Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) officials announced a 5-year
agreement naming VP Racing Fuels as Official Fuel of PBIR, beginning in
2009.   As part of the agreement, VP will be PBIR’s exclusive supplier
of race fuels including VP110, C12, C16, MS103 and M1 Methanol in bulk.
The track also expects to add pail and drum inventory of VP’s most
popular specialty fuels such as Q16, U4.2, C14 and M5 Methanol. In
servicing the track, the VP Southeast distribution center based in Ft.
Lauderdale will staff the track full time, providing on-site technical
support to racers with fuel-related questions.
 
“We’re excited to partner with VP Racing Fuels,” said Ron Dixon,
President and COO of PBIR. “VP is dedicated to racers and supplying
fuels to the top racing series. After our complete facility renovation,
it was only natural that we partner with the top-notch fuel company.”

Moneymaker Racing has entered into a marketing partnership with
National Parts Depot (NPD) for the remainder of 2009 and through 2010.

"NPD is a premier mega supplier of restoration parts for Classic
American cars and trucks with locations in Michigan, Florida, North
Carolina, and California," said Alex Denysenko, owner of the all Ford
Super Stock/Stock team. "In addition NPD also carries a comprehensive
inventory of performance and maintenance parts. Although well known for
Mustang parts, NPD also supplies parts for classic Camaros,
Firebirds, Chevelles. 55-57 T-Birds, and Ford Trucks thereby
restoring American history. www.nationalpartsdepot.com ."

As
if Top Fuel dragsters, door cars and sportsman racing weren’t enough to
keep race fans busy, the three Nitro Jam events in July will have a ton
of extras thrown in to help add a little more bang for the buck.

As the IHRA Nitro Jam tour shifts its focus to the north with two races
in Canada at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta and Grand Bend
Motorplex in Grand Bend, Ontario and one race in Michigan at U.S. 131
Motorsports Park, the IHRA has worked with each facility to add a few
extra thrills to help create a unique, one-of-a-kind show at each of
the three national events held during the month of July.

“We love to entertain and that is exactly what we are going to do in
the coming month,” said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. “Drag racing is
an entertainment business. From the sights, sounds and smells of the
nitro-burning Top Fuel dragsters to our always exciting door car
classes, we love to keep our fans on the edge of their seat not knowing
what they are going to see next.”

Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels is pleased to introduce
a new rebate program beginning July 1, 2009. For a limited time, consumers can earn a MasterCard® Gift Card with the purchase of select Mickey Thompson drag tire and wheel products:

    * Buy any two ET Drag* tires or any two ET Street* tires, get a $50
gift card (*Excludes ET Street Radial, ET Front, and Junior Drag
products.)
    * Buy any two ET Drag Wheels, get a $50 gift card
    * Buy any ET Drag motorcycle tire, get a $25 gift card

NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car champ Frank Manzo continued his winning streak over the weekend, scoring his third straight national event
win at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports
Park in Norwalk, Ohio.  Manzo was joined in the winner’s circle by the
reigning Top Alcohol Dragster champion Bill Reichert of Owosso, Mich. 
Reichert’s win was his first on the national event level this season.

It was the summer of 2003 when a circle track driver by the name of Tim
Boychuk first remembers putting four wheels on a drag strip.

As
part owner of Castrol Raceway in Edmonton a few years back, Boychuk
vividly recalls the thrill of driving his first vehicle – a slow, bulky
track grinder – down the Canadian quarter mile in preparation for the
IHRA’s first trip to Edmonton for the Rocky Mountain Nationals nearly
seven years ago.

“I remember for the first Rocky Mountain
Nationals weekend on Wednesday and Thursday I was out there with a
grinder making the track smooth and wondering what the heck I am doing
out here. I am an oval racer so what am I doing at a drag strip at
midnight in the pouring rain grinding the track,” Boychuk recalled.

Jeg Coughlin has been a thorn in Mike Edwards side, until Norwalk. Each
time the two drivers have met in competition, Coughlin has had the
upper hand. When the two drivers met in the quarterfinals of the Summit
Racing Equipment Nationals, it was Coughlin with the hole shot on
Edwards, .033 to .061. Coughlin led until his Chevrolet Cobalt shook
the tires early in the run. Edwards turned in his typical consistent
performance as he powered straight down the track to a 6.666 second,
207.15 mph win.

Ashley Force Hood’s quarter-final win over Ron Capps represented more
than just a win light. The winner of the match up was guaranteed to
leapfrog past incoming point leader Tony Pedregon, who lost in the
first round to Jim Head.

On the starting line, Capps staged and then Force Hood rolled in and lit both bulbs. She apologized to Capps at the finish line.

Bob Tasca admits the .001 light cut by Jack Beckman threw him off his rhythmn keeping him from a win he wanted not just for himself, but for Ford.

“We want to win, that’s why we come,” said Tasca. “Unfortunately, for
us Jack guessed the tree, period. You can’t cut a .001 light.

“I heard him and it actually messed me up because I heard his car and
didn’t see the light go on. I had a decent light but I was still
confused. I hit the gas; I looked for the win light and didn’t see it
on. So I said, ‘Either I was really late, but I knew I was late. We
drove right into tire smoke.”

When Larry Dixon makes it to the final round, Larry Dixon wins. Dixon drove his

Roger Richards

Al-Anabi
Racing Top Fuel dragster, owned by Alan Johnson, to his fourth win of
the season in four final round appearances. Dixon has wins at
Gainesville, Topeka, Englishtown and now Norwalk, and stands second in
the points behind Tony Schumacher.

“Four win lights at the end of the day, that's what counts,” Dixon
said. “There were certain rounds that were not pretty but at the same
time we were the quickest car, so I am real thankful to get this win.”

Dixon path to the final round against Brandon Bernstein included what
looked like easy wins over Steve Chrisman, Clay Millican and Antron
Brown. Each time Dixon posted a solid run while his competition
struggled to get down the track. Bernstein did the same in the final
round, striking the tires before the 330-foot mark.