J.R. Todd confirmed with CompetitionPlus.com on Monday afternoon
that he was released from his employment from Morgan Lucas Racing as
well as his crew. The former NHRA Rookie of the Year joins the growing
list of drivers unemployed headed into the 2009 season.

"We were
notified this afternoon and my pay ends in two weeks," Todd said. "The
talent pool of quality drivers is pretty deep now.

Two new venues and the addition of an extra event are among the
highlights for the 2009 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series schedule,
it was announced today by NHRA officials.

The 2009 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series will feature eight
points-earning events and four non-points affiliate events. In 2009,
the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series will crown year-end points
champions in 14 categories. The Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series year-end
points champions in each of the 14 classes will receive a gold Wally
trophy; Champion’s jacket and hat; and a cash award.

NHRA developed the Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series in 2007 to help
preserve NHRA's rich history and tradition while providing racing
opportunities for those enthusiasts who prefer nostalgia drag racing
competition.

On the heels of the recent unpublicized Pro Stock spec tire rule, the
NHRA has introducws a new rule for the Pro Stock Motorcycle division.
Apparently the Harley-Davidson teams have gained approval for a new
engine configuration granting the V-Rod bikes four valves per cylinder.

Eliminations continue for the second annual CompetitionPlus.com War Stories Showdown, a competition which places sixteen of drag racing's personalities head-to-head in storytelling competition. Over the next four days, you will be presented with the first round strories of each respective contestants. They are paired on an NHRA eliminations ladder seeded by reader vote last week.

Today's competition features the No. 10 seeded Pat Musi squaring off with the No. 2 qualified "Waterbed" Fred Miller. The second match up will be the No. 3 ranked Don Garlits matching up with No. 6 Kenny Nowling.

Top
Fuel driver Morgan Lucas won the NHRA vs. NASCAR portion of the fourth
annual Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge Sunday with the best time of the
weekend down Mount Van Hoevenberg -- a stunning 47.78 second run in one
of Team USA's competition Bo-Dyn bobsleds. Final-round foe Todd Bodine,
who dominated the timed portion of the event earlier in the day,
flipped over near the end of his final run to give Lucas the win.

"We finally got the win light for the NHRA," Lucas said. "It took us
straight-liners a few years but we got it done and I feel great. The
Team USA guys decided to let us drive the real bobsleds in the final
round and they are completely different than the ones we've been
driving. It was like going from a Yugo to a Ferrari; a totally
different feeling of speed.

Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas looked exceptionally racy on the U.S. Olympic Bobsled course on Mount Van Hoevenberg Saturday,
sledding to the No. 3 qualifying position at the fourth annual Geoff
Bodine Bobsled Challenge charity race to lead the four-man group
representing NHRA Championship Drag Racing.

Making six runs from the Turn 3 starting position, Lucas posted a 52.40
in his Lucas Oil bobsled in the final session of the day, which event
organizers used to set the starting field for Sunday's action. He was
followed closely by No. 4 qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr., who carded a
52.74 in the JEGS.com sled. Fellow team members J.R. Todd (53.14) and
Bob Vandergriff (53.22) finished in 10th and 11th place, respectively.

Aussie
drag racer Steve Reed provided a spectacular demonstration of the
safety of the sport of drag racing last night when he walked away from
a spectacular crash at round one of the ENZED International Nightfire
New Year Series at Willowbank Raceway with nothing more than a sore
tongue and two minor burns which he likens to sunburn.

Reed’s Top Alcohol Funny Car suffered an engine explosion which saw the
car quickly engulfed in flames, before it veered across the track and
into the wall at what he estimates to be 400km/h as the body flew free
from the chassis before the car came to a stop and Reed was able to
exit the car unaided.

Wins Could Set Up Marquee Semi-final Match …

John Force and Gary Scelzi have met plenty of times on the drag strip
but the opportunity is quickly approaching when the multi-time
champions could do battle in another arena.

This time winning could depend on who tells the better war story.

Both Force and Scelzi hold strong leads in the quarterfinals of the second annual CompetitionPlus.com War Stories Showdown.

This competition pits sixteen of drag racing’s finest story tellers in
competition with one another, paired on an NHRA professional
competition ladder, and contested just like a real drag race. This time
the races are not determined by who has the better reaction or clutch
combination, but by who gains the most reader votes.

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 2, 2008

Brisbane drag racer escapes injury in firey crash during Top Alcohol Final

Mark Sheehan was victorious for round one of the ENZED International Nightfire New Year Series (Brock Parcell)

Rookie
driver Mark Sheehan has taken an upset victory over ‘the Master’ Gary
Densham in the USA vs AUS Nitro Funny Car Showdown, round one of the
ENZED International Nightfire New Year Series, at Willowbank Raceway
tonight.

The result, which saw Sheehan take the win from the US legend - who had
earlier in the evening clinched and reset the National time and speed
records in the class after running the first ever ‘four second’ pass
outside of North America and the first 300 plus mph run on Friday night
- will no doubt inspire a spirited rematch at Willowbank Raceway for
round two of the Series on January 16/17.

Both drivers left the line strong in tonight’s final, before the 62
year old Californian Densham found the limit mid-track as he tried to
push for a 4.80s/320mph pass to top off his impressive record-breaking
passes and had to shut off early.