NHRA Wally Trophies, Summit Series Points Also Up for Grabs at The Rock

ROCKINGHAM – Two decades of tradition, a cash purse that includes $10,000 to Sunday’s Top ET winner and the opportunity to race for four of the iconic NHRA “Wally” trophies awarded to Mello Yello tour champions like Courtney Force, Greg Anderson and Clay Millican are expected to attract record numbers of racers to Rockingham Dragway this week for the 20th annual “Big John” Leviner Memorial Weekend Bracket Nationals.

Celebrating the life of the late “Big John” Leviner, a popular Rockingham Dragway track official, the Memorial Weekend event will crown daily champions in Top Eliminator, Footbrake and Jr. Dragster and, as a 20th anniversary bonus, track owner Steve Earwood is throwing in free testing on Friday with each tech card purchase.

While the purse and the awarding of track championship and NHRA Summit Series points always are big major attractions, the most unique aspect of the event is the National Dragster Challenge, a daily “Run for the Wally” in which the Top Eliminator and Footbrake winners square off in a one-run showdown for one of the trophies named for the late NHRA founder and president, Wally Parks. A fourth Wally will be awarded on Monday to the winner of the Jr. Dragster Challenge.

Last year’s “Wally” winners were Chris “Hot Rod” Gibson of Lexington, Greg Broadway of New Bern, Jerry Brewer of Lumberton and Jr. Dragster champ Chase Wagner of Willow Springs.

“It’s a nice little perk,” Earwood said. “It’s not something everyone has a chance to win in his or her racing career, so it definitely generates a little more excitement. It’s a big deal to have a Wally just like those John Force has. It’s a validation, I think.”

Gates open at noon Friday for a 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. test-and-tune session. Gates open Saturday at 8 a.m. with time trials at 9. Eliminations will follow a Run for the Money time trial at 11 a.m. The schedule will be relatively the same for Sunday and Monday.


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