Top Fuel driver and drag racing school owner Doug Foley recently made a
special appearance on SPEED TV's wildly popular Pass Time show, which
airs 7:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

The Pass Time crew was filming several episodes at zMax Dragway in
Charlotte and Foley was at the track conducting his school at the same
time. When Pass Time host Brett Wagner and his sidekick Ken "The House"
Herring heard Foley was on the property, they quickly tracked him down
and invited him to take part in the show.

Needing little coaxing, Foley jumped in one of the Dragster Experience
rails he uses at his school and wheeled the 400-horsepower dragster
over to the set. After some good-natured ribbing from Wagner and
Herring, who wondered aloud whether he could handle the speed, Foley,
whose career-best speed in a Top Fuel dragster is 331 mph, took to the
track and raced down the strip.

Leading human papilloma virus (HPV) expert Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, was
officially named to the Jeg Coughlin Sr. Chair in Cancer Research
during a special ceremony Wednesday night at the Longaberger Alumni
House at The Ohio State University.

"This is a dream come true for all of us," said Coughlin, who was
surrounded by his four sons and many members of the extended Coughlin
family. "This Chair represents a legacy that will continue forever.
Cancer research takes commitment from a financial aspect and more
importantly from a research and development side. Dr. Gillison has
accomplished so many things already and we truly feel the best is yet
to come."

Gillison recently joined OSU's staff after a successful stint as
associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in
Baltimore, Md., where she was a member of the Sidney Kimmel
Comprehensive Cancer Center. She now serves as professor of medicine in
the division of hematology and oncology at OSU and is a member of the
Cancer Control and Viral Oncology Programs at the Comprehensive Cancer
Center.

While much of the focus surrounding the upcoming Nitro Jam race at
Dallas Raceway has been about the track itself, it is the drivers

Kenny Lang (right) congratulates Tim Tindle following his Rockingham victory.

that will walk away from this weekend’s event with the fame and glory that comes with winning a first-time event.

And
defending IHRA Pro Modified champion Kenny Lang hopes he is the one
hoisting the inaugural Amalie Oil Texas Nationals trophy Sunday night.

“We
are really looking forward to the Dallas race. It will be a big race
for us and could set the tone for the rest of our season,” Lang said.
“It looks like an incredible facility and we can’t wait to get there.”

Over 14 years ago, Jeff Arend, driver of the DHL Toyota Solara Funny
Car, began his dream of racing against the world’s best drag racers when he entered his first NHRA Funny Car event in Gainesville, Fla.

This weekend, May 29-31, Arend will compete in his 100th NHRA Funny Car
event as part of the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at famed Heartland
Park Topeka in Topeka, Kan. Arend is reflective about the lessons he
has learned over the past 99 events, and he is excited and optimistic
about his straight-line career at this point and forward.

To compete in Top Dragster and Top Sportsman in 2009, big power, with
the diversity of running naturally aspirated and nitrous is not an option,
but a requirement. Finding a 1600-horse 632-inch power plant is common
in most fast cars today, but with high price of everything racing
related, and longevity on the forefront of every racers mind, Pat Musi
and Vic Edelbrock have put their best foot forward.

Building 1200 naturally aspirated horsepower and 1600 nitrous assisted
horsepower for under $27K is what the goal is. But proving it works is
another. That’s why when they approached Scott Hall about testing their
new engine he agreed to the challenge.

Pat Musi has brought together Edelbrock’s “Big Victor” cylinder head,
matching intake manifold, complete nitrous system, stainless steel
merge collector exhaust, and with the help of Jesel and Moroso, has
what will be the economical answer to big power with well developed
reliability.

Marking the half-way spot in the ten-race season, drivers in the Get
Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx will venture
into uncharted territory this weekend as they compete for the first
time ever on the venerable quarter-mile at Heartland Park Topeka in the
O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas.
 
Smack-dab in the middle of the country, the Topeka event will feature a
baker's-dozen of the best Pro Modified cars in the land, all vying for
the Get Screened America Warrior trophy and the $10,000 purse as well
as the extremely valuable championship points in a tightly-contested
race. Scheduled to compete this weekend are: Burton Auxier, Joe Baker,
Roger Burgess, Mike Castelana, Raymond Commisso, Chip King, Mike
Knowles, Taylor Lastor, Jay Payne, Brad Personett, Danny Rowe, Tim
Tindle, and rookie Kirk Wilmes.

Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School instructed a distinguished student during their recent classes at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Tom Peters was the prominent student.

Peters is the General Motors Director of Design Global Rear Wheel Drive Performance and Corvette and was the lead design director for the 2010 Camaro. Both he and his daughter, Adrienne, rode to class in an example of the finished product -- a stunning red 2010 Camaro RS/SS model with 422 horsepower under the hood.

Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School has had a longtime relationship with GM Performance Parts and utilizes their ZZ 572/720R crate engine in each of the school’s Super Class cars.

Clay
Millican and the MPE Motorsports Top Fuel team believe the time is at
hand to make a move towards the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series championship.

“We must concentrate on the Topeka race and have a good showing,”
Millican said.  “And then we’ll see if we can go some rounds.  I know
we are capable of it; we just haven’t done it.  Now it is time.”

The urgency is necessary because Millican is 11th in points, 108 behind
the 10th and final Countdown to the Championship position with 10 races
to go in the regular season.  “We are backed up against the wall,” he
said.  “It’s time to do something to prove to ourselves – and everybody
else – that we can win rounds and races.  I know we are capable, and so
does the team.

Doctors at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif., performed back
surgery May 26 on six-time NHRA world champion Kenny Bernstein to
relieve stenosis, or narrowing of the spinal canal. The Budweiser/Lucas
Oil team owner had been suffering from pain in his lower back and
numbness in his legs. After undergoing a battery of tests, doctors
determined that surgery was needed to correct the trauma and
inflammation that was causing the pain.
 
As part of the recuperative process, travel has been precluded for the
next few weeks. It is expected that in addition to the Topeka event, he
will miss the events in Chicago and Englishtown.