Doug Herbert, owner and driver of the SnaponFranchise.com Top Fuel dragster, has seen marked success at Bristol Dragway. As his “For My Boys” tour heads to Bristol for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Herbert plans to draw on that past success for a winning weekend.
“We love coming to Bristol,” said Herbert. “This is one of my favorite tracks. The facilities are really great, plus I won my first Top Fuel race here back in 1992. I’ve been to the winner’s circle six times before at this track, and I think it’s time we made it there again.”
Heading into the Thunder Valley Nationals, Herbert sits in the top 10 in points, ready to maintain that spot in the top 10 and fight for a championship in a year so important on a personal level.
Since the passing of his sons Jon and James in an automobile accident during preseason testing, Herbert has dedicated the 2008 season to his boys and to promoting BRAKES, the program he founded to help educate other teens and their parents on the consequences of unsafe driving.
“The BRAKES program is really beginning to take off,” said Herbert. “Every day more progress is made in making sure the program is everything we want it to be, and all the big things we have been working on are finally coming together.
“I want to encourage everyone to keep checking our website, www.putonthebrakes.com for more information. We are working hard to keep teenagers safe, and want to get the message out about how severe the consequences of unsafe driving can be.”
Even as his goal of keeping teen drivers safe takes shape, every race brings Herbert closer to attaining his goal of winning the championship for his boys.
“We have a fairly consistent car,” said the veteran driver. “We are tied for second in Full Throttle point standings which means we are pretty good at making it down the track, we just need to step it up a notch and make sure our consistency in going down the track during qualifying turns into consistently winning rounds on Sunday.
“This Snap-on crew is hungry for a win just as much as I am. They all knew the boys and know how much they liked coming to the races at Bristol. Getting our first win of the season at a track my boys loved coming to would be awesome, and that is exactly what we want to do.”
After Saturday’s qualifying sessions are complete, Herbert will change gears and tackle a different type of racing during the NHRA Circle Track Challenge, where Herbert and other NHRA stars will battle it out on the circle track at Bristol Motor Speedway. The starting grid for the event is being determined by fan vote at http://www.bristoldragway.com/events/nhra_circle_track_challenge/. Votes can be cast once per day until May 15.
Herbert’s “For My Boys” tour can be seen on ESPN2’s coverage of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals will air Saturday, May 17, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Final eliminations can be seen on Sunday, May 18, from 6:30 – 10 p.m. All times listed are Eastern.
Snap-on Tools Company, LLC is a leading global innovator, manufacturer and marketer of tools, diagnostics and equipment solutions for professional users. Product lines include hand and power tools, tool storage, diagnostics software, information and management systems, shop equipment and other solutions which are used by technicians and professionals at vehicle dealerships and repair centers and in the marine, powersports and aviation industries. Snap-on is one of the largest non-food franchise companies in the world, selling its products through more than 4,000 franchisees worldwide and through company-direct sales and over the Internet. Snap-on Tools is a subsidiary of Snap-on Incorporated, which was founded in 1920 and is a $2.8 billion, S&P 500 company headquartered in Kenosha, Wisc. For additional information on Snap-on, visit www.snapon.com.
BRAKES is a safe driving foundation inspired by the loss of Doug Herbert’s two sons, Jon,17, and James,12, in a tragic automobile accident in January 2008. BRAKES (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe), the name chosen by Jon’s senior classmates at SouthLake Christian Academy, is dedicated to educating teen drivers on safe driving and to ultimately save lives. Put on the Brakes, the charitable foundation behind BRAKES, is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit www.putonthebrakes.com.
