By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
April 9, 2004
Bonita Lakes will host an event unique to Meridian on April 24-25.
The Outboard Drag Boat Association will hold its first of seven point races of the 2004 season on the top lake on the final weekend of the month.
The Bonita Lake Bud Light Shoot-Out will be the first time the five-year ODBA holds an event inside the city, with racers coming from Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
"Meridian is a good central spot for the first race of the year," said Raymond Flint of Novus Glass, one of the sponsors for the drag boat races, at a press conference Thursday.
Trent Blocker, the 2003 Modified Production World Champion and Super Stock National Champion, was on hand at the press conference to announce the boat drag inaugural event in the Queen City.
Blocker, who is also the organizer for the race, said he expects anywhere from 75 to 100 racers to come to Meridian for the two-day event.
"Since our first season (in 1999), ODBA has become the largest boat-racing organization in the world," Blocker said. "They really rely on the family atmosphere they present to the cities they go to. We are not out here for money because there ain't no money in it. It is strictly a hobby for those who like it."
Mitchell Distributing, a distributor of Anheuser-Busch Beers, is the primary sponsor for the race.
"Bud Light sponsors boat races all over the country, and we're excited we could help Trent and the ODBA bring the races to Meridian," said Mitchell Distributing general manager Joel Payne.
Other sponsors include the City of Meridian, Subway, Luigi's Pizza, Bank Plus, The Tent Store, No Wake Racing, Webb Funeral Home and Ice House.
"We are thankful to the City of Meridian and the mayor's office and all of our sponsors," Flint said. "We wouldn't be able to do this without all of their help."
Eight classes will compete in the drag races on a quarter-mile stretch, with four classes running each day. The boats race at speeds up to 140-plus miles per hour in a double-elimination format.
The eight classes of drag boats are sport racer, pro car, super stock, modified production, pro fuel, pro gas, unlimited and lake racer.
"The difference in the classes is the modifications you can do to the motors, boats and the weight of the boats," Blocker said. "It is a lot like NASCAR or any type of drag racing."
The entry cost to watch the races, which begin at noon each day, is $5 each day, children under three are admitted free. Blocker said he expects around 10,000 fans to turn out for the two days of racing at Bonita Lakes.
The money raised at the gate, which opens at 9 a.m. each day, and proceeds from concessions at the races will be donated to the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.
"I have a personal interest because my wife (Sherrie) is a diabetic," Blocker said. "We are excited about raising money."
The ODBA will also hold point races in Wetumpka, Ala., Demopolis, Ala., Plymouth, N.C., and Winchester, Tenn., this season leading up to the organization's world title races in Jasper, Tenn., on Oct. 9.