Larry Morgan is firm on his intentions, if he gets off the beaten path with his upcoming Ford engine program, he won’t hesitate to use his lifeline of experience.

For Morgan, on the other end of that lifeline is none other than ten-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden.

Nine of Glidden’s 10 championships were won in a Ford. Sandwiched in the middle of three consecutive title runs from 1978 until 1980; was one year behind the wheel of a factory-backed Mopar effort.

If anyone knows the challenges of switching brands and remaining competitive, it’s Glidden.

This video features nitro action from Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, WI. There are some classic rides in here including the Funny Cars of Gene Snow, Fred Mandoline and Kelly Chadwick. The dragsters include Ma and Pa Hoover and other Midwestern regulars.

Since 1961, the legendary NHRA Winternationals has been thrilling NHRA race fans with the unveiling of innovative race cars, incredible rookie debuts, unprecedented firsts, and dramatic finishes that have provided a supercharged launch to NHRA seasons for five decades.

To help salute the milestone 50th anniversary Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals, coming to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Feb. 11-14, NHRA fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Winternationals moment of the past 49 years in a special month-long poll on NHRA.com.

Sometimes the best laid plans on paper just don’t jibe with politics.

Buddy Ingersoll of Ziegler, Ill., knows that to be an accurate statement.

A little over 22-years ago, with the blessings of the IHRA’s tech department, Ingersoll began entering Pro Stock events with his turbocharged, 260-inch Buick Regal. This was fine until he leaned on the locals and started running quick in qualifying and even worse, started winning rounds.

Ingersoll reached the final round of the 1986 IHRA Fall Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., and afterwards found himself banished back to NHRA’s Competition eliminator. If it hadn’t been for a burned up clutch in the final round against Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, he might have been tarred and feathered in the pits.

This classic YouTube video features the ESPN coverage of this event.

Don Schumacher Racing scored 14 national-event wins in 27 final rounds among its seven teams in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, ending the season with one world championship. DSR drivers also earned 11 No. 1 qualifiers during 2009.

In all, since DSR was formed in 1998, DSR teams have scored a total of 136 national-event victories in 260 final rounds, 125 pole positions, and claimed eight world championships.

A group of NHRA drivers are poised to travel overseas and spread some nitro-flavored holiday cheer to U.S. soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines serving our country.

Top Fuel professionals Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, and Spencer Massey, along with Pro Stock favorite Erica Enders and Pro Stock Motorcycle rising star Doug Horne are set to depart on a week-long USO Tour of Germany where they greet servicemen and women at various locations around the country.

At 44 years old, Paul Candies Jr. joined the fraternity that made his father a legend.

He’s officially a bona fide drag racer and has the competition license to prove it.

The second-generation Candies had grown up around drag racing, surrounded by his father’s long-running nitro team partnership with Leonard Hughes, but earlier this week Paul Jr. made a name for himself thanks to drag racing school instructor Frank Hawley.

Traditions help fuel the blessings of Thanksgiving and for CompetitionPlus.com, we’re embarking on a new tradition. Here at the magazine we consider ourselves traditional, a big family if you will. We share many hours together in labor and miles together on the road in our efforts to produce a top-notch drag racing publication.

The time together on the road enables us to focus on the different facets of our life for which we are most thankful.

In following the Thanksgiving tradition, CompetitionPlus.com each year will select one driver or drag racing industry figure to share with our readers what they are most thankful for.

Our first installment comes from Jack Beckman, driver of the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger Funny Car.

Kurt Johnson plans to spend a few days enjoying Thanksgiving with his family and neighbors, but come Monday the veteran Pro Stock driver plans to be back in the shop working the dyno and tweaking engines for 2010. Those are the plans he revealed while a guest Tuesday evening on Joe Castello’s WFO Radio show.

Earlier the same day, Johnson’s sponsor of 14 years, ACDelco, announced the end of their sponsorship program. The 39-time NHRA Pro Stock winner confirmed that he’s got his work cut out for him if he hopes to race.

They were once heated rivals in the Pro Street movement of the 1990s.

In the years that have passed, the animosity between Pat Musi and Tony Christian might have appeared to settle. Ask either one and they’ll tell you that is just wishful thinking.

The rivalry, which has been in mothballs, is on again and if the two of them have their way, this one will be settled on the drag strip, again.