The Racers Edge pain management and performance chips has signed Pro Stock bike frontrunner Michael Phillips to primary sponsorship for the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Championship season, beginning this weekend at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals in Houston Texas.

“Michael has shown the determination needed to be a championship competitor,” said The Racers Edge owner Rodger Brogdon. “Michael over the years has put forth the hard work and determination needed to make a statement in NHRA drag racing, and we are both fortunate and proud to be able to align ourselves with such a competitor. His accomplishments with a limited budget have been outstanding and we are looking forward to being able to assist him as he reaches for the upper echelon in this year’s battle for the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship.

One race after announcing his alliance with John Force Racing, Bob Tasca III enters this weekend’s NHRA Springnationals in Houston, utilizing elements of the JFR-developed BOSS 500 engine platform.

Defending NHRA Division 3 Top Alcohol Funny Car Champion Chris Foster will unveil a new paint scheme and new primary sponsor Goodridge Hoses & Fittings during this weekend’s O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.  The two-race deal covers next weekend’s event, along with the Division 4 opener in Dallas, Apr. 23-25.
 
Goodridge began their association with Foster last year as an associate sponsor.  For 2010, Goodridge has stepped up their involvement to become the team’s primary sponsor for three races.
 
"Goodridge is proud to be associated with Chris Foster as a primary sponsor this year," stated Jack Hastings, Director of Motorsports for Goodridge.  "For over 40 years, Goodridge has provided fluid transfer solutions to the racing markets all over the world. To continue this tradition with Champions like Chris is truly an honor."

It was 9 o’clock Wednesday morning in Texas and Steve Torrence sounded tired.

“We’ve been working hard . . . out at 5:30 a.m. and back home at 7:30 p.m.,” he said.  “We’ve been going strong and I’m a little worn out.”

Torrence’s regular job is working for his family’s oil and gas pipeline company, but he plans to take off Thursday to “relax at little” before reporting for duty at his other job – driving the Torrence Racing/Tuttle Motorsports Top Fuel dragster in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.

Recovery from an operation that requires an incision more than 14 inches long would usually take several months, but Rick Stivers, driver of the Trane 2006 Stratus Pro Mod, is ready for action this weekend less than six weeks after emergency surgery that removed more than a foot of his colon and intestines. The Kentucky-native will compete in this weekend's NHRA Spring Nationals as part of the Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series at Houston Raceway Park outside of Houston, Texas.
 
"The doctor has cleared me to race, I've got the signed papers with me that say I'm good to go," Stivers declared. "I can be pretty stubborn, and I'm definitely a competitor, so the idea of missing more than one race because of the operation never even entered my mind. I knew I'd be in Houston behind the wheel of that Trane Stratus."

NHRA officials announced this week that the Electromotion Shutoff Receiver will be reinstated by the NHRA Tech Dept. for mandatory use starting at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, May 21-23.

During the past 10 months, Ryan Ondrejko has been riding an emotional roller-coaster.

Last June, Ondrejko realized a life-long dream when he was able to land a ride in the Pro Stock ranks with Jim Yates.

Flash forward 10 months and Ondrejko has had to shift gears and he’s aiming to win a Top Sportsman Division 1 championship.

“Right now, because of no sponsorship and not much budget, I’m just driving my Top Sportsman car right now,” the 25-year-old Ondrejko said. “That could change to Top Sportsman and Super Gas, though. I have a 1962 Corvette I run in Super Gas a lot. Presently, though, we raced at Charlotte and I’m going to race  all the Division 1 Top Sportsman stuff and I plan on hitting a few Top Sportsman national events as well.”

The propaganda-laced mass-media message since the 2008 elections has been that Corporate America was a heartbeat away from a heartbeat. But it definitely has a pulse, if drag racing is any kind of barometer. Ask John Force.
 
His new five-year contract extension with Ford signals faith in the future.
 
For himself, the Funny Car points leader said, "it just gives you the financial security for the future in this economy. The five-year deal with Ford made me know all of the work in the gym, eating right, taking out the party life, that I changed all of that and I can still compete." He said Ford executives believe feel they can sell their products "through Robert Hight, myself and Ashley Force [Hood] and the other Ford teams. I'm excited to be a part of that.

After experiencing “Four-Wide” competition at Charlotte, Rodger Brogdon and the Attitude Apparel/The Racers Edge team are ready to return to the norm this week, and being able to do so at Houston Raceway Park just makes it that much better,

“Steve Kent’s business operations are based out of southern Louisiana,” said Pro Stock driver Rodger Brogdon, “and my roofing business is based out of northern Houston, so racing at Houston Raceway Park this weekend is a ‘coming home’ for our race team.”

“Between Steve and myself, we’ll be entertaining over 300 clients, friends and family members this weekend so to say it’ll be a normal weekend at the races for us isn’t exactly true, but we always look forward to everyone being able to come out at our home event and see our Pro Stock team in action. We’ve had a good season so far this year and have qualified well at every event except Charlotte, and that was such a unique situation we were just glad to be there on race day.”