As an organization, they are large in numbers, fervent in their loyalty, and completely unofficial, but the group known as Wilk's Warriors is clearly among the best known in the fan-friendly world of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing.  This band of supporters, many of whom live in Central Illinois and rightfully consider themselves to be the core group of Tim Wilkerson backers on the planet, will host a reception for their favorite Funny Car driver on January 9, in Springfield, Ill., to both look back on a great 2009 while also looking forward to an exciting and successful 2010 season.

Fans of all ages are encouraged to attend, and according to Warrior leader Dan "Dozer" Hough, the informal occasion is planned as a simple "mix and mingle" affair, allowing fans and friends to socialize as a group, with the Levi, Ray & Shoup Funny Car team in attendance.

After reviewing the run data collected during the 2009 season, and consulting with the Sportsman Racer Advisory Council as well as the Stock/Super Stock Committee; the NHRA Technical Department will reduce all indexes for Stock and Super Stock by 3-tenths, for 2010. Below is a revised AHFS explained, due to the change.

Sometimes drivers compete in a variety different classes for years before they find their drag racing niche.

That wasn’t the case for Rob Atchison.

Nearly his entire racing career, which began in 1995, Atchison has been piloting an Alcohol Funny Car.

“My dad (Bob) was drag racing in the late 1950s, early 60s, so it has kind of been in the family blood,” the 34-year-old Atchison said. “I made my first pass in ’95 and I just fell in love with drag racing the second I hit the throttle.”

Brian Gahm and Doug Kirk might as well be brothers, and even though they have different bloodlines, they are their brother’s keeper.

“He and I are like two brothers,” said Kirk, following a final round in Rockingham where they raced. “We talk every day. We race together. We travel together. We vacation together. Everything we do, we do together.”

That’s why when Kirk, from Lenore, WV, and his family were stranded due to severe weather; it was Gahm who fought the elements to help not only his stranded friend but members of that community stranded without power or heat in the dangerously cold weather. The unselfish Kirk asked for help for his community first.

VP Racing Fuels has announced the expansion of its Technical Support group. “VP’s strength has always been its leading edge technology and dedication to R&D, much of which has been conducted right alongside racers on their dynos and at the track,” said Steve Burns, VP’s President and CEO. “But because we can’t be everywhere at once, we want to make sure that technical support for all our other customers remains just a phone call or e-mail away.”
 
“You won’t find another fuel company offering this level of support, which will be yet another point of differentiation that will set VP apart,” Burns continued. “Customers can now easily tap into the specialized expertise needed to ensure they not only select the best fuel for their application, but tune their engine to achieve the maximum performance of which that fuel is capable.”

Originally published in May 2002, this story is one of those stories that went largely unreported by the leading print magazines of the era. CompetitionPlus.com, in just its third year of publication, did a little digging and hunted down a few of the key figures and all who we talked to swear this is how the story went down. One person, and we'll not call any names, says it didn't happen, but we'll stand by our story is its written. - Editor

There are some combinations that were always an institution in drag racing. For instance, we could always automatically assume that Bill Jenkins was a Chevrolet man, that the talented “Dyno Don” Nicholson was pretty much a Ford man at heart, and we always picture Ronnie Sox in a Mopar. In the same vein, we could always associate Bob Glidden with a Ford-powered entry. Sure there were the flirtations with a Chevrolet in 1976 at Indy, and the record-setting season of 1979 in a Mopar, but for the most part the cagey veteran from Whiteland, Ind., was always a dyed-in-the-wool Blue Oval man.

However, a little over two decades ago, unbeknownst to many Pro Stock aficionados, the Hoosier nearly ended up in an Oldsmobile as part of a revered Hurst/Olds project. Just what changed his path at the last minute? That answer may never be fully revealed on the record, but the word on the streets is that the folks at Ford objected, and at contract time they flexed their muscles by strongly suggesting that their star driver “cease and desist.”

If you missed Michael Knight's Race Reporters internet radio show last Wednesday then you missed a good one.

CompetitionPlus.com Senior Editor joined Knight in his final show of the year to discuss the ins and outs of the 2009 season. If you take the time to listen, it will be worth the investment.

LISTEN TO THE SPORTS REPORTERS

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Billy Glidden used a huge vote total to claim the No. 1 qualifying position for the third annual CompetitionPlus.com War Stories Showdown, an annual competition to determine drag racing’s best storytellers.

“I’m grateful that I’ve been chosen for this No. 1 qualifying spot, but this is going to be a tough competition because there’s heavy hitters in here,” Glidden said on Friday. “Whether I’m playing checkers or ping-pong, or telling race stories … I’m in it to win it. We’ll just see how it all turns out.”

Glidden claimed 45.23 percent of the 1,289 votes cast.

Now that qualifying is complete, the competition enters the eliminations phase just like a real drag race. The contestants are paired on an NHRA eliminations-style ladder according to their qualifying position.

Drag racing has a worldwide attraction, especially when it comes to nitro-burning floppers. This video from YouTube.com features Funny Car action from the 1980 NHRA Cajun Nationals at State Capitol Dragway located outside of Baton Rouge, La.

You'll see the legends of the era including Raymond Beadle, Billy Meyer, Kenny Bernstein, Ron Colson, Ed McCulloch, Tom Hoover, Tripp Shumake, Henry Harrison and Paul Smith. The video does include subtitles but the presence of dry hops makes up for it.

There was a rumor circulating around that Top Alcohol Funny Cars and dragsters were not going to compete at NHRA national events in 2010.

That rumor is false.

An NHRA official told Competition Plus the rumor is untrue. The official said the Top Alcohol Funny Cars and dragsters are competing at 16 national events in 2010 which is the same number they competed at this past season.

The 16 races in the upcoming season will aired on ESPN2 as part of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.