The late Ronnie Sox was best known for his many world renowned Mopar
race cars.  Ronnie competed in the formative years of Pro Modified
behind the wheel of this '64 Mercury Comet entry that will be part of
the Salute to Ford at the 8th Annual Musclecar Madness at the York
Reunion on July 10-11th at the York Expo Center, York Fairgrounds.

As Roger Burgess prepares for this weekend's Get Screened America Pro
Mod Challenge event at the United Association NHRA SuperNationals in
Englishtown, New Jersey, he carries confidence in his R2B2 Racing team
and their ability to field class-leading entries. Along with his racing
duties, Burgess and his team will also host a number of clients from
his company, ProCare Rx, throughout the weekend, and he said he is
anxious for several newcomers to learn about the exciting world of Pro
Mods and NHRA drag racing.
 
"I love drag racing for a lot of reasons. Of course, there's the thrill
of competition and being on an International stage, and for me that's a
driving force, but beyond that, there are so many great opportunities
for business as well as helping people in the markets we touch,"
Burgess said. "I'm anxious to expose corporate America to this
adrenaline-packed environment that I've become a part of.
 
"Get Screened America will be hosting a pavilion on the manufacturer's
midway to screen fans for several different health disorders, and
there's a kiosk for health screening that will let people sign up to
win a 'Wii' and 'Wii Fit,' too - all with the goal of helping keep stay
healthy.

After rain affected most of the weekend at Maple Grove Raceway, racers of the NMCA caught a break Sunday at the Seventh Annual

Joe
Dunne was able to beat both Vinny Budano and Troy Coughlin in Pro
Street action. It was Dunne’s first NMCA race behind the wheel of his
new Bickle-built, Musi-powered Camaro.

Kooks Custom Headers NMCA Muscle Car Nationals.

With Friday washed out entirely and Saturday’s action forced to be
contested on the eighth-mile due to residual moisture seeping up from
the ground onto track surface, it’s any wonder racers and fans alike we
happy to be greeted by fantastic weather conditions on Sunday.

The poor track conditions forced NMCA officials to shorten Saturday’s
qualifying to the eighth-mile (a first for the organization) offering a
rare glimpse into how these cars perform to half-track. With the top
half of the track dry on Sunday, the race returned to the regular
quarter-mile format.

Representatives
from the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series performed the
prestigious task of ringing The Opening Bell at the New York Stock
Exchange Wednesday morning, June 10.

More than 20 NHRA sponsors and/or partners who are listed on the New
York Stock Exchange were invited by the NYSE to take part in the event,
which serves as a kickoff for NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series,
which will be hosting the 40th annual United Association NHRA
SuperNationals June 11-14 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in
Englishtown, N.J.  The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series remains
the only major motorsport to host a race in the New York Area, the
nation's No. 1 DMA.

NHRA President Tom Compton was joined in ringing The Opening Bell by
Coca-Cola North America Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing
Beatriz Perez, Coca-Cola North America Director of Motorsports
Marketing Ben Reiling, and George Pyne, President of IMG's Sports and
Entertainment Group.

Returning to the NHRA SuperNationals this weekend at Old Bridge Township Raceway in Englishtown, N.J., will be
a bittersweet time for Jack Beckman, driver of the Valvoline/Mail
Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing Series. Last year at this event, Beckman was in the "water box"
preparing to perform a burnout before his final attempt to qualify
when, on the track in front of him, Scott Kalitta lost his life in a
tragic accident.

It was Beckman's last chance to qualify for the event and he failed to
do so. He returned home to California the next day with a heavy heart.

Defending NHRA SuperNationals champion Tony Schumacher is not sure how he’ll react when he first arrives in Englishtown.

“For sure, it’s going to be tough for everyone in the NHRA family,”
said the six-time world champion. “It’s hard to believe, but it’s
already been a year since we lost (Funny Car driver) Scott Kalitta.”

It was at Raceway Park last year when Kalitta was killed in a Saturday
qualifying crash. In response to the incident, the NHRA changed the
race distance for the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes from the
traditional quarter-mile to the 1,000-foot mark.

It's been a year and still the wound is open and sore.

It was at Englishtown last year when the racing world lost a great
driver, a great champion, a great husband and father, and just a great
all around person – Scott Kalitta.

Now it's time to go back.

There may be only one man alive who can truly feel the depth of the
pain from that fateful day in Englishtown, N.J. – Connie Kalitta,
Scott's 71 year old father and drag racing legend. Losing a son is
tough on anyone; losing that son to a sport that has given and now
taken so much can be devastating. Still, the “Bounty Hunter” soldiers
on. He does what he knows to do and that is go racing.

Starting this month, CompetitionPlus.com readers will be treated to
classic photos of Hall of Famer photographer Steve Reyes as he

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presents his Reyes on Tour column.

Once a month Reyes will select and comment on a dozen photos of which
he will tell stories from personal experience related to the snapshot.

“I am excited about this opportunity,” said Reyes, who recently
attended the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. “I really
like being associated with this team because Bobby Bennett and the team
at CompetitionPlus.com are passionate about the sport. It makes me feel
good to know they are as excited about the sport today as I was back
then traveling the country shooting photos and covering the drags.”

These days, it seems like professional athletes are all chasing greed and glory.

Fortunately, there are exceptions. There are those like legendary Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Frank "Ace" Manzo.

Last Sunday at the United Association NHRA Route 66 Nationals in
Joliet, Ill., Manzo captured his 80th NHRA national event win, but he
remains humble.

"It was good to get a win, but this was just another win for me," said
Manzo, who is from Morganville, N.J. "The competition keeps getting
better and it's really hard to dominate. I just keep working hard each
week so I can keep up with the competition."

Get Screened America, the sponsor of the NHRA's Pro Mod series, will
test to see just how much the Pro Mod action really raises a fan's blood pressure, and will also offer healthscreening
tests that include blood glucose testing, body mass index tests, eye
vision exams, a skin cancer scan to scan faces for potential damage
under the skin, and a special health risk assessment kiosk where fans
can register basic health information and qualify to win a 'Wii' and
'Wii Fit.'