Chris Rivas will be the first to admit changing everything combination-wise on the Drag Specialties/G2 Buell was a huge gamble. He’ll also tell you that it was a gamble that is still delivering a jackpot.

If you ask Rivas what change led to his recent victory at Dallas and
provisional No. 1 qualifying effort at Memphis, he’ll simply say the
changes.

No details. No one particular part.

There’s a good reason for those answers. He doesn’t know.

BERNSTEIN, A. FORCE, JOHNSON AND RIVAS PROVISIONAL NO. 1 QUALIFIERS IN MEMPHIS

Four
playoff contenders lead the packs after what some crew chiefs called
the best weather conditions Memphis qualifying sessions have ever
yielded.

Ashley Force, Brandon Bernstein, Allen Johnson and Chris Rivas were the
provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 21st annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South
Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, the third
of six events in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs.

FIVE ROOKIE DRIVERS HEADLINE NOMINEES FOR 2008 AUTO CLUB ROAD TO THE FUTURE AWARD

Five NHRA rookie drivers, representative of all four pro categories,
have been selected as nominees for the 2008 Automobile Club of Southern
California Road to the Future Award, it was announced today by
officials from NHRA and the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The nominees for the prestigious award include, in alphabetical order,
Rickie Jones (Pro Stock); Mike Neff (Funny Car); Junior Pippin (Pro
Stock Motorcycle); Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Steve Torrence (Top
Fuel).

The award, which recognizes the top rookie competitor in the NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series and offers a $20,000 prize and traditional
trophy to the winner, will be presented during NHRA’s annual
championship awards ceremony on Monday, Nov. 17 at the spectacular
Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City.

2008 PMRA Champion goes out on high note, sells car and retires from racing

To
celebrate his 2008 Pro Modified Racing Association championship, Bruce
Boland went out and bought himself a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
 
“I bought a new Harley yesterday,” Boland said the day after he won the PMRA Championship, his second such title in two years.
 
The driver of the B&B Racing 1963 Corvette has also sold his car,
less engine, and plans to be a part of the local Pro Modified scene
next year, but will not be racing on a regular basis.

Greg “The Desert Dawg” Krenik clinched the 2008 All
Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) K & K Marine Pro Modified
National Championship at the S&S Cycle Jim McClure Nationals in
Richmond, VA., the next to last stop on the schedule.

Krenik, whose team is based in New Mexico, came to the event hosted by
Virginia Motorsports Park with the intent of wrapping up the Pro
Modified National Championship and to come away with at least a chance
to also win the Pro Stock National Championship.

Our great artist friend Greg Russell, owner and operator of Greg Russell Designs
, has mocked up another one of his great Funny Car renditions. This
time Russell has generated a vision of the new Challenger in Funny Car
form. 

Russell, as you may recall, generated our two part
series of throwback Funny Cars. Here's a refresher of those incredible
feature storie: THROWBACK FUNNY CARS, PART 1      THROWBACK FUNNY CARS, PART 2

Last month, four-time NHRA world champion Gary Scelzi took to El Mirage
Dry Lake Bed in the Mojave Desert in California to test drive a new
Dodge Challenger SRT8 and its 6.1-liter SRT Hemi SMPI engine for the
show Test Drive, hosted by four-time SCCA Trans-Am champion Tommy
Kendall. The 30-minute episode is scheduled to air on SPEED TV this
Saturday, Sept. 27, at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The show will also feature appearances by late-night host and car
aficionado Jay Leno, actress Carmen Electra and NASCAR driver Kyle
Petty.

It was a unique experience for the driver of the Mopar/Oakley Dodge
Charger R/T Funny Car in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series who is
more accustomed to racing an 8000-hp race car at over 330 mph in under
four seconds on a closed quarter-mile track. The challenges of the
desert were intimidating. Scelzi's goal? To see if the Challenger would
reach a speed of 165 mph. You'll have to watch the show to find out if
the goal was accomplished.

The John Force Racing family will be featured in the national spotlight next Tuesday night, Sept. 30, on ESPN's newsmagazine show, E:60, which airs at 7 p.m. (ET). John Force has won an unprecedented 14 NHRA POWERade Series world championships and an incredible 126 race victories. His daughter Ashley is a rising star on the circuit who has become wildly popular and is building quite a fan base.

Three Super Stock Hemi Barracudas up for auction ...

$10
million worth of racing parts, cars and accessories will be up for
grabs Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Wynnewood, Ok., home of Elite Motor
Sports, LLC when the Mendenhall Auction Company will conduct the 1st
Annual Elite Motor Sports Inventory Reduction Sale.

Trailers, race cars, engines, tools…anything you could possibly need to
stock or improve your racing operation will be up for auction. From
full-size deluxe motor coaches to high-end pit vehicles and golf carts
the Elite Motor Sports Auction will be a great opportunity to pick up
quality racing components. And, as with any auction, you will be able
to name your price.

John and Ashley Force, Bob Tasca III to participate in ad campaign ...

Ford’s Drive One campaign has proven to be a successful
marketing initiative that has helped draw attention to new Ford cars
and trucks and showcasing the company’s innovative technology.  This
week, Ford Racing launches its own version of the campaign, ‘I’m
Driving One,’ that will make its debut online on various Ford, team and
driver websites.

Seven high-profile Ford Racing personalities will comprise the core of
the ‘I’m Driving One’ initiative, which will be aimed at uniting these
racing heroes and their fan base with Ford’s diverse 2009 line-up of
products.

The seven-week campaign will kick off September 24 featuring the
father-daughter tandem of 14-time Funny Car champion John Force and
2007 NHRA Rookie of the Year Ashley Force will be joined by 2008 NHRA
Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Bob Tasca III.

The drag racers will be joined by NASCAR drivers Carl Edwards, the
current Chase for the Sprint Cup points leader, Greg Biffle, the winner
of the last two NASCAR Sprint Cup races, and 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup
champion Matt Kenseth, along with their boss, Roush Fenway Racing
principal Jack Roush.