April 8, 2014 GARY BINGHAM BEGINS 2014 WITH INAUGURAL PDRA EVENT ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Three time Top Sportsman World Champion Gary Bingham enters his fourth season in the Top Dragster category in 2014. Continuing his legacy in the Carolinas, Bingham plans to run the IHRA Division 9 Pro Am tour, looking for that coveted Division 9 Top Dragster Championship. Several changes in the industry, along with personal changes for Gary and [wife] Renee Bingham, encouraged the couple to also pursue racing with the newly founded Professional Drag Racers Association. With the initial Division 9 Pro Am race at Mooresville Dragway, slated for March 29-30, being postponed due to a somber forecast, Bingham’s first major outing for 2014 fell with the PDRA’s introductory race, the Spring Open at Rockingham Dragway, April 4-6. This event would be one of testing the waters for many, and certainly so for Bingham, who has competed in all-run fields for the entirety of his Top Dragster career. “I hadn’t had to use nitrous in several years,” Bingham began. “In fact, I hadn’t ever used nitrous with this dragster.”   Despite Bingham’s admission, no one would have noticed this was the Competition Products backed ‘02 Worthy dragster’s first time with nitrous as Bingham laid down a respectable 4.38 in his first qualifying attempt. “I was running an unfamiliar combination this weekend, so I wasn’t sure exactly how fast it would go. I was pleased to run a .38, but wasn’t sure that would be good enough to hold for the rest of qualifying,” added Bingham, who suited up each round in his new RJS driving suit. After making some adjustments, Bingham picked up to a 4.37 in his second attempt. The additional power made for an incredible wheelie display as Bingham lifted the front tires of the Competition Products Dragster waist high and carried them well past the 60 foot mark. A few more adjustments led to a 4.34 effort in the late evening of Saturday’s final qualifying that would solidify Bingham’s 15th spot in the ladder and his right to be a part PDRA history as part of the first ever PDRA Top Dragster field. Bingham looked in great shape for Sunday’s eliminations. His consistency in elapsed times was mirrored in his reaction times with a .023 in his first pass, followed by a pair of .004 lights. Bingham’s weekend quickly turned sour, however. Sunday dawned with much cooler temperatures and gusty winds. Bingham was set to race Kyle Dvorak in round one. He dialed down to a 4.33 to match weather conditions and was well on his way with a .011 light, but it would all be for nought. A break in the driveshaft quickly ended Bingham’s hopes for securing the first-ever PDRA Top Dragster trophy. “It was an unfortunate way to end our weekend,” elaborated Bingham. “It bent the chassis and damaged the radiator as well. This certainly wasn’t the way we had hoped to start off our season. We had planned to compete at all of the PDRA events, but this setback will make it tough.” All of the Spring Open action was broadcast through MotorManiaTV.com live feed. With thousands of viewers watching the action, fans were immediately going on social media to ask Gary what had happened in round one. “Today’s technology is amazing. I love that fans were able to watch our Competition Products dragster throughout the weekend. They were asking me what happened in round one right away. We really appreciate PDRA and MotorManiaTV offering the live feed. It is a huge plus for our sponsors and fans. “The weekend certainly didn’t go the way we hoped,” Bingham concluded, “but, as always we give God glory, win or lose.” The next PDRA event is at South Georgia Motorsports Park, May 9-10. Follow Bingham Motorsports on Facebook and visit. www.BinghamMotorsports.com Visit www.CompetitionProducts.com to ‘Build it better, for less!’ Photo by Chuck Brooks, RaceWorks.com