Nothing was going to erase the smile from Extreme 10.5 racer Chuck Ulsch’s face, not even losing a hard fought battle against Billy Glidden in the finals at the ADRL Gateway Drags in St. Louis on Saturday night.

That’s because win, lose or draw against Glidden, Ulsch knew his name
would be forever etched in drag racing history as the first driver in
his class to ever record a three-second elapsed time.

Ulsch posted a monumental 3.986 elapsed time at 197.88 miles per hour
to not only beat class heavy-hitter Jeff Naiser but also advance to his
second consecutive ADRL final round.

StreetLegalTV.com Photo

“This is my second wreck of the year so I think we’re going to take the rest of the season and evaluate things.”

Those were the words of Mike Yedgarian, an NMCA Super Street racer from
Toronto, Ont., who traveled to zMax Dragway to compete at the NMCA/NMRA
All-Star Nationals in Concord, N.C.

Yedgarian lost control of his turbocharged Firebird during the final
session of Mickey Thompson 10.5 Tire qualifying. His car made contact
with the retaining wall and skidding to a stop in the shutdown area.

Ronald F. Marcum, 52, a sportsman drag racer from La Habra, Ca., was
killed on Saturday morning at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, when
the transmission on his dragster engaged during a routine test and
hurtled the vehicle into a parked trailer. Ktla.com reported that
Marcum struck a parked trailer in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Earlier in the morning, in preparation of the day’s racing activities,
Marcum was seated in his dragster testing his trans-brake, this
according to a report quoting CHP Officer Jeff Briggs. The NHRA
requires the test to be conducted with the vehicle’s tires off of the
ground. According to the Ktla.com, Marcum didn’t follow the procedure.

The Summer Showdown presented by Matco Tools, a round of the NHRA Lucas
Oil Drag Racing Series at Cordova Dragway Park, ran late into the night
on Saturday but champions in 11 categories were crowned.  Marty Thacker
of Robinson, Ill., led the winners, taking the crown in Top Alcohol
Dragster while Andy Bohl, Racine, Wis., scored the win in Top Alcohol
Funny Car.  Davenport’s Tom Klemme rode to the win in Sportsman
Motorcycle presented by Harley Davidson and Muscatine resident Hank
Brown won in Top Dragster.

Thacker, who was the event’s No. 1 qualifier in TAD, laid down a
5.510-second, 261.12 mph pass in the final.  That run was more than
enough to give him the win over No. 3 qualifier Justin Davis of
Murrieta, Calif., who slowed to a 9.540-second lap at 83.90 mph.

Tony Bischoff is a lucky man and Gary White can testify to the fact.

The ADRL Extreme 10.5 racers barely avoided what could have
been one of the worst crashes in ADRL history. White's quick thinking
and reaction helped him avoid an out of control Bischoff during the
third qualifying session at the ADRL Gateway Drags in St. Louis.

Bischoff’s car had suffered handling problems in the earlier second
session but he managed to corral the car back into his lane. In the run
alongside White, his car rode the centerline early in the pass and 
eventually he lost control, sending the car into a series of barrel
rolls.

NMCA’s Pro Street eliminator isn’t recession proof.

If anything, the state of the economy has inspired Scott Shafiroff and
Vinny Budano to scrutinize their major racing decisions a little closer
than in the past.

“There’s nothing out of the ordinary that we are doing this season,”
said Budano, the three-time Pro Street world champion from Hicksville,
N.Y. “With the economy the way it is, we have decided to stick to the
Pro Street racing.”

Race fans at Maple Grove Raceway have become familiar with colorful
Nitro Fish cars that have run fast down the quartermile over the years.
 
The business owned by Pennsylvania’s own Kenny Koretsky, himself an
accomplished drag racer, has made its mark in the racing world with its
line of racing apparel featuring a ferocious looking fish that doesn’t
play nice with the competition.

Denmark's Andersen Racing Top Fuel Dragster team has existed for three years, during which time they have conquered two out of three
possible FIA European Championships. Besides that, the team leads this
year's FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Championship having made it to
the finals in the first three races this year.

From their many victories and Championships, the team's big dream has
been to be the first Danish Top Fuel team to race in Top Fuel in the
USA, and despite financial crises all over the world 2009 will be the
year that this dream comes true, as the team has now closed sufficient
deals to be able to confirm that Andersen Racing will be racing in the
USA later this year. More specifically, Andersen Racing will be
contesting the last two NHRA races of the season at The Strip at Las
Vegas on 29th October to 1st November and at Pomona on 12th-15th
November.

Mother Nature had a hand in the opening day of qualifying at the Summer
Showdown presented by Matco Tools, a round of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series at Cordova Dragway Park. And it was a soggy hand that
kept the event from getting under way until 6 p.m.; a far cry from the
scheduled 10 a.m. start.  In the end, only one round of qualifying was
completed in Super Stock, Stock and Sportsman Motorcycle presented by
Harley Davidson, and time trials in Super Comp, Super Gas and Super
Street.

The good news is that Moline resident Jeff Stealy qualified his ’86
Camaro in the No. 2 spot in Stock Eliminator, just behind Sam Hamod,
Hobart, Ind., behind the wheel of his ’90 Firebird.  The top qualifier
in Super Stock was Justin Jenkins, Beatrice, Ind., wheeling his ’09
Cobalt.  In Sportsman Motorcycle, Ken Neissen, Brooklyn Park, Minn.,
topped the field with Davenport racer Tom Klemme just off the pace in
second place.  Kurt Clark, another Davenport resident, finished the day
in the No. 4 slot.

The rumor is true. Carl Weisinger is offering FREE car and driver entry
for this year's World Street Nationals to any racer that entered the 2007 or 2008 World Street Nationals in Orlando, Fla.

Orlando track operator Carl Weisinger said, "It's pretty simple really.
We need to say thank you to the racers in a way that isn't just words
on a piece of paper or a post on a message board. Not having to pay the
$150 entry fee could make the difference for a racer who otherwise
might have to sit out the race."