It’s been said by several experienced drag racers, driving a three-speed, 4,000 horse power, short wheel based Top Alcohol Funny Car is one of the most difficult cars to handle. For 24-year old Cassie Simonton, the new team driver of Spiro Kontos’ Barrie, Ont. based Kon Rodz Racing two-car TAFC team; it’s now her day job.

After months of planning, on-hands training and several shake-down runs behind the wheel of the Kon Rodz / Bullydog.com TAFC last season, Simonton recently earned her NHRA TAFC competition license after recording a solid 5.85 second elapsed time at over 200 miles per hour during a test session held in Valdosta, Ga.

Matt Hagan is coming on strong in his first non-rookie season driving the DieHard Dodge Charger Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing. He's already set a national top-speed record, was low qualifier once, and matched a track-record elapsed time in the first three races of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He's ready to improve on his and the team's performance, but he's not high on racing four-wide in this weekend's Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C.

"It's one thing to race the guy beside you, but when you have to race three others, you don't know what's going on two lanes over," said the 27-year-old Angus Cattle farmer from Christiansburg, Va. "Now, you're going to have to put yourself in a situation where you have to make it go to the end no matter what, because you can't see what's going on in the other lanes, versus just racing the guy beside you.

With three races already completed, Terry McMillen, driver of the Amalie Oil Top Fuel dragster, finds himself 12th in points, two spots outside of the Countdown to 10. He's reached the 12th spot on the strength of his still untarnished NHRA qualifying efforts as team owner/driver, but he's still searching for his first round win of the 2010 season. While some would suggest it's time to worry, McMillen sees no reason to reach for the panic button.
 
"We're an inspired team," McMillen said from his Elkhart, Ind., race shop. "We lost first round in Gainesville with a 3.865 to Tony Schumacher and I was slapping high fives with my guys. That was our career best, the third best of that round, and if we had been racing four-wide in Charlotte we would have moved on to the next round."

Ron Capps, second in the Funny Car point standings of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series after three national events, is both excited about and wary of competing in this weekend's inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, N.C.

"I know all of the drivers are very, very excited about lining up that first time for four-wide racing," said Capps, who drives the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher Racing. "It's already exciting to race these cars and to get into them every Friday after you’ve been out of the car for a week or so. It just reminds you how lucky we are to do what we do.

"But, about an hour before that first time we line up for qualifying on Friday, we're going to see a lot of drivers pacing around in circles being a little apprehensive about what it's going to be like.

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.