When most people think of Father's Day, they think of dads taking their
sons fishing, or daughters to a picnic, or families honoring their
patriarch.

When it comes to the Force family, in the past Father's Day has been a
time of strapping in, firing up and blasting down the drag strip. This
year, for the first time in many, many years, Father's Day won't be at
a racetrack. There will be no autograph signings, no team meetings, no
media interviews and no special moment in a nitro-filled atmosphere for
John Force and his daughters, Ashley, Brittany and Courtney.

This year, John Force will be out on a boat with his sponsors and his
son-in-law, Robert Hight, while the girls will be in Las Vegas with
their mother, celebrating Courtney's 21st birthday. Not much different
than in years past, before the girls became drivers.

As the youngest, Courtney had the toughest time understanding the revolving door that was and still is her father's life.

Could the NHRA make a concerted effort to return to quarter-mile racing at certain tracks in 2010? Certain venues with longer, smoother
shutdowns areas could return to 1320 feet (a quarter-mile) while
several of the land-locked facilities would remain at 1,000 feet.

If the NHRA does adopt a multi-length format, sources have indicated
the sanctioning body would continue with their data gathering testing
in an effort to slow the nitro cars down by “knocking some speed” off
of the runs. This would enable the sanctioning body a full return to
1320.

This weekend's 7th annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend
Park in Bowling Green, Ky., is a three-day festival of speed, hot
rods and American automotive enthusiasm. Produced by the Wally Parks
NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern
California and located in Pomona, Calif., the Reunion is part of the
museum’s “living history” philosophy, which works to bring to life the
sights, sounds and people who made history in the early days of drag
racing, land speed racing and the golden age of American car culture.

Unique among motorsports events, the Reunion honors some of the top
names in hot rodding from the past and features a fabulous array of
cool drag cars, street rods and customs of the historic and present-day
hot rod eras.

On June 10, 2009, Chrysler completed the sale of  assets to Italian manufacturer Fiat. For factory-backed, Mopar

Photo by Roger Richards

Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson, the change in ownership shouldn’t affect his program.

In fact, he believes the company’s dedication to racing should help his cause.

That doesn’t mean he’ll be racing one of those classic Fiat Topolinos. It does mean there’s a strong likelihood that he’ll have the eagerly awaited Dodge Avenger to test and run in competition just in time for the Countdown to the Championship.

After a devastating Bradenton crash with their 10.5 Outlaw Mustang at
the NMRA season opener, the Conrad Scarry, Kenny Seager and crew beat
all odds and were back at the recently completed NMRA event in Milan,
Mich. Amazingly the team only missed the event in Atco, N.J., and
returned with an even better hot rod.

The NMRA returned to action this past weekend at fabled Milan Dragway
in Milan, Michigan, just a short drive southwest of Detroit, and

John Leslie has been working towards this victory for nine years.  He’s
enlisted the help of NMRA Mean Street crew chief Jeff Gillam to go
along with the assistance of engine builder Rich Groh, and earned his
first-ever NMRA win in Michigan.

right
in Ford’s backyard.  The decision had been made prior to the even tot
turn it into a two-day race, and by the looks of things, both fans and
racers alike enjoyed the switch from the norm.  Aeromotive sponsored
the event, and as a result, had the shop’s twin-turbo, Modular-powered
Comp Eliminator Shelby Mustang on the premises making test passes. 
They also brought out their innovative dragster powered by a GT500
Mustang engine, complete with zoomie headers.  The fans packed the
stands all weekend long, and the racers didn’t disappoint – killer
racing, wild wheelstands, and first-time winners all came together to
make this a great weekend of Ford drag racing.

For the second consecutive year Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster driver Brandon Bernstein will be a celebrity judge at the Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant on June 20th.

Over 130 of the hottest Hooters Girls from around the world will be competing for the Miss Hooters International title.

Three-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson will take the top
spot for the 2009 NHRA K&N Horsepower Challenge, which will be contested
next weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This Pro
Stock bonus event will feature eight of the top drivers in the class
who have earned the most qualifying points within the past year. The
winner of the famed bonus event earns $50,000, with the runner-up
pocketing $10,000. The two semifinalists receive $3,000 each, and the
four first-round finishers each earn $2,500. Below are the first-round
pairings for the 2009 K&N Horsepower Challenge: