Australia’s quickest-ever Top
Doorslammer drag racer, Perth-based Robin Judd, is looking to run a five-second
three-peat at this weekend’s 37th annual Goldenstates at Perth Motorplex,
Kwinana Beach, West Australia.

The event is also round two of
the 2008/09 Australian Top Doorslammer championship series.

Judd has recorded five-second
passes, considered a milestone in Top Doorslammer drag racing, at Queensland’s
Willowbank Raceway, near Brisbane and at Western Sydney International Dragway
(WSID).   

It took a day longer than planned but the
Short Line Express Market Gambler Shootout, a round of the NHRA Lucas
Oil Drag Racing Series at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is in
the books. It was the last of 44 races on the 2008 Lucas Oil Series
schedule and boasted more than 800 cars with racers vying for
last-minute points toward divisional and national titles. Ultimately,
Shawn Cowie, Richmond, B.C., wheeled
his Top Alcohol Dragster to the winner's circle and was joined there by
Top Alcohol Funny Car pilot Steve Harker of Gainesville, Ga.

Cowie qualified in the No. 5 spot and took out No. 1 qualifier Michael Manners of Willis, Texas, in the semifinals. In the final round he squared off against Phoenix's
Mark Niver. Cowie laid down a 5.460-second lap at 266.32 mph which was
more than enough to cover Niver who slowed to an 11.418-second pass.
For Cowie, the win marked his first trip to the winner's circle after
three straight runner-up finishes.

It was a Thursday, January 30, 1997.  Del Worsham was in the pit area at Pomona Raceway, standing next to his newly-painted
old car, the same '96 Oldsmobile he had competed with the year before,
with sponsor names such as Texas Stagecoach, Auburn Foundry, and Wible
Realty on the hood and sides.  For '97 season, however, the car had
been  repainted mostly white, with a stylized star profiled in a light
shade of blue, while the names Checker Auto Parts, Schuck's Auto
Supply, and Kragen Auto Parts had been placed in the primary sponsor
positions.  Worsham's Funny Car was no threat to win the "Best
Appearing" award, but it was a truly beautiful sight in his eyes,
because it had a full sponsorship on it for the first time in his
career, which was then entering its seventh season.

Kenny
Bernstein’s 1980 “Budweiser King” Plymouth Arrow Funny Car will be on
display at this weekend’s Goodguys 11th Southwest Nationals in
Scottsdale. The meticulously restored race car belongs to enthusiast
Wayne Galligan of Arizona.

Winning this year’s POWERade Series Funny Car world championship is as easy as sinking a putt, Cruz Pedregon said. And if

Cruz Pedregon leads the Funny Car points with one race remaining. (Jon Asher Photo)

you think that’s simple, you’ve missed the point.

Honest golfers admit that unless you’ve got Tiger Woods’ ability and
the swagger to match, a putt with money on it probably still makes you
sweat, no matter how many greens you’ve walked. If you extend that
analogy to NHRA POWERade Series Drag Racing, Pedregon’s seen a lot of
grass.

Three of the four 2008 NHRA POWERade Series world championship titles
will be decided when the world’s fastest motorsport comes to Auto Club
Raceway at Pomona for the Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals,
Nov. 13-16. Tony Schumacher claimed his fifth consecutive and sixth
overall title in Las Vegas after yet another season of domination.

Pending Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has spent his entire life around the sport of drag racing. That's the main reason the
son of drag racing pioneer Jeg Coughlin Sr. wants to make absolutely
sure he enjoys every second of this weekend's season-ending 44th annual
Auto Club NHRA Finals.

A breath away from successfully defending his 2007 title, the
38-year-old Coughlin knows that moments like these are rare, even for
someone who already has four championships and 54 national event
victories to his credit.

"Our work isn't finished this year because we don't just want to
qualify (which would clinch the title), we want to end the year with a
win," Coughlin said. "At the same time, this is a very unique
opportunity to race together as a team, enjoy all the people that made
this season so special, and just drag race and have some fun."

Six-time champion to host Drag Race High On SPEED

Clay Millican has certainly become a star beyond his Top Fuel racing
career. With numerous achievements and awardalready to his credit,
Millican will soon add “mentor” to that growing list. Millican will
join SPEED to host the second season of the network’s popular prime time
original program, Drag Race High.

Most would recognize Millican from his successful career as a Top Fuel
driver. He has had fifty-one International Hot Rod Association event
victories, winning six consecutive Top Fuel World Championships and
holds the record for most wins in a single season.

Millican’s passion for motor sports began as a boy while attending all types of motor sports events with his father Jimmie.

“My Dad would take me to races all over,” Millican said. “We may go
watch NASCAR races, dirt car races or even tractor pulls. If it had a
motor we would go. My Dad was a huge reason for the passion I have for
motor sports.”

It’s down to the wire for championship contender, Tim Wilkerson.  The
NHRA POWERade Funny Car Championship will be decided at the final race
of the season, the upcoming Automobile Club of Southern California
Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.  And Wilkerson plans to give it
all he’s got and take the title home to Springfield, Ill.

Wilkerson’s Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevrolet Impala SS has been the
dominant Funny Car this season.  With four No. 1 qualifying spots and
six event wins, he held the coveted point lead for 15 out of the 23
contested races.  But last week in Las Vegas Wilkerson stumbled
slightly in the first-round of eliminations and watched his lead slip
through his fingers.  He will be going into this weekend’s race in
second place, a mere 12 points behind.

Eliminations
for the NHRA Div. 7 Finals for the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at The
Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were postponed at 4:30 p.m. PST due
to rain.  Eliminations will resume Monday morning (Nov. 10) at 8 a.m.,
beginning with the Super Street class. (Photo by Roger Richards)

Larry "Spiderman" McBride set the all time low elapsed time for Top Fuel motorcycles in the final round of the AMA Dragbike series at South Georgia Motorsports Park on November 9. 

The newly crowned AMA champion, McBride laid down a first-round 5.92
enroute to facing number one qualifier (5.98) Kory Hogan in the final
round.