Post by little e on Oct 28, 2008 21:00:28 GMT -4
Speed Channel's 'Pinks' coming to Martin
by Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press
Tuesday October 28, 2008, 9:00 AM
Rich ChristensenRich Christensen is arguably one of the baddest men in all of drag racing.
The shaved-head host of The Speed Channel's "Pinks All Out" series has popped up at dragstrips all across the nation. Christensen will stand at the starting line between two thundering cars and drop his arms, which signals to the drivers that the race is on, and they roar by him down a quarter-mile strip.
The show has been referred to as the Woodstock of drag racing because it attracts up to 35,000 fans and nearly 500 local drag racers for each event, and Speed Channel reports that about 2.5 million viewers tune in for each show.
U.S. 131 Motorsports Park soon will close its doors on the 2008 season, but officials at the Martin-based dragstrip already are making plans for next year.
Christensen will bring his grassroots reality drag racing show to Martin next July 10-11. It is expected to be one of the biggest events in Martin's track history.
"I have never had the pleasure of getting to Martin, but I have heard it is a great place," said Christensen, who is the show's founder and executive producer. "The network does a great job finding out where they want to go, and Martin will be a great market for us.
"We picked Martin for a number of reasons. We look at where our affiliate areas are and we listen to where our sponsor, NAPA, wants us to go. There also is a car culture that permeates throughout Michigan."
"Pinks All Out" will visit 10 different tracks during its 2009 season. Christensen, an Iowa native, invites local racers to race "all out" during a series of time trials.
There are no Christmas Tree starts for these races. Christensen tells drivers when to go when he drops his arms, just like the sport's "good old days" before computers were introduced.
The show's technical advisors will select the 32-car field from the hundreds of entries. The show has raced 16 cars in the past, but will expand to 32 cars next season, and those 32 cars will then go head-to-head in eliminations. The eventual winner will collect $10,000.
"It's not just the fastest cars that we look at when it comes to determining our 32-car field," Christensen said. "We look at the car, the character of the racer and the racer's gender and color. I want a great representation of who is there to race, and whether they are running it all out. We don't want them if they are sandbagging.
"When we say that everybody who enters has an equal shot at winning money, we mean it."
Adult admission is $15 for the July 10 show, and $20 for the July 11 races, or $30 for a two-day pass. Reserved seating will be available for $5-to-$10 per fan. Children 12-and-under will be admitted free.
"We are honored to be chosen by Speed to host the very popular 'Pinks All Out' television show," Martin general manager Jason Peterson said. "We look for this to be our biggest draw for the 2009 season, where folks will come from all over the Midwest including Chicago and Detroit. We can't wait to work with Rich Christensen and his staff."
by Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press
Tuesday October 28, 2008, 9:00 AM
Rich ChristensenRich Christensen is arguably one of the baddest men in all of drag racing.
The shaved-head host of The Speed Channel's "Pinks All Out" series has popped up at dragstrips all across the nation. Christensen will stand at the starting line between two thundering cars and drop his arms, which signals to the drivers that the race is on, and they roar by him down a quarter-mile strip.
The show has been referred to as the Woodstock of drag racing because it attracts up to 35,000 fans and nearly 500 local drag racers for each event, and Speed Channel reports that about 2.5 million viewers tune in for each show.
U.S. 131 Motorsports Park soon will close its doors on the 2008 season, but officials at the Martin-based dragstrip already are making plans for next year.
Christensen will bring his grassroots reality drag racing show to Martin next July 10-11. It is expected to be one of the biggest events in Martin's track history.
"I have never had the pleasure of getting to Martin, but I have heard it is a great place," said Christensen, who is the show's founder and executive producer. "The network does a great job finding out where they want to go, and Martin will be a great market for us.
"We picked Martin for a number of reasons. We look at where our affiliate areas are and we listen to where our sponsor, NAPA, wants us to go. There also is a car culture that permeates throughout Michigan."
"Pinks All Out" will visit 10 different tracks during its 2009 season. Christensen, an Iowa native, invites local racers to race "all out" during a series of time trials.
There are no Christmas Tree starts for these races. Christensen tells drivers when to go when he drops his arms, just like the sport's "good old days" before computers were introduced.
The show's technical advisors will select the 32-car field from the hundreds of entries. The show has raced 16 cars in the past, but will expand to 32 cars next season, and those 32 cars will then go head-to-head in eliminations. The eventual winner will collect $10,000.
"It's not just the fastest cars that we look at when it comes to determining our 32-car field," Christensen said. "We look at the car, the character of the racer and the racer's gender and color. I want a great representation of who is there to race, and whether they are running it all out. We don't want them if they are sandbagging.
"When we say that everybody who enters has an equal shot at winning money, we mean it."
Adult admission is $15 for the July 10 show, and $20 for the July 11 races, or $30 for a two-day pass. Reserved seating will be available for $5-to-$10 per fan. Children 12-and-under will be admitted free.
"We are honored to be chosen by Speed to host the very popular 'Pinks All Out' television show," Martin general manager Jason Peterson said. "We look for this to be our biggest draw for the 2009 season, where folks will come from all over the Midwest including Chicago and Detroit. We can't wait to work with Rich Christensen and his staff."