Last year, cool temperatures and a consistent racing surface brought memorable first-time event wins for Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson and Pro Stock Motorcycle driver Matt Smith, and two of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series’ hottest nitro drivers, Spencer Massey (Top Fuel) and Mike Neff (Funny Car), earned victories at the historic track.

Defending event winner and current Top Fuel leader Massey is hoping to be victorious in Englishtown once again.

“We are off to such a great start, and it’s going to be good to go back to places where you won last year and try to repeat. I’m looking forward to getting back there and having fun in Englishtown,” said Massey.

As was witnessed in Topeka, the series is at a fever pitch with plenty of thrills and first-time wins. In Top Fuel, David Grubnic scored his first win since 2006, outrunning Massey in a nail-biting final round.

In Funny Car, Jack Beckman also won in dramatic fashion in Topeka when he edged out his DSR teammate Ron Capps. After earning his first win of the season, Beckman is confident heading into legendary Raceway Park with his Sandvik Dodge Charger.

“What we did was pretty amazing with all the changes that had been made to our team. Taking that trophy home was a way to remind everyone on my team that we can do that at any race,” said Beckman. “And nothing would mean more than to be able to win at Englishtown, a track that has been running major events since NHRA’s first ‘super schedule’ in 1970. Englishtown is synonymous with Funny Cars because it was a real hotbed for match racing, and I can’t imagine a Funny Car driver who would want to retire without having a Wally from that track.”

Defending event champion Johnson remains a strong contender in the 2012 Pro Stock class, coming off his second victory of the season in Topeka.

“My strategy for Englishtown is four words: more of the same,” Johnson said. “This Mopar Dodge Avenger team is hitting on all cylinders, with the team and our Hemi engines performing beautifully. I don’t want to change a thing. We’ve got to keep the consistency, and the driver has to do his job. My mantra all year has been consistency, and consistency is the trick to winning this whole deal.”

Englishtown favorites, the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team of Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines, are in control of the Pro Stock Motorcycle series standings while father and son Hector Arana Sr. and Jr. are very close behind.

A highlight of the weekend will be a special display commemorating the 20th anniversary of NHRA’s Jr. Drag Racing League (JDRL), a fitting tribute to the owner/operator of Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, the late Vinny Napp, who initiated the idea of an organized junior drag racing league. The first official JDRL pass was made at the 1992 Summernationals in Englishtown with son David Napp wowing the crowds in his John Force-sponsored dragster. Today, the league has more than 3,000 members, ages 8 to 17, and has bred some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Shawn Langdon, Erica Enders, Massey, and many others.

“When I see the families involved in the Jr. Drag Racing League and see the smiles on these kids’ faces, it really brings back some great memories of my father,” said David Napp. “I’m happy to see that his legacy continues through the lives of thousands of children in the JDRL. The SuperNationals will be a special tribute to my dad and celebration for the league.”

On Saturday, several Jr. Dragsters will be making exhibition runs for the fans while the Manufacturers Midway will host a 20th anniversary JDRL booth with several historic and current car displays throughout the weekend. These half-scale versions of the Top Fuel dragsters are a crowd-pleaser with competition just as fierce as the Pros.

Fans are invited to kick off the SuperNationals at a pre-event party at the P.C. Richard & Son store located in East Brunswick, N.J., on Wednesday, May 30, from 7-9 p.m. with Pro Stock Motorcycle and former Raceway Park General Manager Krawiec meeting fans and signing autographs, and the U.S. Army dragster will be on display for an up-close-and-personal view of a 7,000-horsepower Top Fuel machine.

Each year, thousands of race fans assemble at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park to experience the all-sensory event, which brings plenty of family-friendly events and activities that will be televised on ESPN2HD.

*SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying will run at 3:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Friday, June 1, and noon and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 2. Final Professional eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 3.

*TICKETS: For tickets, call NHRA at 800-884-6472 or log on to NHRATix.com.