When Team Chevy's Dave Connolly entered his first NHRA Pro Stock race
of the year in April at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at
Atlanta Dragway, he was mostly relieved just to be competing again.
Spotting the rest of the field what was in essence a five race head
start, the driver of the Charter Communications/Lifelock Chevy Cobalt
knew that making the Countdown to 1 playoff format would be a difficult
task. With two races remaining before the field of 10 is set at
Indianapolis, Connolly now finds himself in eighth place in the
standings and on the verge of securing one of the highly coveted spots
in the NHRA's Countdown to the POWERade championship.       

"We're extremely pleased with the way the Charter Communications
Chevrolet has been running," said Connolly. "When we first came back at
Atlanta, and a few races after that, it was a brand-new car, and you
always have new-car bugs to work out. But I knew it wouldn't take Tommy
Utt (crew chief) long. We had a few issues, and Tommy worked them out
and now it looks like we have a great racecar. Every time we go down
the track, I know it's going to go straight and that gives us a good
shot at winning every time. We're extremely pleased with the way
everything has been going. I have full confidence in the car and my
driving is starting to come around and get a lot better. That's what is
fun about this class. It's not just the driver, or the crew, or the
engine program, you have to have them all to win right now.

Pro Modified drag racer Troy Critchley will accept a plea bargain that
will keep him from serving jail time. Critchley faced multiple counts
of of vehicular homicide and reckless aggravated assault for his role
in last year's crash during a burnout exhibition in Selmer, Tenn.,
hosted by a charity function. Six people died and more than two dozen
were hurt, many seriously.

The Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council, a council of the Specialty
Equipment Market Association (SEMA), is launching a new campaign to
increase attendance at Motorsports events and public awareness of the
industry. The program is titled “Take a Friend to a Race” and includes
a series of ads and promotional pieces that urge enthusiasts to invite
and introduce friends, relatives and neighbors who have never attended
a motorsports event to do so.

“MPMC members are in the business of manufacturing parts that are
designed specifically for race cars,” said MPMC Chairman Bill Floyd.
“That gives us a vested interest in the health of the Motorsports
industry, which translates directly into event attendance. ‘Take a
Friend to a Race’ will have a significant effect on Motorsports
attendance and participation, and will improve communication between
the parts manufacturers, the track operators and the sanctioning
bodies.”

Ron Capps, driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car
in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, will drop by Morgantown Auto Parts, a
NAPA AUTO PARTS store, in Morgantown, Pa., on Thursday, Aug. 14.

Just
down the road from Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., where Capps will compete
in the 24th annual NHRA Nationals this weekend, Morgantown Auto Parts will host
a lunch open to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by an autograph
session with Capps from 1 to 3 p.m.

"It's a great event," said Morgantown
Auto Parts owner Ken Romig. "Maple Grove Raceway is a local track and it's a
good way for the local customers to be able to meet one of the top
drivers."

Aussie Top Doorslammer Champion John Zappia has his plans coming
together for another exciting drag racing season commencing in
September, after clinching the top trophy last season in convincing
style. His team will enter a two car team of HQ Monaro Top Doorslammers
this season– the legendary Zap’s Rat, and the new sister car.
 
“We are still smiling and savouring our championship win here in the
team – it meant so much to me and all the other team members and
sponsors, and the momentum is definitely with us”, said Zap this week
in Perth.
 
“I think some of the other Top Doorslammer teams have finally worked
out how to go quick, and dipped into the fives at the last event, so we
will have to step up a little. They still have to learn to go quick
consistently though, and at all three tracks”.
 
“Zap’s Rat has been totally stripped, inspected, and is being assembled
for next season, where we will step it up to go quicker. The Rat did
not really fire at the Winternationals like some of the other teams,
but it was consistent apart from one run. I know exactly what went on
with the car, and the changes have been made”.

It has been 20 years or more since historic Kansas City International
Raceway has hosted those mind-blowing five-second, 250-mph,
nitromethane-burning hot rods known by a variety of names such as Nitro
Coupes, Floppers or, most correctly, AA/Funny Cars.

Not since Kansas City was the home for the fabled American Hot Rod
Association and KCIR was the home track for that sanctioning body back
in the 1970's and '80s have nitro cars shaken the ground and filled the
air with nitro fumes.

That will all change this October 3-5 when the Muscle Car Reunion and
Nostalgia Drags at KCIR will host the first annual DragRacingOnline.com
AA/Funny Car Invitational.

The 2nd annual American Drag Racing League (ADRL) Gatorz Ohio Drags,
set for Aug. 22-23, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio,
suddenly became much more significant in the 2008 world championship
picture.

With the recent cancellation of the ADRL national event at Tulsa,
Oklahoma, only two opportunities remain for competitors to earn more
points and clinch a berth in the Battle for the Belts showdowns that
will determine the ADRL’s 2008 world champions. The Ohio event is
followed by the ADRL’s Hushpower Dragstock V at Rockingham (NC)
Dragway, in September.

The Battle for the Belts pits the top eight points earners in the
ADRL’s four pro racing classes against each other in Friday-night
eliminations at the 2008 season ender this October at the Texas
Motorplex, near Dallas. Points earned in Saturday’s race at Dallas will
actually count toward the 2009 championship chase.

 The Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the
National Guard announced today that the 2nd annual Shelor.com Spring
Drags, originally postponed to Oct. 3-4 at Tulsa Raceway Park, has been
canceled due to scheduling conflicts.

With the Tulsa State Fair also set for the early October weekend, ADRL
and track officials considered moving the ADRL date a few weeks later,
but the 4th annual ADRL World Finals are scheduled for Oct. 24-25, at
Dallas, Texas, and it would have placed too much strain on ADRL racers
and officials, series president Kenny Nowling explained.

“In the current economic climate we just couldn’t ask our teams to make
long tows out west on subsequent weekends,” Nowling said. “Plus, the
logistics of having back-to-back national events would have been
prohibitive.”

Len Imbrogno has held high ranking positions with race teams and sanctioning bodies.

He’s even tried his hand at driving a nitro car and that experience was
enough to convince him he’s better off on his current side of the
fence.

Imbrogno now serves as General Manager for Kenny Bernstein Racing, but
back in the day, in 1979, he drove a low-budget Funny Car for
Ohio-based team owner Ken Thornburg.

“That's when it was fun to drive,” Imbrogno said. “It's amazing; you
couldn't run an alcohol car today on the budget we ran those cars on
back then.”

Clay Millican’s long and sometimes agonizing wait to
officially begin his 2008 NHRA Top Fuel racing career ends this weekend at Maple
Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa. 

Millican will be flying the familiar – and colorful –
Nitro Fish banner and Hope4Sudan on the Brad Hadman-built dragster in the Toyo
Tires Nationals, Friday through Sunday. 

“I’m so excited,” said the effervescent Millican, whose return was
hastened by one race, thanks to sponsorship from Kenny Koretsky’s apparel
company.  “The Captain (Koretsky’s
nickname) called and said if we came back a race earlier than we planned, we
should do it at his home track of Maple Grove with Nitro Fish on the car.