Al-Anabi Racing team Funny Car driver Del Worsham was in Doha, Qatar earlier this month when His Highness Sheik Khalid Bin Hamad Al-Thani won his first race as a driver. While on vacation with his wife Connie, Worsham attended the second race of the season at the Qatar Race Club and then accompanied Al-Thani to the Williams Formula 1 facility in Oxford, UK where both drove the Formula 1 simulator. Worsham’s description of the trip is below.

“Connie and I usually take our annual vacation in late November, once we wrap up the NHRA season. This year, we had booked a Caribbean cruise and were really looking forward to some much needed R&R.  When the race season began in Qatar, Sheik Khalid had a great first event, and I called him to congratulate him on his successful first event as a driver. During the call, he invited me to attend the second race of the season so we cancelled our cruise and made plans to travel to Doha, Qatar to attend the race. We were both really excited about it because we had heard so many great things, and wanted to see Qatar for ourselves.

Drag racing has lost a true friend today.

Veteran sportsman drag racer Jimmy "The Shoe" Harrington passed away early this morning. The veteran drag racer and drag racing school instructor had been hospitalized for the last couple of weeks fighting various health related issues.

Funeral arrangements are pending and will be posted once they are received.

No. 2 seeded Louis Force and No. 10 Gordie Bonin lead their respective “races” in the third day of Round 1 competition at the War Stories Showdown presented by CompetitionPlus.com.

Force, who answers to the nickname Diesel, and is the older brother of 14-time champion John Force, jumped out to the lead from the moment voting started yesterday and hasn’t relinquished the advantage. He currently leads veteran photographer Don Gillespie by a 64.27 to 35.73 margin.

Gary Sumek would like to see a very special individual receive some well-deserved recognition.

Sumek, the owner of Lenco transmissions, would like to see Leonard Abbott, inventor of the innovative transmission that he markets, recognized with an induction into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

“His innovation helped revolutionized drag racing back in the late 60's and early 70's,” said Sumek. “He's been overlooked because he wasn't in the limelight. After 40 years, his product, his idea, is still out there and still functioning. How many other things in this industry can you even think about has the longevity this product has?”

Mountain Motor Pro Stocks, ADRL Pro Mods, a key race in the new IHRA Nitro Jam Series, a couple of events combining drifting and drag racing and the return of the most successful independent motorcycle series in the country are the key elements in a 2010 schedule that Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood characterizes as the most diverse in the track’s rich 33-year history.

“We’re really excited about the schedule we’ve put together for 2010,” Earwood said, “especially about the redesign of the IHRA’s Nitro Jam Series, the seventh renewal of the ADRL’s Dragstock event and the addition of a new race for the Mountain Motor Pro Stockers.

“I know we’ve said before that our goal is to provide a little something for every drag racing fan, but I think with this year’s schedule, we finally have done that.”

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 –

No one can say Johnny Gray doesn’t like taking chances.

The NHRA veteran driver is not only coming back to compete in Pro Stock for a third-consecutive season in 2010, but he’s doing it with a two-car team and his own engine program.

Gra,y and his 37-year-old son Shane, will each be campaigning Pontiac GXP cars for a full national event schedule.

“My thoughts are we will be very competitive with a two-car team,” the 56-year-old Johnny Gray said. “We’re naturally, at the present time, struggling because we’re trying to build an engine shop, build horsepower and build two new cars all at the same time. With the economy in the shape that it is in, the parts vendors are not stocking anything extra on the shelves and it’s a little harder to get parts and get up and running fast. We still have a real bright outlook and we feel like we will be very competitive in a short period of time.”

Richard Maskin had a morning ritual back in 1971 from which he rarely deviated. He’d head into his office at his grandfather's business, Barnett Pontiac, sit down with his cup of coffee and read the morning newspaper. One day, instead of reading his local paper, Maskin instead picked up an automotive news publication. While he didn't know it at the time, that simple change of routine would forever change the course of his life.

Maskin, a C/Modified Production competitor at the tracks around Detroit saw where Bob Swaim, formerly with the Ford Motor Company, had accepted a position with American Motors. He wasted no time in calling Swaim and scheduling a lunch meeting. It made sense because their offices were only five miles apart.

Maskin learned that Swaim had already offered a deal to “Dyno” Don Nicholson as part of a major push for the American Motors brand in NHRA Pro Stock. Swaim told him there were two smaller programs in addition to Nicholson’s major Pro Stock effort. 

This blast from the past on YouTube.com features coverage of the 1982 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The event features some of drag racing's Hall of Fame legends and a memorable first time winner. This video features the classic Diamond P intro and well worth the investment of your time.

Under the guidance of Joe Powell, President of Joe Powell Motorsports, the Pro Alcohol Funny Car Association [PAFCA] will race into 2010. The PAFCA is a new professional touring alcohol funny car association based in the southwestern region of the United States. The focus is to put on cost affective six-second 200 MPH Alcohol Funny Car shows for  track promoters, racers, and fans  in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon.

“Recently we were looking at possibly taking over another association based in the southwest,” said Powell. “When negotiations fell through, we were still looking for alternatives to give to the track promoters, racers, and fans. The market has become saturated with 7 second Funny Cars, Dragsters, and Door Cars. An alternative is needed that is cost effective for track promoters and racers both. We believe with our new race format, purse and point’s structure, we have the best Blown Alcohol Funny Car show for tracks, racers, & fans in our market.”