CompetitionPlus.com snapped these sneak peek photos of Travis
Swearingen's 1941 Willys sporting a new National Guard camo-themed
scheme. Reportedly the theme will be campaigned at two events beginning
this weekend at the ADRL Hardees Independence Drags in Topeka, Kan.

For Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson, the timing couldn’t have been any better.

Allen Johnson recorded the quickest testing times in three days of Pro Stock testing at Bandimere Speedway. He estimates that he's logged as many, if not more laps on the mountain than the competition. (Roger Richards Photo)

Johnson, of Greeneville, Tenn., recorded a new "unofficial" track record on Wednesday during pre-Mopar NHRA Mile High Nationals testing at Bandimere Speedway. The longtime Mopar runner pushed his Dodge Stratus to one of only two six second Pro Stock runs ever recorded at the facility located outside of Denver, Co.

Johnson posted a 6.996, while GM frontrunner Mike Edwards was a couple of ticks behind with a 6.998. Greg Anderson was third quickest with a 7.00.

Mike Castellana’s new lightweight Jerry Bickel 1970.5 Camaro promises
to be one fast runner in the Pro Mod ranks, this according to

Sam Martin Photos

Al Anabi Awesome Motorsports tuner Rickie Smith.

Tuesday afternoon marked was only the second time the car had been on a
drag strip and despite an overheated Gateway International Raceway
racing surface, driver Shannon Jenkins was able to navigate his way to
a sub-.980 sixty foot clocking. They made the initial passes in Steele,
Ala., and while the car launched hard early, it would drift to the left.

“I went over the car last night and I believe we’re in really good
shape,” Smith said Wednesday afternoon en route to Topeka. “A few test
runs on Friday in Topeka and we should have it dialed in.”

Jim Cunningham couldn’t help but smile last Wednesday before headed out
to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. Sitting in his Crownsville, Md.-based shop were the new 2010 Ford Mustang
bodies delivered from Ford Racing.

“One is headed to Don Ness’ shop and the other will go to Jerry Haas,” Cunningham explained.

They are drag racers of different eras.

Tim Grose raced nitro Funny Cars in the seventies and eighties before
drag racing nitro became prohibitive for independent racers.

Quain Stott provides the quintessential rags to better quality rags
story of a Pro Modified racer who used a frugal nature and persistent
spirit to become a world champion.

Together, they are planning for a common era of racing together.

Stott will partner with Grose on a new Double Overhead Cam engine
project. The engine combination will be supercharged and run a 50%
nitro mix under the ADRL sanction.

The DOHC design Stott will run was originally designed in the
mid-eighties by Joe Anahore and Joe Schubeck. The NHRA banned the
engine in 1997 and the IHRA followed suit. No rules exist in ADRL
preventing the use of the DOHC engine.

For Casey Pekarek of Chesterland, Ohio, her dream of giving her husband,
Dale, the ultimate wedding anniversary gift began when she read in the
newspaper about the special “ROCKY Rocks!” poster contest being held by
Kalitta Motorsports and ROCKY Boots at this past weekend’s running of
the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Team Kalitta fans who attended the event in Norwalk were asked to
create a poster that contained the phrase “ROCKY Rocks!” in
commemoration of ROCKY Boots’ primary sponsorship of Doug Kalitta’s
8,000-horsepower No. 50 Top Fuel dragster at the event. All contest
participants were given a special edition ROCKY/Team Kalitta hat, but
the Pekareks also won the Grand Prize, to be honorary pit crew members
for Team Kalitta during Sunday’s final eliminations at Summit
Motorsports Park, after their design was deemed to be the most creative
by Team Kalitta/ROCKY Boots dragster crew members.

The National Guard American Drag Racing League (ADRL) announced today several rule clarifications related to the use of superchargers in its Pro Extreme and Extreme 10.5 classes.

While 2009 has so far been plagued with financial woes and a variety of problems for sporting events across the globe, for the International
Hot Rod Association, the start to the 2009 season has ironically been
one of its most competitive beginnings in the nearly 40 year history of
the sanctioning body.

For only the second time in IHRA history there have been no repeat
winners through the first four races of the season as a dozen different
drivers have claimed wins in three professional categories heading into
the midway point of the ’09 Nitro Jam season.

If that trend continues in Edmonton this weekend, it will mark the
first time in IHRA history there have been repeat winners through the
first half of the schedule.

The Friday schedule at the ADRL Hardee’s Summer Drags in Topeka, Kan., was ambitious but by 8 PM, it became impractical.

Blame it on the rain.

When rain postponed last month’s ADRL Summer Drags in Martin, Mich.,
after the first round of eliminations, the decision was made to
complete the event on the Friday of the Topeka event.