NHRA POWERade Series Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher has been
named the 2008 DRIVER OF THE YEAR, it was announced by Barry
Schmoyer, president of the Driver of the Year Foundation, based in
Sarasota, Fla.

Schumacher, from Chicago, had a dominating season behind the wheel of
his U.S. Army dragster and becomes only the third NHRA driver to win
the DRIVER OF THE YEAR award in its 42-year history. Funny Car icon
John Force also won the prestigious award in 1996 and Pro Stock great
Greg Anderson claimed the trophy in 2004. Other past winners have
included such racing greats as Mario Andretti, who was the first winner
in 1967, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Darrell
Waltrip.

Schumacher raced to 15 victories and won his fifth consecutive and
sixth overall NHRA POWERade Series world championship crown during a
record-breaking 2008 season. He was also named the DRIVER OF THE YEAR
third quarter winner.

One of the biggest names in Australian Drag Racing, Brett Stevens,
today announced he will retire from full time race driving and cease
operating his team at the end of 2008 after a long and highly decorated
career.

Stevens, 43, leaves the sport as one of the most successful and
influential professional racers in it’s history. Over a career spanning
18 years, he has multiple National Championships, World Records,
National Records and Strip Records to his and his team’s name.

In addition to his on-track presence, Stevens also single-handedly
changed the face of the sport with his new levels of showmanship and
professionalism off the track that have helped make him into an
Australian motorsport icon.

In the week leading up to the second annual CompetitionPlus.com War Stories we will re-publish some of the finest moments from last year's contest. You'll hear some of the finest stories laid down in competition. The program works like this: 16 figures within the drag racing community are voted on by the readers of CompetitionPlus.com to determine who they feel could tell the best story. From that voting, an NHRA professional elimination ladder pairs the contestants and they battle it out until one is left.

Today's story comes from Steve Earwood, a former NHRA publicist and current owner of Rockingham Dragway.

For the third straight year, NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Funny Car driver Ron
Capps will be competing in the All-Stars Karting Classic during the
Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show at the Orange County
Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 11.

The third annual event, organized by the Stars Of Karting in
conjunction with the PRI show, will be held on a newly redesigned
seven-turn purpose-built track adjacent to the convention center and
will be covered by Fox Sports for 2009 airing. Lap times are expected
to be in the 19-to-22-second range. Admission is free to anyone with a
PRI show credential.

Capps will again drive for the Motorama Kart Parts-Birel team and will
join drivers from other motorsports disciplines, such as Ryan
Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Jamie McMurray, Scott Speed, Buddy Rice,
his Motorama Karts-Birel teammate Vitor Meira, Michael Valiante, AJ
Allmendinger, Ed Carpenter, Cristiano Da Matta, Townsend Bell, Joey
Hand, Jan Heylen, Nelson Philippe, Alex Lloyd, Oswaldo Negri Jr. and
Raphael Matos in 25-lap prefinal and 40-lap main events.

When Mike Ferderer, the final competitor eligible to leapfrog Brian
Forrester in the season-long standings and steal the 2008 Lucas Oil
Super Gas championship, was defeated in round two of the NHRA World
Finals in Pomona, Forrester let out a sigh of relief followed by a
scream of exhilaration.

“I was actually by myself, in my truck, parked out on some back road in
the middle of nowhere,” explained Forrester. “And I was listening to
the NHRA web cast on my lap top over the internet, and when Leo Taugher
announced that Mike had lost, I was just in total shock,” he said.

At that late point in the season, Forrester was done accumulating
points toward the Lucas Oil title. He finished his points-earning
season weeks prior, at the Silver Dollar Raceway Division event, atop
the national leader board with 633 points and was left to sit and await
his fate as a long list of top contenders took their shot at overtaking
his total.

Mopar®, Chrysler LLC’s Global Service and Parts division, will present
drag racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits with a special certificate
recognizing Garlits’ purchase of the first production Dodge Challenger
Drag Pak Vehicle at the 21st Annual Performance
Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show. The ceremony will take place on the
Mopar Stage at the PRI show following the presentation of the Economaki
Champion of Champions award, scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. The PRI show will
be held Dec. 11–13 at Florida’s Orlando Convention Center.

SpeedFreaks host Kenny Sargent will emcee the event, with remarks by
Steve Shugg, Director of Sales and Marketing, Mopar. Garlits will
receive the certificate commemorating Dodge Challenger Drag Pak Vehicle
No. 001. The Mopar drag racing icon will have his new Drag Pak Vehicle
on display near the Mopar Stage along with famed package cars from
Mopar’s past, including Dick Landy’s 1964 Dodge Dart and a 1964
lightweight Dodge. Garlits’ Drag Pak Vehicle was delivered straight
from the factory to the PRI show, offering prospective Drag Pak owners
a glimpse of how the car will look upon delivery.

Popular Pro Stock racer Erica
Enders will compete full time in the 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series behind the wheel of Jim and Gloria Cunningham's Mastercam Ford
Mustang. With technical support from Ford Racing, Enders will begin the
season in the same car she drove when she filled in for Cunningham
earlier this year at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.

"After personally seeing Erica's incredible fan base and how
she conducted herself with the fans and in the car at Indy, we asked
her to drive for Jim next year and she agreed to race with us," said
Cunningham Motorsports crew chief Marcus Bowen. "She did an outstanding
job driving our car and produced four outstanding runs. We are pleased
to have her driving the car and marketing Cunningham Motorsports and
Ford."

After several meetings with Brian Wolfe, the director of Ford
Racing, and Doug Hervey, the operations manager of Ford Racing North
America, as well as several others from within the Ford Racing
Technology group, the Cunningham's have agreed to fully fund the
program until appropriate corporate funding can be found.

In the week leading up to the second annual CompetitionPlus.com War Stories we will re-publish some of the finest moments from last year's contest. You'll hear some of the finest stories laid down in competition. The program works like this: 16 figures within the drag racing community are voted on by the readers of CompetitionPlus.com to determine who they feel could tell the best story. From that voting, an NHRA professional elimination ladder pairs the contestants and they battle it out until one is left.

Warren and Kurt Johnson Notified Primary Manufacturer Support Rescinded …

The inevitable came Friday for Warren and Kurt Johnson when a phone
call came from General Motors informing the front-running Pro Stock
team their longtime factory backing would end immediately.

Mopar Pro Stock Runner Poised for Strong Championship Run in 2009 …

Allen Johnson would like to provide notice in case no one is paying
attention. The Greeneville, Tenn.-based driver is pulling out all of
the stops to make a run for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock
championship.

He’s testing, bringing in the right personnel and his mindset is that he’s never been more focused on the task at hand.

“That’s what we’re all about and we’re trying to put all of the pieces
together to make it go,” Johnson said. “Just like Greg and them did six
years ago. I want everything to be perfect. We’re working hard to get
in position next year to win championships.”

Don’t worry, Johnson points out, the driver’s head is no longer in a dark place, as he once eloquently stated.