The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 31

2 l)f Cljarlottc (Dbscrticr AUSTRALIAN OPEN I TENNIS i 9C Unsccdcd Jo-Wilfricd Tsonga of France (left) clobbers world No 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain to reach First Grand Slam final Sports is in two sections The second section begins on page 7C 1 I FRIDAY JANUARY 25 2008 SECTION 0 ADJACENT TO MOTOR SPEEDWAY College basketball I No 4 Duke 81 Virginia Tech 64 Freshmen Singler King Smith shine COURTESY 10WE MOTOR SPEEDWAY The drag strip will have a seating capacity of 30000 but there is room for expansion to 60000 Twenty-four suites will be on the main grandstand New drag strip to provide region vroom to grow Dragway facts and figures NAME: For now The Dragway Lowe's Motor Speedway The permanent name will be chosen from among suggestions made by fans at www lowesmotor-speedwaycom LOCATION: Across 29 from Lowe's Motor Speedway adjacent to The Dirt Track Lowe's Motor Speedway SITE: 125 acres The track pit areas and midway will cover 46 5 acres Engineers estimate that more than 750000 cubic yards of dirt will be moved SEATS: Initial capacity of 30000 in two grandstands on either side of the drag strip Twenty-four suites will be on top of the main grandstand There is room for expansion to 60000 seats INAUGURAL EVENT: The National Hot Rod Association Caro-linas Nationals scheduled for Sept 11-14 TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets are now on sale They can be purchased at www lowesmotor-speedway com or by calling 800-455-FANS Pomp praise punctuate unveiling of new race track By David Poole dpooleiaicharlotteobserver com CONCORD What does 7000 horsepower feel like? Doug Herbert who drives a top fuel dragster in the National Hot Rod Power Ade Scries has a way to describe what like to go from zero to 100 mph in eight-tenths of a second and reach a speed of well over 300 mph after just a quarter mile that sitting at a stop said Herbert whose team is based in Lincolnton comes a semi-truck and it rear ends you doing 100 mph what it feels like And Herbert now has a date to circle on his calendar for a in drag top scries after announcement of the NI1RA Carolina Nationals on Sept 11-14 The race will be held at a new $60 million facility being built adjacent to Motor Speedway Speedway Motorsports Inc chairman Bruton Smith said the drag strip will be the of drag comparing it to a luxury hotel-casino complex in Las Vegas John Cox of the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commence said the addition of drag racing helps make Concord the World of and 2007 NI IRA pro stock champion Jeg Coughlin said the Chailotte region is becoming new motor-SEE DRAG STRIP I 8C Kyle Singler (left) looks for help as Virginia JT Thompson guards him Thursday Singler scored 10 points during an 18-9 second-half run that helped No 4 Duke pull away for the win Singler finished with 16 points More Coverage 4-5C Barefoot basketball Trio combines for 33 points 16 rebounds to help Duke remain unbeaten in ACC play More Coverage 7-8C Chevy teams look to carry momentum into new season More news from NASCAR'S media tour AJ MAST ASSOCIATED PRES5 PHOTO Online Poll Which of NASCAR's Chevrolet teams will have the most Cup points in 2008? Vote online atWWWTHATSRACINCOM 3-pointcr that swished through for a four-point maigin Duke would take into halftime It was one of many huge plays by the Blue Devil freshmen as Duke won 81-64 on Thursday night to remain the only team with an undefeated ACC record Coach Mike Krzy-zewski said one difference for Duke after a substandard 2006-07 season is that his freshmen are more ready to play this season been playing well on the road which is said freshman forward Kyle Singler whose 16 points and nine rebounds led Duke going to have to play well to keep this SEE BLUE DEVILS I 4C INSIDE State admits that coach Sidney Lowe committed a recruiting violation 4C ACC standings in Scoreboard IOC IUPUI coach Ron Hunter coaches barefoot Thursday in Indianapolis Ind to raise awareness for needy children By Ken Tysiac ktysiaccharlotteobserver com BI ACKSBURG Va Taylor King likes to say not just a laid-back Californian but he looked like the coolest cat at Cassell Coliseum as he took aim from three steps beyond the 3-point arc Virginia fans were producing a deafening roar because fourth-ranked 11-point lead had been cut to one in the closing minute of the first half King the Blue long-range shooter extraordinaire calmly launched a left-handed Scores Smith basks in role as racing Godfather IN MY OPINION E'-toim mmtm BOBCATS at BULLS I TODAY: 8 PM TV: CH 55 Bobcats fishing for peers Weekend foes Bulls 1 6ers combined 4-0 vs Charlotte ONi OKI) On Wednesday Dale Farnhardt Ir referred to Brian I lance as president Told that I title is chauman 1 ainliardt Jr said lead dude" About Bruton title theie is Biulon is the Godfather You should have seen him Thuisday in the garage at lime's Motor Speedway one of the I unity's tucks Biuton sits at the ftont ol the room and speaker alter speakei stands to bestow upon him piaise almost as lavish as his sunglasses Talking about the new diag stop one man thanks him for Tom Sorensen building something gieat Dorn Biuton acknowledges the winds with a smile and a wave By the time lie leaves his right hand has to be numb Another thanks Biuton loi his and tin the gilt you gave The diag strip deal between Bruton and Conan was reached Thanksgiving week SEE SORENSEN I 8C close Average maigin of defeat: 17 points Chicago and Philadelphia got to have a good level of focus because within our Vincent said alter loss to Dallas we play a team that is 500 or SEE BOBCATS I 11C home against the Philadelphia 76crs before taking the first West Coast trip of the season The Bulls (17-24) and Sixers (16-27) hover right around the 16-26 record Yet the Bobcats have lost all four games against the Bulls and Sixers this season and none of those games was ByRickBonnhi rbonnelkdlchar lotteobserver com Charlotte Bobcats coach Sam Vincent says judge his team by its results against its peer group Peers dead ahead The Bobcats will spend the weekend on the road against the Chicago Bulls and at Coach Sam Vincent figures the Bobcats will need 40 wins to make the playoffs Charlotte is 16-26 Reach the Observer Sports News 704 358 5125 Fax 04 158 5110 mail obspoit' a chai lotteobserver com Delivery A' distance 800 532-5350 Index Sports Today 2C NFL 2C NHL IOC Scoreboard IOC 0.