News & Dirt

Either Goodyear Fuel Tire to be Accepted in Pomona; Announcement Forthcoming

(1-31-2006) - Torco's CompetitionPlus.com has learned through a reliable source that the NHRA will allow teams to run either Goodyear fuel tire in Pomona. Reportedly the law of supply and demand made the decision for them.

A letter was issued today by the NHRA's John Miller.

The letter stated, "For the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona and the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals in Phoenix, the only tires available from Goodyear for all Top Fuel and Funny Car teams will be either the Goodyear tire 2420 or 1430 for competition. During the Las Vegas test session, this weekend (Feb. 2-5), the only tire available from Goodyear will be the Goodyear tire 2420, while the 1430 tire will only be on hand at the national events."

Koretsky’s KPK Motorsports, Orange County Choppers Form Partnership

(1-31-2006) - Kenny Koretsky’s KPK Motorsports and Orange County Choppers have formed a marketing partnership that will see the OCC logo prominently displayed on Koretsky’s Nitro Fish Wear Pro Stock Dodge and the Werner Enterprises/Nitro Fish Wear/Motel 6 Top Fuel dragster driven by Clay Millican during the 2006 drag racing season.

“We are very happy to be working with Paul Teutul Sr. and Orange County Choppers,” said Koretsky, of Richboro, Pa. “Paul and his sons Paul Jr. and Mikey create their innovative custom motorcycles in Montgomery, N.Y. Their shop is also featured on the popular television show, American Chopper, which can be seen on the Discovery Channel on Monday nights at 10 p.m.”

This is the Teutuls’ first involvement in drag racing. Paul Sr. has built custom motorcycles for more than 30 years and began doing it on a regular basis when he opened Orange County Choppers in 1999 as an extension of his burgeoning Orange County Ironworks steel fabrication plant.

“We are excited to be associated with Kenny and his race teams,” said Paul Sr., “and we are looking forward to a great racing season.”

Koretsky is overseeing his teams as they prepare for the National Hot Rod Association season-opener at Pomona, Calif., Feb. 9-12. Mike Thomas will be driving his Nitro Fish Wear Dodge. Millican will be looking to extend his record five consecutive International Hot Rod Association Top Fuel championships and 46 career race victories. Koretsky also expects Millican to compete in 12 to 14 NHRA races.

Ben Bray’s New Monaro Impressive in Early Testing

(1-31-2006) - Following its dramatic unveiling on January 13th, the new supercharged Holden Monaro of two-time and defending Top Doorslammer champion Ben “The Kid” Bray took to the track at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway this week for the first in a series of test sessions.

Ben and his dad, six-time Top Doorslammer champ Victor Bray, are now running under the Castrol Edge banner. It’s the first time the record-breaking duo have campaigned a pair of team cars, and if preliminary results are any indication, the new Monaro will be a perfect running mate to Victor’s trademark ’57 Chevy.

This week’s testing is a prelude to the upcoming Summernationals, being held the weekend of February 9-11 at Western Sydney International Dragway.

According to Victor, Ben suffered through a minor case of “new car blues” as he attempted to make a couple of test launches. The bugs were quickly worked out, however, and after a few half-track squirts Ben aimed the fearsome new Monaro towards the top end of the track, running through the traps in an incredible 6.08-seconds at 244.57 mph!

“Not a bad start, we reckon,” said Victor. “One run doesn't make a successful race car but it is a good start.” No doubt the competition would agree!

MAC TOOLS RENEWS SPONSORSHIP OF PRESTIGIOUS U.S. NATIONALS AT HISTORIC INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK

(1-31-2006) – Mac Tools has signed a multi-year agreement with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to extend its title sponsorship of the U.S. Nationals, the world’s most prestigious drag race.

The 52nd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals will be held Aug. 30-Sept. 4 at historic Indianapolis Raceway Park, continuing a celebrated association as one of the four major motorsports event to be held in the nation’s auto racing capital city, sharing the spotlight with racing’s three other crown jewels which are held at the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway—the Indy 500, Brickyard 400 and U.S. Grand Prix.

The $2.6 million race is the 18th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series for 2006. The demanding six-day event will showcase more than 1,000 drag racing vehicles and competition in 12 NHRA categories, including the marquee 7,000 horsepower Top Fuel and Funny Car categories. The event features more than 10 hours of television coverage provided by ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.

The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals can define a drag racing career and past winners of the event comprise a who’s who of the quarter-mile sport, including its greatest legends: Nine-time winner Bob Glidden; ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits, an eight-time winner; seven-time winner Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme, three-time winner Kenny Bernstein and Shirley Muldowney, the Top Fuel winner in 1982. Current stars Tony Schumacher, a four-time winner, and Larry Dixon, a three-time winner and the event’s defending Top Fuel champ, will headline the pre-race favorites.

“Mac Tools is extremely pleased to continue this title sponsorship of the most historic and tradition-rich drag race in the world, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals,” said John Aden, president, Mac Tools. “We look forward to continuing our high-profile association with NHRA and Indianapolis Raceway Park, and the increased brand awareness through the maximum exposure that this significant event provides.”

The commitment maintains Mac Tools’ wide involvement with the NHRA. The tool company also is the primary sponsor for Doug Kalitta’s Top Fuel dragster and provides associate sponsorship for several NHRA competitors, including John Force, Brandon Bernstein, Dixon and Del Worsham, among others.

“It’s very gratifying to see a proven sponsor like Mac Tools continue its involvement with NHRA Drag Racing at the highest level,” said Gary Darcy, senior vice president, sales and marketing, NHRA. “By continuing its title sponsorship of the prestigious U.S. Nationals, Mac Tools has clearly demonstrated a long-term commitment to the sport.”

The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals is the marquee event held at Indianapolis Raceway Park, which also features NASCAR stock car racing, the USAC series and SCCA road racing, among others. The oldest event on the NHRA circuit, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals was first held in Great Bend, Kan. in 1955, before moving to Kansas City in 1956. For two years (1957-‘58) it was held in Oklahoma City before moving to Detroit for two years (1959-‘60). The race found its permanent home, Indianapolis Raceway Park, in 1961, where many memorable finishes have been showcased over the years.

“We’re proud to continue our great association with Mac Tools as the title sponsor for our biggest annual event,” said Ron Anderson, general manager, Indianapolis Raceway Park. “We realize this event generates a lot of excitement throughout the drag racing community and the world because of its rich history. We’ve enjoyed strengthening and enhancing that experience through our alliance with Mac Tools and we look forward to many more years of this outstanding partnership.”

New tire doubts circulating in Phoenix; New game plan for Pomona?

(1-30-2006) - The million dollar question begging to be asked is will the new tire be the spec for Pomona or not?" Torco's CompetitionPlus.com has confirmed through multiple sources that some teams are returning to the old tire because they have run out of the "shoulderless" version. They have also done so out of frustration.

One driver, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said, "There's only 100 sets of the old tire left and the problem is that we are going through the new tires and getting maybe one run before they are junk. We are running out of the new supply as well. Nobody can get down the track with the new one. You get maybe one out of six runs. Hardly anyone has put together two runs in a row."

Another driver admitted that the same chunking issue is present with the new version.

"It's a strange tire," he said. "We made over 11 runs and I got down at least once without shaking the tire. We said ‘screw this’ and put on the old tire and went right down the track with no problems whatsoever."

The jury is out as to whether the shoulderless tire will be mandatory for Pomona.

Flaming River Joins Mike Janis Racing’s Family of Sponsors

(1-30-2006) – Flaming River Industries, a leading manufacturer of steering components, has agreed to join the Mike Janis Racing Incorporated family of sponsors.

Flaming River Industries is well known in the Street Rod world for its quality line of steering products. Through its partnership with Mike Janis Racing Inc. Flaming River is looking forward to expanding its presence in the racing world. Flaming River’s Communications Manager, Steve Cole, sees a promising future for Flaming River through its involvement with Mike Janis Racing Inc. He observed, “Through Flaming River’s new partnership with two-time IHRA Pro Modified World Champion Mike Janis and Mike Janis Racing Inc., Flaming River plans to more aggressively market our quality line of steering products and accessories to the racing market. Our line of battery kill switches are the gold standard for the motorsports industry, and our goal is to place our steering systems at the same level.

“Our products meet the highest standard in the industry…ours. We feel our products and our services can be an asset not only to Mike and his team but also to all race teams. Several of our products will be used on Mike’s new Cobalt and there are plans to incorporate more. If a winning team like Mike’s relies on Flaming River…shouldn’t you?”

Each of Flaming River’s products are designed to incorporate new parts... absolutely nothing is rebuilt. This ensures that Flaming River can maintain stringent quality standards, improve the design and offer long-range product availability. Over the past 18 years, Flaming River has designed many award winning products including the tilt steering column program which won the 2001 SEMA Best New Street Rod Product Award and the collapsible steering column which took home the NSRA New Street Rod Product of the Year Safety Award for 2003.

The Flaming River logo is molded into every casting for long-term quality assurance. If it doesn't say Flaming River, it just isn't good enough!

Mike Janis Racing’s Team Manager, Rob Kozak, feels that the association between Flaming River and Mike Janis Racing just makes sense. “Flaming River’s line of products and accessories are top of the line. Each product is built new and tested. With Flaming River’s commitment to quality and safety it just makes sense to use them in a 240 mile per hour car where safety is a primary concern. I feel that once other teams see the quality and reliability of Flaming River’s product, as they perform on our car, it won’t be long before they become a standard in the drag racing world.”

Greg Anderson Nominated for Speed Channel Driver of the Year

(1-30-2006) - Three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion, Greg Anderson, driver of the KB Racing/Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTO, has been nominated for the 2005 Speed Channel Driver of the Year.

“I feel very privileged to have been nominated for the 2005 Driver of the Year,” said Anderson, who won the 2004 Speed Channel Driver of the Year award becoming only the second NHRA driver since John Force in 1996 to claim the prestigious award.

“I would like to thank the media and fans for helping us show how competitive and exciting NHRA POWERade Drag Racing is. Without their support, it could never have grown into such a highly publicized sport. It would be a great honor for a NHRA driver to win two years in a row.”

Anderson captured his third consecutive NHRA title in 2005, joining drag racing legends Bob Glidden and Lee Shepherd on a short and exclusive list of drivers who have won three Pro Stock championships in a row.

The Concord, N.C. driver started the 2005 season slowly, winning his first event at Atlanta, the seventh NHRA national event of the year. He returned to form after the mid-season break and won five of the final nine events, including four-in-a-row. He ended 2005 with eight wins in 11 final rounds.

In its 39th year, the DRIVER OF THE YEAR Award will be determined by an independent vote of an 18-member panel of blue ribbon auto racing journalists and broadcasters and one vote based on a cumulative tally by fans voting at www.speedtv.com. Fan voting for the 2005 Speed Channel Driver of the Year has already begun.

In addition to Anderson, other drivers nominated include: Sebastien Bourdais (Champ Car), Steve Kinser (World of Outlaws), Tony Schumacher (NHRA), Tony Stewart (NASCAR), and Dan Wheldon (IRL).

Drivers' achievements are evaluated using the following criteria: Track Performance (Wins, top five finishes, top ten finishes and pole qualifying), Sportsmanship (Conduct and professionalism), Humanitarianism (Participation in and willingness to support philanthropic causes) and Fan Recognition (Popularity among motorsports enthusiasts).

The winner will be announced exclusively on SPEED Wednesday, February 15th at 8:00pm ET.

Pre-Entry List tops 70 for 6th annual Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco Race Fuels CompetitionPlus.com

(1-30-2006) - A handful of nitro, Pro Stock and over a dozen Pro Modified teams represent the early pre-entry list for the 6th annual Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco Race Fuels CompetitionPlus.com to be held March 9 - 14 at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. This high profile test session has traditionally been held the week before the NHRA Gatornationals. Originally hosted by Virginia Motorsports Park, better weather conditions have encouraged a move further south for 2006.

Click here to view latest entry list: ESTN

A special e-mail address has been set up for those professional or sportsman teams that wish to pre-enter online. Online pre-entries can be e-mailed to ESTN2006preentry@aol.com.

The following information must be included with each pre-entry:

Car Number:
Classification:
Driver Name:
Team Owner Name:
Address:
City, State & Zip:
Phone Number You Can Be Best Reached At:
Car Make:
Sponsor (if applicable):

Days you plan on attending - NOTE - If you plan on attending the complete event, please list - COMPLETE EVENT:

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Scott Kalitta uninjured in fiery Phoenix testing crash

(1-29-2006) - Sunday morning coming down -- Scott Kalitta miraculously was more angry than injured after his Funny Car malfunctioned, slingshotted him across the track and into the wall at full speed in Sunday morning's first session.

The Kalitta Air Funny Car's burst panel came off at the first hit, slid up and jammed into the injector. That caused the throttle to stick open. The car, which has shown a tendency to drift to the left on just about every pass and had sent Kalitta into the wall at Las Vegas a week ago, veered from the right lane into the left retaining wall about 100 feet past the finish line. The car made contact twice with the wall at full speed, spraying shrapnel into the air, then caught fire. It stopped beyond the sand pit.

"The throttle hung wide open," Larry Meyer, co-crew chief with Johnny West, said. "He was going over 260. He ran 250 at half-track. It could have been as high as 280. When I turned around from the starting line, I thought it was all over. It was pretty bad.

"I guess it was kind of a stroke of luck," Meyer said. "He almost had it straight when it hit the wall. It didn't head into the wall. It was skidding sideways. It banged the wall almost flat. That was the good part. He was just mad, upset."

Kalitta was uninjured and opted not to go to a hospital as a precaution. He returned immediately to his Kalitta Motorsports pit.

Because Kalitta does not like to use a radio inside the Funny Car, the crew had no contact with him during the accident or in the seconds afterward. "He said he was coherent all the time, knew what was going on, grabbed the 'chutes, pulled the fire bottles, brought 'er to a stop, grabbed the brake," Meyer said. He said the car "barely went into the sand trap, maybe two car lengths or something like that."

Scott Kalitta declined to comment about the accident. But Connie Kalitta, Scott Kalitta's father and team owner, said his son mostly damaged his ego.

Surprisingly, the car will be ready within six or seven days. Said Meyer, "Anything can be fixed. It depends on how bad you want to fix it. We're going to fix that body, just so we can put it on and get his license next week in Las Vegas. We just lasered the chassis, and it seems to be just fine."

All Kalitta needs to do to renew his Funny Car license is make one full pass at more than 255 mph.

"You wouldn't think it'd be that hard," Meyer said with a bit of laugh. He said he thinks the Kalitta braintrust has the problem figured out. "The body was flexing so bad, it was coming down and rubbing on that left front tire. It slows it down, and the right one drives him to the left all the time. We just didn't catch it before."

"He's fine. He went back with the crew," attending EMT Mike McKinney said at the top end of the track. "He was upset about the incident -- an understandably so."

Racers For Christ's Linda Smiley said, "He's mad -- but good. When they get feisty and cantankerous, you say, 'Whew!' "

The underside of the chassis scraped the pavement as it was towed back to the pits. The scorched and torn body rode back on a flatbed truck.

"He's all right," teammate Dave Grubnic said of Scott Kalitta minutes after the crash. "They have evidence [about what went wrong], and they'll get it fixed." - fs

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Millican's new deal

(1-29-2006) - If the throaty rumble clue in our rumors section didn't give you an idea who Clay Millican's new deal is with, this freshly applied Orange County Choppers decal will. Paul Tuetel, Sr. and "Captain Chaos" Kenny Koretsky...now there's a combination.

If what we're hearing comes to pass, a Pro Stock Bike in 2007 could be a reality.

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Part-time doesn't cut it for NHRA; Reid to be replaced

(1-29-2006) - Sources have confirmed that although Marty Reid has offered to work the NHRA events that don't conflict with the Indy Racing League he's scheduled to cover for ESPN/ABC, the Glendora Gang has opted to replace him after Phoenix. Reportedly, the NHRA's desire is to develop continuity in their broadcasts, something Reid couldn't offer with his limited schedule. The leading candidate is said to be Paul Page, a former Indy 500 announcer.

This comes on the heels of a behind-the-scenes "hush-hush" dismissal of well-respected announcer Bob Unkefer.

Lucas not happy after carnage-filled day

(1-29-2006) -- Morgan Lucas didn't have spectacular numbers Saturday in Phoenix testing, but he did have a flashy-looking moment at the beginning of one run Saturday afternoon. Running next to Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army Dragster, Lucas' family-owned Top Fuel car gave a loud bang and lit up with a small but startling fireball at about 100 feet off the starting line.

"It was an ignorant parts failure. We had a brand-new set of lifters and three or four of them went bad," Lucas said. "It just mushroomed and dropped some valves because of it. It looked a lot worse than it really was, but at the same time it wasn't really that good. The manifold's junk. The case on the blower's junk. The rods and pistons are all junk.

"The first pass was probably on track to go (4.)51 or 52," Lucas said. "We were finally getting the fuel system figured out and go around the right way, and we were going to go to half-track now because we were trying to creep up on it so we don’t hurt anything. We made it about 10 feet and we hurt everything."

Lucas said, "The money side of it's not what bothers me. Whenever you have stuff that you pay a lot of money for . . . It just sucks. When people buy things from Kragen [the auto parts store], 95 percent of the time it'll be fine. Out here, you pay 10 times he price, and 15 percent of the time it's fine. It's just the world we live in. It's what we do to ourselves."

He said the problem now isn't fixing the Lucas Oil Dragster. "We have enough stuff. We'll be fine. It's just aggravating, because we don’t know how many lifters are in that state. How many time are we going to step on that pedal and have that happen this weekend?

"The problem is we came out there with six complete motors," Lucas said, "and we'll have all the parts at Pomona to put together another two. We only had four blowers and now we're down to one already, and we still got three more days of testing to go."

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And the Force goes Boom!

(1-29-2006) - The one thing john Force and Austin Coil afraid of happening happened during testing. The damage was minimal to the 2006 Mustang body despite a lifted burst panel.

What The Heck Is That?

(1-28-2006) - Of course, testing brings out the odd things. Pro Modified further intensifies that notion as evidenced by Troy Critchley with the AMS Corvette.

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Hey, You might need that

(1-28-2006) - If you can imagine a worst case scenario or a one in a million sequence, it happened during the U.S. Street nationals in Bradenton, Fla. The front end comes off of the Camaro in the right lane only to infere with the other causing that entry to lose its hood.

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Gullet suffers scary Bradenton crash

(1-28-2006) - A report as well as graphic proof comes to us that Pro 5.0 Mustang racer Wade Gullet was involved in a devastating crash during Friday time trials at Bradenton's street-legal drag event.

Racing in Pro Street Outlaw, Gullet experienced an apparent fluid leak around the eighth-mile. The fluid got under the right rear tire and caused him to lose control. He

then crossed over into the right lane behind Pat Musi, turning sharply to avoid the right wall and then barrell rolled across the track to collide with the left wall just past the emergency vehicle. Striking the wall launched Gullet very high into the air with pieces of the car reaching higher than 100 feet.

Gullet was air lifted to the local hospital for evaualtion. There is no word of his condition at this time

Click here for the full crash sequence.

UPDATE - According to a track official, Gullet was kept in the hospital overnight for observation and released this morning. Suffering from a mild concussion, Gullett reportedly will make an appearance at the track later today.

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U.S. Street Nationals Photo Gallery

(1-28-2006) - While our team in Bradenton works hard to gather all the news from the U.S. Street Nationals, we felt it appropriate to provide this Bradenton Photo Gallery.

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Doling out the Mopar Funny Car bodies

(1-28-2006) - Gary Scelzi will get the first one. Whit Bazemore gets the second. Ron Capps gets the third. But team owner Don Schumacher said the staggered arrival of the new Dodge Charger Funny Car bodies won't affect the championship chances of any of his Funny Car drivers.

"There's a slight difference between the Stratus and Charger," Schumacher said, "but we're comfortable running either one of them."

The timetable is a bit sketchy still for the Charger debut. Schumacher said, "We have one getting ready to go to be painted the first of next week."

Depending on readiness and testing, the team could unveil Scelzi's Cahrger at the Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals -- the second national event of the season -- at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona. "Otherwise, it'll be at Gainesville," Schumacher said.

He added that the team "may have two at Gainesville. It'd be a real push to have three there."

The boss added that while any driver might be a bit peeved to be last on the list and receive the third new body, he might have the best deal of the trio. He said that by the time the third one comes along, Capps could benefit from an improved version.

Schumacher quickly added that any of his three Funny Car drivers would perform admirably inside any body. "Give them a great body, and they'll do a great job."- Susan Wade

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Place your bets

(1-27-2006) - We reported in our Las Vegas pit notes the folks at POWERade were filming a commercial for the Full Throttle brand on Monday. Although we were asked by officials not to post until January 30th, we figured if the NHRA and others are posting then it ought to be fine too. If you're a Pittsburgh Steelers fan you might want to adjust the clutch for the Super Bowl next week in Detroit.

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Nothing like Camo

(1-27-2006) - When the Don Schumacher racing Pro Stockers roll to the line, this will be the look the Dodge Stratus sports in 2006.

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Mike Thomas, Dave Northrup to Drive Nitro Fish Wear Pro Stock Dodges in 2006

 
(1-27-2006) - Kenny Koretsky plans to sit out most of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Series season and he’s chosen veteran Pro Stock competitor Mike Thomas to replace him in the seat of the Nitro Fish Wear Dodge Stratus.  Additionally, Dave Northrop will run a partial schedule in another Nitro Fish Dodge.
 
“I don’t believe my body has recovered from the injuries from my accident (with Bruce Allen) in Texas last October,” said Koretsky, who suffered numerous injuries in the horrific crash.  “I will be at most of the races, but watching from the sidelines.
 
“Mike did an excellent job last year when he drove for me in three races in July and the two after my accident.  He’ll be running all 23 races this year.  Dave ran several races in my second Nitro Fish Dodge in 2005 and he plans to do 10 to 15 events this year.  I’m really looking forward to working with both of them.”
 
Eddie Guarnaccia, Koretsky’s longtime friend, crew chief and race team general manager, will work with both cars.
 
“I’m really excited,” said Thomas, of Knoxville, Tenn.  “We know this car will qualify well and run in the top half of the field.  I’m looking forward to working with Eddie again.  I rank him in the top five Pro Stock crew chiefs out there.  Larry Morgan is still building the engines and we know he can make Hemi horsepower.”
 
Thomas was the No. 1 qualifier at last season’s Seattle race and was No. 2 the following weekend at Sonoma, Calif.
 
“We’re looking forward to testing at Las Vegas (Feb. 3-5) and going to Pomona the next weekend (for the season-opening Winternationals, Feb. 9-12),” added Thomas.
 
Northrop, of Perkasie, Pa., shares Thomas’ enthusiasm. 
 
“I’m real excited and think it is a good opportunity for our race team,” Northrop said.  “We know we’ll have a competitive Nitro Fish/ISC Racer’s Tape Dodge.”
 
Koretsky, meanwhile, expects to have a major associate sponsor announcement early next week.

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Berner fires shot in private Valdosta test session

(1-27-2006) - A new car, new engine combination and the same fiery enthusiasm was enough of a formula to get the point across that a brand change hasn't hampered Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock driver Pete Berner in the least. Berner generated a 6.382, 219.96 in his return to General Motors with a Pontiac GTO.

Despite shifter problems on some opening runs, Berner still blasted a 4.129.

Paint the town JEG'S yellow

(1-27-2006) - The JEG'S brand is already widely known to NHRA drag racing fans through their highly-recognizable commercials, their championship-winning racecars, and the familiar yellow-and-black motif. Now, thanks to Valspar and their House of Kolors brand, consumers can paint their world JEG'S yellow as Valspar has approved and made available the color "JEG'S yellow" (Y1899). This shade is available for Automotive and Fleet use effective immediately.

"If there is one thing I have noticed since overseeing our marketing efforts in the NHRA it's that the JEG'S brand is a strong as it gets," said Randy Tinsley, program manager for Valspar Motorsports. "We couldn't be more excited to help broaden the reach of the JEG'S colors throughout the automotive world and we wanted to guarantee that everyone gets the official JEG'S yellow every time. This yellow just pops out. It's very powerful."

"Valspar and House of Kolors are leaders in the automotive world," said Scott Woodruff, director of motorsports and media for JEG'S. "This is the same yellow we use on all of our JEG'S vehicles. We're thrilled to co-brand our product with a company like Valspar that has always insisted that each of it's products is top-shelf."

Barbara Parks Passes

(1-26-2006) - Barbara Parks, wife of NHRA founder Wally Parks and a driving force behind the early successes of the 54-year-old sanctioning body, succumbed to cancer Jan. 25 after a long battle with the devastating illness. She was 82.

She was active to the end, remaining at her husband’s side as he pursued with painstaking effectiveness the efficient operation of an NHRA museum, a monument to the sport’s illustrious history and a showcase of the archival record of NHRA drag racing. Many of the features showcased in the museum, now named for its founder as the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, are the product of Barbara’s vision, creativeness and talents.

Barbara’s personality beamed with wit and intellect. Despite what some may assume her lifestyle to be due to her passion for hot rodding and drag racing, Barbara was an aficionado of various forms of music—in particular jazz—and modern art. She will be remembered as a person of class and character, but more importantly, she will never be forgotten as the one individual who was behind the scenes working with Wally Parks, who, from “day one,” introduced the National Hot Rod Association and vigorously pursued its influence and impact throughout the world.

“We mourn the passing of many legends in motorsports, but few can match the dedication and passion with which Barbara Parks devoted her time to the National Hot Rod Association and all of its programs. In her memory lives an unmatched commitment and loyalty to a sport and the people in it she so dearly loved. We admired her for her understanding of the sport and all that it means to so many thousands of participants, and we respected her for her knowledge, good humor, fairness and understanding. Although she is no longer with us, her spirit will endure and will always be an important part of the history of NHRA and championship drag racing,” stated Tom Compton, president of the National Hot Rod Association.

Barbara is survived by “her family,” all of the people who make up the sport of drag racing and the hot rod movement. She never hesitated to refer to her family as all the people of NHRA—not just employees, but drivers, crewmembers and fans. That, of course, is a fitting tribute to the woman who gave her all so that those of us involved could have a sport we love and enjoy, and careers that would not have been possible without her foresight.

Arrangements are pending.

Remembrances of Mrs. Parks may be emailed to the NHRA at remember@nhra.com

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Spy Photo - Quain Stott's Outlaw Pro Mod Corvette

(1-26-2006) - Here's the first look at Quain Stott's second Pro Mod car. The supercharged Corvette will run in IHRA and Outlaw competition in 2006 with Tommy D'Aprille, Brian Pfeiffer and Dave Heitzman sharing the driving duties.

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Jason and Cindy Line proud parents of baby boy

(1-26-2006) - Jason and Cindy Line became proud parents of a boy when Cindy gave birth to Jack Vincent Line at 12:46 p.m. in a local Charlotte-area hospital on Tuesday, January 24.

Jack Vincent Line crossed the scales at 7 pounds and 2 ounces and was 21 inches long. Both Cindy and the new baby are doing fine, as is Jason, who took a few days off to admire and spoil his new offspring.

Jason drives the KB Racing Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock Pontiac GTO on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and finished second in the 2004 POWERade point standing and third in 2005.

Jason will take to the track when the NHRA CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals, the season-opening event on the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, unfolds at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.) on Feb. 9-12.

KB Racing is owned by Las Vegas businessman Ken Black. KB Racing fields two Pro Stock cars, driven by Greg Anderson and Jason Line on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Anderson has won three consecutive POWERade Pro Stock Championships (2003-2005). Line finished third in the 2005 POWERade point standings and was honored with the 2004 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future award, presented to the most outstanding rookie in a professional category. This year KB Racing will also begin fielding a Top Fuel Dragster, managed by Kalitta Motorsports, with rookie Top Fuel driver Hillary Will handling the driving duties.

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South Georgia's Michele Mullins Named Miss ADRL 2006

(1-26-2006) - The search for the 2006 Miss FLOWMASTER ADRL ended before it ever really began, when South Georgia college student Michele Mullins received a phone call from ADRL marketing coordinator Jessica Alcoke today informing her that the crown was hers.

"I was put in charge of finding someone who was not only attractive, but would also represent the ADRL and our marketing partners in a professional manner," said Alcoke. "After meeting Michele during our pre-event visit to Valdosta last week, I knew no matter how many portfolios that I reviewed, I was going to have a difficult time finding someone that could top her. She has all the qualities that we were looking for, and I think that our fans will agree that she's pretty easy on the eyes as well."

Mullins, a 23 year old college student majoring in communications, was born in Panama City, Fla. but has lived in South Georgia most of her life. "I was thrilled when I got the call", said Mullins. "To be able to represent a nationally recognized organization such as the ADRL is obviously a great opportunity for me. I have never actually been to a drag race before, after watching just a few minutes on DVD though, I can't wait to see it in person."

Although Michele was just crowned today, her duties as Miss FLOWMASTER ADRL 2006 will begin right away. Michele will be in the studio for a photo shoot in the coming days and will be featured in several items including posters, calendars and an upcoming issue of Adrenaline: The Magazine. All of these items will be available for purchase on outlawpromods.com and also at the ADRL's merchandise trailer at all seven 2006 FLOWMASTER ADRL national events.

The 2006 FLOWMASTER ADRL season opens February 17-18 in Valdosta, Georgia at the 2nd annual SpeedTech Winter Drags.

For anyone attending the Winter Drags, Michele will be signing autographs at the ADRL merchandise trailer immediately following the second round of Professional qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

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