Motorcycles and news

Drag Racing: Nitro Harley-Davidson Riders Ready For Thunder Valley April 27, 2006

Bristol Dragway to Host Second Nitro Harley-Davidson NHRA Exhibition They don’t call it Thunder Valley for nothing. After all, the quarter-mile track is carved out of a mountain.

That’s exactly why the riders of the AHDRA Screamin’ Eagle championship series are anxiously waiting for this weekend’s action to start. It’s a break from the national championship points chase, but it’s a chance to turn up the volume on the mountain. The sixth annual O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals kicks off Friday and will include the ultra-quick Nitro Harley-Davidson category. It is the second of three exhibitions scheduled for NHRA POWERade events this season.

“We’re very excited about going back to Bristol Dragway to showcase our series at the NHRA event,” AHDRA General Manager Craig Tharpe said. “Bristol Dragway continues to be one of the queens of the NHRA member track fleet. We’re always quick up there and we’re looking forward to being able to entertain the thousands of potential new fans that can come back to our event (AHDRA national event, Aug. 11-13).”

There are six riders scheduled to take part in the exhibition. They will have two qualifying runs on Friday and two more on Saturday before final eliminations kick off at 11 a.m. Sunday. Mike Romine and Doug Vancil have each claimed one AHDRA victory so far this season. They will be joined by Jack Romine, Tommy Grimes, Mike Lehman and Takeshi Shigematsu for this weekend’s exhibition event.

“We couldn’t ask for a better location to hold one of the three Nitro Harley-Davidson exhibition events,” Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said. “The power produced by these Harleys is going to rattle the entire mountain. I think the fans are in for an exciting weekend of racing.”

While the Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team has the weekend off from NHRA racing, fans are certain to get their fix of Harley-Davidson inspired racing. Along with the nitro-burning Harley-Davidson entries, Bristol Dragway fans will get their first glimpse of the new Acceleration Nation interactive area, featuring dyno-drag racing V-Rods for fans to ride.

“When we agreed to make Harley-Davidson the official motorcycle of the NHRA we wanted to make it a priority to get the fans closer to the bikes,” Paluso said. “Not only are we giving away 15 Harley-Davidson motorcycles throughout season, but fans can hop on a real V-Rod and get a feel for what it’s like to blaze down the track on a two-wheel machine.”

The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines team will be back in action at the NHRA event in Commerce, Ga., next weekend. The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals will be held at Atlanta Dragway, May 4-7.