Rodger Brogdon wonders where the time has gone.

Brogdon, of Tomball, Texas, will put the finishing touches on his first full-time NHRA Pro Stock tour in Pomona this weekend.

The season has been one of ups and downs for the driver of Steve Kent’s Pontiac GXP. But most of all, the former Competition eliminator standout largely considers the 23-race run to be about experience.

“It has been an incredible ride and a learning experience,” Brogdon said, as he prepared for his trip to Pomona’s season-ending NHRA Auto Club Finals. “I learned a lot as a driver and we did the same as a team. Headed into this season we had realistic expectations and now those goals are beginning to materialize. They’ve always said it’s not how you start a race that counts, it’s how you finish. I believe we’re closing out the season on a high note.”

One driver is banking on history; the other is leaning on the former's previous crew chief. Both drivers are hunting a championship.

With four rounds of qualifying and four rounds of eliminations remaining in the season, only one point separates Tony Schumacher from Larry Dixon heading into the final race on the NHRA Full Throttle Championship tour. Sitting within striking distance, waiting on both to falter, is Cory McClenathan, 48 points behind.

“We’re locked in an incredible battle,” said Schumacher. “Any one of us can win the thing come Sunday.”

Dixon finished second in the Countdown last year to Schumacher and is making his third countdown appearance in as many years.

John Bartunek posted a 6.123-second elapsed time that trumped Steve Cossis' No. 1 qualifying time of 6.232 but ended on fire against the guardrail. He experienced tire shake but stayed with it and hung on for the incredible E.T. But something flung his '68 Camaro to the left and into the wall.

A limited number of $20 Race Fan Relief tickets are available for this weekend’s Auto Club NHRA Finals (Nov. 12-15), the season finale for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

A limited number of the $20 Race Fan Relief tickets remain for Thursday and Friday’s racing at famed Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, where the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle world champions will be crowned in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle categories. Saturday and Sunday’s allotments of the $20 Race Fan Relief tickets are sold out.

For nearly 25 years John Force has been racing all over North America in a Castrol sponsored Funny Car. Before Force joined the Castrol team he got his racing career kick-started in a storied match racing trip to Australia. As the 14-time NHRA Funny Car world champion put it he has “been on fire from here to Australia and raced down just about every track in the United States.” His level of passion is unmatched and his performance records will most likely never be equaled.

Ken Thomas and Crew captured their 11th win of the 2009 TOPMA season during series finale at Texas Raceway on November 7th.  With this win, Ken clinched the series points championship and became only the second driver in TOPMA history to win two points titles in a row.  Only Lenmar teammate Gaylen Smith was able to equal the feat in 2003/2004.  

“What a relief and a joy to bring home the title again,” Thomas said. “This one was a little sweeter because we really had to earn it in the end.”

With a brand new look and format to the series comes a revamped schedule as the IHRA Nitro Jam series welcomes one brand new facility and one former track back to the fold as part of the 2010 Nitro Jam schedule which was released on Tuesday.

Palm Beach International Raceway, which signed with the International Hot Rod Association earlier this year, will open the 2010 season while the series also welcomes Virginia Motorsports Park back to its family of tracks with the final spot on the 2010 calender.

If you loved those old school Modified cars, the ones that used to zing the small block engines upward to 10,000 rpm, then we have the project for you.

In the next six months, CompetitionPlus.com will undertake the challenge of building a project car which will represent the tradition of an old school Modified eliminator car while following the never-ending path of technological advancements.