NASCAR Sprint Cup stars Kurt Busch, Michael Waltrip and Scott Speed spent a rare off weekend not relaxing on Lake Norman, but experiencing the NHRA Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in Gainesville, FL.

Busch spent six days in Gainesville as a competitor in the Super Gas class (9.90 index) of the NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series where the former Cup champion received little, if any, special treatment while at the racetrack.

Busch and his 1970 Dodge Challenger enclosed in a Featherlite tag along trailer arrived at the track last Tuesday after a nearly 500-mile drive from Mooresville, NC. With rain on Thursday and Friday, Busch and his fellow Sportsman competitors had their time trials and early rounds postponed. Mud in the Sportsman pits then precluded Saturday's scheduled Sportsman competition.

Giving youth a safe place to race while learning responsibility and growing a healthy passion are just a few of the benefits of Jr. Drag Racing, and Paradise RV of Alberta, Canada has joined with the AHRA as a major sponsor backing both the AHRA Canadian Jr. Dragster Series and the AHRA Canadian Sportsmen Tour.

"AHRA is extremely pleased to have Paradise RV on board as a official sponsor of the Canadian Jr. Drag Racing Series," Brad Janishewski, AHRA Vice President, Canada, said. "Craig Anstead (Paradise RV principal) has been a long time sponsor of motorsports and is a strong pillar in his community.

"This sponsorship is another fine example of Craig's values and his commitment to families in the entire racing world," he added.

NHRA Full Throttle Series event winners Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) appeared on last night's "WFO Radio NHRA Tuesday with Joe Castello".
 

Co-Part/Lucas Oil Team Owner Kenny Bernstein has named Todd Smith as the crew chief following the dismissal of crew chief Rob Flynn and assistant crew chief Mike Guger on Tuesday.

When Tommy Phillips held two Wallys in the winner’s circle last year at the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals, he knew at the time that he had just had a very, very good day.

A veteran racer, Phillips knows how tough it is to earn a single trophy in one category in the ultra-competitive world of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Winning two at the same national event is extremely rare. Phillips is among a small fraternity of 10 racers in NHRA history that have accomplished the feat.

The names alongside Phillips are some of most successful drivers to have ever competed in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series: David Rampy, Edmond Richardson, Jeff Taylor and Pete Biondo, to name a few.

Dunn-Benson Dragstrip will host the Top Dawg series on Saturday, March 27. The event will be the first of four scheduled appearances of the Top Dawg Showdown at Dunn-Benson Dragstrip. March 28 is also reserved as a rain date for this event if needed.

In 2009, John Montecalvo topped some of Pro Stock’s best drivers to become the IHRA Pro Stock World Champion. He did this all while maintaining a spot in the ADRL’s Battle of Belts, which means he ranked in the top 8 in points going into the final race of the year. This year, Montecalvo is looking to strengthen his ADRL presence and pursue his goal of eighth mile dominance in 2010.

The ADRL has a lure all its own for competitive drivers who want to make a stand in the “run what you brung” atmosphere where no holds are barred. Montecalvo was able to make an impressive statement in the inaugural season of Extreme Pro Stock (2009), despite having to miss a few races on the tour. This year, the ADRL will see more of Montecalvo, and, if it’s up to him, it’ll be in the winner’s circle.

Jay Payne remembers the first time he ever saw a Pro Modified in person.

The year was 2001, and he was awaiting his turn to qualify in the Top Alcohol Funny Car [TAFC] division. A gathering of 24 invited Pro Modified cars were on hand to showcase their skills for the first time in NHRA drag racing since the class was first debuted and recognized as a professional category in 1990.

“I sat there and watched this 1949 Mercury do a burnout, swap lanes – come over in the other lane, hit the other car – go back to his lane, and back up,” Payne explained. “Then this guy in an Indian suit ran around the car, tapped on it and then they made the run.

Pat Musi has a whole country behind him, literally.

The multi-time Pro Street champion from Carteret, NJ., and team owner Frank Brandao of  Curacao in the Netherland Antillies plan to make their ADRL Pro Nitrous debut this weekend in Houston, Tex., representing the country of Curacao.

Ashley Force Hood, the first woman to win drag racing’s most important Funny Car event and one of America’s most popular drivers, will be the Newsmaker of the Week on The Race Reporters radio show, Wednesday, March 17, 7 p.m. EDT, on www.PowerUpChannel.com.

Force Hood finished second in last season’s NHRA Full Throttle standings, with two wins in the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. One of those victories came at the U.S. Nationals, the series’ most prestigious race. The daughter of 14-time Funny Car champion John Force also advanced to six other final rounds and had six No. 1 qualifying runs. She was NHRA’s top rookie in 2007.

This will be Force Hood’s second appearance on The Race Reporters, the top-rated program on the PowerUp Channel.