The last 20-plus months have been a challenge for the storied Holley Performance Products Inc.

Since February of 2008, the company, which is headquartered in Bowling Green, Ky., has filed for bankruptcy twice.

Despite Holley’s difficulties, Tom Tomlinson, the company's recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, says Holley has a bright future.

Ten years ago, Bruton Smith had a dream. He wanted to build a four-wide drag strip in the desert just outside of Las Vegas. The NHRA nixed that dream. Smith, not to be deterred, built The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as a four lane facility, just without the concrete and asphalt of the second pair of lanes.

With zMax Dragway in Concord, NC set to run the first modern day four-wide National event, Chris Blair, Vice President of Racing Operations at Las Vegas Motor Speedway admits all eyes will be looking to the east come March.

“We're ready,” said Blair when asked if how difficult it would be to add two additional lanes to The Strip. “Everything is in place. All we would need to do, basically, is add the concrete and asphalt.”

Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com, through the assistance of a key group of Pro Modified historians and enthusiasts, have compiled a list of the Top 20 all-time drivers based on their contribution to the class, historic achievements, statistics and fan appeal.

Starting on Friday, January 8, 2010, the electronic magazine began revealing those names on the list, and will announce two drivers per week, until the No. 1 driver is unveiled on Saturday, Mar. 20, during the ADRL Dragpalooza in Houston, Texas.

Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com narrowed the list from hundreds of drivers down to 20. Today, we reveal No. 14 on the list.

Forgive Cruz Pedregon if he might feel a bit confused as he begins his quest for a third NHRA Funny Car championship, including a second in three years.
 
The veteran team owner-driver has the same Toyota Solara with which he qualified for all 24 races last year. It has a bold new look with primary sponsorship from Snap-on Tools: bright red -- "toolbox red," Pedregon calls it -- with a honeycomb design on the rocker panels and a fat, black racing stripe. ("You definitely won't mistake it for any other car," he said.) Yet the car's appearance is comfortably familiar -- "Cruz red," kind of retro, just perfect for this sentimental, history-living drag-racing fan. From a performance standpoint, he said, "our car hasn't changed a lot."
 
Much of the crew is new -- but then, again, it is experienced, with three loyalists from Pedregon's 2008 championship season.

Their dilemma began with a teenager who wanted to race a 1955 Chevy and the inability of both the chassis builder and the customer to find a race body that fulfilled their vision.

This was the inspiration which joined Tim Wallace, owner of Wallace Motorsports in Boise, Idaho, and Bob Mandell of Bob’s Pro Fab in Culleoka, Tenn., in a business venture to supply fans of the 1955 Chevy with an alternative body design, which they both feel better represents the iconic automobile.

“None of the bodies we bought and or even looked at were to our satisfaction, they were all distorted looking and didn’t have that authentic look of a ‘55 Chevy,” said Wallace, whose son Timmy will race the car in Top Sportsman.

Meaghan Henderson is almost your typical 17 year old high school junior. She is planning for college, managing a boyfriend, driving fast and selling candy bars to support her Boulder City High School.

Very typical, unless you consider Henderson's version of going fast involves speed not legal on your local highway. The giddy teenager, with a brilliant smile, sparkling eyes and long blonde hair runs around at 170+ miles per hour and wants more.

“This is what I want to do,” said Henderson as she talked about her racing. “I want to go to college, locally, get a degree in business administration; I want this is be my profession.”

Rick Snavely, Los Angeles, took down Ron Weems, foreground, in the Outlaw 10.5 final round with a blistering 6.637 second, 216.17 miles per hour. Snavely needed every ounce of power from his car after Weems beat him off the line .035 to .042.

Roger Richards, Chris Graves and Stan Creekmore are at this weekend's Las Vegas Motors Speedway Nitro Blast Off/PSCA Ford Racing Record Breaker Nationals to break you the latest in photography and news. We have qualifying sheets and highlights posted on our SAME DAY COVERAGE.

EVENT PHOTO GALLERY

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Antron Brown enters his third season behind the wheel of the Matco Tools dragster in 2010. The only driver in NHRA history to win races and lead the standings in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle, Brown looks to improve upon his third place finish in 2009 and earn his first NHRA championship. The Matco Tools flagship driver has 24 career NHRA wins, including a category-best six Top Fuel wins in 2009. With the 2010 NHRA season just around the corner - Feb. 11-14 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona - Brown talks about the upcoming 23-race NHRA journey.

Two months after taking home the trophy at the season-ending NHRA Finals Summit Racing teammates Greg Anderson and Jason Line returned to the racetrack, taking part in last week’s test session at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, FL.  Over the course of five days, the KB Racing crew worked tirelessly, logging well over 50 runs on three cars in preparation for the 2010 Full Throttle season with Ronnie Humphrey joining Line and Anderson behind the wheel.
 
This pre-season outing was crucial to Anderson, as it would be his first on-track experience with his brand-new Summit Racing Pontiac. Topping all Pro Stock participants at the Sunshine State test, the three-time champion posted a best effort of 6.522-seconds at 211.96 mph, a result that left him cautiously optimistic heading into the season-opening Winternationals.