National Guard American Drag Racing League (ADRL) Executive Vice President of Competition Bert Corzine today announced the traditional
testing-qualifying-racing schedule will remain intact Aug. 7-8, for the
ADRL Hardee’s® Gateway Drags II at Madison, Illinois, near St. Louis.

On-track action will begin with testing for all five professional
classes at noon on Friday, continuing to 6 p.m. and followed by a
mandatory driver’s meeting at 6:15 p.m. A single round of qualifying
for all classes beginning at 7 p.m. will be completed Friday night. On
Saturday, round two of qualifying will open at 10 a.m., with the third
and final chance to qualify scheduled for 1 p.m. and elimination rounds
starting at 4 p.m.

There's no question that Doug Herbert wants to be racing full-time on the NHRA's Top Fuel Dragster circuit.

Outside of the 2006 season, Herbert has finished in the Top 10 in the season points standings every year since 1999.

However, he has only run in one event this year - the Thunder Valley
Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., in May, losing to Doug Kalitta in the
first round.

It is difficult to argue the fact that John Zappia and his Striker
Crushing and Screening Monaro were unbeatable last season – with the West Australian undefeated on his way to his second consecutive National Top Doorslammer Title.

Ask the man however, and he wouldn’t use the term ‘unbeatable’ – instead, he says it simply comes down to consistency.

“We aren’t unbeatable – what we are is consistent, and focused, with
good planning and also some good luck, and that is what allows us to
win,” said Zappia.

Pro Nitrous driver Tim Savell looked out at close to 200 National Guard
ADRL fans waiting in line during the recently completed ADRL NATIONALGUARD.com
U.S. Drags II at Virginia Motorsports Park and it warmed his heart. Not
because the thermometer was reading above 95 degrees, but because
knowing those fans would wait in that heat for his autograph helped
ease the sting of not qualifying to race in eliminations.

“The
DNQ kind of bummed me out,” Savell admitted following his first
appearance in the new National Guard ADRL Autograph Zone. “But I went
over there and it really perked me up.”

Perth-based drag racer, Robin Judd, is determined to take an early lead in the Top Doorslammer championship when the 2009/2010 ANDRA Pro Series starts at Willowbank Raceway near Ipswich, Qld, on August 8 and 9.

Judd, who was runner-up in the championship series last season, is keen
to win the opening Doorslammer round at the Blown Alcohol Championship
at Willowbank to deny defending and back-to-back champion John Zappia
from winning a record seven consecutive Doorslammer championship series
events.

Looking for an extreme sport? Try visiting the Aug. 8-9 Rush Racing
Products AHDRA Thunder in the Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. 

Watching the AHDRA professional riders muscle their two-wheel missiles
through Thunder Valley at speeds in excess of 220 mph will remind
everyone that this sport is not for the faint of heart.

With the walls of Thunder Valley intensifying the famous
Harley-Davidson rumble, Bristol Dragway provides the perfect atmosphere
for this event, one of the most highly-anticipated and well-attended
events of the AHDRA series.

For several weeks now, residents of Boys and Girls Town of Missouri
have been earning the opportunity to attend the ADRL Hardee’s Gateway Drags II at Gateway International Raceway, just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis.

“We’re excited about being able to offer this outing to the children in
our care,” said Vince Hillyer, president of Boys and Girls Town of
Missouri, a nationally accredited non-profit organization that offers
housing and treatment for troubled youth from all across the country.
“We really appreciate everything the National Guard ADRL is doing to
welcome us to what sounds like a fantastic event.”

Tony Schumacher, six-time NHRA Full Throttle Series Top Fuel champion, will be Newsmaker of the Week on The Race Reporters radio show, Wednesday, August 5, 7 p.m. EDT, on www.PowerUpChannel.com .

Schumacher, who drives the U.S. Army dragster, is NHRA’s all-time Top
Fuel class victory leader. After five consecutive titles with crew
chief Alan Johnson, who left to operate his own team, Schumacher this
season is working with a new crew chief and mechanics. Currently second
in points, with three wins, Schumacher will talk about that and other
NHRA issues of the day.

Rinnai, the world's leader in Tankless Water Heaters, will once again
join forces with Bob Gilbertson's Nitro Funny Car team for the 2nd Annual Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway on September 17-20, 2009.

"I'm very pleased that the fine folks from Rinnai had a great response
from their first foray in drag racing with our team at last years
Carolinas Nationals," Gilbertson said.  "All of their guests, employees
and customers got a chance to get a close-up look at what it takes to
go 300 mph and I'm looking forward to getting back on track with Rinnai
on the flanks of my race car at my home town race."

The phrase "Drive One" resonates much louder today in the corporate
offices of NHRA as it was announced that the world’s largest
motorsports sanctioning body has signed a multi-year agreement with
Ford Motor Company, designating the legendary automaker as the
"Official Car and Truck of the NHRA."

NHRA will be transitioning all official vehicles to the renowned blue
oval. As Official Car and Truck of the NHRA, Ford will provide support
vehicles for NHRA trackside, including the NHRA Safety Safari presented
by Automobile Club of Southern California, to allow them to perform
their important trackside duties.