ROCKINGHAM — Who will be crowned the “king” of no prep racing at the Rock?
That will be determined this weekend as “Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings” returns to Rockingham Dragway Oct. 11-12 for “No Prep Elite.”
“There are a handful of events on the Rockingham Dragway’s schedule each year that move the needle and Street Outlaws is surely one of them,” said Dan VanHorn, who co-owns the track with Al Gennarelli. “When there are 45 events and over 100 race days in a season, it’s difficult to get ahead of yourself but planning for this event has been ongoing for months.”
Murder Nova currently leads the pack with 90 points, according to the Street Outlaws Live Facebook page. Drivers Ryan Martin, Robin Roberts, Giuseppe Gentile and Clay Cole are all tied for second place with 50 points each.
Justin Swanstrom and Kye Kelley are both ranked sixth, tied with 30 points each; Scott Taylor, Jeff Lutz and Chris Rankin are in a three-way tie with 20 points; and the rest of the drivers — Disco Dean, Kayla Morton, Paige Coughlin, Bobby Ducote, Jim Howe and Nate Slayer — sit at the bottom of the rankings with 10 points each.
Drivers will earn 15 points for each round they win this weekend.
Last week, Gentile hit the wall during a run with Lutz at Tulsa Raceway Park in Oklahoma. Cole took the win in that event.
Street Outlaws last came to Rockingham to record for Season 5 in 2022. Roberts was injured in a crash racing against Swanstrom.
“Three weeks prior to taking ownership of the dragway, Al and I along with our families, came to the first Street Outlaws event at Rockingham Dragway as observers and fans… little did we know we all would end up knee deep in the operation due to the unexpectedly massive crowd,” VanHorn recalled.
“We consider that weekend one of our pivotal learning moments as we knew we would need to prepare on a much larger scale than what we had experienced,” VanHorn added. “You can never fully prepare for a turnout that exceeds all expectations but we sure planned to try.”
Former Street Outlaws star Lizzy Musi passed away from breast cancer in late June at the age of 33. Musi had been scheduled for an appearance at the Dig or Die event at the Rock in March, but that event was called off because of the weather.
While he didn’t give a specific number, VanHorn said he expects Street Outlaws to bring “our biggest crowd of the year.” The attendance for the 2022 event was around 18,000.
Street Outlaws is working with Checkered Flag Ministries to collect canned food for the victims of Hurricane Helene. The dragway has also been collecting items as part of a local relief effort.
“We hope the surrounding community can enjoy this weekend during what has been a time of need for our fellow North Carolinians,” said VanHorn. “We are as excited as ever to host this large scale event and experience the thrill the Street Outlaw racers provide.”