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RAIN ENDS PBIR TEST; TEAMS MOVE NORTH

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SUPER CHEVY SHOW TRACKS AIM TO IMPRESS WITH UNIQUE FEATURE CATEGORY

If you think the months of December and January are for taking time off and vacation, think again. The new owners of the Super Chevy Show series couldn't be busier. One of the top priorities is arranging a feature category for each of the 10 national events featured on the 30th anniversary season in 2010.

While each of the 10 national events will have some consistency in the type and caliber of entertainment on and off the race track and car show stage, there will be room for local interpretation on what the feature category will be at each venue. The owners of each Super Chevy Show series event has the ability to provide one major feature category – a task they are taking seriously. Each track wants to give fans and participants something exciting, especially in the 30th anniversary of the Super Chevy Show series.

Bill Bader, owner of Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio and host of the June 12-13 event, has already booked the nostalgic Fuel-Altered race cars to feature his Super Chevy Show.

NITRO COUPLE JOHNSON AND TROXEL TRY BOBSLEDDING

The first couple of drag racing, Tommy Johnson Jr. and his wife Melanie Troxel, will test their mettle on legendary Mount Van Hoevenberg, Jan. 8-10, during the fifth annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen.

Johnson and Troxel join Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. as members of Team NHRA. As such, they will try their best to take home bobsledding glory for the straight-liners in the annual winter match-up against Team NASCAR, led by legend Geoff Bodine and newly-crowned Rookie of the Year Joey Logano.

"We're both really excited that our schedules finally lined up right for us to compete," Troxel said. "We've known Geoff for a long time and every year he invites us up but until now we've never had the chance. We can't wait to get up there and give it a try.

2010 NMRA SCHEDULE RELEASED

2010_NMRA_SideDecalThe NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals will feature nine events in 2010.  Every NMRA Ford Nationals event features heads-up Ford drag racing, the UPR Products All-Ford Auto Show & Shine, a giant manufacturers' midway & swap meet, and 30-plus MPH jet cars.  Every NMRA event is featured on Fox Sports Net's Inside Drag Racing, and on the web on www.NMRATV.com.

MAPLE GROVE IMPROVES TRACK

starting-lineWhen racers compete at Maple Grove Raceway in 2010, they will notice several improvements made to the quartermile track.
 
A new surface should translate into record runs by drivers from all classes, especially at the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event in May and the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in October.
 

WFORADIO.COM FEATURES HILL, BROGDON, LEE AND BENNETT

WFORadio.com with Joe Castello will air two special editions recorded at last weekend's Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, FL.  A special edition of NHRA Tuesday, airs live tonight at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a special PRI edition of WFO Radio on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.  To listen live, on demand, or to download, go to www.wforadio.com.

WFORadio.com with Joe Castello was recorded on location from the Red Line Synthetic Oil exhibit at the 22nd annual PRI show.  This year's PRI show had exhibitors from over 1,200 racing companies, including over 100 new exhibitors for 2009.

MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK GROUP PARTS WITH IHRA

The Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association [MMPSA] intends to move forward in 2010 without involvement of the IHRA. The series will stage a series of independent events.

Pete Berner, spokesman for the MMPSA, confirmed that the October announcement of an alignment with the IHRA will not transpire as announced by the sanctioning body. The group has instead forged an alliance with the American Drag Racing League, the only sanctioning body to stage a full-time mountain motor Pro Stock division.

In the end, the MMPSA made the decision to walk away from the tentative agreement with the IHRA due to a combination of principle and marketing feasibility.

STEVENS TOPS MONDAY PBIR TESTING

Richie Stevens, subbing for multi-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., laid down the quickest lap of first day doorslammer Pro Stock testing at Palm Beach International Raceway in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday.

Stevens drove the Jegs Mail Order Cobalt to a 6.619 elapsed time at 209.43 miles per hour. His 60-foot time on the run was a .983.

NIFTY 50 IS IN PRO STOCK RACER COUGHLIN'S FUTURE

j_coughlinFive-time world champion drag racer Jeg Coughlin Jr. will sport a special competition number on his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt in 2010. In honor of the 50th anniversary of JEGS Automotive, the company his famous father Jeg Coughlin Sr. began in 1960 that is now run by Jeg Jr. and his three brothers, Coughlin will use No. 50 as his official car number for the entire season.

Unique to drag racing, each racer has a competition number assigned to them at the conclusion of their official licensing process. At each event this specific number is used to identify the racer. The exception is the 10 racers that finish in the top 10 the previous year, who assume the number corresponding with their 1-10 finishing spot.

However, the NHRA allows racers to fallback to their original competition number if they so desire. Since the number Coughlin used after winning back-to-back world championships in 2007 and 2008 -- "1" -- will ride with Mike Edwards in 2010, Coughlin decided to go with "50" to honor the celebration of the half-century mark for JEGS Mail Order.

ANTRON TO CO-HOST RACE CENTRAL RADIO, DEC. 19

Antron Brown, driver of the Don Schumacher-owned Matco Tools dragster, will co-host Race Central Radio with Kurt Hansen on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009. The popular Denver-area motor sports talk show can be heard on KCKK AM 1510, the Rocky Mountain's Sporting News Radio affiliate. Brown will be on the show from 1-1:30 p.m. (MT) on Saturday. Fans can listen on the web at www.racecentralmedia.com.

"Kurt (Hansen) is one cool cat," Brown said. "In fact, I think he may be the only guy I know who talks faster than me. I've done Kurt's show a lot this year and over the years he's been on the air with Race Central and he knows a lot about NHRA drag racing. We won at Denver this year and the fan support for the Mile-High Nationals is great, so we're looking forward to taking some calls and talking some NHRA drag racing this weekend."

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