Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster 2009 Schedule

NEWS RELEASE

Communications and Marketing Office
600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900

For more information, contact:
Phone: 386-226-6157
Fax: 386-226-6158

Contact: Bob Ross
Phone: 386-226-6198

Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster Fires Up for Expanded 2009 Racing Season

Daytona Beach, Fla., Jan. 30, 2009 -- After blazing a trail of new records in 2008, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University jet drag racing team (jetdragster.erau.edu) is positioned in 2009 for an even bigger racing season, with 24 major racing venues already scheduled.

In 2008, the team pulled out all the stops, setting the top speed and low elapsed time of the event in the majority of its races, in some cases against nitro-powered cars.

Performing for 1.6 million spectators in more than 30 events in 14 states, the Embry-Riddle racers were once again the nation’s leading exhibition jet dragster team. At the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wis., the veteran dragster driver Elaine Larsen set her all-time best top speed exceeding 300 m.p.h.

The jet dragster, designed and built in 2004 with the help of Embry-Riddle aerospace engineering and aviation maintenance students, is a feature attraction at air shows and drag racing events during the year. The Embry-Riddle team will continue its green fuel research program in 2009, using a variety of biomass-based fuel combinations in the car’s engines.

The Embry-Riddle jet drag racing team will expand its relationship with NASCAR at multiple events, starting with four full days at the Daytona 500 in February. The team will also be featured this year at select Indy Racing League events. The Embry-Riddle team has again been asked to be the feature exhibition team of the NMRA (National Mustang Racing Association) and NMCA (National Muscle Car Association), two of America’s most prominent approved drag racing sanctioning organizations.

2009 Embry-Riddle Jet Racing Team Schedule

Feb. 12-15 Daytona Beach, Fla. Daytona Speekweeks (static display only)

Feb. 27-28 Belle Rose, La. Pinks All Out

March 7-8 Bradenton, Fla. NMRA

March 20-21 Belle Rose, La. Pinks All Out

March 28-29 Bradenton, Fla. NMCA

April 18 Norwalk, Ohio Summit Raceway Park

April 20-26 Lakeland, Fla. Sun N Fun (static display only)

May 2-3 Bowling Green, Ky. NMCA

May 16 Norwalk, Ohio Summit Raceway Park Cavalcade of Stars

June 6-7 Reading, Pa. NMCA

June 11 Livonia, Mich. Roush Museum

June 13-14 Milan, Mich. NMRA

June 27 Atlanta, Ga. Atlanta Dragway Night of Fire

July 11 Chicago, Ill. NASCAR

July 18-19 Chicago, Ill. NMRA vs. NMCA Superbowl of Drag Racing

July 26 - Aug. 2 Oshkosh, Wis. EAA AirVenture (static display only)

Aug. 1 Norwalk, Ohio Summit Raceway Park Night Under Fire

Aug. 8-9 Charlotte, N.C. Z Max Dragway

Aug. 28-29 Cordova, Ill. World Series of Drag Racing

Sept. 5-6 Columbus, Ohio NMRA

Oct. 3-4 Bowling Green, Ky. NMRA Finals

Oct. 17-18 Memphis, Tenn. NMCA Finals

Nov. 28-29 W. Palm Beach, Fla. Citrus Nationals

Dec. 5-6 Bradenton, Fla. Snowbirds National

For more information about the Embry-Riddle jet racing team or to check the team’s schedule for a race in your area, go online at www.lmsjets.com.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering, educating more than 34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs. Doctoral programs in aviation and in engineering physics are pending approval by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for the University to offer programs at the doctoral level. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.