After a relatively disappointing outing a week prior, the Barwa Racing Pro Extreme team led by Howard Moon and Von Smith reminded everyone on the planet where they rank when it comes to outlaw eighth-mile racing in a dominating performance during Round 4 of the ADRL series at the Qatar Race Club.

After qualifying third with a 3.760-second effort, Von Smith and the Barwa-backed ’68 Camaro would have to face the Todd Tutterow-tuned entry of Bader Alhi in the opening stanza. When the green light flashed, Smith’s Pro Extreme Camaro marched down the eighth-mile to the tune of a 3.744 at a mind-numbing 208.55mph – the fastest speed ever recorded by a doorslammer.

“Howard [Moon, crew chief] has just been working hard on the tune up for this Barwa Racing ’68 Camaro,” said Smith after the record setting run. “When he walked out of his lounge in the trailer, where he reviews the run data between rounds, he had a big smile on his face and I knew we must be onto something. He’s been working to get this thing faster in the first part of the racetrack, down low, and obviously it’s working. This thing is trucking down through there. Howard told me he thought it’d run a high 207, but we go out there and lay down a 208.55 speed – it’s just incredible.”

This Saturday January 16 could see Australia make a clean sweep of the USA vs AUS Nitro Funny Car Challenge at Willowbank Raceway, or it could see the Americans claim one back with a resurgent performance.

Either way, the action is set to be intense, after West Australia’s Damien Harris bested American Jack Wyatt – who struggled with the unfamiliar locale - at round one.

For round two, Harris will be joined by 2009 series Aussie standout Mark Sheehan along with Ricky Steffens and Chris Stipanovic, upping the ante even further. The American team however will be better prepared this time around, with two weeks and some local experience for their driver up their sleeves, so who will take out this final is anyone’s guess.

NAPA AUTO PARTS has extended its multi-year sponsorship agreement with Don Schumacher Racing and driver Ron Capps, beginning with the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
 
NAPA enters its third straight season as a primary sponsor of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Funny Car which Capps drove to a class-best five national-event victories in 2009, ending the season third in the point standings. Ed "Ace" McCulloch will continue as crew chief.
 
"We at DSR are thrilled to have NAPA AUTO PARTS back on board," said team owner Don Schumacher. "NAPA is a world-class national company and it's our privilege to continue this partnership through a multi-year agreement.

Driving the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car for Don Schumacher Racing, Jack Beckman completed 11 test runs from Monday through Thursday down the Palm Beach International Raceway 1000-foot dragstrip, posting his quickest pass of 4.095 seconds on Thursday. He also unofficially recorded the fastest Funny Car speed of 308.78 mph.

"It was a very, very productive test," said Beckman, who ended the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season with two victories and fifth in points. "We just made a total of 11 runs and three were planned shutoff runs just to test the tune-up for (new crew chief) Rahn Tobler and four new people on the crew. We have five crew guys from last year, four from other teams.

"Of our nine full 1000-foot runs, five of them were really stout. We ran a 4.14, 4.12, 4.11, 4.10 and 4.095. We've run 307 mph and 308.78 mph, almost 309, and those are my two best speeds by quite a bit to 1000 feet."

If at first you don’t succeed, try again.

That’s the mantra that defending War Stories Showdown runner-up Pat Musi was singing headed into this year’s competition. He’s halfway towards fulfilling his objective, and showing no signs of slowing down.

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 08, 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. 13, during the ADRL Dragpalooza in Houston, Texas.

Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com narrowed the list from hundreds of drivers down to 19. Today, we reveal No. 19 on the list.

How should Super Chevy Show fans kick off the 30th anniversary season in 2010? By cruising, of course.

The 2010 Super Chevy Show series kicks off with the season opener at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 20-21. Cruisers from Los Angeles, however, will start the celebration a day earlier with the Original Parts Group "Cruise to Vegas" event on March 19.

Between 50-100 hot rods and specialty vehicles are expected to be joined by fans, vendors, sponsors and racers in a massive caravan that will travel from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to help kick off the official opening of the 30th anniversary season of the Super Chevy Show series.

For the next four weeks, CompetitionPlus.com will conduct its third annual War Stories Showdown. The veterans of yarn spinning are paired for what promises to be a series destined to produce the finest behind-the-scenes stories.

Here are the rules –

With his American-based team busy running below the national record back in the States, Sheikh Khalid Al Thani had a need for speed that required his attention back in Qatar.

Al Thani, also rookie Pro Extreme driver, concluded qualifying for Round 4 of the Arabian Drag Racing League as the No. 1 qualifier headed into tomorrow’s elimination rounds..

Led by 12-time NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car champion Frank “Ace” Manzo and chassis specialist Tim McAmis, Al Thani drove his way to the No. 1 spot with a 3.710-second, 207.59mph pass in Thursday’s final session.

As a result of a joint nationwide campaign between Valvoline® and NAPA AUTO PARTS to promote Valvoline's Engine Guarantee program, Jack Beckman will make his first of eight appearances around the country this year at the Gallatin, Tenn., NAPA store on January 18.

As part of the promotion, NAPA stores were asked in 2009 to dress up their stores with Valvoline logos and product and send in photographs of their displays. Each of the eight best displays won the opportunity to hold an in-store autograph session with Jack Beckman, driver of the Valvoline/MTS Dodge Funny Car in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

The Valvoline/MTS Dodge will be on display at the NAPA Auto and Truck Parts of Gallatin, 204 N. Locust Ave., in Gallatin, Tenn., while Beckman signs autographs from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (local time).