Two high-profile Hollywood television personalities have signed on to serve as co-hosts of NHRA Unleashed, which will be featured nationwide on Fox Sports Net in November and December 2010.

Steve Watson, current host of HGTV’s “Don’t Sweat It,” and Sarah Karges, who just finished hosting Brain Rush on Cartoon Network, will lead the half-hour shows produced by Disrupt/ive Studios at the upcoming four NHRA Unleashed events.  

Watson, a hobbyist racer and self described “gear-head” noted, “I’m thrilled to be working with Disrupt/ive Studios and the NHRA on this exciting new series. I cannot wait to get out to the tracks, feel the horsepower, and meet America’s greatest grass roots racers at NHRA Unleashed!”

Number-one qualifiers registered wins in three of four heads-up, no-breakout classes at the Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com South Carolina Spectacular at Orangeburg Dragstrip this weekend, the first of six scheduled events this year for the newly formed Coca-Cola Outlaw Doorslammer Series (ODSS) presented by Hooters.

Among those prevailing from the top starting position were Tony Johnson in Outlaw 10.5, Greg Godwin in Pro Modified and Outlaw 275 Drag Radial racer Wes Whittle. Only local driver Chris Tuten from nearby Pelion, South Carolina, broke the trend, winning in Limited Street from last place in the qualifying order. Todd Sinclair also picked up his second race win in as many days in a combined 6.0 and 7.0 index class.

In a short, four-car field due to breakage and accidents for several competitors during Saturday’s three qualifying rounds, Johnson opened with a 4.52 pass on Sunday to beat Curtis Rhodes and his ’68 Camaro from Childersburg, Alabama, before facing off with Mark Swanson in the final.

When Ashley Force Hood begins to mentally prepare for the intense challenge of a 300 mph side-by-side race in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, part of her routine is to evaluate her competition. She analyzes her opponents’ strengths and examines their tendencies during their pre-race routines at the starting line. Ultimately she will try to exploit any weaknesses that she sees.

While that process works well for the majority of her rivals in the ultra-competitive Funny Car category, there are two drivers that she feels like she may know just a little bit too well: her father, John Force, and her brother-in-law, Robert Hight.

  Two giants met in the NHRA Route 66 Nationals Funny Car final – one in performance and the other

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in stature.

Score one for the big fella.

Matt Hagan, who stands 6’1”, 210 pounds, showed not only was he big in person, but large in driver performance.

Hagan stopped a streaking Robert Hight at three wins and secured a national record en route to the winner’s circle. In the final round, he ran a 4.035 elapsed time to back up a 4.022 second run recorded a round earlier.

"This was (crew chiefs) Tommy DeLago and John Medlen's race,” said Hagen, whose victory marked the second of his career. “These guys put a great race car underneath me all weekend long. We've kind of been testing some stuff the last three races. It's been tough because we don't have the testing time to do that. That's why we struggled a little bit. But these guys made a decision together to come back and put back what they knew in the race car and it's just been great ever since.”

Imagine for a moment a pay-per-view ultimate fighter or boxer having to perform under the same conditions as an NHRA drag racer when the weather refuses to cooperate.

“It’s sort of like having a boxing match and stopping after four rounds and saying, ‘We’ll come back in maybe an hour or two,” said Larry Dixon following his fifth win of 2010 season and the 53rd of his career. “You are just walking around on eggshells the whole day. You are just waiting to do something. I am definitely glad everybody stuck it out.”

Dixon made those who stuck out a rainy race day at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals extremely proud of their decision as he defeated arch-rival Tony Schumacher in their sixth meeting of the season. They each now have three wins apiece in 2010 head-to-head competition.

One need only look at the final round Pro Stock stats at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals to understand just how tough it is to win in this eliminator.

Even though defending series champion Mike Edwards has made the process look easy, he’s said time and time again it's not.

Sunday night under the dark skies of a rain-drenched Joliet, Ill., final round opponent Jason Line provided what he needed to prove the point, Edwards can be beat. Just not on this night.

Edwards had a .007 reaction time and left the starting line second.

The inspiration of watching his father and brother win in Pro Stock Motorcycle was enough to propel LE Tonglet to his day in the sun, albeit in the darkness of the NHRA Route 66 Nationals.

Tonglet scored his first career national event win, beating Steve Johnson at a rain-drenched Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill.

“My emotions are running so high it’s indescribable,” said Tonglet during his first-ever NHRA press conference. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all of my life. Seeing my brother and my dad compete out here, and they’ve won a time or two, but in having my own is just awesome. I can’t thank my dad enough for doing this out of his own pocket. This win will provide a huge boost going into New Jersey and Norwalk.”

The National Hot Rod Association advertises itself as a family-friendly form of entertainment.
 
While it indeed might be family-friendly, it certainly isn't stroller-friendly, at least not at Route 66 Raceway.
 
That's what Daniel E. Albert, a stay-at-home dad and realtor from nearby Oswego, Ill., said he learned this weekend as he attempted to attend the United Association Route 66 Nationals with his two young sons.

Joe Dunne was able to get his repeat victory at Maple Grove Raceway.

But it wasn’t easy.

“We ran into some trouble,” Dunne said. “We hurt the motor during time trials on Saturday and we stayed up until 3 in the morning to get it ready. Everything came together really well.

“The track was excellent. The guys here did a great job preparing it and it was perfect for us.”

Ten races into the 2010 season, Doug Kalitta has already matched his round win total from last season.  He now has 19 elimination-round wins this season. That is one more than his total amount of round wins in the 2009 season.

The 45-year old resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., reached the semi-final round in Sunday’s NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Chicago. Kalitta also raced to the semifinals in Las Vegas and Atlanta. He has four final-round appearances this season in Pomona, Calif., Phoenix, Charlotte, N.C., and most recently in St. Louis.