NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series teams have had a nine-week break since their last event in Norwalk, Ohio, and Brad Personett says he and his Personett Performance team has been spending the time busily getting ready for the world’s most prestigious drag race.

After a slow start to the season, which was hampered by an untimely testing crash in Tulsa, Okla. which forced the team to miss the event in Houston, Personett says he and his crew have been working overtime to get back in the hunt during the inaugural season of the NHRA’s newest national touring series.

After making repairs to his ultra-fast ’68 Camaro following the crash, Personett raced to five consecutive top speeds and posted a runner-up finish at the Norwalk event. He says he feels the team is finally in position to try and win its first Get Screened America Pro Mod Series event at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, Sept. 1-6 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

The excitement in Bob Glidden’s voice told the story.

The ten-time NHRA Pro Stock champion and nine-time Indy winner, after a successful test with Jim Cunningham’s Mustang Pro Stocker will compete in this weekend’s NHRA U.S. Nationals.

“This was a pretty big deal for me just getting to drive this car,” admitted Glidden, who was en route from Martin, Mich., to Indianapolis on Wednesday afternoon.

A recurring theme of late has been the difficulties in maintaining a competitive edge – and that difficulty has, more often than not, been the result of funding more than anything else.  Tony Pedregon is three years removed from his last championship, and he’s feeling the pinch.  Although he’s qualified for the Countdown, he didn’t charge into the field but rather, limped into it in the tenth and last position.  But regardless of his position, as the post-season begins he’s just 110 points behind first place.  Realizing he was struggling, he made a major move back at the Englishtown race to help him climb higher.  He called Mike Kloeber for assistance.

Make no mistake about it, Mr. Pedregon is no dummy, and is certainly capable of running his car without assistance – but this is the era of the professional tuner, and he knows it.  Trying to run a race team, interact with his sponsors, then drive the car and make time for the fans is emotionally and physically draining.  Trying to do it all by adding in the tuning responsibility is just too much to even contemplate.

Kloeber has been around the industry for a long time and has even been an extremely informative and erudite contributor to Attitude Apparel’s CompetitionPlus.com.  His series on fuel racing were mandatory reading for anyone interested in the sport.  More than a teacher, Kloeber earned more than a handful of championship rings with IHRA Top Fuel standout Clay Millican, and a year ago he was Bob Tasca III’s first professional crew chief.  Need more?  Kloeber has also spun wrenches and analyzed computer readouts for the likes of Hall of Famers Dale Pulde and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, among others.

The first day of the 56th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals are in the books with the unlikeliest of racing combinations atop the 164-car Stock eliminator field.

Charles Blossom stormed to 13.900 elapsed time, -1.77 under the D/Front Wheel-drive Stock index to put over four tenths between his 146-inch Dodge powered PT Crusier, and the No. 2 qualifier Cory Bales, who runs an E/Stock Automatic 2009 Dodge Challenger.

Rounding out the top ten of Stock qualifiers in the 172-entry field is Dempsey Pendarvis [C/SA, 2009 Challenger], Jeff Teuton [G/SA, 2009 Challenger], Chris Holbrook [E/SA, 2010 Mustang], PB Candies [E/SA, 2009 Challenger], Irvin Johns [D/SA, 2009 Challenger], Steve Polhill [EF/S, 1982 Escort], Ronald Seibenick [EF/S, 1984 Topaz] and Don Fezell [AA/S, 2008 Mustang].

For the second time this season, Tasca Racing will switch from their familiar red-and-white Motorcraft schemes to the blue-and-white colors of FordParts.com.  Tasca and the Wood Brothers are bringing the FordParts.com liveries to compete in their respective NHRA and NASCAR races over the Labor Day Weekend, September 3-6.
 
Launched in June, FordParts.com allows repair shops, body shops, fleets, and do-it-yourselfers to order Genuine Ford and Motorcraft® parts online.  Once a part is ordered, consumers have the flexibility of choosing in-store pick-up or having the parts delivered to their home or shop. FordParts.com takes the guesswork out of ordering with VIN-search look up for over 280,000 parts and more than 22,000 detailed technical diagrams of parts and assemblies.

Classes are available for the upcoming fall and early winter months at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School and offerings are held at several locations throughout the US.

With well over 20,000 graduates from its various programs since 1985, Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School offers NHRA licensing courses in Super Comp and Super Gas, where a driver can obtain their NHRA 4A and/or 4B license upon completion of the two day course and be certified to compete as quick as 7.50 seconds in a quarter mile.

This class is known as the “Super Class” and is the school’s most popular program, where graduates have gone on to be many of today’s top sportsman and professional drivers throughout all of the drag racing sanctioning bodies and series in the US and the World.

The dates have been announced for the 53rd running of nostalgia drag racing’s premier event, the 2011 March Meet. The three-day event will take place March 18-20, 2011 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, just outside Bakersfield, Calif.
 
"Traditionally, the March Meet is held the first week of March", said Blake Bowser, vice president and general manager of the Kern County Racing Association, operators of Auto Club Famoso Raceway and producers of the fabled March Meet.
 
“We decided to hold the March Meet later in the month for a few reasons,” Bowser explained. “The first and second weekend of March may be too close to the NHRA Winternationals. Traditionally the Winternationals is held in early February.  In 2011 the Winternationals will be held the last weekend of February. A lot of our local race fans want to attend both, but it gets difficult for them when they are held only a few weeks apart. Also, thanks to the NHRA, we use the Winternationals as a promotional springboard to help kick-off the March Meet. The extra few weeks give us more time to get the word out.”

The American Drag Racing League (ADRL) announced that e-tickets are now currently available on its website for the final race of the 2010 season, the LenMar Motorsports World Finals VI, which take place on Oct. 22-23 from Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TX.

The convenient e-ticketing process allows fans an opportunity to print their own complimentary tickets off the ADRL website – www.ADRL.us - thanks in part to the generous support from ADRL sponsors.

The World Finals are annually one of the most anticipated events of the ADRL season, as world championships and the Speedtech “Battle For The Belts” will be on the line in all six ADRL classes.

Race fans attending the Oct. 28-31 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Las Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be able to ride Coach America shuttle busses from the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas to the event.

Coach America will sell the passes at a desk inside the lobby of Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino.

While much of the focus this past weekend was on the huge Nitro Jam in southern Maryland, just two hours south in the heart of downtown Richmond the state of Virginia was also gearing up for its chance to host the nation’s most exciting motorsports event as local officials rolled out the red carpet and welcomed Nitro Jam back to Virginia in anticipation of the Nitro Jam World Finals at Virginia Motorsports Park in October.

This past Friday drivers, media members, state representatives and a few special guests gathered at the James Center in downtown Richmond to celebrate the return of Nitro Jam to Virginia with a special press conference hosted by track General Manager Bryan Pierce and several Nitro Jam representatives.

The phenomenon started with John Force's dream more than 40 years ago, when he fell in love with cars. He spun that into 14 National Hot Rod Association championships and drew his four daughters into the business. Adria, the oldest, is Chief Financial Offer of his empire and is reigning Funny Car champion Robert Hight's wife. Ashley Force Hood competes against her dad and brother-in-law in the Funny Car class. Brittany and Courtney Force drive Top Alcohol Dragsters.
 
Force, Hight, and Force Hood all have qualified for the  Countdown that begins this week with the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Force enters as the points leader, Force Hood as last year's winner, and Hight as the driver who squeaked into the Countdown last Labor Day weekend and stormed to the title.
 
They'll battle buddies Bob Tasca and Tim Wilkerson, among others.

Last night on WFO Radio, Joe Castello was joined by Competiton Plus.com columnist Jon Asher, Pro Stock Countdown contender Rodger Brogdon, and the NHRA's Alan Reinhart answered listeners email questions as the WFO Radio crew gets ready for The Big Go!

Drag racing legend Jeg Coughlin Sr. will be inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame sponsored by Lucas Oil Products on Thursday, March 10, 2011, at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center in Gainesville, Fla., prior to the start of the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom Gatornationals.

Coughlin will be joined by fellow 2011 inductees Joe Amato, Clayton Harris, Leonard Abbott, Rick Guasco, and Fred Sibley.

"It's going to be a pretty special deal to have my name alongside some of the pioneers of our sport," Coughlin said. "I'm humbled and honored to have been selected. I'm sure it will be a night to remember."

Perhaps best known for the mail order high performance parts business that bears his name, Coughlin was a successful drag racer in his day, competing and winning trophies in a myriad of categories, including Top Fuel, Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Pro Stock, A-Gas Supercharged, D-Gas Supercharged, C Stock, C Gas, Modified Eliminator, Pro Comp, and Super Eliminator.

Last year over 7,000 fans flocked to the John Force Racing Brownsburg, Ind. shop for the inaugural All Ford Car Show sponsored by Bill Estes Ford and the Mustang Club of Indianapolis. This year on Thursday, September 2 from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. fans will once again be able to see the inner working of John Force Racing as well as see some of the best looking Ford show vehicles from across the Midwest for free. Funny Car drivers John Force, Robert Hight and Ashley Force Hood as well as TAD driver Courtney Force will be signing autographs from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

The show has expanded to include demonstrations as well as the Simpson Race Products simulator. PPG will have a helmet painting demonstration by well-known painter Paul Stoll, Mike Dove’s “The Path Home” bass fishing boat and truck will be on display, and there will be face painting for the kids.

Live music will fill the air as Big Daddy Caddy will be playing hits from across the musical spectrum and they will also be fielding request from the fans in attendance. In addition to the JFR Funny Cars on display Bill Estes Ford will have a number of new Ford vehicles inside the shop. Fans will once again be able to tour the shop, the museum and The Eric Medlen room.

Race fans will not only have a chance to shake hands and say hello to some of the biggest names in NHRA racing and hear the pulsating roar of five Nostalgia Funny cars during the fifth annual Don Schumacher Racing Open House, but they'll also have the chance to walk away with some exclusive racing memorabilia. Attendees of the Sept. 3 DSR Open House in Brownsburg, Ind., just minutes away from O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, can participate in both live and raffle auctions with all proceeds going to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
 
Some of the items available for bid are: "Fast Jack" Beckman/Valvoline helmet, Antron Brown 2009 Auto Club Finals "Wally" trophy, Matco Tools Harley-Davidson service carts, DieHard battery chargers, Tony Stewart No. 20 Bass Pro Shops sprint car wing panel, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin signed die casts cars donated by Toyota, Richard Petty Driving Experience on behalf of Freightliner, an original Bruce Tatman piece of art featuring a nostalgia Don Schumacher Funny Car, Tony Schumacher's 2009 U.S. Army Firesuit, and Matt Hagan's DieHard Funny Car hood from the explosion during the Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in March.