In the Mickey Thompson Outlaw 10.5 class, the usual suspects zipped to the top of the order in the opening qualifying session at the Shakedown at E'town hosted by Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ.
 
Tim Lynch, ready to show that his '02 twin-turbo Mustang was better than it showed in the final round against Chuck Ulsch at last weekend's World Street Nationals at Orlando. Ulsch won that one. But Lynch had the upper hand this time with a 6.400-second blast at 224.06 mph that left in the dust his own 6.543-second elapsed time at 218.34 mph that earned him the No. 1 spot here last year.

"Jersey Joe" Newsham's hope of repeating his Outlaw 10.5 victory at the Shakedown at E'town ended early Saturday in frightening fashion.

In the first rounds of qualifying for the Short Line Express Market Gambler Shootout presented by Torco Fuels, Top Alcohol Dragster driver Michael Manners, Willis, Texas, and Top Alcohol Funny Car pilot Steve Harker, Gainesville, Ga., took the No. 1 qualifying positions in their classes.  The event marks the final event on the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional schedule.  Lucas Oil Racers also compete at NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series which has one event to go, next weekend at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif.

Manners leads a strong list of racers in the alcohol dragster class taking the early pole with a run of 5.364 seconds at 265.70 mph.  Manners is followed by Hillary Will, Ypsilanti, Mich., and defending NHRA Lucas Oil National Champion Bill Reichert, Owosso, Mich., in the number two and three spots respectively.  Reichert, currently leads the chase for the 2009 national championship and is hoping to hold off Duane Shields, Boulder City, Nev., and Jim Whiteley, Grand Junction, Colo., who are qualified fifth and sixth.

Harker put his ’06 Monte Carlo on top with a lap of 5.672 seconds, 255.34 mph with Alexis De Joria and Tony Bartone in second and third.  De Joria, Bronson, Fla., ran 5.676 at 254.04 and Bartone, Long Island, N.Y., clocked in at 5.684, 250.97.

There is no need for any complicated arithmetic for Team JEGS drag racer John Coughlin. His mission as he heads to this weekend's Pacific Division Lucas Oil Series event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is simple -- win the race and he'll win the championship.

With one race remaining in the 2009 season, Coughlin is trailing leader Bob Cireddu in the Spitzer Race Cars Top Dragster standings by 42 points. If he wins the race he wins the title. Anything less will be a disappointment.

"I really have my work cut out for me this weekend but I'm determined to give it my best shot," Coughlin said. "My brother Jeg tested my car last week in Tucson to make sure we had a good combination for these weather conditions and it ran really well. We made a few changes and all of them seemed to work.

"My goal is to win the race and if I can do that, I'll be the champion. I've got my family here with me this weekend and we're going to have a lot of fun and hopefully that will help take some of the pressure off."

Perth-based Chartered Accountant, Robin Judd, is confident of taking the outright lead in the Australian Top Doorslammer championship series at the Perth Motorplex on November 13-14, after running Australia’s quickest-ever Doorslammer pass.

Judd will go into the 38th annual Goldenstates after recording the record-breaking 5.822-second pass at the Perth Motorplex on October 31 and fresh from winning the Australian Nationals at the Western Sydney Dragway in September.

Judd and archrival John Zappia are currently locked together on 165 points after two rounds of the 2009/2010 ANDRA Pro Series drag racing championship series.

Victoria Smith won the 2009 Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Championship on Sunday, October 18. In a points chase that came down to the final race, the top eight racers all had a chance at winning. This marked her second championship since 2006.

"This was the tightest points battle the series has ever had. I was nervous going into the last race, knowing so many racers would be ready to take advantage of any mistake I made," said Smith, who is the daughter of Canadian Super Stock legend F.J. Smith.

"The series has gotten incredibly competitive, so this is very rewarding," she continued. "In fact, in our 11 events, we had 20 different racers make final round appearances.

The National Guard American Drag Racing League (ADRL) is pleased to announce its Racer Appreciation and Awards Gala II will be held Dec. 12, in the Citrus Ballroom at the luxurious Wyndham Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. The semi-formal event punctuates the final day of the massive three-day Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show at the Orange County Convention Center just down the street from the newly renovated resort.

“All season long our race teams put on a great show for National Guard ADRL fans and I really look forward to the one night a year we get to return the favor,” series president Kenny Nowling said. “Celebrating the accomplishments of our five world champions is a real honor for me, as is handing out a few special awards to some very deserving people.”

When Chris Gulitti began the 2009 racing season he knew he had a car that could be competitive.

What he didn’t know, however, was that he would have the kind of season that would garner him national attention and one of the most prestigious awards in IHRA sportsman competition.

Gulitti, behind the wheel of his ’98 Firebird Top Sportsman machine, did all that and more this season with two national event victories, a win in the Summit All-Stars race and a second place finish in the Renegades Division on the Summit Pro-Am Tour. And all of that has led to Gulitti being named the 2009 IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year.