John Zappia blitzed the field in this year's Castrol Edge Tin Tops with
an amazing string of consistent 5.8 second passes and won the ANDRA Top
Doorslammer Final in Australia’s first side-by-side five second pass.
The final round win by Zappia of 5.858 also resulted in him reclaiming
the Australian National ET Record which he previously held.

Anthony Bertozzi increased his points lead in the chase for a Super
Stock national championship with his win at the Summit Racing Equipment
NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce,
Ga., over the weekend.  The former Super Stock champion from Ashland,
Va., has won two divisional races so far but this was his first
winner’s circle appearance at a national event.  He earned the win over
Bo Butner of Georgetown, Ind.  Butner’s runner-up finish puts him in
seventh place in the national points standings.

From a first time event to the longest running race on the IHRA
calendar, it is safe to say the 2009 racing season is about to heat up.

Drivers and crews are set to head to the heart of motorsports country
April 24-26 as Rockingham Dragway hosts the 38th annual IHRA Spring
Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts and Castrol, the oldest and
most prestigious event on the Nitro Jam circuit.

“The Spring Nationals are always one of the highlights of the year here at Rockingham Dragway.
Every year we see records broken and plenty of great racing and I
expect even more of the same this year,” said Rockingham Dragway owner
Steve Earwood. “We have many of the world’s best drivers coming to
North Carolina for this event and I can’t wait to go racing.”

V. Gaines will be the first to admit that as of late, he’s become proficient at shooting in the dark. That’s about
the best way the veteran Pro Stock driver can describe the success he’s
encountered as he debuts his new in-house engine program.

The Lakewood, Co.-based driver didn’t even have a baseline when he
entered the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals two weeks ago. The
challenge didn’t prevent him from making the complex sixteen-car field
and most recently at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Southern
Nationals in Commerce, Ga.

Monday's final results from the 29th annual Summit Racing Equipment
NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The race is the sixth of 24
in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

John Force was a little confused but he knew what he wanted to say.

The 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion wanted to say thanks to the owners
of Atlanta Dragway for improving a track that used to provide what he
described as “a gut ache” every time he watched his daughter make a run
down the strip located in Commerce, Ga.

Mike Edwards has learned that when it rains it pours. At least that’s how it works for his Pro Stock team.

Edwards drove to his first NHRA Full Throttle victory of the 2009
season in stopping Jeg Coughlin Jr. in a rain-delayed NHRA Southern
Nationals final round.
 
The former sportsman world champion has earned four No. 1 qualifying
positions in six races this season, yet hasn’t made his way past the
second round in those events.

However, let it rain and Edwards has become a sure bet to reach the final round.

“It doesn’t matter if you win on Sunday or Monday … it’s an
unbelievable challenge to win (a Pro Stock race). You can’t make a
mistake and win in this class,” Edwards said.

Warm weather, high winds, and intense drag racing took over Auto Club
Dragway at Auto Club Speedway as nearly 400 racers from across the
nation were condensed into nine winners.  Competitors have battled it
out since Friday to earn a chance at receiving the coveted NHRA Wally
trophy at the JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals presented by K&N. Due to
extreme weather conditions and in the best interest of safety, the
decision was made to reduce racing to the 1/8th mile late Sunday
morning.

Lucas Oil’s Thomas Bayer from right here in Fontana, Calif., captured
his second national event win of the year defeating fellow Lucas Oil
teammate Jack Freckman of Woodacre, Calif.  It was a family affair in
the Super Gas final with defending NHRA Division 7 Champ Hollis
Colleasure of San Dimas, Calif. taking out his son-in-la w Brad Pierce,
Riverside, Calif.

Some winners remain undecided headed into Monday at the NHRA Summit Racing Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga..

Rain
halted Pro Stock after just one pair in the first round, they were
scheduled to complete their final later in the day, but rain returned
after the other three Pro finals had been completed, forcing them to
wait an additional day.

Eddie Krawiec finally put an embarrassing stat to rest Sunday evening during the Pro Stock Motorcycle final round at the NHRA Summit Southern Nationals in Atlanta Dragway.

The Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson-sponsored, Vance & Hines rider
from Brownsburg, Ind., was the only NHRA Full Throttle world champion
in competition who had not won a national event title. Krawiec’s
victory over rookie NHRA rider Douglas Horne returns 1970s Top Fuel
racer Rob Bruins as the only winless world champion.