Cory
McClenathan raced to his first No. 1 qualifying position of the season
Saturday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Ashley Force Hood and Mike Edwards also will lead their categories into
Sunday’s eliminations, which begin at noon. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will
provide three hours and 30 minutes of coverage of the race starting at
7 p.m. (ET).

McClenathan held on to the top spot in Top Fuel with his 3.874 second
run at 312.21 mph from Friday in his FRAM dragster. It is the 33rd No.
1 effort of his career and first at this track. He will face Michael
Gunderson in the first round of eliminations.

High Track Temperatures Heat Up Pro Mod Competition in Thunder Valley
 

Raymond
Commisso's Camaro was crashed in testing after St. Louis but rebuilt in
time to compete in Bristol. He won the first round when Danny Rowe
red-lit.

Weather forecasters couldn't have been more wrong today,
as the 80 percent chance of rain in Bristol turned into a beautiful -
albeit sunny and hot - day as the Get Screened America Pro Mod
Challenge presented by ProCare Rx took to the drag strip for the last
session of qualifying and round one of eliminations at the NRHA Thunder
Valley Nationals.
 
The blacktop boiled as track temperatures exceeded 121 degrees, giving
way to the "challenge" of the Pro Mod Challenge. In the end, Mike
Castellana took the pole at 6.050/234.90 in his nitrous-powered '68
Firebird.
 

Two years ago Ashley Force Hood was on the outside looking in on race day. Today at Bristol Dragway she will enter the 9th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals eliminations from the No. 1 qualifying spot and loaded with confidence.

Cory McClenathan doesn’t need to be make incredible runs to feel like a hero. Give the veteran driver from Brownsburg, Ind., a series of consistent runs and he’ll work just fine.

McClenathan’s Friday 3.874 second pass at the NHRA Thunder Valley
Nationals went untouched and that enabled him to claim his 33rd career
pole position. It marked the first time he’s gone into Sunday’s final
eliminations as the leader this season.

Being the top dragster has its perks, but for McClenathan, he’s content
with being able to win from any qualifying position. Repeatability
inspires McClenathan.

Pro Stock No. 1 qualifier Mike Edwards confessed that he was more impressed with his pair of Saturday runs during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals than the one that put him atop the field for the fourth time in 2009.

Saturday he may not have been quicker but he didn’t leave anything on
the table headed into Sunday’s final eliminations either. The second
day was spent seeking that edge of the envelope for race day.

“We just tried to keep up with the track and make our adjustments,”
Edwards said. “I was more impressed with our runs today than I was on
Friday because we left some on the table then. We made some really good
runs in the heat of the day.”

There are moments in a teenager’s life which will never be unforgotten.

For veteran Pro Stock driver Kurt Johnson, that moment was his
introduction to Bristol’s Thunder Valley Dragway, thirty years ago.

Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson, a seven-time winner at Bristol in the
spring, kept his sixteen year old son up into the wee hours of the
morning on his way to the first of those seven wins. Rain and wrecks
made for a long day at the 1979 IRHA Sun Drop Spring Nationals and it
was just minutes before 3 A.M., when Kurt watched his father cross the
finish line.

For Kurt, Bristol was more than just an experience. It was a marathon.

“We made the long tow from Fridley, Minnesota,” the younger Johnson
recalled. “We were racing all the southern boys down here and they
really didn’t like us.”

Pro Outlaw Doorslammers (POD) continues to grow as they enter the
fourth event of the eleven race series. POD is ready to bring it as
they head to Maryland International Raceway (MIR) on Saturday, May 24,
2009. POD is capitalizing on positive momentum and with the support of
Larry Thompson of Custom T?s of DC hosting the event, this event is
sure to be awesome!

The last event on the POD tour was pivotal in the continued growth of
POD. POD had new members join, as well as members from last year's
roaster re-join the organization. These milestones position POD to
continue to be one of the fastest growing clubs on the East Coast.
Additionally, that event was host to record car count for the
organization, great side by side action, fast cars and most importantly
a great show for the fans.  POD wants the event at MIR to produce the
same fantastic results.

The weekend of April 25-26, 2009 was a special one for some very
special children, as the 4th annual Rev'ved Up 4 Kidz charity auction
and car show raised money for The Center for Learning Unlimited.

Through the help of many volunteers and the generosity of many
individuals, local businesses and national corporations, Edelbrock
hosted a gala and charity auction on Saturday, April 25. The evening
opened with a silent auction in Vic Edelbrock's Garage filled with
collectible classic cars. Car and Driver Radio host, Alan Taylor, was
the master of ceremonies and utilized his talent with the microphone to
auction off world class vacations, fine wines, Lakers and Dodgers
tickets, PGA VIP passes donated by Tiger Woods, a ride on the Goodyear
Blimp and VIP passes to Live with Regis and Kelly.

The festivities and fundraising continued Sunday, April 26 at the
Rev'ved Up 4 Kidz car show. This 4th installment took place at the
Edelbrock Corporation in Torrance, California. Sunday's affair
attracted 375 show car entries and more than 5,000 attendees. Local
band, "The Sprockets" entertained the crowd with a variety of classic
rock-n-roll hits, while vendors provided a sampling of some great food
and drinks. "This weekend is a testament to the dedication of our
community, partners, employees and friends donating their time and
dollars to such a wonderful cause. I am so proud of how the event
continues to grow. My commitment to these causes is something that I am
very passionate about", stated event organizer and supporter, Christi
Edelbrock.

After
years of planning and countless months of construction, IHRA racers and
fans now officially have a fantastic new facility to call home.

Known as the “Concrete Palace,” Dallas Raceway came alive Thursday when
the first cars to ever take to the all-concrete track made some
impressive eighth-mile runs.

IHRA’s resident track prep guru Jim Weinert and his crew had the
brand-new surface in unbelievable condition, as evidenced by the
elapsed times and speeds posted by a number of racers who turned up for
the track-opening test and tune session.

With
the threat of rain increasing as the afternoon wore on, the only rumble
heard in Bristol, Tenn. was coming from Thunder Valley.  A lucky dozen
braved the weather and the economic storms to race in the Get Screened
America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx Friday at the NHRA
Thunder Valley Nationals.  Despite an abbreviated field there was no
shortage of action.
 
R2B2 owner and Pro Mod series driver Roger Burgess said, "It's a small
field, but it's a competitive field.  Everybody has got a shot at
winning this weekend."  After the 4:30 qualifying rounds that certainly
seemed to be the case.