Allen, Nine Days at awards banquet

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - A power-tool-wielding comedian with a passion for fast hot rods will share the main stage with a cutting-edge, new age rock band as NHRA champions are crowned before their peers, sponsors, and, for the first time, their loyal fans, at the 2000 NHRA Winston Awards Ceremony, Nov. 13 at Universal Amphitheater near Hollywood. Tim Allen, star of the '90s sitcom hit Home Improvement, as well as several top-rated feature films, including Galaxy Quest (1999), For Richer or Poorer (1997) and Disney's The Santa Clause (1994), will be a special guest at the awards ceremony alongside host and longtime voice of NHRA Dave McClelland. The hit musical group Nine Days, a Long Island, N.Y.-based rock band that has topped the music charts with hits such as "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" and "If I am," will provide the evening's entertainment. The move to famed Universal Amphitheater is a significant change of venue for the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Awards Ceremony, which for the past several years has been held at the Cerritos Performing Art Center in Cerritos, Calif. Also unique to this year's ceremony is that fans of all ages can attend, free of charge. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, by calling NHRA at (626) 250-2213. Tickets also can be obtained at the Universal Amphitheater ticket offices the day of the event. Fans attending the ceremony must wear business attire and will be seated in the mezzanine level of the Amphitheater. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., and the show will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.

Portions of the ceremony will be televised on ESPN2.

NHRA also has arranged for fans that attend the awards ceremony to have free admittance to two Universal CityWalk night clubs, Howl at the Moon and the Rumba Room, to join NHRA teams for the post-event celebration. The Universal Amphitheater, an enclosed concert venue adjacent to Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk, is located at 100 Universal City Plaza. From Hollywood, take the Hollywood (101) Freeway through the pass, to the Lankershim Boulevard exit; turn right on Lankershim, then turn right again on Universal Terrace Parkway and follow it up to the parking lot. Follow CityWalk to the main gate of Universal Studios.