NHRA officials announced today that the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology has signed a multiyear agreement to sponsor the four popular NHRA Factory Showdown competitions beginning this season. The NHRA Factory Stock Showdown was designed to showcase the NHRA Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, Dodge Mopar Challenger Drag Pak, and the Chevrolet COPO Camaro.  The first School of Automotive Machinists & Technology NHRA Factory Showdown of the year will take place at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway, March 17-20.

“In its five year history, the NHRA Factory Showdown has quickly become a favorite of the drag racing community,” said Graham Light, NHRA senior vice president, racing operations. “The support of the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology will allow NHRA to take the program to the next level where we can feature the Factory Stock vehicles in a heads-up competition.”

New to the Factory Showdown program is a special Quick 8 Eliminator showcasing the quickest eight Factory Stock race cars in a heads up competition to be contested on Saturday and Sunday.  At each of the four School of Automotive Machinists & Technology NHRA Factory Stock Showdown events, competitors will qualify within Stock Eliminator and compete in FS/X and FS/XX class eliminations.   The quickest eight Factory Stock race cars following qualifying will advance to the Quick 8 Eliminator.  The competitors who did not qualify for the Quick 8 Eliminator will remain in Stock Eliminator.

The School of Automotive Machinists & Technology NHRA Factory Stock Showdown Quick 8 will be competing for national championship points, the NHRA Wally trophy, event champion’s jacket and an event purse.

Factory Stock Showdown participants will receive a provisional entry in the Englishtown, Norwalk and Indy events where the SAM Tech Factory Stock Showdown will be contested.  For Gainesville, the quota will be adjusted, based on projected entries.  Each Factory Stock participant must have at least one grade point and will need to contact NHRA's competition department for an entry form.  All entries must be submitted by Monday, noon Pacific Time, of race week. NHRA will adjust the quotas in Stock Eliminator for these events by increasing the number of entries based on projected Factory Stock entries.

The NHRA will create a new logo for the events, decals for competitors, and will conduct winner’s circle activities at the conclusion of each School of Automotive Machinists & Technology NHRA Factory Showdown.

“The School of Automotive Machinists & Technology is proud to be the title sponsor of the Factory Stock Showdown,” said Brian Massingill, director of student motorsports for the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology.  “We have been a part of the COPO Program since the beginning, and to see the number of professional teams getting involved, as well as, having Chevrolet, Ford, and Chrysler’s full support at the sportsman level shows just how serious the Showdown is,” Massingill added. 

In addition to Gainesville, the School of Automotive Machinists & Technology NHRA Factory Showdown competitions will take place at the NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, June 9-12; the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, in Norwalk, Ohio, June 23-25; and concluding at the birthplace of the event, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31-Sept. 5.