CompetitionPlus.com has learned that longtime Bobby Lagana Jr. crewman Eric "Lippy" Litvin, passed away on Wednesday.

Glidden named Driver of the Year; Taylor wins Jim Oddy Award

The National Guard American Drag Racing League (ADRL) celebrated recently crowned ADRL world champions Jason Scruggs (Pro
Extreme), Billy Harper (Pro Nitrous), Billy Glidden (Extreme 10.5) and
Billy Vose (Pro Extreme Motorcycle) December 13, at the ADRL’s 2008
Racer Appreciation and Awards Gala in the Regency Ballroom at the
Embassy Suites Hotel in Orlando.

Glidden was also named the ADRL’s 2008 Driver of the Year.

“Actually, we’re pretty elated,” Glidden said. “To grow up being
(racing legend) Bob Glidden’s (son) and to find that our peers think
enough of us with these kind of thoughts is just awesome; I mean, how
do you give that back?”

NHRA Top Fueler Hillary Will to vie for the Scott Kalitta Memorial Trophy in Australia

NHRA
Top Fuel star Hillary Will, the world’s fastest female, along with a
crew of mechanics led by venerable crew chief and Top Fuel tuner Jim
Oberhofer, will travel across the world this holiday season to compete
for the inaugural Scott Kalitta Memorial Trophy at the Shannons U.S.A.
Top Fuel Showdown at Western Sydney Int’l Dragway in Sydney, Australia,
Dec. 26-27.

“I’m so excited about this opportunity” Will, a 28-year old native of
Fortuna, Calif., said. “It’s wonderful to get a chance to go to
Australia and race our dragster, but it’s even more special to have a
chance to go there and win the first Scott Kalitta Memorial Trophy.
Scott was my mentor, and we all still miss him very much. It would be
such an honor for me and all of us at Kalitta Motorsports to bring the
trophy home with us.”

Nowling Offers Opportunity for Racers to Race for Modest Championship Fund …

ADRL President Kenny Nowling issued the challenge. The question now, will anyone answer it?

Nowling told a group of mountain motor Pro Stock racers and members
of the classes infrastructure if at least ten teams will commit to a
full National Guard ADRL tour in 2009 that he’ll field an Extreme Pro
Stock division, even if the sanctioning body has to foot the bill for
an unsponsored class.

“I’ll pay for it out of my pocket if I have to,” Nowling said during
the annual ADRL press conference in Orlando, Fla. “I did that a few
years ago for the Pro Nitrous class because I feel these Pro Stock
racers that supported our deal last year deserve a place to race where
they can perform on a grand stage for doorslammer racing, and there’s
no grander of a stage than the ADRL.”

Billed as the Giant Killer, Foley Faces A 2009 Without Racing

As much as Doug Foley would love to say that he’s prepared for an all-out assault on NHRA Top Fuel, he can’t.

The
up-and-coming Top Fuel driver, still reeling from the effects of broken
promises (not to mention contract) from a sponsor plans to focus on his
drag racing school in 2009 and put his driving career on hold.

“Everything is pretty much on hold right now,” Foley stated. “Hopefully
we’ll find some marketing partners to help us to do it; we still have a
few small sponsors on tap like SX Caprara and Seneca Constructions.
These are companies that still believe in our program but we just don’t
have the primary set up so we’re on hold for right now. We’re going to
focus on the school; that’s our main thing.”

Veteran NHRA Top Fuel crew chief Alan Johnson announced today that Alan
Johnson Al-Anabi Motorsports will locate its team headquarters in
Brownsburg, Ind. creating more than 40 new jobs in the next three years.

Johnson’s current company, Alan Johnson Racing has partnered with
Qatar-based Al-Anabi Racing to form Alan Johnson Racing Al-Anabi
Racing, a two-car team that will invest more than $6.2 million to site
its new operations in the suburban Indianapolis town’s Pace Motorsports
Complex.

The team will field a Top Fuel Dragster and a Funny Car, both of which
will debut when the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series begins
in February, 2009.  Del Worsham, a 22-time NHRA winner, has been named
the team’s Funny Car driver; the Top Fuel driver has not yet been
selected.

“Motorsports has a rich history and a bright future in Indiana,” said
Governor Mitch Daniels. "We’ll continue to encourage Motorsports
companies from across the country and around the globe to locate and
expand here as we build Indiana's reputation as the Motorsports capital
of the world.”

The 11th annual John Force Holiday Car Show is in the books and once again the event was a huge success for car show fans
and most importantly the California Highway Patrol’s “CHiP’s for Kids”
Toy Drive. Nearly one thousand vehicles were on display and attendance
topped 25,000 for the afternoon event on December 7th. John Force
Racing collected over 7,500 toys, their largest single day collection
in the history of the event.

New Venues, New Races Greet Racers of Doorslammer Sanction …

The face of the ADRL schedule will have a new complexion in 2009.

The 2009 schedule features three to be announced locations, with three
new venues and one returning. Beyond those events, the ADRL will debut
in two new markets.

Those unofficial three include St. Louis-based Gateway International
Raceway as well as Atlanta Dragway (Atlanta, Ga.), and Gainesville
Raceway (Gainesville, Fla.). The ADRL previously ran Gateway in 2007
but skipped 2008.

CompetitionPlus.com has learned that Don Schumacher Racing's Pro
Stock Motorcycle riders Chip Ellis and Craig Treble have been released
from their contracts. Schumacher confirmed their release in when
contacted by the magazine.

"They have been great riders for DSR,"
Schmacher said. "Right now I wish Chip and Craig the best of luck but I
really don't have anything else to say regarding their release or our future plans."

Schumacher confirmed that he will run one bike to begin with in 2009 and that rider could be announced by the weekend.

He declined to disclose any potential riders. Multiple sources indicate the new rider will be former world champion Matt Smith.

Two cars in 2009 and even that may be limited …

Kalitta Motorsports crew chief Jim Oberhofer would love to provide
answers for all those who ask questions regarding the 2009 season but
he cannot and with good reason, he doesn’t know himself with any degree
of certainty.

Oberhofer, who is one of the closest team members to its owner Connie
Kalitta, said the plan is to run the Funny Car at all 24-events but as
of now, only one dragster is scheduled to run but the level of
participation remains unseen.

Doug Kalitta will return, but pending a miracle David Grubnic and Hillary Will most likely will be spectators.