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.

Final round-by-round results from the 22nd annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, the 21st of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

It was an accident which looked worse than the outcome, but had the potential to be devastating. The first Funny Car pair, a duel between veteran Ron Capps and Daniel Wilkerson, sucked the breath our of everyone in attendance at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals as Wilkerson veered across the centerline directly into the opposing wall.

Wilkerson knew he was going to hit the wall. He tightened his grip and held on the body separated from the chassis, nearly going over the wall.

“That was the hardest hit I have ever felt,” said the younger Wilkerson, who was able to climb from the remnants of the chassis under his own power. “I never want to hit anything that hard again.”

Former NHRA Pro Stock and Sport Compact racer Shaun Carlson died on Oct. 4. He was 35.  He had been diagnosed with Brugada syndrome, also known as Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome (SUDS), a genetic disease that is characterized by abnormal electrocardiogram findings and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, but it is unknown whether that contributed to his death.

NHRA VP of Operations Graham Light and his staff will reevaluate the sanctioning body’s testing policy at the end of the season and determine whether adjustments will need to be made or if there is a need for one at all.

The NHRA banned testing at their national event facilities in 2008 after a nitro shortage and in 2009, limited the amount of testing a nitro team could make to four days. A test was anytime a nitro car ran outside of an NHRA Full Throttle event.

Questions regarding clarifications in the testing policy and race teams criticizing and pushing loopholes will send the NHRA back to the teams following the 2009 season to gauge interest in continuing the testing limitations for 2010.

Light believes for the most part, the policy has served its purpose but cautions the testing limits were never intended to be of benefit to sanctioning body.