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.

All eyes were on Palm Beach International Raceway Friday and Saturday night as the Nitro Jam series opened its season with the first major motorsports event of 2010.

With Friday in the books as the largest opening night crowd in decades, Saturday produced even bigger results with a sold out event resulting in the largest crowd in Palm Beach International Raceway history and one of the biggest debut weekends for the IHRA at Palm Beach Nitro Jam.

“We are obviously pleased with the results this weekend. We came in here with a plan to put on an incredible show for the fans and we feel we did just that,” said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. “This being a first time event we expected to have a big weekend, but this event exceeded our expectations in every way.”

Two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon and 10-time NHRA Division 6 champion Bucky Austin have teamed to campaign Pedregon's Pisano Nostalgia Funny Car during the 2010 Hot Rod Heritage Series season.
 
Beginning with the 52nd Bakersfield March Meet at Auto Club Raceway Famoso, Pedregon will drive this replica of the Joe Pisano 1978 Plymouth Arrow Funny Car that debuted last October at the California Hot Rod Reunion.
 
"Bucky's going to run it and tune it, and I'm going to drive it," Pedregon said, anticipating the March 5-7 kickoff of the Hot Rod Heritage Series season.