The winners in both the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car
categories at the Texas Sportsman Challenge, a round of the NHRA Lucas
Oil Drag Racing Series at Houston Raceway Park, took on the No. 1
qualifiers in the final round.  Todd Odom, Lake Dallas, Texas, took his
dragster to the win while Corpus Christi, Texas's Steve Burke won in
Funny Car.

Odom who started the day from the No. 3 slot squared off against
Claremore, Okla., resident Malcolm Wahle in the final.  Odom blasted a
5.294-second, 269.08 mph pass to Wahle's 5.358-second, 255.15 mph
effort.

Burke was the second-place qualifier in Funny Car and in the final he
took on Tony Bartone of Long Island City, N.Y.  Burke's 5.700-second,
249.76 mph lap was more than enough as Bartone red-lighted.

The teams of the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx may compete on the track, but this weekend in

Rowena
Bailey, Executive Director of the Southern Appalachian Ronald McDonald
House, receives a contribution in the honor of fallen racer Steve Engel
totaling more than $5,700 from Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge
Series Director Matthew Brammer. (Credit: Roger Richards)

Bristol they collaborated to give back to the local community and remember one of their own.
 
Steve Engel, who died as a result of injuries sustained in a racing
accident in Indianapolis last season, celebrated his 2008 Thunder
Valley Nationals win as his first - and only - win in the Challenge. As
a way to honor his legacy as defending champion, fans and Pro Mod
Challenge team members gave donations at this year’s race to the
Southern Appalachian Ronald McDonald House in Engel’s name.
 
Rowina Bailey, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House,
attended the final day of racing and was given the collections totaling
more than  $5,700 during the Winner's Circle ceremonies at the event. 
 

His 2009 season headed in the wrong direction after a disastrous start
at the ADRL’s Safety-Kleen Dragpalooza V in Houston, but Charles
Carpenter’s year is beginning to turn around thanks to support at
nearly every turn from fans, friends, and manufacturers.

One source of that support is MagnaFuel, manufacturer of
high-performance fuel systems for a wide range of racing applications.
Carpenter has been utilizing their ProStar 500 fuel pump and other
components for the past several seasons, and MagnaFuel has stepped up
to become a major associate sponsor of Charles Carpenter Racing and
Carpenter’s iconic ’55 Chevy.

“MagnaFuel is a growing company, and we couldn’t think of a better way
to supplement that growth than getting involved with a legend like
Charles,” said MagnaFuel general manager Robbie Ward. “He has been
doing this forever, and with great success. He knows his way around
these engines and the fuel systems in particular, and we look forward
to watching his continued success as he works his way back onto the
track.”

On May 15, 2009, the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) will
unveil its first online promotion, the Great Helmet Auction.

The auction features autographed helmets, most worn during NHRA Drag
Racing competition by stars of the sport, including Jack Beckman,
Brandon Bernstein, Kenny Bernstein, Antron Brown, Ron Capps, V. Gaines,
Mike Edwards, John Force, Ashley Force Hood, Matt Hagan, Robert Hight,
Allen Johnson, Warren Johnson, Doug Kalitta, Ron Krisher, Cory
McClenathan, Mike Neff, Tony Schumacher, Bob Vandergriff Jr., and Tim
Wilkerson.

Larry Dixon became the sixth driver in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
history to win 500 rounds in competition.

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car points leader Ron Capps advanced to the quarterfinal round at the NHRA Thunder
Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway after defeating Bob Bode in the
opening face-off. He maintains his No. 1 status in the standings, and
is now 57 markers ahead of today's winner, Del Worsham.

Driving the NAPA Adaptive One Brakes Dodge Funny Car for the first and
only time this season before he returns to his usual mount, the NAPA
AUTO PARTS Dodge, Capps took the win over Bode with a 4.217-second lap
at 251.16 mph, despite dropping a cylinder which caused engine damage,
an oildown and a lengthy clean-up of the track surface. 

With repairs effected and without lane choice, Capps faced Tony
Pedregon in the second round. Capps was first off the line with a .045
reaction time (.000 is perfect) to Pedregon's .108, but the NAPA Dodge
was soon up in smoke and It was Pedregon's win at the finish line, with
a 4.143/300.26 to Capps' 4.503/262.90.

The cloudy skies and cool temperatures on Sunday did nothing but heat up the action in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge
presented by ProCare Rx at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in
Bristol, Tenn. For the first time in Thunder Valley Dragway history,
two Pro Mod cars ran side-by-side five-second runs, and Dixie, West
Va.-resident Burton Auxier scored his first Pro Mod Challenge victory
while overtaking the points lead.
 
After blasting to the No. 5
qualifying spot with a 6.092/231.95, Auxier got an easy run in round
one against a broken Taylor Lastor, and then drove around turbo-powered
Brad Personett 6.020/236.34 to 6.138/236.71 to advance to the
semifinals. He then used his quickest lap of the event to edge St.
Louis winner, Roger Burgess, 6.008/235.68 to 6.098/241.45, finding his
way to the finals for the second time this season and hoping for his
first win.
 
Auxier faced R2B2 Racing's Raymond Commisso, another
driver searching for his first Challenge win, and as the two staged
their cars, Auxier lit both lights quickly but held onto the brakes,
while nerves got the best of Commisso who left before the green light,
handing Auxier the win and the title.

To all of those who thought Tony Schumacher would stumble and fall with the departure of crew chief, Alan Johnson, what can you possibly say now?

Schumacher is unbeaten when he reaches the final round this year.
Winning at Bristol Dragway made it three for three, as the defending
Top Fuel World Champion logged his third win of the season, 59th of his
career as he climbed back atop the Top Fuel point standings, in the
NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

No, the wins are not coming as easy as they did last year, but it's not
because the team is worse off without crew chief and now competing car
owner, Alan Johnson. His crew is in fact, according to Schumacher, “bad
to the bone”.

A bull in a china shop would have been less conspicuous than the domination Mike Edwards displayed this past weekend.

Edwards left no doubt that he was the man to beat at the NHRA Thunder
Valley Nationals Pro Stock title from day one when he moved to the top
of the qualifying order in the first session. He then solidified his
hold on the top spot in the second qualifying session. On the final day
of qualifying, when he couldn’t improve on his Friday effort, he was
still the quickest each time down the track.

On Sunday he saved the best for last as he not only established low
elapsed time for the event, set a new track ET record and scored his
second NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock victory of the 2009 season.

The dragstrip is no place to be cutting off the guy in the other lane, or making right and left turns for that matter.

However, that is exactly what John Force did in his first round race
against Jack Beckman. After a lengthy staging battle, Force left on
Beckman, only to lose the advantage in the latter portion of the track.

Force slid out of the groove and made an abrupt right turn into Beckman’s lane, barely avoiding a collision.

"I've been wearing glasses lately for better vision. If they're going
to give me that good a vision for the rest of the year I don't ever
want to wear them again," Beckman said with a laugh.