NHRA released today the preliminary findings of its investigation regarding the tragic incident in Phoenix, which took the life of a spectator, as well as precautionary measures being implemented.
            
Immediately after the incident, NHRA’s Technical Department, teams, and manufacturers all began analyzing what had happened, and why.  NHRA’s investigation was aided by Dr. Juan Herrera, who holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.  Some of his specialties include metallurgical engineering, failure analysis, vehicle dynamics and accident reconstruction.  Dr. Herrera worked closely with the Schumacher race team which gave him their full support and cooperation in conducting his analysis, as well as with the NHRA Tech Department.

WFO Radio NHRA Tuesday with Joe Castello is live tonight at 7 p.m. ET with a preview of this weekend's NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, NC.  To listen live or on-demand, go to http://www.wforadio.com
 
NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart returns for his regular segment to provide expert commentary of the NHRA Full Throttle and Lucas Oil Drag Racing series and take listener e-mail questions.  NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racers Matt and Angie Smith are also featured on tonight's show.

Funny Car superstar Melanie Troxel will give the gold-medal-winning USA men's four-man bobsled team the ride of its life this weekend at zMax Dragway when she drives a special "Night Train"-themed racecar down the strip at speeds in excess of 300 mph.

"Night Train" is the nickname the men's four-man team gave its bobsled after it was delivered to them from the BoDyn Project, the non-profit organization started by Daytona 500 winner Geoff Bodine that makes U.S. athletes the most competitive bobsleds in the world. Led by pilot Steve Holcomb, the "Night Train" crew broke a 62-year Olympic drought in February when they rode their BoDyn sled to gold in at the Vancouver Games.

Holcomb and pushers Steve Mesler, Justin Olsen, and Curt Tomasevicz were recently named grand marshals of the inaugural NHRA 4-Wide Nationals and will be in attendance at this weekend's drag race.

Antron Brown and the Don Schumacher-owned Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel team will sport a new look for the inaugural Four-Wide NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway at Concord, March 25-28. The 24-time NHRA winner’s dragster will fly the colors of Valvoline during the first-ever four lane NHRA drag race at the Bruton Smith-owned facility.

The team’s customary blue and red 2010 Matco Tools paint scheme will return for the O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park, the site of Brown’s first career Top Fuel win in 2008. Brown’s Matco Tools/U.S. Army team will shed its 2010 paint scheme four times this season beginning with the spring Charlotte race at zMax Dragway. Valvoline is an official DSR sponsor and backs the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Funny Car of “Fast Jack” Beckman and the Valvoline Suzuki of Craig Treble.

There’s a first time for everything.

However, in the world of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, those milestone opportunities come and go at rapid speed, often at more than 320 mph. Those drivers who are able to break through and become the first to accomplish a feat are long-remembered for their achievements.

Drag racing fans remember Kenny Bernstein as the first to eclipse the 300-mph barrier in official NHRA competition.  Shirley Muldowney achieved legendary status for becoming the first female to win an NHRA Top Fuel race and world championship crown. Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson was the first to post a 200-mph speed in his category. Two years ago 14-time Funny Car champ John Force became the first driver to record 1,000 round wins in NHRA competition. Earlier that same year he watched his daughter Ashley become the first female to win a Funny Car race.

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will make history at the Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, but for Team Mopar® NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson, it’s all about making the final at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C.

Johnson will gladly accept the three semifinal appearances and the second spot in the point standings he has claimed following the first three events on the 2010 NHRA schedule, all while breaking in his new HEMI®-powered Mopar Dodge Avenger. But after coming up short in three consecutive semifinal showdowns with defending NHRA Pro Stock champ Mike Edwards, Johnson is itching to advance one more round and make his first final appearance of the season and 18th of his 15-year NHRA career.

Spike Sterling, owner of the Rush ’33 Willy’s Pro Mod, with his “Orange County Choppers” mustache and pony tail, presents a very cool, marketable image that fits great with the NEOPM and their “Extreme” themes. Driver Bobby Martin started on a match race circuit, and has since done appearances at schools, special events, and on ESPN2 national event coverage. They will work hard to give the track owners what they expect in terms of performance and interaction with the fans.

It was a resounding “thumbs-up” for all involved this past weekend as NHRA’s racing community and Safety-Kleen teamed up to properly segregate and dispose of waste materials after the recently concluded Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway following an Environmental Management Plan reviewed and approved by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

“The local officials were extremely pleased with the program and we can’t thank the racing community and Safety-Kleen enough for their cooperation and effort,” said Don Robertson, general manager, Gainesville Raceway.

NHRA and Safety-Kleen Systems provided containers and secondary containment devices as well as proper labels for segregation and accumulation of waste to the teams prior to the start of the race.  The race teams displayed great care in proper handling of any waste and, in-turn, Safety-Kleen handled all necessary disposals.

The Geezers Reunion at The Grove presented by Yuengling has been added to the 2010 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series as an Affiliate Event, it was announced today by NHRA officials.

The ninth annual Geezers Reunion at The Grove, the second affiliate event and 11th race overall in the 2010 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series schedule, will be held July 2-3 at scenic Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.

The race will feature 16 nostalgia racers taking part in the NAPA Auto Parts Cavalcade of Funny Cars. Other major highlights of the event include a Cacklefest, car show, several sportsman classes in competition, jet cars, wheelstanders and a thrilling fireworks display to finish the weekend with a bang.

In the classic movie “Hoosiers,” the small-town basketball coach pulled out his tape-measure to show his underdog players that even though they were competing for the state title in a massive arena, the basket was still set at 10 feet and the general fundamentals of the sport remained the same.

The same theory is basically true for NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series teams that will enter a somewhat unfamiliar realm at the spectacular zMAX Dragway March 25-28 during the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. The unique race will be the first in NHRA history where teams will compete in four lanes instead of the traditional two.

If you watch closely, you may see some crew chiefs and team owners with their tape measures in hand, giving similar pep talks to their drivers. The lanes will still be approximately 30 feet wide. Top Fuel and Funny Car racers will have a set competition distance of 1,000 feet, and Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle teams will race to a quarter-mile finish. Amber lights. Green light. Win light.