Chuck Shelton's 1969 Z28 Camaro

by Jared Pennintgon

ello everyone. It has been a while since my last opportunity to write an article on drag racing so forgive me if I’m a little rusty. For those of you that read Popular Hot Rodding , you might remember my “Race Eye For The Straight Guy” series in their Sportsman Drag Racing inserts a few years back. It was a series of articles that was intended to teach people how to get started bracket racing and eventually prepare them to compete on a high level. I had a blast writing those and the feedback from the racers was awesome. To know that you are positively impacting the sport that you live for is extremely rewarding.

Canadian National event off 2008 calendar for non-completion of mandatory repair work Following the 2007 IHRA Canadian Nationals, IHRA provided Toronto Motorsports Park, a list of mandatory facility improvements needed to ensure IHRA’s return in 2008. After a recent facility inspection following the deadline for these upgrades/improvements, IHRA has decided not to contest the 2008 Canadian Nationals, originally scheduled for Sept. 19-21, at TMP.

“Our contract with TMP concluded following the 2007 event and we had some facility issues we needed addressed,” IHRA president Aaron Polburn said. “After the visual inspection last week IHRA is not satisfied these stipulations have been met and improvements made, so we’ve chosen to cancel the 2008 event.”

Though inroads were made and minor improvements completed, the major issues IHRA requested were not completed to the satisfaction of the sanctioning body. (PRN Magazine)

Eight competitors will have the opportunity to double up in the win column July 4-5, when the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard visits Motor Mile Dragway in Radford, Virginia, for the 2nd annual Shelor Motor Mile Independence Drags.

Heavy rain washed out the ADRL’s national event at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan last weekend before the final round for all four professional classes could be completed. A lightning strike also damaged the track’s starting-line tree, prompting ADRL President Kenny Nowling to quite literally take matters into his own hands with arm-drop start signals throughout eliminations from the second round on.

“Sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes,” Nowling said of what one team quickly dubbed the Arm Drop Racing League (ADRL). “We had fans in the stands expecting a race, teams that had towed more than a thousand miles just to get there and a method available—though I’ll admit it was a little unusual—to get the job done. Plus, with the points and purse distributed equally among those racers remaining it took a lot of the pressure off and I think most who took part had a lot of fun. I know I did; it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a drag strip.”

The fun will continue at Radford, where despite a fully functioning tree and timing system in place, Nowling said the arm drop start will again be employed to settle all four finals from the Michigan event. Each winner will earn a “Minuteman,” the coveted trophy provided by the National Guard to signify an ADRL national-event victory.

“It’s the only way to remain fair and consistent,” Nowling said. “Besides, I think everyone left in contention is looking forward to earning the bragging rights of winning such a unique title. The fans in Virginia are in for a real treat, too, because these arm-drop starts for a pair of 3,000-horsepower cars have to be seen to be believed.”

All four finals will run consecutively on Friday night to close out round-one qualifying for the Radford race. Points leader Joshua Hernandez will take on Bob Mandell Jr. in the Pro Extreme final, teammates Billy Harper and Dennis Radford will square off for Pro Nitrous honors, Gary White and Brent Rau will stage a battle of the imports in Extreme 10.5, and T.T. Jones will ride against Scott Gray to settle the Pro Extreme Motorcycle final. All final-round passes also will count as official ADRL qualifying attempts toward the Independence Drags, Nowling added.

“And one more thing; when we came up with the arm-drop idea, I promised Steve Gorman, our reigning Extreme 10.5 champion, that he could shave my head on the starting line when it was all over,” he said. “Well, that’s still on. It actually comes at a good time, too, because our next event is the inaugural 1-800-GO-GUARD.com U.S. Drags up in Budd’s Creek, Maryland, so I’ll fit right in with my new military-style haircut.”

New in 2008, the BTE Bolt Together Torque Converters are now available for the summer racing season.

The torque converter's bolt-together design gives users flexible options for maintenance or adjustments and the aluminum front design is 2 pounds lighter than standard weld up versions.

This torque converter features a steel stator, comes with or without Sprag, is available for most non-lockup applications and is great for bracket or high horsepower heads up racing. Rebuild kits containing new o-ring and washers are also available.

Powerglide High Gear Billet Pistons are recently in stock and ready for purchase at BTE/Memphis Performance for the 2008 summer racing season.

The Powerglide High Gear Billet Piston features billet aluminum construction and new spring pocket design. This piston is also designed for higher than OEM clutch counts and this new piece eliminates the inconvenient task of finding old junkyard cores.

ESPN has announced it will provide a special 20-minute repeat airing of final eliminations from Sunday’s weather-plagued Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago.

The special rebroadcast will air Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6:40 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD. The 20-minute program, which will follow ESPN2’s NASCAR Now, will provide highlights of final eliminations in all four professional categories.

Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Tony Pedregon (Funny Car); Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock); and Chris Rivas (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were race winners in their respective categories at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event

The race was hampered by unpredictable severe weather throughout the weekend, forcing ESPN officials to juggle its programming schedule.

A two-hour repeat airing of the full telecast of Sunday’s eliminations from the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals is scheduled for 2 a.m. (ET) on June 11 on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.

DragCoverage.com Photographer Jeffery Dunn headed to Clearwater, FL this past weekend for the HEads Up Madness Race at Sunshine Dragway. Click Here to View Photos

With track temperatures hovering around the 140 degree mark, an exciting field of Super Pro racers contested for over 20 thousand dollars in winner’s dollars in two days of tough racing at the Montgomery Motorsports Park Mullis Super 7 Series event June 6-8. Click Here for Complete Results

(Commerce, GA – June 7) “Finally!” was the unanimous cry of Atlanta Dragway racers this weekend, marking the first Summit points race not interrupted by inclement weather this racing season. Despite the delay in this season’s points race competitions, some Atlanta Dragway regulars found success at other events. Multi-time Pro champ Rob Hogue won last weekend at the Atlanta Dragway Super Chevy Show, with no time trials and a 22 month break from racing. Hogue thanked Computech, who supplied his weather station, for helping give him an edge. Pro class racer Jacob Rutledge placed second in the $50,000 World Footbrake Challenge at Bristol, and his fellow Pro competitor Randall Roop came in just behind with a semi-finalist finish in his Team Ford Thunder Mustang. Despite the hot weather and the soupy atmosphere, conditions allowed for fierce competition, each class represented by a significant amount of entrants, ready to stake their place in the points.

Finally, the debut of the Horsepower & Heels WebTV show!   Produced by citizen news station, <PNN.com, the series follows Horsepower & Heels driver, Erica Ortiz and her crewmate Debbie Denny as they put together a Pro Modified drag car.

Each mini-episode dives into a little more about the team and what it takes to propel a car from 0-200+mph in 6 seconds.

New episodes in the series will air semi-weekly on Mondays. Stay tuned for more from the Horsepower & Heels Series!

Episode 1: The Introduction
Meet the Horsepower & Heels team and learn about their goals for their race season.

Watch the video here:  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VkPMsUJrmI

Scotty Richardson came into Saturday’s $50,000-to-win main event as the defending champion, having claimed the top prize at the inaugural World Footbrake Challenge. Despite his reputation as arguably the greatest and most versatile driver in sportsman drag racing history, Richardson’s odds of repeating were long. There are only a handful of $50,000-to-win bracket events contested each season (in Box or Footbrake). To date, no driver had ever won the same $50,000-to-win event on two occasions, much less back-to-back. In fact, only Peter Biondo (who won both the Atco and Cecil County $50,000 events in 2000) and Gary Williams (who claimed the Gateway $50,000 win in 2000 and the Montgomery $50,000 in 2005) are the only two competitors to score in more than one $50,000-to-win event (Williams, the king of big dollar events, is also the only driver to win two Million Dollar Races). In Footbrake-only competition, the World Footbrake Challenge II was only the third event of this magnitude ever contested (including last season’s WFC, and the 2006 running of the Ultimate Footbrake Challenge at Montgomery Motorsports Park which paid $80,000-to-win). The only comparable accomplishment on the Footbrake level belongs to WFC promoter Jared Pennington, who won the Huntsville Dragway $20,000 event in 2004, and added the Piedmont Footbrake Nationals $20,000 triumph last season.

Despite the long odds, it was Richardson once again emerging from the talent laiden field. He drove his S10 pickup, the same machine that carried him to victory in 2007, to the main event win, further cementing his legacy as one of the most dominant competitors the sport has ever seen. Richardson defeated former Piedmont Dragway $20,000 Footbrake race winner Jacob Rutledge in the final round. Following a string of great reaction times highlighted by a quarterfinal .000 that earned him the bye to the final, Richardson left the line with a .024 reaction in the final stanza. Rutledge, however, posted his worst reaction of the day, .050, and then encountered problems; slowing to a 6.612 on his 6.48 dial, which allowed Richardson to coast thru for a relatively easy victory with a 6.865 on his 6.82 target. Former B&M Series World Champion Randall Roop was the lone semi-finalist, while Doyle Kay, and Bradley Smith took home quarterfinal money.

In an effort to keep racing cost effective, the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard is “seriously considering” the implementation of a specified “spec” fuel starting in its 2009 season, series president Kenny Nowling said. The decision would affect racers in all three ADRL full-bodied car classes—Pro Extreme, Pro Nitrous and Extreme 10.5—as well as the Pro Extreme Motorcycle class.

“No agreement has yet been reached, but we are currently in serious discussions with VP Racing Fuels, the Official Racing Fuel of the ADRL, to become our spec fuel supplier for all four classes in the future,” Nowling said. “VP has supported racing throughout its history like few others. They’re dedicated to providing good performance and value in the form of top quality products for fair prices, so it just makes sense for us to take the next step with them.”

The Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard has added RSS Feed capability to its popular <www.ADRL.us Web site. Essentially, RSS (Rich Summary Site or Really Simple Syndication) offers an easy, free, scheduled method of distributing a concise list of headlines, update notices, and sometimes content to subscribers using personal computers, laptops and even palmtop devices.

“This is just one more step toward making ADRL.us a daily ‘go-to’ destination for our fans and racers,” ADRL Vice President of Communications Ian Tocher said. “Our online readers are very Internet-savvy and this means they’ll now be able to learn of ADRL.us updates more quickly and easily. I hope many, many readers will take the opportunity to explore what the new ADRL RSS feed has to offer.”

DC: Hey Mike, do you have a second?

Mike Hill: Ye, sure. I'm just heading home.

DC: Have you been racing much?

Mike Hill: Uh…No, not really. It’s been kind of slow this year.  Things have been so tight with the fuel prices and all.  We are hitting the ADRL stuff, Macon Memorial Day Race – Automatic Promods and Outlaw 10.5s; just as much as we can. 

Tonya Pruett, Milbrook, AL, is definitely not your ordinary rookie. The lady, who is married to Big Dollar Bracket Race Winner Kevin Pruett, has been on a hot streak for five consecutive weekends, winning the last Mega 10 Series event at Chilton County Dragway, Maplesville, AL. Being a minority is often taken for granted, but the Hot Rod Princess is definitely leaving a mark in this male dominate sport.  Congratulations Tonya Pruett from DragCoverage.com!

Ashley Force put a new face on Funny Car drag racing Sunday by becoming the first woman to win a national race in a category that once was considered the last bastion of male superiority.

The 25-year-old did so with a flair for the dramatic, beating her father, drag racing icon John Force, in the final round of the 28th annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals to deny him his 1,000 winning round in his 500th NHRA tour event.

Her first win came in her 27th pro race and in her fourth trip to the final round. Denied in the two most recent events in the POWERade Series, first on March 30 by Del Worsham at Houston, Texas, and then on April 13 by Tim Wilkerson at Las Vegas, Nev., Ashley left no doubt this time.

With her father in a left lane that was the bane of every racer during eliminations, she sprinted down the favored right lane in 4.837 seconds at 320.36 miles per hour. Her dad was never in it, losing traction almost at the hit of the throttle and slowing to 11.223 seconds.

It was her second career win against her father, drag racing’s biggest winner, who lost the first ever meeting between father and daughter in the first round of the 2007 Southern Nationals.

Brandon Wood came from the # 16 qualifying spot to earn a runner-up against Tom"Painter" Stevenson's # 8 qualifying G/SA 1969 Nova at race 4 of the LODRS Division Two Series.

Brandon's familiar red Nova, now owned by Jim Cassels of Cairo , GA has been converted to A/SA after being a small block footbraker for the past three seasons.

photo by Marvin Smith

Photos by Roger Richards

Pro Mod veteran Troy Coughlin was shaken but otherwise uninjured after crashing hard into the retaining wall of Atlanta Dragway during Saturday's first round of eliminations in the JEGS ProMod Challenge.

The accident overshadowed an upset-filled opening round where four drivers from the bottom half of the ladder advanced. Ninth-place qualifier Roger Burgess beat Shelly Payne with a 6.08. Tenth-place Jay Payne avenged his wife's loss by beating Kirk Kuhns, 6.06 to 6.11. Eddie Ware got past a higher-ranked Mike Ashley, who encountered severe tire shake, while Tony Pontieri won when No. 5 qualifier Coughlin impacted the wall.

photo by Mitch Perkins

Agent DC had a chance to talk with Edmund "Mr.5 Speed" Hall to hear his side of the "Grudge Fest" Story.

DC: Hey Edmund, do you have a sec. for a few questions about Grudge Fest 2008?

Edmund Hall: Ye, Sure. Go ahead.

DC: So Edmund, what actually happened at Grudge Fest?

Edmund Hall: Well the race was supposed to be Promod vs 10.5 Car in 10.5 trim, with the 10.5 car getting the “hit.”  The “hit” is usually 3-tenths or better.  Well, Hill decided that he was running the “big” tires, which then put me at a disadvantage; on top of not being able to get down the track. I thought for sure that the track would stand behind the rules, but they didn’t.

For the 4th edition of the prestigious Jeg’s U.S. Open Bracket Championships presented by Racecraft Chassis, LB Trailers, and Steve Schmidt Racing Engines, the event has moved to the ultimate drag racing facility on the planet: O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis! The Jeg’s U.S. Open, which has become one of the largest and most prestigious big dollar bracket events in the country since it’s inception in 2005, can now officially be called the “Big Go” of bracket racing!

The June 12-15th weekend will host a full slate of racing featuring massive payouts, with over $250,000 guaranteed in cash and prizes! Thursday, June 12 the event kicks off with the River Parish RV’s warm-up race, which pays $10,000-to-win, with round money back to the fourth round losers. Friday and Saturday the ante increases, as competitors vie for a $20,000 winners check, with an additional $10,000 up for grabs in Sunday’s finale. All the while, the deep payback that the Jeg’s U.S. Open is known for will be in place.

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Sources tell Agent DC that Rich Christensen, from Pinks, will be arriving in Montgomery, AL on Thursday, April 23. Sources also tell agent DC that Christensen will be making an appearance at the Pre-Past-Time Show Party at "Off the Wagon," a bar located in downtown Montgomery.

26-year old racer Luke Bogacki has had some phenomenal moments in his racing career. The Woodville, Ala. racer, who is obviously no stranger to the winners circle, said he has never had a weekend quite like he did during the Race Tech Gator Cash Championships, held April 11 – 13 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Fla. There, he drove his familiar CSR Performance Products Dragster and Mickey Thompson Tires Vega to four final rounds, one on Friday and three on Saturday.

Bogacki entered both of his competition vehicles in the $10,000-to-win Super Pro class, and his championship Vega in the Sportsman category. 19 round wins later, he took both winner and runner-up honors in the Super Pro category, and the victory in Sportsman.

Throughout the event, Bogacki was unconscious on the starting line. In Super Pro competition, he posted one .014 reaction in the Mickey Thompson Vega, and one .011 reaction in his CSR Performance Products Dragster. The remaining 11 times he left the starting line with lights in the .00’s. In Sportsman competition, which does not allow the use of a delay box, he was slightly more human; posting reactions ranging from .005 to .023 before slipping to a .039 in the final round. In the semi-finals, Bogacki used a .002 react and a 6.129 on his 6.10 target to hold off Triplett by .011 and advance both cars to the final round.

Meanwhile, in Sportsman competition, Bogacki rolled through an all-star cast of bottom bulb competitors including last year’s number two series finisher Bob George, Chip Rollins, and Brady Kelly. He then squared off with Jon Siegel in the final round. There, despite a vulnerable .039 reaction, Bogacki got the automatic victory after Siegel fouled with a -.002.

“The more this sinks in, the more amazing it is to me,” said Bogacki. “I’ve been real fortunate in racing; I’ve been able to double-up on several occasions, and I’ve run myself in the final a few times too. But to do both in one day--to not lose a round--especially against the level of competition we had at Gainesville… That’s a really special day, and the rarity and significance of that isn’t lost on me.”

Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard announced today that its 2nd annual Shelor.com Spring Drags have been postponed from Apr. 25-26 to June 20-21. Although new tickets reflecting the June 20-21 dates will be printed and distributed, all tickets bearing the original April dates will be honored.

“Unfortunately, the entire Tulsa region has been inundated with heavy rain over the past several weeks which has left the spectator parking and overflow pit parking areas oversaturated with water and unusable,” ADRL President Kenny Nowling said. “If it were to stop raining right now and not rain again through next weekend we would still not be able to utilize a large majority of the spectator parking areas. What makes this decision so difficult, though, is the amount of work my staff and the staff at Tulsa Raceway Park have put in distributing tickets and working to establish relationships with local businesses and sponsors.

Quien, originally from Fridley, Minn., has more than 25 years of experience in the drag racing industry, including 13 years in race operations at Rock Falls Raceway in Wisconsin, 7 years with the NHRA on the national event circuit, and most recently, 3 years in race operations at Atlanta Dragway.

With his background as an engine builder, Quien has also worked with Warren and Kurt Johnson’s record-setting Pro Stock teams, and has served as a technical advisor to several racing parts manufacturers, including Barry Grant, Inc. and CV Products

The 2007 World Championship team of Barklage Racing has regrouped, rebuilt, and is ready to begin 2008.  After suffering a devastating race trailer fire at the end of 2007, many doubted the full return of Zach and Cody Barklage until late in 2008.  The team now has a new look, new second car and new crew chief to begin their season.

Zach Barklage will be behind the wheel of the teams current Pontiac GTO, but the look will be different then when younger brother Cody drove the car.  Bringing back Zach’s signature look from his Grand Am several years ago, the car now in black, has “Skully” prominently featured on the hood once again.

Cody Barklage will be behind the wheel of his Lucas Oil, 1968 Pontiac Firebird.  The new car, which was recently finished at Chris Duncan Race Car’s, is receiving the finishing touches and will soon be ready for competition.

To increase their productivity and success for the season, Barklage Racing acquired a new crew chief.  Chad Wilson, who was with the team during their most successful year of AMS competition in 2004, is back leading the team.  His impressive resume includes work on Del Worsham’s funny car team and most recently the AMS Pro Mod team. 

NHRA ENTERS INTO STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH IMG TO ENHANCE SPONSORSHIP SALES EFFORTS FOR THE SPORT

NHRA, the world’s largest motorsports organization, has entered into a strategic alliance with global sports and entertainment company IMG to assist the premier drag racing sanctioning body as its exclusive outside sponsorship marketing agent.   IMG will work alongside the current sales team at NHRA, led by senior vice president of sales & marketing, Gary Darcy.

 “IMG brings with it more than 50 years of leadership and innovation in the world of sports,” said Darcy.  “With strong relationships within corporate America, and abroad, we believe IMG will be able to help deliver NHRA’s unique attributes to key decision makers in the sports sponsorship arena.”

IMG will be charged with business development and securing non-endemic sponsorship to NHRA, which continues to offer the best value in terms of sports sponsorship according to a leading sports business publication.  The team will be led by George Pyne, president of IMG Sports & Entertainment.   Much of the initiative will be driven out of the New York and Charlotte offices of IMG, giving NHRA a presence in both the business and motorsports capitals of the world for the first time in its 50-plus year history.

It's not exactly 15 minutes of fame, but a lot of River Region residents will get a few moments on national television April 25 and 26 at Montgomery Motorsports Park, on North Belt Drive off the Northern Bypass.

The Speed Channel is sending a full crew to MMP April 25 and 26 to tape 10 to 12 episodes of their hit TV show "Pass Time" in which two contestants and the show's resident expert look at a car, ask the driver a few questions, and then guess how fast it can navigate the 1/4 mile MMP track.  The person whose guess is closest to the actual elapsed time is the winner of that round.

Montgomery Motorsports Park promoter Jim Howard says anyone can come and try to make the show.  "We're not just looking for professional or sportsman racers.  Folks can bring the car they drive to work in and they might find themselves in front of the cameras," he added.  Howard mentioned that everything from full-out race cars to stretch limousines to antique cars to daily drivers will be showing up to audition.  "We get to pick 80 of the 120 cars that'll make the show and we hope many of those can be from the River Region", Howard added.

Anyone interested can apply to appear on Pass Time by filling out a form on the MMP web site, mmpdragracing.com <<http://mmpdragracing.com>  or by picking up a form at the track during events Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.  The track's phone number is 260.9660.

Gates will open at Montgomery Motorsports Park at 3pm on Friday April 25 and Saturday, April 26.  MMP and Speed Channel officials will choose cars for taping by 5pm when shooting begins.  There is a nominal registration charge of $15 for each driver.  Local racing fans who want to watch two evenings of cool cars can do so for $15 per night.

To kick off the festivities, Montgomery Motorsports Park and the Speed Channel will host "Motor Madness" at Off the Wagon (62 Dexter Avenue) Wednesday, April 23 from 8pm until.The bands "Ugli Stick"  and "Chrome Heart"  will be performing.  Free tickets to the Pass Time taping as well as free tickets for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron's 499 on Sunday, April 27 will be given away during the "Motor Madness" party. Speed Channel personalities Kenneth Herring and Charles Hendrickson will be on hand to talk racing with fans.

NASCAR DRIVER HARVICK EXPLORING OPTION WITH VANDERGRIFF:

NASCAR racer and team owner Kevin Harvick, along with his wife DeLana, are working with Top Fuel driver Bob Vandergriff to explore the option of fielding a Top Fuel dragster team in the POWERade Series. The proposed Harvick-Vandergriff Motorsports would field an additional Top Fuel dragster to run alongside Vandergriff’s UPS dragster in the series. Vandergriff and Harvick plan to begin assembling a race team within the next two months in hopes of preparing for a 2009 debut.

t rained at Montgomery Motorsports Park solidly from Thursday to Saturday evening, but the racers in the Mullis Super 7 Series hung in there and experienced running two complete races on Sunday (4/6).

Footbrake racing hitter Nick Kay of Ragland, AL brought home a pair of runner-up finishes in the pair of races. First, he battled "Stone Cold" Steve Sties. Stites, who had to run himself in the semi-finals, took his 10-second Cavalier to a a leisurely 10.55 while Nick lit the reds. In the second race, Kay faced Coalburg Racing Mac Daddy Jared Pennington, who took a starting line advantage and never looked back for the win.
Jr. Dragster ace Chris Hill of Adger, Alabama took both races.

In Pro, Tennessee racer Ron Lane waded through a tough field to meet Marty Wiles in the finals of the first race. Wiles cut a stellar .001 light but his car broke something important and he couldn't run his number. South Alabama's Glenn Webb was the semi-finalist.
The day's second race featured Jeremy Hancock of Commerce, Georgia tangling with Bryant Walding of Dothan. Hancock's perfect reaction time gave him enough cushion to hold off Walding, who ran dead-on but lost a heartbreaker. Stephen McCrory, Jr. and Jeff Rucks were the semi-finalists. Rucks had a good weekend as he also notched the first perfect run in Super 7 Series History.

When the dust had cleared, Ron Lane held a narrow Pro points lead over Jimbo Smith. In footbrake, Steve Stites and Jared Pennington are on top, but not by much. With his two wins, Chris Hill jumps on top of the Jr. Dragster points, but Jarret Kay is breathing down his neck.
The next Mullis Super 7 Series event will be May 3-4 at Montgomery Motorsports Park.
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Drag racing legend Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins underwent heart treatment after experiencing a drop in blood pressure Sunday and is recovering quickly enough to be in Atlanta to help with Dave Northrop's Pro Stock team.

Jake Barbato of Jenkins Competition said, “To set the record straight, Bill did not have a heart attack. Bill has had various heart issues over the years and has taken a variety of prescribed medications under the supervision of a heart specialist while carefully monitoring his blood pressure on his own.

“On Sunday, a combination of the medicine caused his blood pressure to drop, and he requested that good friend ‘Jungle Pam' Hardy take him to the hospital. The doctors were quickly able to restore the blood pressure to its normal level, but while they had him there, they decided to do a stent procedure and place three balloons inside the arteries to expand the passageways. Bill is doing fine now, and this won't affect our program. We weren't scheduled to attend the Las Vegas event but will be in Atlanta as planned.”

Jenkins will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Ala., April 24, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the institution.

CECLIL, GA – Eliminations are complete from the Gritz Blitz Jr. Dragster Nationals held this past weekend at South Georgia Motorsports Park.  Tindle Racing Pilot T.J. Tindle, Santa Rosa Beach, FL, took the number one qualifying position and then went on to win the race.

Wade Mooney: "Howard Griggs aka Willie-Get-It wrecked today and I am afraid totaled the car. He got loose and then got back on it. He hit the guardrail with the left front (almost head on) and the car rolled on its roof and slid about 300 feet down track and then rolled back on its wheels. Howard is okay."

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Team VIP has something new coming to the ORSCA Outlaw 10.5 Drag Racing Series.  This New 2006 Camaro Outlaw 10.5 Drag Car is shown in a rendering provided by Burke Designs

hmmmm.... Agent DC thought something was up with Baker hanging out in the Ashley/Burgess pit quite a bit. Agent DC hasn't completely verified this, but sources from the Baker pit tell DC that Baker will be joining the Ashley/Burgess Team for the remaining 2008 Season. 

This could mean that Chuck Ford or Howard Moon will tune Baker for the remaining 8 races.  Baker is currently 1st in points and has won the first two events.

Jamie Walker from Waynesboro, Ga. has big plans for his race team for 2008. After starting the team with an old primered 1982 Mustang back in 2005, the team has made big strides in just the past few years.

Walker a driver with a business degree, has used his knowledge and driving talents to put his team up front. Walker won 18 races in 2007, winning the No-Box Track Championship at Carolina Dragway in Jackson, S.C. as well as the "Ultimate Doorslammer" at Jefferson Pageland in the No-Box Class. He also finished 3rd at the "Footbrake Nationals in Montgomery, Ala. Walker took home a brand new Haulmark Edge enclosed trailer at the end of 2005 after winning the 2005 All -Star Points Shoot Out race at Carolina dragway. A talented driver with little funds put his skills to work in 2006, and has marketed what is now a 3 car team.

For more informatio visit www.IronManRacing.net

Iron Man Racing is sponsored by William Mizell Ford, Waynesboro Ga., T.R.C. - Tim's Race Cars - Clinton, S.C., Carolina Machine Engines - Johnston, S.C., Dukes Auto Service - Augusta, Ga.- GoodYear and the Contingency Connection

After a successful test session the Pro mod team of Billy Harper/Dennis Radford is feeling confident coming into the IHRA Texas Nationals. “We have 2 cars that are going to be competitive this weekend” said Radford. The brand new Billy Harper 2000 Viper made 3 passes on Thursday during testing at Houston Raceway Park never making a full pass less than a 3.97.

“The Viper has really come around” says Radford. “We had a good idea that it would make some runs and be fast but whenever a nitrous car is in the 3.90’s it’s a big deal. This is the car that ran 3.92 at the ADRL event a few weeks ago, so it was nice to back it up this week.”

Dennis Radford brings his orange 1970 AAR Cuda to San Antonio after a 4.00 test session at Houston Raceway Park, “ Having one competitive car is a feat for a pro mod team but having both cars in the low 4’s and high 3’s is just a good deal.”

“We have Doug Reisterer hanging out with us this weekend, maybe he can give us a few of his speed secrets” said Jim Raynor crew chief of the Cuda.

Under a beautiful bright blue sky, 422 South Central Division racers took to the No Problem Raceway strip in hopes of taking home the highly sought after Wally trophy. When the smoke from the tires settled at the Jegs Cajun SPORTSnationals four Louisiana residents stood a top there respective classes. In Super Comp, Charles Roth, of Baton Rouge, La., took the victory with a time of 8.875 seconds at 159.82 mph. Trevor Land, from West Monroe, La., accomplished the same feat in Super Street, piloting his '82 Mustang to a winning run of 10.958 seconds.

Newly appointed track manager and former three-time Lucas Oil national champion Kevin Helms from Belle Rose, La., continued his winning ways taking the victory in Stock eliminator with a time of 10.297 seconds whiel Keith Raftery of Lake Charles, La., drove his '07 GTO to a time of 6.954 seconds at 199.67 mph, good enough for the victory in Top Sportsman. Raftery, would take home two Wally trophies by also winning the pre-race award for Best Engineered.

Biondo started the 2008 campaign in early February with a rare trip to the IHRA season-opener at Immokalee Regional Raceway in Immokalee, FL. Despite the fact that Biondo has been a constant threat for the NHRA World Championship in Stock and Super Stock for over a decade, he has run only select IHRA events throughout his career (in just a handful of appearances, Biondo had previously earned three IHRA “Iron Men“ for winning performances). The Immokalee event brought the opportunity to not only escape from the harsh New York February weather, but also the unique chance to compete in three separate events: a pair of IHRA Pro-Am Series races and a Sportsman National event.

There, Biondo enjoyed a stellar weekend. In Friday’s opening event, he drove his familiar Biondo Racing Products, Jeg’s, and K&N Filters backed ’69 Camaro to a runner-up finish. In the final round, a rare mechanical failure kept Biondo from what promised to be a great duel of former world champions, as he watched Michael Beard cruise to an easy victory.

In the second Pro-Am event, Biondo drove Phil Monteith’s Hatari Firebird to the Super Stock title, knocking off fellow Division 1 competitor Jeff Tripp in the final round. Biondo used a string of stellar reaction times (which varied from .007 to .022 in the five round event) to knock off notable competitors Glenn Mace, Jim Harrington, and Dennis Steward on his way to the final round.

 “PASS TIME”, SPEED Channel’s hit television series is coming to Montgomery.  Episodes of the exciting interactive game show will be shot Friday and Saturday, April 25th and 26th at Montgomery Motorsports Park, located on North Belt Drive off the Northern Bypass. Drag racing fans and their families are invited to be a part of the live action and can contact MMP for more information (334.260.9660 / www.mmpdragracing.com).

Photo of the week taken by publisher, TJ Pruitt. During Run-for-the-money at the first Super 7 Series Event, Montgomery Motorsports Park, Troy Williams (T-Dub) took the initiative to assist local footbrake racer Heath Davis.

Email from Reader

Shawn Freeman of Harlan was the winner of the Gamblers' Race held last weekend at London Dragway.

The National Hot Rod Association has invited the Banks Power race team to run its record-setting Sidewinder S-10 Duramax V-8 pickup in front of the crowd attending the ninth annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas April 12 and 13. The weekend runs are set for approximately 3 p.m. Saturday, just prior to the second Pro qualifying session, and approximately 4 p.m. Sunday between the semifinal and final rounds.

PiranaZ has signed on as a sponsor of Junior Pippin's Pro Stock Motorcycle race team for the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Whisnant, a former Pro Stock car driver, has taken a keen interest in the two-wheel class.

Pro Stock driver Erica Enders has taken control of her racing future by assuming the responsibilities of vice president of marketing of Master Formula Xtreme Polishes, Waxes, Cleaners, and Sealers. The agreement will allow the most successful female Pro Stock racer of all-time to resume her driving career in an Allen Johnson-powered Dodge Stratus R/T.

Unlike traditional motorsports marketing programs that promise sales results in exchange for up-front sponsorship dollars, Enders plans to use her unique familiarity with millions of race fans and the business community to bolster the Southern California-based company's bottom line. As sales of Master Formula products increase, a percentage of gross revenue will be allocated to funding her on-track activities.

"We are delighted to associate ourselves with a proven professional like Erica," said Clarence Larkins, CEO and Founder of Master Formula. "After meeting with Erica and her father Gregg, along with their team of business and marketing professionals, we're confident Enders Racing can help us take our company to the next level very quickly.

NHRA announces Pro Stock Motorcycle weight adjustment

The NHRA Technical Services Department has announced the following weight adjustments for Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Effective immediately, all S&S Buell V-Twin entries will be required to weigh 625 pounds, an increase of five pounds. In addition, the two-valve Suzuki 101-cid inline four-cylinder combination will be reduced from 610 pounds to 605 pounds.

Finally, the 101-cid Kawasaki four-valve inline four-cylinder combination has been reduced from 615 pounds to 600 pounds. The Harley-Davidson V-Rod weight will remain at 620 pounds. All weights include rider.

Bluebaugh Racing’s Team AutoTrader attended the Pacific Street Car Association’s (PSCA) Orme Brothers Spring Break Shootout this past weekend March 14-16, 2008 in Fontana. During the first round of eliminations, Bluebaugh was lined up against the 1955 Chevy of Monte Berney. The lights came down and the race was on with only a thousands difference in reaction times. The AutoTrader Monte Carlo had a slight advantage on the 55 Chevy as the two cars ran door to door down the track. Nearing the top end and climbing up to the usual 200 plus mph run, the drivers window blew out of Bluebaugh’s AutoTrader Monte Carlo. The impact of the blow out measured a hefty lateral 1.50 side impact G-Force on the car according to the computer reading. 

 In what was an amazing feet of driving, Bluebaugh managed to keep the car in his lane and bring it to a safe stop at the end of the track. Bluebaugh said he did not realize the window was gone until he went to get out of the car. He said, it just felt like I was fighting the car as if it were stuck in a one track grove. The on board computer estimated that Bluebaugh pedaled the car after the half track and lifted approximately 5 seconds into the run cruising through the finish line with a 6.782 @ 176.95 mph to Berney’s winning 6.599 @ 214.48 mph.

John Russo, the soft spoken cabinet maker from Massachusetts has stunned the drag racing community during preseason testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park by running the quickest elapsed time ever in the Pro modified class.

It has been a few weeks since testing, and the events of that fateful day are finally sinking in. ”Man... I ran the quickest lap ever.” exclaimed Russo.

While driving his 1968 Firebird constructed late last season by the talented Jim Geese at his Vanishing Point Race Cars shop, and equipped with an Al Billes built and tuned BAE Hemi between the frame rails Russo thundered to an unexpected 5.895 second elapsed time at 246.21 mph.

After a pre-season testing crash Knowles Racing will be back for the Jegs ProMod Challenge in Houston, TX at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals.

 "It's been a rough couple of weeks and things have been happening pretty fast", said Team Owner/Driver Mike Knowles. " My guys have been working real hard to get us ready for Houston.  I can't thank my crew chief Dan (Dan Page of Dan Page Race Cars) enough. He and the guys at his shop have worked tirelessly to get us back into competition."

 Not being able to get any test time in before Houston, Knowles still feels confident about his chances. "This season we are running a new engine program from Jan-Cen Motorsports headed by Two-Time IHRA Pro Mod Champ Mike Janis. The guys at Jan-Cen put a tremendous amount of R&D into their engine program and being able to tap into that is very beneficial to our team. With my Crew Chief, Dan Page, being able to work closely with Mike and Mike Jr. I feel really good about our chances of making it into the Houston field," said Knowles.

Reliable sources tell agent DC that Edmund "Mr.5 Speed" Hall transported the newly built GTO back to Jerry Bickel for a few final adjustments and then to the track this past weekend. Hall has been known to test a car hundreds of miles of way, so could this be true?

Montgomery Motorsports Park promoter Jim Howard announced today (3/14) that the Speed Channel would be at Montgomery Motorsports Park April 25-26 to shoot eight episodes of a new progrram called "Pass Time".

Howard says "these will be special shows with all kinds of Hot Rods including Top Fuel! ."   "We will be looking for 80 Hot Rods of all makes, models and types", he added.

Rich Christensen, the creator and host of the hot racing series "Pinks" will be coming to produce the shows and also talk with the drivers chosen to participate in the eight shows.  Stars from other Speed Channel programs such as "Monster Garage" will also be in town for the shoot.

Details on how local racers can apply to appear on the "Pass Time" episodes and information on spectator trickets will be relesed soon through Jim Howard Racing and Montgomery Motorsports Park.   Jim Howard says he is delighted that a national TV program will be shooting at Montgomery Motorsports Park, especially because at least one Top Fuel dragster will be coming.  These supercharged race cars reach speeds of 100 miles per hour in one second after launch and can blast down a quarter mile track in less than five seconds at over 330 miles per hour.   

Danny Rowe and his new teammate Kirk Kuhns are poised for action this weekend at the launching of the 2008 JEGS ProMod Challenge in Gainesville, Florida. There’s no denying the continually rising level of competition in the Pro Modified ranks and it’s more evident than ever before as several cars continue to break into the five-second zone and multi-car teams run rampant.

The long-established East Coast opener and the first of 10 events for Pro Modified racers, this event is known as one of the biggest events on the NHRA tour with a plush history of record-breaking performances.  Just last year Gainesville Raceway provided the platform for both the MPH and ET records to be shattered.

 Just a few days after making their on-track debut as a team at a test session in Valdosta, Georgia, Rowe and Kuhns are well prepared for what lies ahead on the quarter-mile.

 The 2008 season marks the first year Danny Rowe and team have committed to running the entire NHRA Pro Modified program and the new two-car program is evidence of just how seriously he’s taking his pledge.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 15) -- An extra day of anticipation brought on by Friday's rain storms did little to dampen the performance of John Russo as he zipped to the top of the provisional ladder of the 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in the first of two professional qualifying sessions in the JEGS ProMod Challenge.

Organizers of the JEGS ProMod Challenge have announced the first list of invitees for the series-opening 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals, the series-opening race that runs from March 13-16 at Gainesville Raceway in central Florida. In all, 24 racers have been invited to compete.

Drivers invited to attend the historic Gatornationals are Josh Hernandez, Jay Payne, Mike Ashley, Fred Hahn, Shannon Jenkins, Rickie Smith, Shelly Payne, Troy Coughlin, Tim Tindle, Rick Stivers, Scott Ray, Roger Burgess, Danny Rowe, Kirk Kuhns, Mike Knowles, Tony Pontieri, Raymond Commisso, Steve Engel, Chip King, Thomas Patterson, Mike Moran, Brad Personette, Mike Castellana, and John Russo.

A new car out of Panama City, FL has a history of winning and is ready to continue business as usual. Troy Balsters (owner/crew chief) had nothing spared in preparing this bad ride for the 2008 season. An updated Mauney chassis has rendered a 4.21 at 164 mph in testing using only 2 of the 3 available stages of Speedtech nitrous injection. But that is expected with a Fulton 706ci Sonny Leonard headed engine built by previous owner Johnny Pilcher and piloted by DragCoverage member Greg Bushmeyer. Look for this UDT Performance sponsored piece of history to compete in ADRL Pro Nitrous and various other Outlaw Promod events.

VP Racing Fuels, the Official Racing Fuel of NHRA Championship Drag Racing, announced the extension of its “National Top 10 Program” for NHRA Sportsmen competitors.  With the program, the top finisher from the 2007 season is eligible to receive from VP five gallons of racing fuel at no charge at each national event attended in 2008, while the remaining Top 10 finishers can receive five gallons at half price. 

The program includes every NHRA Sportsman class and any fuel of the racer’s choice.  For Alcohol classes, the 2007 Champion is eligible to receive a 54-gallon drum of VP’s M1 Methanol at no charge, while all other Top 10 finishers will receive a drum of M1 for half price at each national event attended.

More Hot DC News: "Boo" Baxley, who is married to Dixie Promod Racer Lynn Milner, has just had a car built by Little Art Race Cars, FL.  This "bad-to-the-bone" 1968 Camaro Promod will start off sporting a 601 BBC backed by a Lenco Transmission.  It only took Art a little over 6-months to buid this car and it is definately a  work of art!

Agent DC received these photos from a viewer last week with the message "Take a look at these but don’t tell who it belongs to yet."

So, Agent DC made a promise not to tell who owns this bad-to-the bone 1963 Split Window Corvette that is being built. This racer lives in South Alabama. Stay tuned!

If you have any Hot News or Spy Photos, email TJ Pruitt @
mailto:teejay@dragcoverage.com

"The wait is finally over," says Brandno Synder who just received the new engine from Billy at Oddy's Automotive today. 

"The dyno numbers were amazine. We received the engine today and we started installing the beast right away into Lil Evil's belly.  We've had good luck with this Foy Gilmore chassis, but we couldn't run any better than 4.18 with the chevy motor."

A judge has sent the case against a north Alabama man charged in a fatal illegal street race to a grand jury.

Brian English Murphy, 27, of Elkmont attended a preliminary hearing Thursday in Jefferson County circuit court on charges of vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries.

Testimony indicated Murphy and another racer lost control and struck Lonnie King, 29, of Birmingham — a pedestrian who was videotaping the Jan. 13 race near the finish line in Pratt City.

The other driver, Yardley Potter, 32, of Ebro, Fla., hasn't been charged. Authorities are still looking for Ladipo Bethea of Gretna, Fla. He faces a capital murder charge for the shooting death of Anthony Lett, 26, who was shot in a dispute over a large racing purse.

Murphy gave a statement to police saying he didn't want to run the race because the road conditions made him nervous.

Murphy said he tried to pull his car off the road, but a man in the crowd threatened to shoot him if he didn't race. He told police that after the race, a person in an SUV with Florida tags told him to leave the scene and keep his mouth shut or he'd be killed.

Murphy said he left the area before Lett was shot to death.

Potter, 32, is being held in a Florida jail on a probation violation. His lawyer, Richard Jaffe, said Potter would waive extradition and return to clear up his role in the case.

Eight more deaths in a street racing incident this past weekend and many more seriously injured. I don't understand it.  Just a few weeks ago,  we had two of our fellow racers and friends killed right here in Alabama.  As a matter of fact, one them drove right past MMP just to have a fatal street racing incident 90 miles away. .

Beginning March 8,  I will open Montgomery Motorsports Park every Saturday night and will let everyone who has a car or bike on a trailer run for free.  Car and driver will be admitted free.  If you want to find out whose car or bike is fastest, bring it to MMP and get it off the streets.  If you have a  grudge race and want to settle the score, call me at 334.260.9660 and I will let you and your opponent in free and we will make a big deal out of it on the PA.

Matthew Brammer, president of Active Marketing, announced today he is stepping down from his position as Series Director of the Pro Modified Challenge.
 
"As of the end of this week, I will no longer be involved in the Pro Mod Challenge," Brammer said. "It's my understanding that another company may be running the series in the future, and, if this is true, I truly wish that organization the very best of success in their venture.
 
Brammer explained he received an email from series founder Dave Wood on January 11 stating he would not sponsor the series in 2008. After talking with several stakeholders, Brammer and Active Marketing structured the Challenge with the same format and payout as 2007, but last Friday, two major sponsors rescinded their verbal commitments, citing NHRA's lack of good faith negotiation for the future as the reason for their withdrawal.
 
"We think it would be tragic for this contract not to reach fruition before the Gainesville race. The teams have bought airplane tickets and some even shipped their cars from other countries to compete in the season opener. This is a class with international appeal, and we hope all those who have put so much into it will be able to get to race with NHRA this season.
 
"I've enjoyed the time I've spent with the teams, and I've created some really good friendships," added Brammer. "It's been a positive experience for me and my company, and I'd like to see the series continue to grow.
 
"We have some exciting projects we're working on with our current clients, and there are several other opportunities we'll be pursuing as well, so our slate is definitely full heading into the year," Brammer said.

Before heading to Phoenix for the next race in his “For My Boys” Tour, Doug Herbert spoke to Michelle Boudin of WCNC, the local Charlotte NBC  affiliate, about the tragic loss of his sons Jon and James.

In the interview, Herbert discusses the last time he spoke with his boys and B.R.A.K.E.S., the program he is developing to promote safer driving for teenagers.

The interview can be seen online at www.wcnc.com.

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Sunday's final results from the 24th annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by  Castrol at Firebird International Raceway.  The  race is the second of 24 in the  NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

Top Fuel -- Larry Dixon, 4.532 seconds, 327.19 mph 
def. David Grubnic, 5.002 seconds, 259.26 mph.

Funny Car -- Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.868, 320.20
def. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 8.030, 105.28.

Pro Stock -- V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.702, 205.38
def. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 20.239, 39.18.

Super Stock -- Jimmy DeFrank, Chevy Cobalt, 8.903, 145.91
def. Gary McGlasson, Chevy Camaro, 10.041, 128.82.

Stock Eliminator -- Toby Lang, Chevy Chevelle, 11.707, 111.18 
def. Bobby DeArmond, Chevy Camaro, foul.

Super Comp -- Steve Williams, Dragster, 8.927, 180.24 
def. Ken Mostowich, Chevy Cavalier, 8.910, 175.89.

Super Gas -- Brad Pierce, Chevy Corvette, 9.933, 142.79
def. Tommy Turner, Corvette, 9.948, 153.18.

Super Street -- Ryan Smith, Ford Falcon, 10.965, 122.98 
def. Leroy Duran, Chevy Camaro, 10.970, 116.79.

NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series - Southeast Division
Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, FL

Top-Alcohol Funny Car

Payne, 5.670, 258.76
def. Schuster, 6.016, 239.48.

COMP ELIMINATOR

Frank Cervelli, Mt. Holly, N.C., Sarmento, C/DA, 7.047, 189.12
def. David Allen, Sewickley, Pa., '02 Camaro, BB/AM, 6.962, 197.86.

SUPER STOCK

Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., '98 Grand Am, SS/AS, 9.307, 145.89
def. Rob Carpenter, St. Catherines, Ont., '85 Camaro, GT/CA, 9.735, 135.35.

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., '69 Camaro, B/SA, 10.571, 120.85 def. Gary Richard, Bay Shore, N.Y., '69 Camaro, C/SA, 10.445, 126.14.

SUPER COMP

Kyle Cultrera, Eliot, Maine, dragster, 8.910, 175.82
def. Travis Harvey, Burlington, N.C., dragster, 9.432, 124.41.

SUPER GAS

Chuck Rothermel, Kinderhook, N.Y., '95 Cutlass, 9.901, 159.83
def. Mike Ruff, Orlando, Fla., '70 Nova, 9.920, 146.94.

SUPER STREET

Joe Skala, Palmetto, Fla., '70 Nova, 10.916, 132.52 
def. Mike Griggs, Ocala, Fla., '66 Chevy II, 10.924, 133.83.

TOP SPORTSMAN

Ed Stuart, Pensacola, Fla., '04 Cavalier, 7.674, 178.97
def. Jim Carlton, Bradenton, Fla., '04 Corvette, 7.537, 176.01.

TOP DRAGSTER

Bill Empke, W Palm Beach, Fla., dragster, 6.981, 195.79
def. Jeff Burnett, Orlando, Fla., '00 Altered, 6.916, 196.44.

Ronnie "The King" Davis has a new look for 2008. The Top Sportsman Racer recently finished second at the NHRA Division Race in Bradenton, FL. Davis was -.003 red in the finals against Stanley Albritton.

Photo by BME Photography

COMP ELIMINATOR
Grant Lewis, Jesup, Ga., '05 Cavalier, F/SMA, 8.711, 151.69
def. Larry Pritchett, Clarkrange, Tenn., '07 Sunfire, B/SM, 8.119, 167.06

SUPER STOCK
Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., '98 Grand Am, SS/AS, 9.406, 140.36
def. Lee Sharp, Maryville, Tenn., '05 Cavalier, SS/CM, 8.593, 155.19

STOCK ELIMINATOR
Randy Wilkes, Zanesville, Ohio, '01 Firebird, A/SA, 10.468, 112.19 def. Chris Puzycki, W. Melbourne, Fla., '85 Camaro, I/SA, foul

SUPER COMP
Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., dragster, 8.956, 158.08
def. Sherman Adcock Jr., Fortson, Ga., dragster, 8.937, 157.31

SUPER GAS
Lynn Hoosigian, Newington, Conn., '66 Chevelle, 9.871, 140.80 def. Ray Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, '63 Corvette, 9.857, 161.08

SUPER STREET
David Polichena, Lake Worth, Fla., '69 Firebird, 10.893, 138.86  def. Tom DePascale, Sayreville, N.J., '74 Vega, 10.848, 142.69

TOP SPORTSMAN
Stanley Albritton Jr., Bradenton, Fla., '04 Grand Am, 7.082, 161.87 def. Ronnie Davis, Suwanee, Ga., '63 Corvette, 10.180, 92.44

TOP DRAGSTER
John Weidner, Lake Worth, Fla., dragster, 6.897, 186.45
def. Gary Williams, Bradenton, Fla., dragster, 7.203, 170.84

Agent DC received this photo of Mike Castellana's new Pontiac Firebird from Speedtech's Jason Sharp. The 800 CID Reher Morrison powered '68 is set to debut in 2008.

The newest force from Pontiac, the sleek and aerodynamic GXP, is looking to raise the bar in Pro Stock competition. Pete Berner's IHRA Pro Stock team is set to debut the Quarter-Max.com Pontiac GXP as soon as the Eastern Spring Test Nationals in Valdosta, Georgia, March 6 - 8. With backing from Quarter-Max Chassis and Racing Components and General Motors, as well as the cutting edge technology from Jon Kaase Racing Engines, the debut of Berner's GXP comes with great anticipation.

The crew at Jon Kaase Racing Engines has been hard at work on the latest motor for Berner. This motor is a unique joint project between Kaase Racing Engines and Pete Berner Racing. Berner and team have brought some new ideas to the table and Kaase has incorporated them into this motor. Kaase is looking forward to another big year for the Mountain Motor team:

Team Rage announced today that it has formed a partnership with Harold Martin Racing to field the second National Guard car in ADRL competition. The long awaited announcement means that none other than Harold Martin will be the new driver of the National Guard’s Pro Nitrous entry in the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard. Martin, from New Hudson, Michigan, will race as a teammate to Joshua Hernandez, who drives the National Guard car for Team Rage in ADRL’s Pro Extreme class.

“When we decided to go outside of Team Rage in search of a second driver, Harold Martin was on a very short list of names that we compiled,” said Team Rage owner Dave Wood. “I am thrilled about this new partnership with Harold Martin Racing and confident that both Josh and Harold will contend for the 2008 ADRL world championships in their respective classes.”

Message from DC Member Fat_Bloc

What a day!!!!!!!!!!!!   we had a great turn out and even better barbacue sandwich's.  thanks charlie and his guys they worked very hard today and thanks for letting everyone tune their car inbetween runs.  there was alot of nitrous jet changing and turning of waste gates going on and even some stump lap top action. 

Dyno Results
1.  Gary Bunch 85 mustang=1090hp 986tq on nitrous 
2.  Dan Paris 92 mustang=1073hp 1080tq  twin turbo  holly torque monster 
3.  Jeffery Dunn 94 mustang=1041hp 789tq  big single turbo 
4.  Arron Rains 66 nova=763hp 880tq on nitrous 
5.  Micheal Sims 88 s-10 blazer= 638hp 793tq twin turbo on a sbc 350  
6.  David Scofield 63 nova =530hp 546tq no power adder 
7.  Doug Finch 89 mustang= 470hp 519tq no power adder 
8.  Evan Orr 04 mustang cobra =461hp 495tq 
9.  Tim Mcclean 01 lighting =383hp 462tq 
10.  Dan Lee  77 nova=373hp 522tq no power adder 
11.  Matthew Simmons 95 camaro=342hp 373tq 
12.  Jarod Sasser 03 mustang gt=275hp 322tq 
13.  Chris Robinson 93 dodge dakota=223hp 258tq 
14.  Henry Miller 93 mustang gt=212hp 410tg 
15.  John Magelsdorf 93 nissan 240=205hp 192tq 

Click Here to View Gary Bunch Video

Jason Scruggs went for a wild ride at South Georgia Motorsports Park this past weekend while testing. Reports say that Scruggs over powered the track, sending him into the guard rail.

Photos by Marvin Smith.

Sunday's final results from the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.  The  race is the first of 24 in the  NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 4.499 seconds, 331.28 mph  def.
Cory McClenathan, 4.536 seconds, 329.26 mph.

Funny Car -- Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.861, 284.39  def. |
Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.879, 322.50.

Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.616, 209.23  def.
Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.638, 208.42.

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Duane Shields, 5.377, 270.00 
def. Joey Severance, foul.

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Frank Manzo, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.558, 260.26
def. Brian Hough, Monte Carlo, 5.779, 250.27.

Competition Eliminator -- Jim Cowan, Chevy Cobalt, 8.188, 148.67  def.
Dan Fletcher, Cobalt, 9.196, 109.60.

Super Stock -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 9.352, 134.56  def.
Brad Rounds, Chevy S-10, 9.335, 142.60.

Stock Eliminator -- Toby Lang, Chevelle, 11.630, 108.76  def.
Jimmy DeFrank, Chevy Camaro, 10.502, 125.71.

Super Comp -- Kyle Seipel, Dragster, 8.924, 166.64  def.
Rick Beckstrom, Dragster, foul.

Agent DC decided to pay Edmund "Mr. 5 Speed" Hall a visit Saturday evening without notice and found this. Mr. 5 Speed has dropped his 737 CID powerplant in the new GTO, preparing for his rematch against Mike "The Hitman" Hill in April. Hall stated that he plans to begin testing in March. Stay tuned....

Read Previous Interview: Edmund "Mr. 5 Speed" Hall

Procter & Gamble, Inc., through its Old Spice brand, was introduced Saturday during the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona as the newest major sponsor of the John Force Racing Funny Car team.

During the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, the Old Spice “buoy bottle” will adorn the sides of the 320-mph Old Spice Ford Mustang driven by rookie driver Mike Neff. In addition to Neff's car, Old Spice identification also will appear on the Ford Mustangs of John Force, Ashley Force and Robert Hight.

Old Spice delivers a variety of products for men of all ages, including anti-perspirants, deodorants, body washes, body sprays, after shaves and colognes.

Old Spice is the sponsor of NASCAR champion Tony Stewart's Nationwide Series team.

Led by John Force, the only drag racing driver to have won more than 100 NHRA tour events (125), JFR has dominated Funny Car racing since 1989. Over the last 19 seasons, the team has won 15 championships and five drivers have contributed to the team's record 174 tour victories.

“It's exciting to be able to pair an icon of personal grooming like Old Spice with drag racing's biggest icon, John Force,” said Carl Stealey, Old Spice marketing director for at P&G.

Defending NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car champ Tony Pedregon returned to the track late Sunday after being evaluated at a local hospital after his Q Horsepower Chevy Impala suffered an engine explosion in the first round at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals. Pedregon returned to the track to cheer on his brother Cruz Pedregon.

The carbon fiber body on Pedregon's car was blown off the chassis by the force of the explosion, but Pedregon managed to bring his car to a stop in the opposite lane near the end of the shutdown. Pedregon exited his car on his own and was checked my NHRA emergency services officials before being transported to the local hospital as a precaution. Pedregon had red-lighted on the pass against John Force, who won the round with a 4.80-second elapsed time.

Photo by: Auto Imagery

"There was no warning," said Pedregon, who was sporting a bandage on the fingers onhis right hand. "A lot of times when something happens to your car, like when you drop a cylinder, you feel it, and I would have reacted. But it blew up, and I had instant flames, and the scary part was I didn't know where I was. I hit the wall very hard and I feel very lucky.

February 2, 2008 - Roanoke, AL
98 Total Entries

Regular Race:
1st: Timmy Smith  .003
2nd: Steve Cole    .073
 
Pro High Roller Race:
1st: Paul Espy   .003
2nd: Brandon Taylor   .005
 
Footbrake High Roller Race:
1st: Toby Barnes   .016
2nd: Stephen McCrory   -.001
 
Pro Tree Race:
1st: Timmy Smith   .009
2nd: Mike Smith     .011

Click Here to View Event Gallery 

The following cars are set to debut in the PSCA (Pacific Street Car Association in 2008.

DragCoverage.com received these spy photos of Andy Finley's New Ride for 2008. Finley, Prattville, AL, competes in various 6.00 Heads Up Events across the South.

Charles Carpenter’s race shop is set to become a veritable showroom for classic “shoebox” Chevys as he takes delivery of his brand new Terry Murphy-built ’55 Chevy. The car will join Carpenter’s original full-size ’55 and Pat Doherty’s menacing ’57 Chevy, but will take the place of one of the most unmistakable Pro Modified cars in recent history: Carpenter’s purple and yellow ’55.

After capturing two Pro Nitrous wins in the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League presented by the National Guard, Carpenter decided it was time to part ways with his trusty ride in favor of a lighter car purposely built for ADRL competition. That decision has ultimately benefited a fellow “shoebox” fan halfway around the world: Henri Joosten of Holland.

“It’s going to be tough to see her go, but I think she is going to a good new home,” Carpenter said of Joosten’s purchase. “Henri has been racing a ’55 over in Europe for quite some time, and I feel certain he will be thrilled with the car.”

Vis Viva Living Force Energy drink will sponsor Tuttle Motorsports and Top Fuel driver Alan Bradshaw for the 2008 NHRA POWERade season.

"We are very excited about our partnership with Tuttle Motorsports and can't wait to see Team Vis Viva debut this weekend in Pomona," said Attitude Drink Co. Senior Vice President of Marketing Dan Pikarsky. "Vis Viva is a healthful energy drink that gives you an experience unlike anything else, and you can say the same thing about the experience at an NHRA drag race. We chose Top Fuel because they are the quickest and fastest cars in the Professional classes. They are the 'kings of the sport,' and that's where we want to be."

Bradshaw, a practicing chiropractor in Odessa, Texas, is very enthusiastic about his new sponsor and the prospect of notching his first Top Fuel victory this season.

"I'm very optimistic about 2008," Bradshaw said. "I am surrounded by a team that has the experience and fortitude to win races and championships. When you take the commitment and expertise of Dexter Tuttle and combine that with a talented crew chief, Tony Shortall, and an awesome crew, the competition had better prepare for a hard-fought battle this season, especially when you consider the take-no-prisoners attitude of this team. Combine all that with a great sponsor like Vis Viva, and you have a very powerful combination to say the least."

Vis Viva is the flagship brand of functional drinks from Attitude Drink Co. in North Palm Beach, Fla.

After a very stressful and eventful month, 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ Matt Smith has finally landed a sponsor. Smith had been on pins and needles for the last few weeks, wondering if he would be able to defend his title in 2008, and now, with the help of Kenny Korestsky's company, Nitro Fish, Smith can live his dream.

“I am so relieved,” Smith said. “You have no idea how excited I am to be back racing. At this point last week, all I was going to race were the first few races, and now I am fully backed and can go out there and try and win this thing again. Kenny is amazing. Just when I was about to give up, he came to my rescue. This should be a very interesting year, and hopefully, we can put on another great show for all the NHRA fans.”

Koretsky called Smith last week and began negotiating figures. One thing led to another, and the two are paired for Smith's quest for a second NHRA world championship.

“How could I pass it up?” Koretsky commented. “I mean, it is by far the best bang for your buck out here. Matt is the champ. He is a very humble and hardworking young man, and I wanted to give him the opportunity to go out there and win again. I am very excited to be part of such an incredible team. The Smiths are great people. They have a family operation over there, and family is one thing that is very close to my heart.”

Smith will debut the Nitro Fish machine March 13-16 at the Pro Stock Motorcycle season opener in Gainesville, Fla. He will carry the number 1 on the side of his Nitro Fish Buell for the first time and has all hopes of keeping it there for a while.

Sources tell Agent DC that Joey "Hero" Martin will be taking over the driving duties of Culver Racing's 1988 Blown Thunderbird. The team's official press release is below:

"We are EXTREMELY excited about Joey coming over to drive this year ! We have had the car and engine. NOW we have THE driver to give the " I BLEED BLUE " Ford folks a Pro Mod to rally around. With a FIRST CLASS driver such as JOEY and his knowledge both behind the wheel, on the track and under the car. Well we are finally getting a team that can challenge the BIG BOYS. Between Our Mike Canter and Joey putting their heads together and Bill and I supporting them I feel the SKY is the LIMIT !. So Here is a BIG welcome for JOEY MARTIN to the Culver team and family !!
BODACIOUS has JUST lost 100 pounds ! We'll take the car to Joey this week so he can set Bodacious up just to his liking. Mike will have the motor ready when Bodacious comes back and then WATCH OUT !.......

A gentleman recently said he had been waiting a long time to see a FORD hemi finally FLY. WELL put your seats in the up right position and fasten your safety belt. We are currently taxiing to the run way and take off will be soon with a ALL FORD Pro Mod ! Seriously with Joey in Pilot seat and Mike Canter as Senior flight engineer " Bodacious" will FLY.

WE won't let ya'll down.

THERE IS A STORM COMING !! AND ITS CALLED BODACIOUS !

Joe Culver"

NHRA was notifed that HD Partners Acquisition Corporation decided not to aquire all of NHRA's professional racing assets. The chief executive officer of HD, Eddy Hartenstein, stated that they did not receive the necessary number of votes to finalize the transaction and that in the time since HD first announced this transaction in May of 2007, HD have witnessed a dramatic shift in both the financial markets and the perceived strength of the U.S. economy, which they believe adversely impacted the final outcome of this transaction.

NHRA will continue to operate as it has in the past.  NHRA
worked closely with HD Partners the last several months to finalize
the transaction.  Given the time and energy spent on this effort, NHRA has no plans to pursue a similar opportunity in the near future.  For now, NHRA will remain focused on the business and continued growth of NHRA. 

Funny Car racer James Day, the son-in-law of mega-team owner Don Schumacher, has landed a major sponsorship deal with rock-n-roll legend Stephen Pearcy and Top Fuel Records. Day and his DLS Motorsports race team will compete at all 24 races with Dave Fletcher and Chris Nance sharing tuning duties.

Pearcy is the front man for the platinum-selling heavy metal rock band Ratt who is continuing his involvement with NHRA Championship Drag Racing after a successful run with Top Fuel driver Clay Millican in 2007. Millican was sidelined indefinitely when his team owner, Evan knoll, scaled back his racing interests.

"It's really exciting for me to start with a team from ground zero," Pearcy said. "They remind me of a hard core rock band chasing something they're so passionate about. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Ratt and 2008 is the Year of the Ratt on the Chinese calendar so we are definitely ready to Ratt n' Roll this season."

The 29-year-old Day is a former sportsman racer with experience in both Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Alcohol dragster. He also drove a Nostalgia Top Fuel rail before earning his Funny Car license last fall, after which he attempted to make the fields at the second Las Vegas race and the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

"James is a very good driver," team owner Dave Smith said. "More importantly, he's a good person. He has good morals, he's a good speaker, and he has a lot of racing knowledge. I definitely think he has what it takes to succeed at this level as he's already become a key person in this operation."

Day most recently did public relations and marketing for Schumacher's race team. Early last year, Day returned to his native California and began working with Diamond Bar-based DLS Motorsports.

On Jan. 24th 2008  Viscardi Boyz Racing entered into a contract with Jerry Haas Race Cars, Inc. to build a new state of the art Pro Mod car for Alex "Boom Boom" Viscardi.