivers in drag racing history including John Force, Don Garlits, the late Ronnie Sox, Don Prudhomme and Shirley Muldowney.

Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood was one of the first to identify Kenny Nowling’s American Drag Racing League as “the next big thing” in professional drag racing.  On The Rock’s 2011 schedule, he’ll make it official.  
 
Earwood, whose track has hosted major national events promoted by the National Hot Rod Association, the old American Hot Rod Association and, most recently, the International Hot Rod Association, announced Friday that The Rock’s marquee event next season will be the ADRL’s Dragstock VIII, scheduled for September 9 and 10.
 
“We’re just acknowledging what the fans already told us with their attendance,” Earwood said.  “In 2004, the first Dragstock set records at a track that’s featured some of the top drivers in drag racing history including John Force, Don Garlits, the late Ronnie Sox, Don Prudhomme and Shirley Muldowney.

“That got our attention and the ADRL has been impressing us ever since,” Earwood said.  “This is the first time Dragstock hasn't broken attendance records but, if we could have avoided the inclement weather, I’m sure we'd have set another record this year.”
 
Earwood is betting that the next wave of straight-line stars will be developed in the ADRL, which presently operates a 10-race series in the United States and a satellite tour, under the auspices of the Arabian Drag Racing League, in Qatar, home to Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani, whose impact extends from the ADRL to the NHRA.
 
“The ADRL brings fresh eyes to a sport that needs new stars and new ideas,” Earwood said.  “I think the high energy ADRL program featuring some of the sport’s most extreme race cars resonates with a new generation of fans, especially in the Southeast.”
 
With the new emphasis on the ADRL Series, Earwood confirmed that the IHRA NitroJam Series would not return next year.
 
“We’ve had a great run with the IHRA National Series,” Earwood said, “and I’m proud of the fact that The Rock hosted more IHRA national events than any other track, but the IHRA and the ADRL are going in different directions and for our fans, the ADRL looks like the best fit.  
 
“The new Nitro Jam Series excluded the Mountain Motor Pro Stock and Pro Mod cars that always have been a mainstay in the South,” Earwood said.  “Those cars now have a new home in the ADRL.  Plus, the Nitro Jam has become more of a booked in show, focusing on entertainment, with less competitors.  I know that format works very well and it is a very entertaining form of motorsports that has enjoyed tremendous success in other markets.   We just didn’t think the Nitro Jam format was something about which our Rock fans are passionate.
 
“Aaron Polburn and Skooter Peaco (President and Vice President of the IHRA) and I mutually agreed in this redirection of the Nitro Jam.  Certainly I wish their group the very best, but I’m excited about the direction in which we are going at Rockingham Dragway.  The IHRA Sportsman racing remains, in my opinion, the best in the Southeast and we look forward to placing increased emphasis on our IHRA Summit Pro Am Series event and the fall IHRA Team Finals.”

Rockingham Dragway will continue to be part of  the IHRA family and plans to add additional IHRA bracket racing events in the future.
 
In addition to new emphasis on the ADRL, Earwood hinted at some other big changes in the 2011 schedule which again will be anchored by the Mickey Thompson Performance Tires MiRock Superbike Series for motorcycles, the East Coast Bikers Round-Up, the Iron Horse Smoke Out Custom Bike Rally, the 20th Annual Mopars at The Rock, the Holcomb Motorsports Civil Wars Series and the All-Harley Drag Racing Association Finals, along with the addition of a new All Harley National event in the spring. The Rock is tentatively on the schedule for a very well known national TV series with an emphasis on Street Racing.
 
“We’ve been talking about bringing back another popular national series, Earwood said, “maybe a concert or another special event of some sort.  In this market, in this economy, you’ve gotta be creative and that’s the part of the business that has always appealed to me.”
 
A former Media Relations Director for the NHRA, one-time General Manager at Atlanta Dragway, former Public Relations Director for Blue Max Racing, Inc., (when Rusty Wallace won the NASCAR championship for the Charlotte-based team) and former Marketing Vice-President at The Texas Motorplex, Earwood bought Rockingham Dragway in 1992, immediately transforming it from a track that contested two major events each season to one that was active 46 weekends a year, conducting 88 events.  The track also has private testing for pro teams over 50 days each year as the racing surface meets the criteria for national event standards.

The Rock played host to the NHRA’s Winston Invitational All-Star Race from 1992 through 1998 before rejoining the IHRA in 1999.  Earwood, who twice was named the IHRA’s national Promoter of the Year (2001 and 2008), is today one of 18 members of the North Carolina Motorsports Advisory Council appointed by governor Beverly Purdue, serves as Chairman of the Board of the North Carolina Motorsports Association with Trustees NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick and NASCAR legend Richard Petty, among others.
 
A member of the Board of Directors of Racers for Christ International, he also is a voting board member of the Motorsports Committee of the National Fire Protection Association responsible for drafting document 610 that serves as a fire safety guideline for all forms of motor racing.

{source}
<div style="float:left; padding:5px;">
<script type="text/javascript">
sr_adspace_id = 2000000613807;
sr_adspace_width = 300;
sr_adspace_height = 250;
sr_ad_new_window = true;
sr_adspace_type = "graphic";
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.afy11.net/srad.js?azId=2000000613807">
</script></div>

<div style="padding:5px;"><script type="text/javascript">
google_ad_client = "pub-8044869477733334";
/* 300x250, created 4/3/09 */
google_ad_slot = "2028912167";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
</script>
<script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</div>{/source}