IHRA sold!

Kenneth Feld, Chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, Inc.  (Chris O’Meara/AP photo)

Drag Racing Online has verified that Live Nation’s motorsports division has been sold. The reported buyer is Feld Entertainment owned by Kenneth Feld. Feld Entertainment, Inc. is privately owned as opposed to Live Nation, which is a publicly owned corporation.

Feld Entertainment also owns the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, Disney Live!, several Disney on Ice touring companies and other live entertainment properties. Some research by DRO indicates that Feld Entertainment is a 40-year-old company, extremely successful and profitable. It is headquartered in Vienna, Virginia.

When contacted by DRO, a Feld Entertainment representative would neither confirm nor deny the story or comment on the subject.

Sources indicate that the IHRA will continue with business as usual for the rest of this season, which has two events left, and that Charlie Mancuso, who oversaw the Live Nation Motorsports division, will be part of the new management. [9/5/2008]

Only hours left for free tickets

DRO’s "Take a Friend to a Race" promotion for free tickets to the “Southern California Shootout” Hot Rod Heritage Series event on Sept. 12–14 at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA, will end at midnight September 5, 2008.  

Nearly 350 of our Agent 1320 readers from as far away as Littleton, Colorado took advantage of the offer as well as most of the SoCal offices of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Universal Technical Institute, West Valley Occupational Center, North Hollywood High School auto shop program and a handful of local racing aftermarket manufacturers have helped with ticket distribution.

If you still want to attend the event, send an email with the word “Tickets” in the subject line to tickets@dragracingonline.com - include your mailing address and we’ll get a pair of three-day spectator passes out to you by snail mail. Remember to bring a friend, a kid or a person who has never been to a drag race along with you to Auto Club Dragway at AAA Speedway in Fontana. [9/5/2008]

Pro Stocks check out zMAX track

Battling stifling heat and a relatively green racing surface, Warren and Kurt Johnson were among four Pro Stock teams making runs at Bruton Smith’s state-of-the-art zMAX Dragway.

Making a total of 14 runs between them, KJ set low elapsed time for the day in the ACDelco Cobalt (shown)with his 6.680-second, 206.35 mph pass in the early afternoon, with WJ, who set top speed at 207.43 mph, close behind, tripping the finish line timers in his GM Performance Parts GXP in 6.685 seconds. Afterwards, the duo had nothing but praise for the magnificent new track.

“This is absolutely the best facility I have ever raced at in my career,” stated the younger Johnson. “….and I can’t wait to come back next weekend and race.”

“There is no doubt that this is a tremendous facility,” added WJ. “The track didn’t have a whole lot of rubber on it, and yet it held everything that our GM Performance Parts GXP, as well as every other team, put out there…” 
The Agent bets there are some NHRA Pro Stock teams headed for Charlotte wondering why they didn’t get a chance to test also . If the Johnsons or any of the other teams that got to test dominate the race you can bet there will be hell to pay for someone at the NHRA. Oh and isn’t there some rule about testing at a track the week  before race week? [9/5/2008]