Top Fuel racer Morgan Lucas admits he's a little nervous heading into this weekend's 10th annual SummitRacing.com
NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, although his
trepidation has nothing to do with driving his 8,000-horsepower GEICO
Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster.

"A team of us are competing in the United States Bowling Congress Open
Championships against the best bowlers in the country on Thursday and
I'm seriously stressing about it," said the 25-year-old Lucas, the
youngest professional in the nitro ranks. "We're definitely hitting the
lanes at home before we fly out. I don't want to embarrass myself.

Tim Wilkerson finds it ironic that his long-shot odds streak that nearly netted a world

Wilkerson's magic run for the 2008 title began at the first Vegas event.

championship last year started in Las Vegas during the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

In the midst of a tough season, Wilkerson could use a bit of that Vegas
magic to get on the same track that made him a contender for the title
in 2009 right up until the final race of the season.

In 2008, Wilkerson arrived at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
(LVMS) still dealing with a losing streak that stretched back nearly
four years.  He hadn't won a race since Sonoma in 2004, but his LRS
Funny Car was running well while showing signs of serious life, and
after qualifying in the No. 2 spot at The Strip, he reeled off big wins
over Jim Head, Tony Pedregon, and Ron Capps before meeting up with
Ashley Force in the final; a pairing which left his daughter Rachel
torn between rooting for her father or her "other favorite" driver. 
4.962 seconds later, Wilkerson had his first win of '08, and a new
streak was born.  It was one that took him to the doorstep of the NHRA
Funny Car Championship.

In the Street Radial class, John Macaluso qualified his
nitrous-assisted small-block Mustang on the pole with a 8.83 at 153
mph. Macaluso will have to wait a month before he races Heath Shemwell
to determine the class winner.

It was a long day Sunday for NMCA officials as they tried to complete
the 7th Annual Ross Pistons Hot Rod Nationals at Bradenton Motorsports
Park.
After a morning, which saw heavy rains, it wasn’t until mid-afternoon before the first cars took to the track.

Despite gaining the upper hand late in the evening, it was decided to
postpone several class finals after the Camaro of Spiro Pappas made
hard contact with the wall during the Mickey Thompson Super Street
10.5W final against Jim Blair.

Fred Crespi, oddsmaker for the sports book at The Palms Resort &
Casino in Las Vegas likes Larry Dixon, Del Worsham and Jason Line to
win Sunday’s NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals finals at The Strip at Las
Vegas Motor Speedway.

Dixon, a past winner at The Strip at LVMS, is listed at 3/1, just ahead
of defending champion and perennial favorite Tony Schumacher (4/1).
Worsham is listed at 4/1, just ahead of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series Funny Car points leader Ron Capps (5/1) and Ashley Force Hood
(also at 5/1).  Line’s line is 5/2, ahead of defending Pro Stock champ
Jeg Coughlin Jr. (3/1).

One can never downplay the tenacity of Funny Car driver Gary Densham. 
He’s been down – more than once.  But, he’s never been out, and it
looks like he’s going to avoid another knockout punch in 2009.  There’s
no question that the year began with Densham trapped in the corner,
absorbing body blows – not from his competitors, but from his bank
account – or what was left of it.

He struggled through the Winternationals, but then picked up some
needed assistance from Asomroso Tequila for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist
Nationals in Phoenix.  If reality had been staring Densham in the face
before then, a few days prior to the AC Delco Gatornationals he faced
it full on, and reluctantly informed his every-loyal mechanics that
they had come to the end of the road, and wouldn’t be making the trip
to Florida.

Two
popular drivers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series – Tony
Schumacher and Ashley Force Hood – are each riding a wave of confidence
into this weekend’s SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals (April 2-5) at The
Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Both were able to reach the winners’ circle at Houston Raceway Park
last weekend and in the process, put to rest nagging questions that
were revolving around their 2009 campaigns.

Six-time NHRA Top Fuel world champ Schumacher was able to power his
U.S. Army dragster to victory behind a crew chief not named Alan
Johnson. Schumacher was led by the tuning efforts of new crew chief
Mike Green and a stable of new faces turning wrenches in his pit area.

A
tribute to John Force’s first Funny Car, an infamous car that got Force
banned from the track more than 35 years ago, is now available in a
limited edition 1:24 scale collectible diecast car. This piece of drag
racing history is now available through Summit Motorsports Park.

Even Force’s most enthusiastic fans may not be aware that back in 1973
Force’s first car was a rear-engine chain-drive Mustang Mach 1 Funny
Car named “Night Stalker,” that made its first run at Irwindale
Speedway. On the burnout for Force’s second pass, the chain failed and
showered links all over the track which immediately got Force, his
brother Louie and the Night Stalker kicked out. The day was a disaster
but Force had a taste of competition in a Funny Car. Even though the
Night Stalker wasn’t a success it didn’t stop Force’s dream of becoming
a professional racer and the drag racing legend he is today.

Rich Christensen, creator and host of the popular television show PINKS and PINKS ALL OUT, brings his new show ARMDROP LIVE to Darlington Dragway April 3 - 4.

Christensen over the past years has put a new spin on racing with
Pinks™ and Pinks All Out™. Now he has created a new live event for all
you racers. Everyone will have the chance to qualify for one of the
multiple groups of heads up, hot lap races. These groups are chosen not
by the fastest ET, but by the closest ET's, with cash prizes for each
group.

Today's classic video rewind comes from the IHRA Drag Racing
compilation of crashes video. This particular incident transpired in
1990 during Pro Modified qualifying at the IHRA World Nationals in
Norwalk, Ohio. It's hard to say which is more impressive, the driving
job of Killer Brooks to avoid a flipping Eddie Harris or the retaining
wall hurdle by then ESPN and IHRA announcer Bret Kepner.