There’s a strong likelihood the NHRA and Bruton Smith’s experiment with four wide racing will be met with considerable resistance before next March.
 
We have it on good authority the PRO board has informed the NHRA’s Tom Compton, Peter Clifford, Graham Light and Speedway Motorsports Inc.’s Bruton Smith of their objection to the format running in an NHRA Full Throttle points-earning basis.

John Force and Cory McClenathan, winners of the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, will headline tonight's WFO Radio NHRA Tuesday with Joe Castello, live at 7 p.m. ET.  To listen live or on-demand, go to http://www.wforadio.com

Force, a 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion, earned his 128th career victory in dramatic fashion by edging daughter Ashley Force Hood with a final elapsed time of 4.036 to 4.042 in the rain-delayed Funny Car final eliminations.  Force's win was the second of 2010 as he lengthened his points lead to 89 over Ron Capps, who finished third in the four-wide Funny Car finals.  

Elite Motorsports has largely increased their presence in NHRA Pro Stock this season. Backing young star Rickie Jones, forming the Elite Performance engine program and offering complete ride and drive operations for Pro Stock, Elite Motorsports has quickly come on the scene as a true player in the NHRA arena. Now, Elite Motorsports is set to debut a driver new to Pro Stock.

Although new to professional racing, Mike Trumble is a name very familiar among the sportsman ranks. He has frequented the winner’s circle for years in several categories including Stock, Super Stock and Competition Eliminators. Now he is ready to try his hand at the often revered Pro Stock class. He is teaming up with Elite Motorsports to run select events this year, starting off with the upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals, April 9-11 at Houston Raceway Park.

Pat Dakin has won national events and even a world championship since he started racing Top Fuel in 1971.
 
He’s been on the flip side of fate and missed a round or two because he couldn’t get a car repaired in time or suffered catastrophic damage.
 
Saturday’s qualifying presented a new twist in his acclimation to modern day Top Fuel racing after a decades’ absence.
 
Dakin had a choice, run Saturday’s first qualifying session and face a one-year suspension or sit it out, take care of business and remain in the game.

Working with a near all volunteer crew, veteran Top Fuel driver Doug Herbert took it to the regulars in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway.

Just prior to final eliminations Herbert talked about what it meant to be in the finals for such a historic event.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Herbert. “We’ve got a great bunch of guys working on this car. Proud as I can be of them and what we’re accomplishing here. A lot of the Irwin Tools guys, first race that they’ve even came out to the races. So to come out here and go to the final round, I think we’re spoiling them. We’re sure liking it.”

Shirley Muldowney, a four-time Top Fuel world champion, is ready, willing and believes she is more than able to return to Top Fuel competition.

Drag racing’s iconic female racer feels she still has the competitive spirit burning to the point she’s ready to return to competition for the first time since her 2001 retirement, a retirement she contends she wasn’t really ready to make.

“I really didn’t walk away in 2001, I was pushed out,” Muldowney said. “I wasn’t ready to stop driving but the cost of it really ran me to the sidelines. Then the Zantrex deal came along and it was one of the fluke deals that turned into an $8 million dollar deal. I simply didn’t want to compete against my husband at that time. So I just went with it. The fans were great about the retirement and we went out with our quickest and fastest time.”

Mike Edwards’ name has been at the top of the speed charts in the last year just a little too often for Jason Line’s taste.
 
Edwards won five races and qualified first 16 times last year, and has three wins and three No. 1 qualifiers in 2010. So after Edwards won again in Monday’s rain-delayed 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, Line’s frustration boiled over.
 
“We’re tired of it,” Line said. “We want to start beating him. Nothing personal, that’s for sure. We're just getting tired of him beating up on us. Got him in Gainesville. Hopefully, maybe it’ll be our turn again in Houston. Like to win every week, but easier said than done.”

Tag-team wrestling with 8,000 horsepower was alive and well at zMax Dragway on Monday morning. In the end, a father and daughter tandem whooped them all.

John Force, 60 and a fourteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion, hoisted the Wally and Ashley Force Hood, his daughter, was runner-up in the Funny Car final round of the rain-delayed NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

On the losing end of the four abreast race was Don Schumacher Racing teammates Ron Capps and Matt Hagan.

Who says lightning can’t strike the same place twice?

If anyone’s a believer it’s Cory McClenathan.

McClenathan, along with John Force, shared the podium as winners of the inaugural NHRA Four Wide Nationals a decade after the two were the only winners of the No Bull Showdown, a specialty drag race pitting the best Top Fuel and Funny Car racers opposite of one another.

“I didn’t figure that anyone would remember that,” McClenathan said in the post race press conference. “I went over to John and reminded him. When it comes to the specialty races, I want to get the job done.”

Adds title rights to NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event in St Louis; AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals

NHRA and the Automobile Club of Southern California announced today that they have extended and added to their landmark relationship, encompassing many facets of NHRA’s business, including museum, safety, race and track sponsorships.  In addition to extending its current involvement, the Automobile Club of Southern California has expanded its sponsorship to include title rights of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway outside St. Louis.  

“Our association with the Automobile Club of Southern California is very special,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA.   “Their deep involvement with the NHRA has an impact on nearly every part of our business from the grassroots level all the way to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.  Words simply can’t describe our appreciation for their support and I want to personally thank Tom McKernan and his team for recognizing the value of association with NHRA.”