Courtesy NHRA Communications
INDIANAPOLIS – NHRA officials announced the promotion of Mike Rice to Senior Director of Competition and the addition of Matt DeYoung as Division Director of the Pacific Division (Division 7).
Rice, who started with NHRA in 2001, served as the Division Director of Division 7 for 16 years. In his new role as NHRA Sr. Director of Competition, Rice will lead tower operations at all NHRA national events, coordinate and maintain daily on-track schedules, and communicate with race teams. Mike will also be instrumental in guiding the Division Directors with his years of experience.
With Rice in his new role as NHRA Sr. Director of Competition, DeYoung will step into the Division 7, working with the NHRA member tracks in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Hawaii. Prior to his new role, DeYoung managed Tucson Dragway for five years.
“I’m excited to continue working with our racers, track operators, Division Directors and NHRA personnel to move drag racing forward,” said Rice. “Facing and overcoming the challenges we face each week to complete a successful event for all of our stakeholders is something I relish.”
“I am excited to step into the Division Director role,” said DeYoung. “D7 has always been close to my heart. This is the division I grew up in and the division that I spent so much time with while at Tucson Dragway. I look forward to building more community in our division, growing with our member tracks and showing the Motorsports world what the NHRA can do for our racers, fans and families!”
“During his time as the Division Director of the Pacific Division, Mike Rice has been instrumental in the growth of the division,” said Josh Peterson, NHRA Vice President of Racing Administration. “In this new role, Mike will help provide continuity across each national event. We are thrilled to welcome Matt to the team. His passion for racing and background in track management will be a great addition to the team of division directors and the NHRA Pacific Division.”
The Pacific Division sees several Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events throughout the season as well as NHRA national events at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and the newly named In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
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About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 22 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. With over 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
