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.

Bruce Litton will never forget the lessons his big brother taught him.

Litton, driver of the Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster on the IHRA tour, said he learned the value of life through his older brother Dennis, the one he credits for introducing him to drag racing. And even though he lost his brother fifteen years ago in an industrial accident, his influence maintains a stronghold on his younger sibling’s life.

“Dennis always took care of me and looked out for me, too,” said Litton. “Through the years we shared a lot of the same passions, namely drag racing. He raced cars and I raced motorcycles. We were very competitive. There were plenty of head-to-head races between the two of us.”

Litton, the youngest of five children, gravitated towards his older brother, who was five years older. As he puts it, Dennis was a good teacher.

Robert Hight is prepared to accept a new role this weekend at the Auto Club NHRA Finals. He and tuner Jimmy Prock head to the final event on the 24th on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing tour in the unfamiliar role of the elusive prey as opposed to the hunter.

The hunter in their case will be teammate Ashley Force Hood and Hight's challenge is to stay out of the crosshairs and outlast her in competition and the championship will be theirs.  

Antron Brown isn’t conceding anything.

Granted his chances are slim, but as far as the driver of the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster is concerned, the race for the 2009 NHRA Top Fuel title isn’t over until the final points are tallied.

 "It's all come down to this. We're 80 points out, but we've still got a shot at this Countdown championship,” said Brown, who finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed. “We ran awesome at Pomona in February with getting the pole and running that 3.77 and making it to the final round. Our DSR Matco Tools dragster is running great and there's no reason we can't go out on top a winner at Pomona. We've won there on the bikes a while back and it would be cool to do it in Top Fuel too."

The NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals will invade Texas with the 1st Annual Nitto Tire Lone Star Shootout, presented by Quantum Performance at Houston Raceway Park the weekend of Nov. 13-15, 2009.

All four pro classes will crown their champions at the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 12-15 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona

Nine months ago, the biggest storyline entering the 2009 season revolved around Larry Dixon and Tony Schumacher, who had combined to win the last seven Top Fuel titles and nine of the last 10.

In what was as compelling an offseason as the NHRA had seen in some time, decorated crew chief Alan Johnson parted ways with the U.S. Army team to create his own team with the backing of Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Tony Pontieri said he plans to campaign in the National Hot Rod Association in 2010. And he delivered an impressive calling card Sunday from Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
 
The Canadian veteran from Bolton, Ontario, won the Lend America Pro Mod Blown class and picked up $20,000 with a solo pass of 5.914 seconds at 246.26 mph. Final-round opponent Kevin McCurdy's beautiful purple and silver entry broke and was pushed to the side before staging.
 
McCurdy, of Hamburg, Pa., received $2,000 as runner-up.

In Jim Halsey's case, a No. 2 rating for Old Bridge Township Raceway Park was about the highest honor he could bestow after his repeat victory in the Speedtech Pro Mod Nitrous class.
 
The owner of Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Md., Halsey said after easily beating Gary Courtier in the final for a $20,000 payoff, "I'd like to say this place is my favorite track, but I own one. So this is my second-favorite track. You got a killer race track here today," he said.

Mike Janis certainly is glad he changed his plans for this past weekend and decided to compete in the new Barwa 1/8-Mile Challenge. It added $20,000 to his bank account, as sailed to the final-round victory over disabled Dwayne Wolfe.
 
"We hadn't even planned on coming, because the weather didn't look so good," Janis said. "After the season we had -- we had some ups and downs -- now to end the season like this . . . it's great to be here."
 
He was No. 1 qualifier with a 3.926-second, 192.85-mph performance and had his Jan-Cen Racing '68 Firebird hooked up all weekend. But he was fortunate that Wolfe, of Moorefield, WVa., was unable to overcome the transmission trouble he experienced with his Pontiac at the end of his semifinal victory over Mike Stawicki in a battle between the Nos. 2 and 3 qualifiers.

The hallmark of promoter-racer Dave Hance's Shakedown at E-Town, Northeast drag racing's doorslammer showcase, is outlandish drama.
 
And this "Al-Anabi Racing Shakedown at E-Town 7 powered by New York Motorsports" remained true to event history.
 
Racers tried to outrun Old Bridge Township Raceway Park's 7:30 noise curfew as much as each other Sunday. And a vicious-looking wreck by Outlaw Heavy Street winner Mitch George in the final round -- one in which his opponent nearly crashed and was disqualified --  only heightened the frenzy.