Some days you race the competition. Other days you race the racetrack

Jason Line rolled to his fifth win of the season in nine final round appearances from the third qualifying position. Line dispatched Steve Schmidt, Allen Johnson, his team mate Greg Anderson and finally Ron Krisher to win the NHRA MidSouth Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Line wasn't the best at the tree, behind his competition in both the first and second rounds, before using a superior .010 to Anderson's .031 in the semifinals. Ron Krisher red lighted in the final round, making Line's .051 a non factor in the run, an impressive 6.576 second, 210.05 mph pass.

With only one race remaining the field is nearly set for the first ever Tournament of Champions which is scheduled to take place during Sunday’s final eliminations at the IHRA World Finals October 22-25 at Rockingham Dragway.

Drivers will have one final opportunity to qualify for the exclusive tournament at the Champion Systems Sportsman Nationals presented by VP on Friday prior to the race. The winner of each class on Friday afternoon will qualify for the final seven sports on the Tournament of Champions ladder or, in the event of a repeat winner, take a spot away from another competitor to better their odds at winning.

When will the Top Fuel field ever take the hint?

When it rains, Morgan Lucas reigns.

For the third time this season, Lucas scored a Top Fuel victory when rain altered the schedule for final eliminations. At a water-logged Memphis Motorsports Park, Lucas pedaled, smoked and wrestled his Gecko-adorned, Geico-sponsored dragster to the finish line first at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals, besting point leader Tony Schumacher.

Lucas believed at the onset of Monday’s final eliminations that he had the team to beat.

Willowbank Raceway, in conjunction with John Winterburn, is delighted to announce details for the new Nitro Street and Strip Magazine, South Queensland Eighth Mile Drag Racing Series.

Taking in the eighth-mile drag strips – Warwick Dragway and Ironbark Raceway– as well as Benaraby Dragway and Willowbank Raceway utilising the eighth mile distance, the new series will provide a three-round plus a final series for sportsman racers from March to September in 2010.

Retired Willowbank Raceway President John Winterburn is the driving force behind the project, which is designed to open up extra opportunities for sportsman racers and the regional dragways alike.

“I have thought about an Eighth Mile Sportsman series for some time but never had the time to devote to it, however now that I have sold Travelaire Tours and retired I have been able to give the project the time it needed to bring it all together,” said Winterburn.

After an extended weekend of competition at Atco Raceway, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event is in the books. Northeast division racers completed the season long seven event series early Monday, in hopes of obtaining divisional and national championships.  New Jersey residents came out swinging, claiming four of the eight categories including Anthony Fetch of Belleville in Stock; Thomas Slater of Colonia, in Super Comp; Tom Stalba from Williamstown, in Super Gas; and Stephen Sisko Jr of Iselin, in Super Street.

With his second victory of the season, Anthony Fetch extended his division lead in the Stock Eliminator category. Slater defeated Atco local Jack Donnelly in Super Comp for his second win and is making a last minute surge at the division championship. In Super Stock, Tim Worner of Duncannon, Pa., drove his ’88 Cutlass into the winner’s circle.

If you ask the father, another driver owes his life to the lessons learned from the death of Eric Medlen and Scott Kalitta.

“All the stuff we've done to these race cars from the loss of our last two friends probably saved my kid's life,” said Tim Wilkerson when asked about his son's, Daniel, incredible impact with the wall during the first round of eliminations in the NHRA Midsouth Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park. “I really can't say enough about all of John Force's people and the efforts he has gone through to make sure our cars are safer than they used to be.”

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 22nd annual O'Reilly Midsouth Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, the 21st of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Lucas, Line and Phillips claim wins at rain-delayed race; Ashley Force Hood assumes points lead in Funny Car

Jeff Arend and Funny Car team owner and NHRA icon Connie Kalitta celebrated an emotional, tearful victory Monday at the rain-delayed O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Joining Arend in the winner’s circle at the 21st of 24 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series were Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Arend, who replaced Connie’s late son Scott Kalitta in the DHL Toyota Solara, turned in a blistering 4.091 at 310.41 in the final round to easily outrun Tony Pedregon’s trailing 16.659 at 37.81 in the Quaker State Chevy Impala. The speed was the fifth fastest 1000-foot Funny Car speed recorded.

“Everyone had tears in their eyes at the end of the track, myself included,” said an emotional Arend, who won for only the second time in his career and first time since Reading, 1996. “I know how big this is for Connie (Kalitta, team owner) after continuing to run this Funny Car after going through the ultimate tragedy (his son Scott’s death at Englishtown, N.J. in June 2008). He did it, because what he and Scott wanted to do was to have a competitive Funny Car. I think we proved today that we have one now.”

Tony Pedregon exploded the supercharger during a second round match against Matt Hagan during eliminations at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals. The concussion of the blast launched the Impala shell high into the air above Matt Hagan.

Hagan initially smoked the tires and lifted, but upon seeing Pedregon's plight got back on the throttle but couldn't make up enough lost real estate. But, according to Hagan, winning the race wasn't as much of a priority as taking evasive action was.