Kurt Johnson heads into for this weekend's 25th annual Toyo Tires NHRA
Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway more resolute than ever to put
his ACDelco Chevrolet on a winning pace. With two events remaining
before the Countdown to 1 for the top 10 in the standings, the veteran
driver is leaving no stone unturned.

"Everyone on this race team is working hard to put this ACDelco
Chevrolet in the winner's circle," Johnson said. "We're going over the
entire car with a fine-toothed comb and making the necessary changes to
make that happen."

Johnson is in eighth place in the Full Throttle standings and edging
closer to clinching a spot in the three-year-old playoff format.
Johnson could do so with a strong performance at Maple Grove where he
needs to leave the Toyo NHRA Nationals with a 139-point margin over the
11th-place driver. Right now his current lead over 11th-place Johnny
Gray is exactly 139 points.

Mike Neff and his Ford Drive One Mustang team dodged a bullet in
Brainerd, Minnesota. They went into Sunday’s elimination rounds as the
No. 1 qualifier but an overly aggressive tune-up cost them a round win.
Fortunately the two drivers, Matt Hagan and Cruz Pedregon, directly
behind them in the Full Throttle point standings had to race each other
in the first round and the winner, Pedregon, lost in the next round.
Ninth place Neff has a tenuous ten point lead over Pedregon and a 40
point lead over rookie Matt Hagan who is in 11th place.

After the round one mishap Neff and crew chief John Medlen both
realized their aggressive tune up was too much for Brainerd
International Raceway. They will continue to be aggressive for the next
two races and into the Countdown but they will also keep in an eye on
going rounds.

“It is a double edge sword (being overly aggressive or not aggressive
enough) right there (in first round of Brainerd) we just didn’t need to
try to run as hard as we did. We felt that we could run a little better
and the car did everything we wanted it to do it was just the track
would not take it. The other guy runs a 4.19 and we are up there trying
to run a 4.09 or a 4.10 we made a mistake. That is just the way it
goes. We try to run as hard as we can every run. That time we just
pressed a little too hard and shot ourselves in the foot. The positive
is the Mustang is running good. The crew is doing a great job.
Everything is working really good we just made a little error in our
call that time,” said Neff.

Two-time land speed record holder, Team Marines Racing member and
current NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Valerie Thompson has partnered
with Palmer and Associates and Mr. D’s Sports Bar and Grill in Las
Vegas to attempt what would be Thompson’s third Land Speed Record.

Thompson,
of Scottsdale, Ariz., will pilot Wink Eller’s “Spirit of Cliff Gullet”
bike in an attempt to become a member of the prestigious Bonneville
Salt Flats 200 mph club. The bike, which has 43 Land Speed Records to
its credit, is named in honor of Cliff Gullet who lost his life in a
record-breaking run at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2008.

This weekend’s ADRL event in Columbus, Ohio will evoke memories for Extreme Pro Stock racer John Montecalvo.

National Trail Raceway, site of this weekend’s ADRL Ohio Drags, was
where the passion began for the veteran driver from Center Moriches,
N.Y.

Montecalvo traveled with friends Charlie and Pattie Bubka who were
fielding a B/Stock entry at the NHRA Springnationals. From B/Stock to
Pro Stock, the experience has been a trip in the fast lane.

Race fans that want to end the workweek by watching some explosive
action can get a great deal from Maple Grove Raceway and the NHRA.
 
As part of the 25th Annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, fans can buy a
general admission ticket after 5 p.m. Friday for that night’s
qualifying at the bargain price of $19. As with all general admission
tickets, children 12 and under are free.

When the 2009 National Guard American Drag Racing League (ADRL) Tour opened at Houston in March, practically every team present dreamed
of championship glory after surviving a grueling points chase and
prevailing in the National Guard ADRL’s unique, end-of-season shootout
that’s slated for Dallas this October.

Now, with only two opportunities left to accumulate points toward
qualifying for the Speedtech Battle for the Belts, those still in
contention, or still hoping to be, will be keeping their calculators as
close by as their wrenches during the Aug. 21-22, Summit Racing
Equipment Ohio Drags III at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio. The
Ohio event will be followed by the National Guard ADRL’s Flowmaster
Dragstock VI at Rockingham (NC) Dragway next month, and then it’s on to
Texas for the championship-deciding Battles.

When you're on a shoestring budget like Jack Wyatt's Top Fuel Funny Car team, this win was a much-needed jolt.

This past Sunday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn.,
Wyatt upset Ashley Force Hood in the first round of eliminations.

Wyatt clocked a solid 4.272 second elapsed time at 261.78 mph to easily
defeat Force Hood, who slowed to a 6.799-second effort after
overpowering the track at 200 feet.

"That was a big win for us," said the 53-year-old Wyatt, who resides in
Corydon, Iowa. "We felt like if we followed our game plan and went up
there and made a consistent run that she might have to run harder than
she wanted to and make a mistake and that's what happened."

NHRA announced today it has extended its long-term relationship with
Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., ensuring that a full complement of
NHRA Drag Racing series programs, including the NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series, will be conducted at the historic facility well into the
future.

Maple Grove Raceway will celebrate its 25th anniversary as host of an
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event with the running of the
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Aug. 20-23.  

ive finalists have been chosen from more than 300 designs submitted
this summer by JDRF children with type 1 diabetes, as part of a charity contest to design the paint scheme for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car driven by Bob Tasca III.

Voting
ended on Friday, August 14, and the top five donation-earning designs
are in front of a panel of Ford judges for final selection. The winning
design will be featured on Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Shelby during
the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, on September 18-20.

“Any
of the top five designs will look great on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane
Mustang, and that will make selecting one very difficult,” said Brett
Wheatley, Director of Marketing, Ford Customer Service Division. “The
goal of the Funny Car Design Contest was to help raise awareness for
JDRF.  I think we accomplished our goal because our generous race fans
donated more than $39,000.”

Late
season drama is nothing new for NHRA Funny Car drivers Robert Hight and
Cruz Pedregon – both of whom have had their share of tussles for world
championship superiority over the years.  Pedregon has won two world
championships, including last season, finished second in 1994 and third
four other times, while Hight finished second in 2006 and ’07. However
the two veteran drivers, along with bright-eyed rookie Matt Hagan, and
last year’s top rookie, Mike Neff, are facing some late season drama
this year just to keep their championship hopes alive.

The four drivers are battling for the final two spots in the top 10
point standings in Funny Car, and are separated by 70 points. Mike Neff
and Cruz Pedregon are holding on to the ninth and 10th spots,
respectively, entering the final two races of the regular season, while
Hagan and Hight are on the outside looking in.