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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The excess was intoxicating. Drag racing, particularly its nitro Funny Car class, was the loudest, smelliest, most gut-churning, and in Dean Skuza's words, "the most luring thing I'd ever seen."
 
Today, Dean Skuza says he has "lost interest in it, pretty much."
 
How could that be?
 
The young man from Brecksville, Ohio, had been hypnotized, nearly, with it all. "The whole idea behind a Funny Car -- the short wheelbase, trying to go that fast -- it almost defies physics," he had said. Skuza, who naturally gravitated to things defiant, didn't take long to climb from the top of the grandstands at the IHRA race at nearby Norwalk and into one of the swoopy, crazy-fast machines. And he became one of the best on the NHRA tour.

Brian Thiel, a nitro and alcohol Funny Car racer on the NHRA tour, was the victim of a massive theft over the weekend.

Thiel's race trailer, parked outside of his shop in Pleasant Grove, Ca. shop, was broken into sometime late Saturday evening. The break-in was discovered on Sunday morning.

“One of my crew guys went to the shop and saw what had happened and called me,” Thiel said. “He let me know that I had better get down there quickly.

No. 1 seed Billy Glidden and No. 9 qualifier Bill Doner lead their respective “races” in first day eliminations at the third annual CompetitionPlus.com War Stories Showdown.

The unique storytelling competition assembles 16 of drag racing’s best yarn-spinners in an eliminations style competition to determine the grand champion. Readers determine the best stories of each “race” and inevitably have a hand in determining the champion.

Continuing a multi-year effort to offer guests a first-class experience, the owners of Houston Raceway Park will soon christen a 12,000 square foot, state-of-the-art "Tower Club" that will instantly become the premiere starting line facility in drag racing.

Already nearing completion, the deluxe permanent structure on the west side of the conventional tower suites will transform a regular day at the drag races into a VIP experience for race fans, with numerous amenities never before offered at the track.

"We're shooting for the stars with this building and we think fans are really going to respond favorably to what we're doing," said General Manager Seth Angel. "In the past, we had a huge tent for our Darrell Russell Top Eliminator Club and it was very successful, but there were things our guests suggested to us in order to make it better and we listened. Ultimately, our customers need to be happy and we think the Tower Club will exceed all of their wishes.

Recently Frank Hawley, founder and instructor of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, was invited to speak for a group of NASA employees of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

The offer to conduct a lecture was extended to Hawley after Chip Kroll, a NASA engineer attended a Super Class at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School’s Gainesville, Florida location in June.

In his free time, Kroll races the Friday Night Street program at Baytown, Texas and attended Frank Hawley’s class while working to acquire his NHRA license. After the lecture he decided the topic may be appropriate for colleagues at work and approached management about how to invite Hawley to talk to them.