For about 6.8-seconds, former NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Andrew Hines believed he was in “La-La Land” and he guided his Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson V-Rod to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.

His 6.899 second elapsed time at 195.85 miles per hour pushed his bike to the top of the qualifying list ahead of Michael Philips on Friday evening.

“This is like a playhouse out here,” said Hines as he reflected on the day’s qualifying. “The Pro Stock Bike and Pro Stock car guys love conditions like this. There’s a good barometer and nice cool and dry air.”

Memphis brings a welcomed change for the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson rider who admits his team has struggled lately with humidity at the last few events on the tour.

Mike Edwards is back at it again. During first day qualifying in Memphis, the soft-spoken Pro Stock driver from Coweta, Ok, was gobbling up those bonus qualifying points at breakneck speed.

He grabbed six of them during provisional qualifying for the NHRA Midsouth Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Robert Hight, during his struggles earlier in the season, was exposed to something he hadn’t seen before – a crew chief that second-guessed his decisions.

There was no second guessing tonight as Hight’s crew chief, Jimmy Prock, guided their car to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position and dual track records with a 4.074 elapsed time at 310.70 miles hour during first day qualifying at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.  

“It’s so cool to watch Jimmy because he has some confidence,” said Hight, who picked up six bonus qualifying points for leading both Friday qualifying sessions. “When we were messed up most of the season, he would go back to the [electronic] box 100 times. You could just tell he was second guessing himself.

Appearing as if they were just tired of waiting through one oil down after another, the Alan Johnson Racing/Al-Anabi Top Fuel team towed their dragster back to the pits as the Safety Safari labored to groom the racing surface back to snuff after a third consecutive Top Fuel fire during second round qualifying in the NHRA Midsouth Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.

The return to the pits was a strategic move. The team swapped out a set of scuffed [broken-in] tires for a set of sticker tires. It was a calculated move that paid off handsomely.

“The team just made a call to do that,” Dixon said. “I don’t know that that was the difference. The car certain made a good run, and fast.”

One of the best rivalries didn’t transpire on the track. It took place on the Manufacturer’s Midway.

O’Reilly Auto Parts, the event sponsor and major NHRA supporter, drew exception to the placement of the Don Schumacher Racing souvenir trailer placed in clear view of the starting line and potentially the television cameras.

Competition is underway at the season’s final NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Northeast divisional race hosted at Atco Raceway. The event is presented by P.C. Richard & Son and Franklin Trailers, where drivers are battling it out for last minute points leading to divisional and national championships. The first event at Atco, which was to be held in June, was rained out and will be completed in conjunction with this weekend’s event.  Pairings are set for the rainout event and qualifying sessions are in progress for the second race.

Jack Wyatt will participate in the International New Year Series USA at Willowbank Raceway, January 2 and January 16, 2010.

Gary Densham, last year’s winner, will travel to Australia with Wyatt to manage his campaign.

Wyatt has competed in Nitro Funny Car since 1987, and has finished runner-up for the IHRA championship. Despite his experience and success, Wyatt is a bit nervous about heading Down Under.

Greg Anderson’s Dallas gym accident forced him to race Sunday at the NHRA Fall Nationals with a sore left wrist. As it turns out, that pain turned out to be a hairline fracture.

When in Egypt, you walk like an Egyptian.

Likewise when you’re racing with a Ford-sponsored team, you don’t come to the dance with a Chevrolet.

That being said, Daniel Wilkerson is competing this weekend with a Shelby Cobra Mustang loaned from teammate Bob Tasca III. Memphis marks the second event in 2009 for the second-generation Wilkerson, who ran Topeka with his father’s old Impala Funny Car body.

Robert Hight raced to the Funny Car qualifying lead Friday at the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals.

Larry Dixon, Mike Edwards and Andrew Hines also led their categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Hight, who barely made it into the NHRA Full Throttle Series Countdown to 1, has again made the most of his opportunity and followed up his back to back wins in Dallas and Charlotte, N.C. by leading qualifying at the Memphis Motorsports Park at the third event in the six-race championship playoffs.