Pro Stock racer Greg Stanfield faced a harsh reality on Friday afternoon at the NHRA Auto Club Nationals - that the final event of 2009 could likely be his last for a while.

Stanfield, who drives the Greg Hill Pontiac GXP, confirmed with CompetitionPlus.com that unless major sponsorship comes together before next season’s NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca, he’ll be on the sidelines.

“No money,” Stanfield said. “We don’t have the dollars to race. The parts and pieces are there but the funding to be out here is lacking. This could be my last race, that’s why I want to win it.”

If you wanted to pick a Top Fuel champion since 2002 the logical choice has been one of two drivers. At the final race of the decade, nothing has changed.

Larry Dixon entered this weekend’s Auto Club NHRA Finals trailing Tony Schumacher by one point. Two days into qualifications, Dixon leapfrogged Schumacher to overtake the lead by one point.

“This is all provisionally because it could all flip on Saturday,” Dixon cautioned. “There were two on the table yesterday and three today, so we got them both. Tomorrow there are six on the table, so you obviously want to try and get as much as you can each day.”

John Force has a goal.

At this point in his career he wants to outlive his 13-year old Prevost tour bus.

He admits they’re both down on power and are in need of a few spare parts. They even leak a bit of oil.

NHRA officials announced that Harley-Davidson Motor Company has extended both its official program with NHRA and its title sponsorship of the NHRA Harley-Davidson Sportsman Motorcycle Series through the 2012 season. Harley-Davidson, the only major U.S.-based manufacturer of motorcycles, became the official motorcycle of NHRA and title sponsor of the popular NHRA Harley-Davidson Sportsman Motorcycle Series in 2006.

“When we first signed this deal three years ago, it was the first of its kind for Harley-Davidson,” said Gary Darcy, senior vice president of sales and marketing, NHRA. “Since that time, Harley-Davidson’s interactive display at NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events have become a destination attraction for our fans. It allows Harley-Davidson to engage NHRA fans and provide them the opportunity to be a part of the Harley-Davidson experience.”

Larry Dixon’s pace-setting 3.801-second pass at a track record 318.99 mph on the second day of qualifying at the 45th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals on Friday earned him three bonus points and moved him into first place in the dramatic Top Fuel race.

Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army team entered the day with a two-point lead, but he lost traction on his second qualifying run, opening the door for Dixon and the Al-Anabi team that will now enter Saturday’s final day of qualifying with a one-point lead over Schumacher.

NHRA is excited to announce that the NHRA Full Throttle Awards Ceremony will be available to viewers worldwide on the Internet at NHRA.com and the NHRA Channel on You Tube beginning Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 3 p.m. (ET) /Noon (PT).   It marks the first time the event will be available to NHRA fans via the Internet.

The U.S. Army Accessions Command  announced today that the U.S. Army will continue its sponsorship of Tony Schumacher’s Top Fuel Dragster in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) in 2010.   

“Tony Schumacher and Ryan Newman [NASCAR] are not only outstanding drivers, they are also powerful and effective advocates for the great men and women of our Army.  Both drivers possess and demonstrate a passion for our Army Strong Soldiers and their families.  They and their teams share our Army values and demonstrate the mental, emotional and physical strength which are the hallmark of our Soldiers,” said Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, Commanding General U.S. Army Accessions Command.  “We are very excited about the opportunities our participation in the National Hot Rod Association and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series present us to tell our Soldiers’ stories and connect with Americans across the country.”

Steve Matusek was looking to make a change, some kind of change. The NHRA's decision to elevate the Pro Modified division to professional status made his choice easy.

“We had looked at the ADRL and while we have a neat and pretty fast package, it just didn’t fit,” Matusek explained. “You just couldn’t make a big enough engine to compete with those cars. Now that everything has fallen into place with the NHRA, we decided it was time to step forward and build a new car.”

Matusek, owner of Aeromotive fuel systems and a Competition eliminator racer, sold his potent BB/AT Cobra Mustang to racer John Mihovetz, another turbocharged Comp eliminator driver who recently crashed his own Mercury Cougar.

Robert Hight has raced to more than his fair share of No. 1 qualifying efforts at Auto Club Dragway but on Thursday during the Auto Club NHRA Finals, the point leader felt different in claiming the provisional No. 1 spot.

Hight’s 4.093 elapsed time at 309.34 miles per hour thrust him into uncharted territory. This top qualifying effort puts him atop the field for the first time at the season-ending event as the point leader.

This was not just another low qualifying effort for Hight.

“You know that run is going to stay in the show,” Hight said. “Our first step towards the championship is behind us and that’s in qualifying. Now we can focus on trying to run quicker and staying on top.”

Geckos can be territorial and after Thursday’s qualifying for the NHRA Auto Club Finals in Pomona, Ca., Pro Stock Motorcycle riders with geckos on their bikes are too.

Karen Stoffer rode her Geico Powersports Suzuki to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position of the season and if it the mark holds, it will represent her eighth career top qualifying effort.

Stoffer isn’t battling for a championship but the seventh position in the points, that’s worth fighting for.