A major realignment of the 2011 NASCAR schedule could have important ramifications for the NHRA Full Throttle series.

One event certain to be impacted is the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway. That race has traditionally been run the last weekend of February, but the Arizona Republic reported Tuesday that NASCAR is moving its post-Daytona 500 event to Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, Feb. 27.

NASCAR considers that date to be prestigious because the race one week after Daytona typically receives increased national media attention and strong TV ratings.

When Terry McMillen made his NHRA Top Fuel debut this season, there wasn’t much fanfare. After all, McMillen wasn’t a top-name driver joining a powerhouse multi-car team.

McMillen, however, having flown under the radar this year, now has a legitimate chance of making into the Countdown to 1 playoffs. McMillen is in 11th place in the point standings, 19 points behind David Grubnic, who competes out of the Kalitta Motorsports stable.

The Countdown to 10 regular season concludes at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 12-15 at Brainerd, Minn. The Countdown to 1 playoffs begin at the U.S. Nationals Sept. 1-6 in Indianapolis.

After a weekend of intense racing, Richard Putz and Kirk Williams took home top honors at Cordova Dragway Park for this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Summer Showdown presented by Matco Tools.   

Putz, from Earlville, Iowa, qualified in the second position in Top Alcohol Dragster and defeated Randy Meyer, Spring Hill, Kan., sending himself to the semi-finals to face Jared Dreher, Clinton, Ind., who qualified in 6th.  The NHRA West Central Division leader in points, Putz outran his opponent with a time of 5.571 seconds at 254.71 mph and advanced to the finals.  There he ran his best time all day, 5.537, 256.11 and defeated, Edwin Schmeeckle, 5.612, 242.10, from Gothenburg, Neb., in taking home the “Wally” trophy.

The first time Melanie Troxel got a taste of drag racing outside North America was at last year's FIA Nitrolympx at the Hockenheimring, albeit as a spectator in the grandstands.

"I was still impressed with the level of competition over there," Troxel said. "There was a huge diversity of classes and cars. Plus, Hockenheim is a beautiful facility."

This weekend Troxel is returning to the Nitrolympx as a competitor in the Pro Mod class, her second foray into European drag racing this year.

The second Annual Nitto NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals hosted some amazing performances and upsets at zMAX Dragway, which made for a seriously exciting race weekend.

Turbonetics Pro Outlaw 10.5 only had three entries, but put on quite the show. Mike Murillo took the number one spot with a 7.22, giving him the bye straight into the final round on Sunday. On the other side of the ladder, Dwayne James got a single when Conrad Scarry succumbed to engine problems and didn’t make the call. In the final, Murillo took the win light, 6.98 to 7.32.

ProCharger Super Street Outlaw action saw Sam Vincent shatter the record in qualifying, running a 7.262 – the quickest pass ever for the class – for the number one spot. In the semis, John Macdonald had the bye into the final while John Urist defeated Vincent on a holeshot in a wild side-by-side battle to meet Macdonald in the final. The final round ended before it started as Urist were .053 red, giving Macdonald the win.

Freightliner Trucks will be featured on the Dodge Charger Funny Car that Jack Beckman will race at the 29th annual NHRA Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway this weekend, the final event of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series "regular" season. The Countdown to 1 playoffs kick off for the top 10 in points in the final six races of the year, beginning with the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend.
 
Freightliner Trucks, a division of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, has been a Don Schumacher Racing associate sponsor for six years and DSR has used Freightliner tractors since 2004. The team currently counts eight Freightliner tractors among its fleet.
 
“Freightliner is excited to have Fast Jack Beckman representing us in the upcoming race in Brainerd,” said David Hames, General Manager, Marketing & Strategy, Daimler Trucks North America. “Don Schumacher Racing has been a longtime valued partner of Freightliner and showcases our trucks and equipment to a nationwide group of loyal NHRA fans.”
 

Pro Mod drag racer and Kentucky-based entrepreneur Rick Stivers' love of horsepower grew by $300,000 this week when his yearling Thoroughbred Racehorse sold at the 90th annual Selected Yearlings Sale at Saratoga, New York on August 2.
 
The filly, born January 18, 2009, was sired by 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and birthed by Gwinnett, the great-granddaughter of 1977 Triple-Crown winner Seattle Slew.

Ken Prather, 68, of Erie Pa., has a passion for the old school. And, his 1962 Volkswagen bus is easily the apple of any teacher's eye.

Still a work in progress, Prather purchased the German-made van so popular with hippies in the age of the “Flower Child” in 1998 with the intention of just making it into an around the town driver.

Those thoughts morphed into a reality which is to this day still a work in progress; which explains why the chopped top German automobile with a 355 ci Chevrolet V-8 tucked in the back seat area, still spends most of its time on asphalt tooling around the streets of Erie, Pa.

The cylinder head to a Competition Eliminator-style Super Stocker is the equivalent of a foundation for a home. You begin with the cylinder head and build your engine around it.

The leader in Super Stock cylinder head technology is Carl Foltz’s CFE Racing Products, Inc.

“The cylinder head is a key ingredient in a powerful racing engine,” confirmed Scott Kieffer, a sales and technical support agent for CFE. “The other elements of the engine will be determined by the direction of the cylinder head.”

A late season shake-up can be a scary thing for a Countdown contender, but Rodger Brogdon and company truly felt that something had to be done to right the ship of their Attitude Apparel/Kent Services team, and they have hopes that the decision to release longtime crew chief Tommy Utt during the NHRA Supernationals in Englishtown and subsequently bring veteran tuner Tim Freeman on board will pay off in the 11th hour. So far, they’re pleased with the results and optimistic about the future.

“We knew we had to make a change, and Tim is a perfect fit for our team,” said Brogdon, who competed against Freeman in his days of Comp Eliminator racing. “He’s a real smart guy, and he knows what he’s doing. What we were lacking was the ‘team’ concept, and now we really feel good together. I think that’s going to pay huge dividends.”