Paul Page has been long known as the voice of the Indianapolis 500 and now calls the NHRA Drag Races for ESPN2.

What is not largely known is the iconic voice served his country in a different capacity during the Vietnam War from 1965 – 1971.

“I still argue with the government that I had twenty years of service as a military brat,” Page joked. ‘I grew up around the military and my stepfather was in the Army … infantry. I grew up on military bases but the government won’t count that. I changed schools twelve times from the first grade and graduation.”

Ever Wonder Why He’s Got Those Patriotic Ads?

You can’t miss his ads in National DRAGSTER or in Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com. They are the ones adorned in an American Flag bearing a patriotic message.

They are ads which command national pride.

Some of the ads make it to the printed pages of the NHRA’s house organ and sometimes they are rejected for the overly political tones. Regardless if you are conservative or liberal, you can’t deny the fact piston and rod manufacturer Bill Miller is a proud American who served his country.

The skies over Santa Pod Raceway cleared up on Sunday, but the season-opening FIA Main Event did exhibit more than its fair share of first-race stumbles -- chief among them was Pro Mod driver Rolf Amman of Switzerland running the Christmas Tree over during his burnout and Andy Robinson of England dumping oil down a large stretch of one of the lanes.

The mishaps and a six-hour-plus opening pro session cut the number of qualifying rounds from three to two.

American Melanie Troxel had no problems during her two Pro Mod runs during the day. She got down the track both times in the R2B2 Racing Camaro with a best pass of 6.243 at 239.85 mph. She is seventh on the ladder and will face No. 10 Adam Flamholc, who had a best pass of 6.436 at 166.07 mph, in Round 1 of eliminations.

The excitement of bringing Ford Motor Company's big blue oval back to Pro Stock drag racing has been replaced by frustration for veteran driver Larry Morgan as the engine builder from Newark, Ohio, continues to search for an agreeable tune-up for his BOSS-powered Lucas Oil Ford Mustang.

Morgan insists his 500-inch motor is making plenty of horsepower and he's got plenty of data from the dyno room to prove his point. He says the chassis and body of his flashy red, white, and blue 2010 Mustang is definitely slick enough to carry him to the winner's circle. The problem, it seems, is the fuel delivery system, which has been so temperamental he's literally run out of parts repairing the stuff he's broken.

"I'm like a Top Fuel guy I've been blowing up so much stuff this year," Morgan said. "I love those guys but I don't want to be like them, especially in that department. I've scuffed up so much stuff my suppliers can't keep up. That never happens in Pro Stock.

Whenever Bill Reichert and Frank Manzo want to add to their collections of Wally Parks Trophies, all they need to do is enter a race at Maple Grove Raceway.

Reichert, in Top Alcohol Dragster, and Manzo, Top Alcohol Funny Car, both raced to victory Saturday night in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series NHRA Northeast Division points meet.

Taking advantage of the new and smooth concrete and asphalt surface down The Grove’s quartermile, the two wowed the large holiday weekend crowd with winning runs that went 259 mph and higher.

Few drivers make an impact on drag racing like a soft-spoken, determined individual named Lee Shepherd of Arlington, Texas did. When teamed with the formidable duo of fellow Texans David Reher and the late Buddy Morrison, Shepherd became a dominant force in a short span of time. His talent behind the wheel, combined with a non-confrontational personality and a sincere dedication to the Chevrolet brand, soon earned Shepherd the admiration of race fans young and old. He gained a huge amount of respect from fellow racers as well.

It's pretty safe to say that many teams underestimated the triumvirate from the Lone Star State, which formed under unusual circumstances. Shepherd first joined Reher-Morrison through necessity, and the relationship blossomed from there. The talented driver headed up a team that had developed a reputation in Division 4, and when Shepherd blew the engine in his ride and Reher and Morrison found themselves with an engine and no car, the forces morphed into one. They found success with a few national event wins, and in 1976 they made the huge leap into Pro Stock. The foundation had actually been laid many years before, however.

As is at times the case at drag strips the U.S., persistent rain kept any cars from taking the track Saturday at Great Britain's Santa Pod Raceway.

Melanie Troxel's R2B2 Racing Pro Mod team didn't mind the delay in the action as their '67 Camaro arrived in the late afternoon as expected. The rain postponement has left the American-based team on the same footing as the rest of the field. The revamped schedule now calls for Pro Mods to get three chances at qualifying Sunday ahead of Monday's eliminations.

The word of the car's arrival spread quickly across the carnival-like setting of Santa Pod. By the time the Camaro was unloaded off the transport truck, a large crowd of fans had gathered at teammate Michael Gullqvist's pit to watch the car getting unloaded.

The Super Chevy Show, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, kicks into high gear in June, hosting back-to-back events for the first and only time this season.

The touring series, which combines drag racing with a car-show, swap meet and a family carnival atmosphere, will make its first Midwest appearance when it visits Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio for the Micky Mart Rewards Super Chevy Show presented by Donald M Graham & Associates on Friday, June 11-Sunday, June 13.

The scene will then shift to Topeka, Kan. when the series will be hosted by Heartland Park Topekaon Friday, June 18-Sunday, June 20 for the Kansas Super Chevy Show presented by Rick Hendrick's Superior Chevrolet.