Pete Berner currently sits just three points out of first place in the IHRA Elite Motorsports Pro Stock standings.

But that isn’t quite good enough for the defending champ.

With his sights set on a third Pro Stock world title, Berner is
thinking this weekend may be the perfect time to make his move and put
himself on top of the standings. Berner made it to the finals of this
event last year, a key move in his bid for the 2008 world championship
and with this weekend marking the halfway point of the ’09 Nitro Jam
season, what better time to make a move than now.

“We have been very fortunate with this race team, in the past and so
far this year. A lot of that comes from the guys on this team that work
incredibly hard and keep us running with the best,” Berner said. “We’ve
had some curve balls every now and then in trying to figure out our new
engine program, but I am excited with what we’ve put together.

Spokane based NITROCAT Pneumatic Tools is supporting local Top Fuel driver Terry Haddock during this weekend's NHRA
Northwest
Nationals at Pacific Raceways. Haddock, who won the 2008 IHRA Funny Car
World Championship, is attempting to earn a spot in the prestigious
Countdown to 1, but understands the clock is ticking to get into Top
Fuel's Top 10 before the playoffs start in September.

"I know it's a long shot," Haddock said. "But we still have an outside
chance of making it if we have a couple of good weekends. When we
started the season I was going to continue to run Funny Car, so I let
someone else drive the dragster in Pomona. I also skipped a few other
races because of prior commitments. I sure hope those missed rounds
don't make the difference between being in the countdown or not."

Nothing tests the mettle of a drag racer more than crashing a race car in the first race of the season.

Conrad Scarry destroyed his Pro 10.5 Mustang during the NMRA season-opener in Bradenton, Fla.

“The car was a total loss and we built a completely new car,” Scarry said. “We built the new car in about 11 weeks.”

After two rounds of qualifying Larry Dixon, winner of three of the last
five events, sits atop the NHRA Northwest Nationals Top Fuel field with
an
impressive 3.891 second, 302.21 mph run in the second round. While the
time was the quickest, Antron Brown posted the fastest speed at 305.84
mph.

As of late, Dixon has been a machine and his machine has been stout in the heat, regardless of the elevation.

“We're back down at sea level again,” said Dixon, adding, “So we just
go up there, see what the track temperature is, correct for the air and
get our car down the track.”

Mike Edwards is taking the heat, literally.

Edwards, quickest after two rounds of Pro Stock qualifying at the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle says the only
one who can turn the corner on wins is himself. He admits to not
dealing as well as he could with the pressure of winning qualifying and
then going still rounds. Still, he having the time of racing life.

"We're making awesome runs," Edwards said. "To open the race with a
6.60 on a track that was showing 130 degrees when we ran is something.
Credit all the guys back in the pit because they're making it happen.
It's a joy to run with them. When we started in Pro Stock back in '82
one or two people could put a car out there. Now it takes an army of
guys and a big pile of money.

Cool
weather created great racing conditions Friday night as more track
records fell by the wayside in Pro Modified and Bruce Litton (Top
Fuel), Ed Hoover (Pro Modified), John Montecalvo (Pro Stock) and Jack
Grainy (PMRA) held down the top spots in their respective divisions.

After resetting the track records in Edmonton last week Hoover
(Gilbert, S.C.) repeated that feat Friday with a new track speed record
at over 240 miles per hour to take the provisional No. 1 qualifying
spot and Last Man Standing award in Pro Mod at the MOPAR Canadian
Nationals Friday at the Grand Bend Motorplex in Grand Bend, Ontario.

Hoover ran a 6.021 elapsed time at 240.68 mph to take the top spot in
Pro Modified just moments before Ray Commisso (Toronto, Ontario) took
the ride of his life.

Dixon, Edwards round out provisional No. 1s on Day 1 at NHRA Northwest Nationals
 
Two-time
NHRA Full Throttle Series champion Tony Pedregon delivered the run of
the day, a 4.182-second pass at 289.63 mph, to assume the provisional
No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car at the 22nd annual NHRA
Northwest Nationals Friday.

The other provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 14th race in the 24-race
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season were Larry Dixon (Top
Fuel) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock).

Pacific Raceways is laid out in such as manner the puts the driver
looking into the sun as it sets to the west. At times, racing has to
come to a halt at the NHRA event because the drivers simply can't see to get down the
racetrack.

As Tim Wilkerson lined up for his second round qualifying effort, he felt the effects of the setting sun.

Nine of the 16 Funny Cars on hand at Pacific Raceways made full passes
over two rounds of qualifying. Those really struggling were John Force,
Jack Beckman, Gary Densham and Ron Capps. Capps best run was a
disappointing 6.953 in the second round.

After two rounds of Funny Car qualifying for the NHRA Northwest Nationals, Tony Pedregon was looking to show
off the media center to his nine year old daughter, Cecily. Well,
scratch that, but Pedregon was still happy to be the fastest qualifier
of the day posting quickest et and fastest speed – 4.182 seconds,
289.63 mph.

“This is really the press room?” Pedregon ask, looking around. “This
really is? Absolutely amazing. I will say a prayer for you guys and
myself, because I am parked in the dirt with the ants.”

While conditions in the media center worsened as the day got longer,
conditions on the race track vastly improved with surface temperatures
dropping from around 125 to 105 degrees between the two sessions.
Despite improved conditions only nine of the 16 qualifiers made full
passes through the two rounds.