A special-edition gold chrome U.S. Army-themed Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher Impact! Racing helmet will be auctioned during the Don Schumacher Racing Open House on Friday, Sept. 4, to benefit Riley Children’s Foundation and Riley Hospital for Children.

Schumacher, a seven-time U.S. Nationals winner in the Top Fuel
category, is eager to showcase the new design, created by Steve
Dekkenga of S.D. Enterprises Paint and Graphics in Spring Lake, Mich.,
who has designed a number of DSR race-car and helmet schemes. “This is
a great looking helmet. Steve really did a knock-out job with the gold
chrome.

Rickie
Jones can’t remember a time when he wasn’t at the race track. The son
of noted race car builder Rick Jones, Rickie always tagged along with
his dad as he would visit drag strips across the country to make sure
the Pro Stock and Pro Mod cars that he built were meeting the racers’
expectations.

Eventually Rickie started working in his dad’s shop and then he was bit
by the racing bug himself. He started with his own Junior Dragster and
now as he’s on the verge of making the Countdown to 1, NHRA’s playoffs,
in a 200-mph Pro Stock car. Every now and then, the younger Jones has
to take a step back and make sure this is all real.

“This is a dream come true,” the 22-year-old Jones said. “At the
beginning of the season we set our goals and they were to try and
qualify for every race and make it into the top 10.”

Nothing stirs a sports fan’s emotions quite like the sight of vintage
video – the way it used to be – and NHRA drag racing has as rich a
history and as extensive a library of footage as any sport.

And beginning today, NHRA will be inviting fans to relive its glorious
and tradition-rich past as it debuts the first in a series of 15 DVDs
featuring exclusive video dating back to some of the most memorable
days of NHRA. The DVDs – re-mastered from previously released on VHS –
will be available for only $14.99 and can be purchased at http://www.nhradvd.com .

CompetitionPlus.com has learned that veteran crew chief Austin Coil will miss this weekend's NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis due to health reasons. A media representative from John Force Racing confirmed that Coil checked himself into the hospital recently when he didn't feel well. Coil is expected to spend a few days in the hospital undergoing tests to determine the reason for not feeling well.

As it stands now, Robert Hight will be rejoined with Jimmy Prock in the AAA Car. This provides the team with the most stable opportunity to contend for a Countdown berth.

If you haven’t heard about Bruce Litton’s shop, you’re probably one of
a small few. Not only does the shop house his 300+ mph Lucas Oil
Top Fuel team, the shop also doubles as a recreation of Litton’s
hometown of Oneida, Tenn. The 1950’s style shops and businesses make up
a Main Street USA feel that’s a delight to visitors.

Litton’s shop has never before been open to the general public.
However, on September 3rd, that will change as Litton hosts an Open
House from 4-7pm to benefit Riley Hospital for Children and Racers for
Christ. This event will be run in conjunction with the largest drag
racing event in the country, the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
Litton’s shop is within walking distance of O’Reilly Raceway Park,
where the U.S. Nationals will be held.

Matt Hagan is two very different people, it just depends on the
location. He's like the CIA secret agent who by day is a mild mannered businessman and by night an ultra super secret agent.

Hagan, 26, is both farmer and race car driver, family man and thrill seeker.

At home near Christiansburg (Va) Hagan is a throwback to the
traditional American family. He tends the family's 500 acre farm where
he raises Angus cattle while his wife raises their two year old son,
Colby and is expecting their second child, a girl, any day now. His
father co-owns Shelor Motors, a conglomeration of automotive
dealerships and Motor Mile Speedway, a short track steeped in racing
history.

NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster team owner and crew chief, Randy Meyer is
familiar with the variables that come with driver changes. He himself
is known to get back behind the wheel from time to time. This weekend's
MAC Tools NHRA US Nationals will see the Randy Meyer Racing team
compete with Australian driver, Kate Harker.  
 
The Meyer team has a successful racing relationship with the Harker
Family. Kate's identical twin sister, Diana was the driver for the
Meyer family Top Alcohol Dragster in 2008 earning several final round
appearances together. Meyer earned Diana the title as the 9th women to
win an NHRA National event in the class and also the first non-resident
and Australian women to win an NHRA event.

What do Dave Northrop, Matt Hartford, Angie McBride, Matt Smith, Kyle Koretsky and Ray Fordyce have in common?

They all will be decked out in Kenny Koretsky’s Nitro Fish Wear colors
while competing for U.S. Nationals victories in the 55th edition of
NHRA’s oldest, most prestigious event at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

Northrop, of Perkasie, Pa., will drive the Nitro Fish Pro Stock Pontiac
GXP while Hartford, of Phoenix, Ariz., steps into the Nitro Fish Pro
Stock Dodge.  McBride returns to NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competition
aboard the Nitro Fish Buell and Smith rides the Don Schumacher Racing
Nitro Fish Suzuki.

Kyle Koretsky, Kenny’s youngest son, is in his second NHRA Competition
Eliminator race, driving the Nitro Fish Super Modified Chevy Cavalier
of Mike Iacono.  Fordyce drives the Nitro Fish Super Comp dragster. 
Nitro Fish is also an associate sponsor of Tony Pedregon, the Funny Car
points leader.

NHRA Funny Car superstar Ashley Force Hood will throw out the
ceremonial first pitch prior to the baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and Oakland A’s at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday, September 8th.

“My youngest sister, Courtney, and my brother-in-law, Robert Hight, are
huge baseball fans and I enjoy watching games with my husband Dan who
is from Chicago. I am really excited to be throwing out the first pitch
and I just hope I can get it over the plate. We have a ton of fans in
the Chicago area and I hope they can come out to the game,” said Ashley
Force Hood, driver of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

NHRA kicked off the 55th anniversary of the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world's most prestigious drag
race with two qualifying sessions for the muscle car contingent at
O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, In., today.

Under sunny skies and operating on a racing surface of 100 degrees, 150
Stock Eliminator hot rods were the first to take to the historic
quarter-mile. The 128-car qualifying field was lead by two A/SA
Stockers, representing the future and the past.

Division 5’s Chad Holzman, from Wichita, Kan., leads the pack after the
first two sessions. Driving his 2008 Ford Cobra-Jet Mustang, Holzman
negotiated the quarter-mile in 9.968-seconds, 1.332 seconds under his
11.30 standard. Only 0.005-seconds separates the new Cobra-Jet from the
second qualifier, the classic Mopar of Division 1 competitor David
Barton from Robesonia, Pa. Barton ran a solid 9.973-second elapsed time
in his 1965 A/SA Dodge Coronet.