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Drag racing stirs the motor racing pot this weekend in Southwest Florida. The spotlight will be on the Immokalee Regional Raceway, where the man who has revitalized the sport with his Speed Channel broadcasts will be on hand.

Rich Christensen, host of the popular “Pinks” and "Pinks All Out” cable network programs, will oversee the premier of his newest endeavor called “Armdrop Live.” His now-famous armdrop, is of course, the signal he gives the competitors when it’s time to roar off the starting line.

The will be a 256-car qualified field and the IRR Web site on Thursday reported that 248 cars already had registered. Action will take place both today and Saturday.

The special event is being sponsored by Murray’s Speed and Custom and the track schedule shows the facility opening at 9 a.m. both days. Dragsters will range from quads and motorcycles to dragsters, door cars and roadsters.

What’s unusual about Christensen’s program coming to Immokalee is that his “Pinks” and Pinks All Out” programs all have been on quarter-mile drag strips. The Immokalee track is a one-eighth-mile challenge.

IRR promoter Ralph Hester has spruced up his track for the weekend’s festivities. Most notably, race fans will notice a new tower at the starting line.

Contingent upon racer participation and fan turnout, a prize of $10,000 will be up for grabs. The entry fee is $50 and spectator tickets will be $25.

Christensen says his “Armdrop Live” idea originally surfaced as “Pinks All Out Live” but that no deal could be struck with Speed to give it life. So he’s forging ahead with “Armdrop” and is hoping to tap into the bracket racing fraternity that fuels the sport at the grass-roots level.

On an “Armdrop Live” Web site radio broadcast, he says that because “Armdrop” is so new, the rules of the game are subject to changes at any moment — which he sees as a good thing.

“Please keep in mind it’s competition that’s constantly changing because I’m trying to make it the best I can make it … I’m not tied to anything,’’ he says. “I’m dedicated to making it the best show humanly possible.”

Christensen explains that in his bracket racing, the drivers, once staged at the line, will be given an allotted pass time determined by the track. In each head-to-head heat, two cars will line up and the first car to the finish line without going “too fast” will advance.

“You’re not gonna have time to punch it in or lock it in. This is once you’re staged in the tree. It’s about who knows their vehicle best by feel,” he says. “It’s gonna be a fun competition.”

Oh yes, there is one other basic rule: a driver who jumps the armdrop will be disqualified. If in a heat, both cars are “too fast,” both are out.

“This should be some of the best fender racing in the world,” Christensen boldly adds. At the outset, the program won’t involve TV cameras and be a TV show, per se. He says the focus will be on the racers and keeping the action moving.

At IRR this past weekend, a father and son met in the winner’s circle.

The Outlaw 10.5 Race honors went to No. 3 qualifier Mike Savrinos over No. 1 qualifier Carlos Zaldivar. In the Heads Up Real Street final, Tom Brown emerged the winner over Eric Kenward.

In the Combo class, honors went to Robert Snowball over Gary Marshall. The father-son angle came into play when, in the Junior Dragster final, Bradley Snowball won over Nick Stewart.

Sportsman class laurels went to Tom Booher over Steve Carlozzi.

* * *

The Charlotte County Motorsports Park in Punta Gorda this Saturday will spotlight the Checkered Flag Sprint Cars in a 30-lap feature. The night will also highlight one of the backbone classes, the Pro 4 class, in which drivers will run 50 laps with the first-time-ever qualifying.

Also on tap will be the Sportsman machines running 35 laps, the Road Warriors, Fab 4s and Thunder Trucks.

There will be no practice tonight due to go kart racing under the lights. The kart action starts at 5. On Saturday, there will be open practice from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday’s gates open at 4 p.m. and racing begins at 6.

* * *

Germain Racing’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams are back in action tonight after a month-long respite.

Todd Bodine and Justin Marks will run by No. 30 and No. 9 Toyota Tundras in the NC Education Lottery 200 at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. Qualifying is 3:30 this afternoon and the green flag drops at 8. TV time on Speed is 7:30.

With the trucks idle last week, Bodine took advantage of the opening to run the No 03 Germain Camry in the Nationwide Series event at Darlington. He pulled off an impressive fourth-place finish.

Germain’s Nationwide regular, Mike Wallace, placed 25th after getting caught up in late-race restart accident. He’s still No. 9 overall in the NNS points, however.

E-mail Tom Rife at heart22@comcast.net.