Latter part of season packed with special promotions in summer racing series

Photo courtesy of AMS
Photo courtesy of AMS

The infield at Atlanta Motor Speedway will light up with special, late-season promotions as the track’s summer racing series – O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-N-Shine and the Thursday Thunder Legends Racing Series presented by Papa John’s Pizza – near the end of their respective 2016 schedules.

Green Mamba Jet Car
Doug Rose’s Green Mamba Jet Car will make its first-ever appearance at Atlanta Motor Speedway at this week’s Championship Night finale for the Thursday Thunder Legends Racing Series presented by Papa John’s Pizza on Thursday, July 21.

The 70-year-old Rose, who has been burning up race tracks for over 35 years, will power up the jet-engine afterburner on the Green Mamba, which burns 37 gallons of jet fuel a minute, and burn a full-sized vehicle to the ground , sending sparks and shrapnel flying high into the air, in what’s affectionately known as the “Redneck Fireworks” show.

The car will be transformed into a heaping pile of molten metal at the conclusion of the evening’s eight feature races and once the champions are crowned, to bring the 19th season of Legends and Bandolero car racing on the quarter-mile Thunder Ring to a scorching end.

Grandstand admission for Thursday Thunder is just $5 per person, and kids 5 and under are free. Gates open at 6 p.m., and there is no extra cost to see the Green Mamba Jet Car.

End-of-Summer Fireworks Spectacular
The Papa John’s Pizza Fireworks Extravaganza on July Fourth Weekend was so much fun that AMS will do it all over again with the End-of-Summer Fireworks Spectacular at Week 13 of O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags on July 29, as local area schools prepare to get back in session in early August.

The fireworks show will launch just after dark and will be visible from the AMS infield, as well as the grandstands. Spectator gates open at 6:30 p.m., and general admission tickets are just $8, with kids 5 and under admitted free. Fans may also park on the infield and participate in the Speedway Cruise for just $20 per vehicle. There is no extra charge to watch the fireworks show.

War on Wheels
The War on Wheels presented by Harbin’s Mechanical Services is an all-new, high-stakes drag-racing challenge that will take place at O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags on Friday, Aug. 5.

The War on Wheels will feature two divisions: a 28″/29″ and 275 drag radial tires division and a hard-tire division, each with cash payouts to the top finishing drivers. The 28″/29″ and 275 drag radial division will include a $1,000 guaranteed winner’s purse plus racers’ pot for the winner, a $250 purse for the runner-up and a $50 purse for the semi-final round losers. Wheelie bars, double framerails and pro mods will not be allowed, and there will be a $20 buyback for first round of competition only.

The hard-tire division will include a $500 guaranteed winner’s purse plus racers’ pot, a $250 purse for the runner-up and a $50 purse to the semi-final round losers. Hard tires are required, and wheelie bars are prohibited. The $20 cash buyback will be available in the first round of competition only.

Officials expect many of the Friday Night Drags competitors from the Dynamic Towing Street Outlaw Division, Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Division, Domestic Advanced Division and HeadsUpGeorgia.com Street Modified Division among other racing classes to compete alongside owners and drivers not often seen on the street strip at AMS.

For more information about both Friday Night Drags and Thursday Thunder, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

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