When Gary Scelzi left Top Fuel at the end of the 2001 season, he adamantly stated that he was done with the class.
Seven years later he doesn’t have an itch to return.

“I have no intentions to drive a Top Fuel dragster ever again,” Scelzi
told CompetitionPlus.com in an exclusive interview recently.

Scelzi’s name has popped up in rumor circles as a potential driver for
former tuner Alan Johnson’s Al-Anabi/Alan Johnson Racing dragster. He’s
honored that his name would pop up, but Scelzi quickly points out that
he’s not even in the running.

Will there be an announcement this weekend at zMax Dragway?

A rumored John Force-led power play was news to Marcus Smith
[right], CEO of SMI. Bruton Smith [left] currently has an offer to
purchase the NHRA already on the table.

Dave Despain clearly identified the mere mention as a rumor, but the
host of Speed Channel’s Wind Tunnel clearly provided the rumor fodder
for the week.

Despain reignited talk of a Bruton Smith NHRA purchase by revealing a
yet-unpublished rumor suggesting John Force had gathered $100 Million
worth of investors including late night talk show icon Jay Leno only to
be turned down because the NHRA “had an offer already on the table.”

Four Pro Modified teams have chance to win 2008 championship in tight points race
 
Once again, the champion of the Pro Modified Racing Association’s points race will not be decided until the last event of the year.
 
Since 2005, the PMRA has presented close heads-up drag racing, ending
each season with an exciting final race where the annual champion was
determined, and this year is no different.
 
For 2008, Bruce Boland of Hamilton, Ontario has paced the field of PMRA
Pro Modified teams, and presently leads with 1369 points.

Reigning NHRA POWERade Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has traveled this path before. 

Five times in his illustrious career, Coughlin has managed to win
debut races at new places, so when the 53-time national event winner
offers his opinions on fresh quarter-mile strips, it's safe to assume
he knows what he's talking about.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. drives through the ribbon-cutting ceremony last
month at zMax Dragway. Could this weekend's event mark the sixth time
in his career he wins an inaugural event debut?

Professional drag racing arrives in the Charlotte this weekend with the
inaugural Carolina NHRA Nationals at Bruton Smith's much-ballyhooed,
$60-million zMax Dragway at Concord. Strip away the bountiful amenities
at the "Bellagio of Drag Strips" and there's still a race to be
contested. That means two cars, lined-up side-by-side, running down the
1,320 with one winner advancing and one loser going home.

It’s one down, one more to go for Lend America nitro Funny Car driver Terry Haddock. With a runner-up finish in the IHRA

Terry
Haddock might have finished runner-up on Sunday, but on Saturday his
team scored Best Appearing Crew accolades. (Roger Richards)

Amalie
Motor Oil North American Nationals, he extended his points-lead to 65
heading into the World Finals in Rockingham, N.C. October 17-19.
 
Haddock ran the quickest ET of the event in his first round defeat of
Paul Lee, a 4.965-second, 305.77 m.p.h. blast against Lee’s
tire-smoking 8.139/116.67. In round two, Haddock again was the
benefactor of tire-smoke, besting Jack Wyatt, 5.033/298.47 to Wyatt’s
limping 7.349/121.34.

Illness may have prevented Jim Michael, of Maiden, N.C., from attending the awards ceremony on Sunday at Food Lion AutoFair,
but his proud father Lou and his daughter Sherry were there in his
stead to pick up the Best of Show Award for his 1967 Oldsmobile
442-W30, as the world's largest automotive extravaganza concluded at
Lowe's Motor Speedway.
   
"Jim bought the car brand new when he was 17-years old in Alfred,
N.Y.," Lou, whose family hails from Ithaca, N.Y., explained. "He had it
home a night or two when he took it to the drag strip and he came home
with a trophy about midnight. Now he has about nine boxes of trophies
that the car has won since."

Tim Boychuk Claims First Career Top Fuel Win; Defeats Terry McMillen in Final at Amalie Oil North American Nationals

Andy Kelley (Nitro Funny Car), Jim Halsey (Pro Modified), Paul Noakes
(Alcohol Funny Car) and Pete Berner (Pro Stock) also claim Ironmen at
New England Dragway

Tim
Boychuk has only been behind the wheel of a Top Fuel Dragster for a
very short time. Prior to the July Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand
Bend, Todd and Barry Paton tapped Boychuk to drive their 2004 McKinney
for the remainder of the 2008 season.

The big payoff probably came a little sooner than they expected.

Unofficial point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories
following the Amalie Oil North American Nationals presented by New
England Dodge Dealers at New England Dragway, the ninth of 10 events in
the  2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.  Spencer Massey, 797; 2.  Bruce Litton, 732; 3.  Terry McMillen,
666; 4.  Mike Strasburg, 608; 5.  Bobby Lagana Jr., 598; 6.  Kevin
Jones, 483; 7.  Scott Palmer, 292; 8.  Tim Boychuk, 288; 9.  Mitch
King, 207; 10.  Chris Karamesines, 128.

Sunday's final results from the Amalie Oil North American
Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers at New England
Dragway.  The  race is the ninth of 10 in the  2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam
Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Tim Boychuk, 4.758 seconds, 306.19 mph  def. Terry McMillen, 8.343 seconds, 100.57 mph.

Final round-by-round results from the Amalie Oil North American
Nationals presented by New England Dodge Dealers at New England
Dragway, the ninth of 10 events in the  2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag
Racing Series:

 
TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Tim Boychuk, 4.798, 302.62 def. Mike Strasburg, 4.778,
316.52; Spencer Massey, 9.937, 72.45 def. Mitch King, 22.806, 73.90;
Terry McMillen, 4.684, 320.36 def. Kevin Jones, 4.969, 230.06; Bruce
Litton, 4.688, 311.56 def. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.695, 321.35;

SEMIFINALS -- Boychuk, 4.737, 301.07 def. Massey, 5.224, 210.73; McMillen, 4.682, 319.82 def. Litton, 6.407, 137.58;

FINAL -- Boychuk, 4.758, 306.19 def. McMillen, 8.343, 100.57.