Get Screened America point leader Von Smith is more than ready to get back to work behind the wheel of his ’68 Camaro at the upcoming Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

“Honestly, the summer lay off in the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, while it comes at a good time of the season – in the heat of summer – it’s still a bit of a bummer,” says Smith with a laugh. “Maybe it’s just me, but I just can’t wait to get back on the drag strip, back in competition. I’ve been counting the days till Indy ever since we left Norwalk.

Racing kicked off on Thursday for hundreds of kids and the 2010 NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals at Bristol Dragway.  The facility, located in Bristol, plays hosts to nearly 600 kids ages 8 to 17 years old and their families for the annual event presented by Viperizer Racing.  Competitors in eight categories race in half-scale dragsters at speeds up to 85 mph on the eighth-mile track in search of both team and individual honors and a share of nearly $100,000 in savings bonds.

Tony Pedregon and Kenny Nowling, founder of the American Drag Racing League (ADRL), have formed a unique partnership, one that has Pedregon promoting the ADRL through his NHRA nitro Funny Car.

“I have always been a big fan of Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous classes and am very impressed with the growth and appeal of the ADRL,” said Pedregon, the NHRA Funny Car champion in 2003 and 2008.

Nowling founded the ADRL in 2004 and helped create and administered the NHRA Pro Mod Series from 2002-2005.  His series does not include Top Fuel and Funny Car.

Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: DVD) announced yesterday that its wholly owned subsidiary, Gateway International Raceway had notified NASCAR that it will not seek 2011 sanctions for its two Nationwide Series and one Camping World Truck Series races. The announcement sent shockwaves through the motorsports community and those ripples reached the drag racing community almost immediately.

The NHRA has an event scheduled at Gateway for the 2011 season. According to a media spokesperson, the event is still planned and will go forward until further notice is given.

Max Papis, driver of the No. 13 GEICO Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, got a taste of what it takes to make an 8,000 horsepower NHRA Top Fuel dragster fly, and left Morgan Lucas Racing on Wednesday wanting more.

"I've always had a curiosity about coming over and seeing what drag racing is like," Papis said. "I would love to get an opportunity to see how one of these things feel – and not just from the stands."

Papis got a tour of the MLR shop in Brownsburg, Ind., from Morgan Lucas, driver of the GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster, and Lucas said he was impressed by how much Papis was interested in the technical aspects of drag racing.

Just in case you’ve never heard the word “grunt” used in conjunction with drag racing – and we’re not talking about someone making guttural noises – it’s a word used to describe the often faceless front line warriors of the Army and Marines.  They’re the rifle-carriers, the guys asked to take that hill, or hold that beach or capture that airport.  When the battle’s been won it’s the generals who take the bows, while the grunts just settle back to clean their gear and get ready for another assault.

Weekends like this do not come around very often, but Sonny Leonard wasn’t complaining.

The renowned engine builder had a front-row seat as cars using his engine power plants were dominant during the American Drag Racing League’s double-race event at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas last Friday and Saturday.

Rickie Smith had back-to-back event wins in consecutive days in the Pro Nitrous class and John Montecalvo also had two wins in two days in Extreme Pro Stock. If that wasn’t enough, the Sonny Leonard-powered Johnny Pilcher machine was runner-up to Smith in the originally-scheduled event at Houston.

If you're a fan of the high-winding, gear-jamming doorslammers that once comprised the now defunct Modified eliminator, the Classic Gear Jammers Inc., has preserved this style of drag racing and now tours around the Carolinas and Virginia. Last weekend the group made a stop at the Union County Motorsports Park in Union, SC.

The American Drag Racing League (ADRL) has released ticket information for its two September races and also announced a convenient e-ticketing process that will allow racing fans an opportunity to print their own complimentary tickets from their homes.

By clicking on an upcoming individual event on the ADRL website - www.ADRL.us - fans will be given the chance to print an e-ticket by following the proper steps. The ticket will then be good for admission to that particular event.

Currently, tickets are available on the ADRL website for its next three races, giving fans a convenient and simple way to attend their favorite ADRL races and watch their favorite ADRL drivers.

Idaho’s largest motorsports event, the Pepsi Nightfire Nationals, returns for the 39th time to Boise’s Firebird Raceway, Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 12-15. A record $180,000 is on the line in the Professional and Bracketeer Championships.

Aligned with the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series, the Nightfire will feature a pair of 16-car fields for AA/Funny Cars and AA/Fuel Dragsters with national points and records on the line. Outlaw Pro Modifieds, jets, and the Stagecoach wheelstander will also be featured at the Heritage event.