Pro Stock Bike rider Angie Smith won’t have to wait until Christmas Day to open one of her finest presents.

Smith, formerly Angie McBride, will race a full NHRA Full Throttle tour aboard Karl and Kim Klement’s Buell thanks to sponsorship from Coffman Tank Trucks.

“I really excited about this,” said Smith. “This is the first opportunity I’ve ever had to race fulltime. This has been my dream and now it’s coming true. It’s probably the biggest Christmas present I’ve ever gotten.”

Billy Glidden and Bill Doner were declared first round winners and will advance to the second round of the third annual War Stories Showdown presented by CompetitionPlus.com. They will meet in the first day of quarter-final pairings scheduled for Mon., Jan. 4, 2010.

Glidden scored an 83.22 vote percentage with his story of one-upmanship with legendary basketball coach Bobby Knight and that was more than enough to get around former IHRA executive turned producer Ted Jones.

Talented graphic designer Greg Russell, of GRD Designs, accurately captured the spirit of this Christmas season, at least for the doorslammer fans, with his latest offering. Oh yeah, it looks like a 5.8-second rocket. Wonder if he'll have this thing running tonight?

Gene Fasching, 64, former NHRA Division 5 Pro Stock Champion and owner of Triple T Race Products, peacefully passed away at his home in Winsted, Minnesota  December 22 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Fasching  campaigned cars in various categories from the mid 1960’s until 1989.  He was most known for his Winsted Body Shop in Minnesota, which painted  most of the Pro Stock cars on the track in the 1970’s and 1980’s as well as many of the “Showtime” Funny Cars for Tom Hoover.  As a drag racer, Fasching won the 1982 Pro Stock division 5 title.

Every analysis of professional sports demographics seems to come to the same conclusion:  Drag racing's fan base is a unique and interesting lot, made up of devoted, loyal, and enthusiastic people who may have a favorite driver or team, but who are fans of the sport, first and foremost.  With all 23 NHRA national events being hosted at what would be considered "neutral sites" for any "stick and ball" sport, the typical Full Throttle crowd is mostly there for the thrills, although they're quick to wear the colors of their favorite driver.  Even so, should "Favorite Driver A" fail to win, most of them are not opposed to shifting to Plan B, to root for the next guy, or woman, to win the Wally.

Some pro drivers are certainly more popular than others, to the point where public interaction can become a problem in a pit area blanketed by wall-to-wall humanity.  NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing prides itself on driver and team access, but overwhelming popularity often comes at a price, and that crush of public interest can wear down the folks on both sides of the ropes, often making the autograph experience little more than a momentary brush with a hero.  One thing that has become clear though, over the past few years, is the unique bond between a rapidly growing group of fans and a Funny Car star by the name of Tim Wilkerson, the driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang.  If, at first blush, that connection seems slightly different and more personal, that's simply an indication that first impressions are generally correct.  There is clearly something different going on here.

In many circles, 13 is an unlucky number. But for the second year in a row the CompetitionPlus.com War Stories may provide the exception. Last year's runner-up Pat Musi reached the finals from the No. 13 spot.

This year the position appears to have favor once again.

Steve Earwood, No. 13 qualifier in this year's event, has jumped out to an overwhelming early lead over mountain motor Pro Stock legend and drag racing school instructor Roy Hill. They are paired in the first round of the “B” portion of the sixteen-participant ladder.

Chances are at some point in your life you or someone you know has been directly affected by one of the world’s fastest growing diseases – diabetes.

In the United States alone a new case of diabetes is diagnosed every 30 seconds and if that trend continues it is estimated that some 380 million people worldwide will be affected by the illness by the year 2025.

And among those affected are an ever increasing number of children.

While those numbers are clearly alarming, there are those who are willing to put up a fight in an attempt to halt this deadly disease in its tracks.

Whatever your favorite sport or hobby, nothing stirs the emotions like a walk down memory lane.

And nothing, not before or perhaps ever again, will compare to the walk down memory lane that NHRA fans will get to take at the 50th running of the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals, to be held Feb. 11-14, 2010, at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, when NHRA officials unveil the Golden 50 Corral, a car show to end all car shows.

From “Big Daddy” Don Garlits’ Swamp Rat V to the Kohler brothers’ King Kong AA/GS to the Stone, Woods & Cook Willys coupe (voted No. 1 in National DRAGSTER’s “Favorite Race Car Ever” poll) and so many more classics, this would be a drop-everything, must-attend event for every car enthusiast from Los Angeles to London — even if it was a standalone, paid-entry car show.

Last night's NHRA Tuesday on Joe Castello's http://wforadio.com/ included interviews with the NHRA's Alan Reinhart, DSR driver Tommy Johnson Jr. and National Dragster editor Phil Burgess.

WFO RADIO - December 22

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