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Bollea's Pro Racing Status At Stake After Charges

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By CHRIS ECHEGARAY

Published: November 7, 2007

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Nick Bollea's charges stemming from a car crash in August may get him in trouble on the racetrack.

Bollea's status as a driver for NOPI Drift depends on what happens with his case, NOPI spokesman Andy Williamson said Wednesday. The NOPI – which stands for Number One Parts Inc. - drift racing season starts in March.

Nick Bollea

Drifting is a high-powered motorsport that calls for drivers to control a car while it slides sideways at high speed through a marked course.

"We do not condone street racing in any motorsports off of a track," Williamson said. "It's a touchy thing. We like Nick. He's been a good kid, great to work with on the track. We are sitting quietly, and we are taking this seriously."

Witnesses told police Bollea was street racing with friends in Clearwater when the accident occurred. He's been charged with reckless driving with serious bodily injury.

His friends, Barry Lawrance, 27, and Daniel Jacobs, 22, with whom he was street racing, are part of his drift crew. Jacobs and Lawrance are listed as part of his team in the NOPI Drifting Association Web site.

Bollea raced five times in NOPI competitions this year, Williamson said.

"We do stand behind our drivers," Williamson said. "At the same time, we don't condone behavior of this sort."

Bill Sherman, the top-ranked NOPI Drift driver, declined to talk about Bollea's case. Sherman said he's known Bollea for a year.

Sherman started drift racing in 2000, learning how to drift with a rear-wheel drive vehicle. Sherman said most professional racing organizations don't require you to have a street license. However, they do require a physical and certain qualifications, he said.

"It's up to the sanctioning body," Sherman said. "There's lots of steps for race car driving, drifts, grips and rallies. This is a growing sport with a lot of popularity. This is exciting to watch."

Bollea, son of famed wrestler Hulk Hogan, had been excited about racing and posted Polaroid as a major sponsor on his hogandrift Web site. Polaroid said it wasn't sponsoring him.

Bollea has taken his Web site down.

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