B.R.A.K.E.S., the nonprofit organization founded by drag racer Doug
Herbert that promotes safe and responsible driving, was honored at the
2009 NCMA Industry Awards on Monday, Jan. 26, by receiving the Safety
Innovation Award from the North Carolina Motorsports Association.

The Safety Innovation Award, which was sponsored by the Society of
Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and SME Education Foundation, recognizes
safety products, devices or programs used in motorsports.  B.R.A.K.E.S.
was chosen as the 2009 recipient for the work the foundation has done
to raise awareness about the importance of safe driving, as well as for
the program’s ability to use motorsports to transfer safety to the
streets.

“It was an honor for B.R.A.K.E.S. to win this award,” said Herbert, who
lost his two sons in a tragic car accident on Jan. 26, 2008.  “It has
been exactly a year since I lost Jon and James and everything I do for
B.R.A.K.E.S. is because I want to honor my sons and their memory.  We
are working hard to continue to grow the Teen Pro-Active Driving
School.  I am sure that Jon and James would be proud of this award and
everything that B.R.A.K.E.S. has accomplished.  I could not have done
it without the support of all the B.R.A.K.E.S. board members, my
friends and family.”

On Wednesday, February 4th John Force Racing will be teaming up with
KCXX 103.9 FM for a free fan event at Auto Club Raceway on the Fairplex
grounds at 1 p.m. The X103.9 Full Force Fanfest will feature
appearances by 14-time funny car champion John Force, Ashley Force
Hood, Robert Hight and Mike Neff. All four drivers will sign autographs
for fans and X103.9 FM deejays will be on hand to give away tickets to
the 49th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals as well as
additional promotional prizes.

At just 38 years of age, Jeg Coughlin Jr. already has experienced lots of things during his drag racing career. Even so, this year's
season-opening 49th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals marks
something new for the five-time world champ -- the beginning of a quest
to win three straight NHRA titles.

In addition to his Super Gas crown in 1992, Coughlin has won four of
the last nine Pro Stock championships, including back-to-back titles in
2007-2008. (He also won titles in 2000 and 2002). That places the
54-time national event winner in position to become just the fourth Pro
Stock racer in history to capture three championships in a row,
alongside Greg Anderson, Bob Glidden, and Lee Shepherd. Across all four
pro categories, only 12 racers have pulled off a championship
three-peat.

Every
Friday, CompetitionPlus.com brings you our Feedback letters.
Read what our readers have to say about our feature articles and you
can even offer your opinions.

FEEDBACK FRIDAY - JANUARY 30, 2008

The mere notion of anchoring supercharged, alcohol burning engines
within the confines of a full-bodied doorslammer was a practice
described as volatile, but that didn’t stop a dedicated group of
thrill-seekers from pursuing the rush. Their self-appointed name, the
Wild Bunch, was an accurate description of the image they conveyed. How
else could you explain a group that would dare bolt a blown, alcohol
burning motor into a Chevy Luv Truck, a Nissan 300 ZX or if those
weren’t radical enough, a Jeep CJ-5?

What started out as a group of guys choosing to be different in bracket
racing, quickly evolved into a lucrative match race circuit and the
inspiration for the Top Doorslammer class in Australia. Their finest
hour resulted in the first six-second doorslammer pass in drag racing
history.

Their unpredictable nature made them an immediate hit for the fans in
the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States as well as the rest of the
country. Not only that, their antics also brought forth heaping amounts
of publicity within the various drag racing magazines.

14-time Funny Car World Champion John Force never won a football game as a high school quarterback. Yesterday he was at the
epicenter of the football universe. He did not disappoint the thousands
of fans that were in Tampa to enjoy the Super Bowl XLIII festivities at
the ESPN The Magazine NEXT Consumer Village. Fans began lining up 30
minutes before the scheduled autograph signing and Force gave them more
than their money’s worth signing autographs, posing for pictures and
talking to fans’ friends on cell phones. 

“It is always exciting to step out of the realm of what you do, like
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing, and be involved in something as big as
the Super Bowl. To me it was just an honor that Castrol made my Castrol
Edge Ford Mustang part of this program. I was amazed at the amount of
football fans that love their drag racing. The autograph line went for
three hours and it was exciting. I have never been to a Super Bowl
before so it was great to see all the events. I was a guy that played
football but never really accomplished much on the field but today I
got to talk with Jason Campbell the quarterback for the Washington
Redskins. He was a nice kid. ESPN was everywhere so it was quite a
deal.”

The NHRA Fantasy Drag Racing game will return for 2009 despite losing its major sponsor.

CompetitionPlus.com and last year's participants received the following statement from the commisioner.

Allen Johnson of Greeneville, Tenn., won the fourth annual Las
Vegas Pro Stock Showdown at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Johnson met defending event champion and reigning NHRA Full Throttle
Drag Racing Series titleholder Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the finale. Johnson,
in the left lane, posted a reaction time of .039 and went 6.70
sec./205.04 mph to Coughlin’s .025 and 6.74 sec./204.79 mph.

A Career of Extremes Culminates In One Incredible Evening …

The thought never crossed Roy Hill’s mind.

He never envisioned on January 31, 2008, he would stand before a
star-studded gathering of his peers to accept induction into the North
Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

Induction is a dream come true for the king of gab, the fast-talking,
quick driving Hill. A little slower in the step, a bit heavier than he
used to be, Hill is still the same excitable person who became a
mountain motor Pro Stock icon in the seventies.

One Test Headed Into Pomona; Wilkerson Still Gathering Data

For the record, Tim Wilkerson is not just running a Mustang body. He’s running a Shelby Cobra Mustang.

For the record, underneath that Shelby Mustang shell isn’t your average
run-of-the-mill chassis. The new Murf McKinney chassis features front
suspension, with struts and springs attached to the beefy A-arms. It is
the first McKinney Funny Car with a suspension system, and represents a
radical departure from the norm.