Infineon Raceway has unveiled a “Forceful” addition to its Platinum
Pass lineup for the 2009 motor-racing season. It’s one more chance for
race fans to get closer than ever to their favorite stars on the
NASCAR, NHRA and IndyCar circuits.

John Force and Ashley Force Hood will headline the NHRA Platinum Pass
during the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals event weekend, July 24-26.

Race fans that purchase the Platinum Pass will be treated to an
intimate question-and-answer session with both Force and Force Hood on
Saturday of race weekend, and each fan will receive a signed hero card
from either Force or Force Hood. Only 200 Platinum Passes will be sold
to maintain the intimacy of the Q&A for race fans.

The drama and excitement of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series
is coming to living rooms across Ohio and soon may be available across
the country.

Episodes of Full Throttle TV will debut on Time Warner Cable in its
Mid-Ohio Division as part of its Local On Demand offerings available on
Channel 1111 or 1.  The programs are free to the company’s Digital
Cable customers and available for viewing any time, any day. Additional
episodes will be offered to Time Warner Cable Divisions across the
country to include in their Free On Demand offerings.

Full Throttle TV provides an all-access pass to the NHRA through
original programming and content and provides a up close and personal
look at the drivers, crew members, team owners and other personalities
who have made drag racing one of the most exhilarating sports in
America.

In a photo published on ProModifieds.us, apparently Pro Modified
pionner, Lorenzo "Killer" Brooks has stuffed a supercharged engine
between the frame rails of his z-24 Cavalier, the same one he used to
run Pro Mod with in 1990. Brooks was one of the last nitrous stalwarts
from the Class of 1990 to make the switch. He currently competes in
IHRA Top Sportsman.

Ashley Force Hood remembers the out of control feeling she experienced at Pacific Raceways in 2007 as her Castrol GTX Ford 

Brian Losness

Mustang lurched sideways near mid-track during eliminations. The car
impacted the guardwall, blasted a streak of fire and spun around so
hard that the carbon fiber body flipped off the chassis.  She escaped
from the incident without physical injury. However, she emerged with an
edge in the mental category as a more experienced driver of the 7,000
horsepower Funny Car.

What a difference two years can make.

Have you ever wondered how “Flip the Dolphin” or “Grizz the Bear” from Frontier Airlines hitch a ride on those planes?
A gentleman competing in the Super Gas category this past weekend at the
Mopar Mile High Nationals held in Morrison, Co., had a pretty good hand
in giving these marketable animals their ‘wings’.

Super Gas racer Steve Johnson is the operator of Fineline Graphics. The
Lakewood, Colo.-based company began to apply their quality product on
every Frontier plane in 1995.

When Steve’s not adorning 737 jets with animal graphics, he keeps busy racing in the NHRA’s Super Gas division.

This season is Lee Beard's 33rd in the NHRA, 32 of which he served as a crew chief for a variety of

Lee Beard's new role at DSR has him involved in the building of the team's first in-house dragster.

teams.
 
Presently, he is taking on a new role as a team manager in his second
stint with Don Schumacher Racing. He's responsible for all five Top
Fuel Dragster and Funny Car teams under the DSR umbrella.

His main project right now for DSR is happening during the week.

With
a good showing, last year’s PMRA Champion, Bruce Boland of Hamilton,
Ontario, hopes to stretch his present points lead at this weekend’s Pro
Modified Racing Association event, The PMRA Challenge presented by
Motorsport 1320.
 
This race, the third in the 2009 tour, will be held during the 10th
annual running of the IHRA MOPAR Canadian Nationals at the Grand Bend
Motorplex July 17-19.
 
Driving the B&B Racing 1967 Chevy Nova, Boland, with 585 points,
has a mere four-point advantage in the Championship Points Award Series
Standings over Ike Maier of Tottenham, Ontario with 581 points.

Just one week after crashing his popular “Bad Bird” Firebird during testing at the most recent National Guard ADRL event, Pro Extreme
racer Ken Thomas of the LenMar Motorsports team debuted his recently
acquired “Hell Hoss” with the Roots-blown 481X AJ wedge that was
transplanted from the Firebird between its front frame rails. He was
competing in the Texas Outlaw Pro Modified Association eventin
Kennedale, Tex.

NHRA
Funny Car points leader Ashley Force Hood is used to going from point A
to point B as quickly as possible in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang on
the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. For the next three weeks
however Ashley and her husband Dan will be taking their time as they
tackle the daunting NHRA Western Swing behind the wheel of an El Monte
RV.

“This will be quite an adventure for Dan and me. A lot of the other
drivers take their families on the road for the Western Swing so we
thought it would be a lot of fun. Plus, we can bring along our cat
Simba which is a huge bonus since when we are on the road he really
misses us. I haven’t really travelled in an RV that much but this El
Monte RV is like driving a dream house. It is so comfortable and easy
to drive,” said Ashley Force Hood, current NHRA Funny Car points
leader.

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Northwest Division 32nd Annual 
Les Schwab Challenge event at Woodburn Dragstrip was called prematurely
due to rain. NHRA has met will all of the finalists and today's final
rounds of eliminations for six sportsman categories, including Top
Alcohol Funny Car, will be completed at one of the several upcoming
division and national events.

Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Brandon Johnson of Shelton, Wash., was able
to beat Mother Nature and Dale Carlson, Olympia, Wash., in the final to
pick up the hardware.  Johnson made his way out of the No.2 qualifying
position and posted a troubled 7.064 second, 246.03 mph pass to pick up
the win. This marks his first victory of the season and doubles his
divisional points.