Team Kalitta wants answers and for that very reason their Funny Car
team could return to action as early as the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in
Brainerd, Minn.

Jim Oberhofer said it’s important that their team gets to the bottom of
the engine explosion and subsequent parachute failure which led to the
death of driver Scott Kalitta. There are only a short handful of
drivers being considered for this position as successor to Kalitta’s
cockpit.

“We want to figure out what happened first,” said Oberhofer. “That’s
our number one priority. Obviously everything that happened to Scott
was kind of like a perfect storm. You know everything that could
possibly go wrong did. So that’s the main thing we’re looking at. We’re
looking at -- What happened to the engine? Why did the engine explode …
because we don’t have data obviously from a computer.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the factory-built drag race
package cars from Dodge and Plymouth. To commemorate those
HEMI®-powered drag cars, Mopar® announced it will unveil its new Dodge
Challenger Drag Race Package Car at the 29th Annual Mopar Mile-High
Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. on Sunday, July 13.

Featuring separate paint schemes, the first two Challenger Drag Race
Package Cars built by Mopar will be revealed at approximately 2 p.m.
MDT (after eliminations and before finals). Mopar, Chrysler LLC’s
original equipment parts manufacturer and distributor, announced its
Challenger Drag Race Package Car at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market
Association (SEMA) Show in Oct. 2007.

The first drag-race-only, factory-prepped package car built in 40
years, the new Challenger Drag Race Package Car by Mopar builds on the
heritage of the 1968 HEMI®-powered Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas.
The limited-edition ’68 package cars represented a significant point in
Mopar’s history – solidifying the brand as a quarter-mile force. A
watershed moment in drag racing history, they were also a major
milestone in the evolution of the second-generation HEMI powerplant
(426 HEMI engine). Some of drag racing’s biggest names drove the
crowd-favorite ’68 package cars – like Ronnie Sox, “Dandy” Dick Landy
and Jack Werst, just to name a few. Mopar’s popular HEMI Challenge
racing series, operated in conjunction with the National Hot Rod
Association (NHRA), features these ‘68 package cars in quarter-mile
competition all over the country today.

-Force Goes Pink With
Wildly Popular Collectible-

The 2008 Ashley Force Castrol GTX Ford Mustang die-cast from Motorsports
Authentics commemorating her fantastic rookie season will be available starting
today, July 9^th. Pre-orders will be taken beginning at
12 noon PST
exclusively through the John Force RaceStation online at www.JohnForceRaceStation.com or
via phone at (714) 921-1651.

As the winner of the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the
Future Award last year Ashley Force was already recognized as one of the hottest
stars on the NHRA POWERade Series. Her collectibles ranging from the Mattel
Ashley Force doll or previously released 1:24 scale die-cast Mustang, 1:16 scale
Milestone dragster and Hot Wheels dragster are tremendous collectibles for true
Ashley Force and John Force Racing fans.

NHRA
Pro Stock Car Driver Tom Hammonds is the inaugural feature for the new
"Cool Jobs" section in the collector's edition of Ebony  - The 25
Coolest Black Men of All Time.

Making its debut in the August 2008 issue, the "Cool Jobs" section will
appear monthly in the magazine and will spotlight African Americans who
make a living doing interesting, nontraditional jobs.  

NHRA’s traditional Western Swing gets underway in Denver this weekend
with the Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.  By the time it
concludes at sea level in Sonoma, Calif., on July 27, some drivers’
championship hopes will have vanished like the oxygen in the mile-high
air.

Dave Connolly doesn’t believe his Cagnazzi Racing Charter
Communications/LifeLock Chevy Cobalt team will be one of them.  He has
been chasing his peers for seven races – he started five races behind –
and has been chipping away at the margin separating him from 10th
place.  The difference is 54 points with six more races on the docket
before the beginning of NHRA’s six-race, 10-driver Countdown to 1.

Running three straight races – Seattle (July 18-20) and Sonoma (July
25-27) follow – always is a daunting task, but this time the nerves are
likely to be ratcheted up a few more notches.

Just when Justin Humphreys and the RaceRedi Motorsports Pro Stock team
were finding a tune-up comfort zone for the Dodge he’s been driving for
four races, the NHRA schedule sends them skyward to 5,280 feet and more.

The POWERade Series stops in Denver for the Mopar Mile-High Nationals
at Bandimere Speedway, Friday through Sunday.  The air is thinner there
and the lack of oxygen affects the cars’ engines, resulting in slower
elapsed times and the need for motors built specifically for this
occasion.

“We should be okay,” said Humphreys, who drove his way into the
semifinals at Norwalk (Ohio) two weeks go and back into contention for
the 10th and last point position in the new Countdown to 10
championship format.  Only the top 10 drivers advance to the six-race
finale beginning September 14 in Charlotte, N.C.

Reigning POWERade Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has a big weekend
scheduled in Denver and he would love to add his third Mile-High
Nationals trophy to his collection while he visits one of his favorite
racetracks on tour.

Coughlin and his son Jeg III start the festivities Thursday at the
annual Race to Read Golf Tournament benefiting the primary charity of
Bandimere Speedway.

"Team JEGS will be going for the trophy at this year's golf
tournament," Coughlin said. "We have Justin Humphreys, my teammate Dave
Connolly, and our PR guy Woody Woodruff in our group so at the very
least we're going to have some fun and raise some money for the Race to
Read program."

Wagner Equipment Co. will again partner with David Powers Motorsports
and seven-time NHRA Top Fuel winner Hot Rod Fuller during the 29th
annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals, July 11-13, at Bandimere Speedway
near Denver. Fuller drove his Wagner Equipment Co. dragster to the win
at Bandimere Speedway last July. It was Caterpillar’s first major win
in NHRA racing.

The relationship between David Powers Motorsports, Caterpillar and the
Caterpillar dealers was designed as a pilot program to increase
technician recruiting. Many Caterpillar dealers are experiencing a
shortage of technicians. After successful events in several NHRA
markets during the 2007 season, DPM and Caterpillar inked a multiyear
agreement last August to participate in the NHRA dealer recruitment
program. Wagner Equipment Co. is the authorized Caterpillar dealer for
Colorado, New Mexico and far west Texas. With headquarters in Aurora,
Colo., Wagner Equipment Co. and Wagner Rents serve customers with 30
locations across 3 states.Wagner International also serves Mongolia and
southern Siberia.

Veteran NHRA Communications Department team members Michael Padian and
Lachelle Seymour received promotions this week, it was announced today
by Jerry Archambeault, vice president of public relations and
communications, NHRA.

Padian, who joined the NHRA Communications Dept. in March 2005, was
promoted to Director of Public Relations. Seymour, who joined NHRA in
April ’05, was promoted to Senior Media Relations Manager. Both have
played key roles in the development of many of the innovative programs
and services offered by the NHRA Communications Dept. during the last
three years.
           
As Director of Public Relations, Padian will oversee the relationship
with NHRA’s PR agency of record, Edelman. He will work with Edelman to
target national media opportunities that will continue to increase
NHRA’s presence with mainstream America. In addition, he will work to
expand relationships with national media outlets through weekly contact
and meetings and direct all PR programs to inform employees, fans, and
the racing community of NHRA news and initiatives. He will continue to
promote and publicize the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s
Playoffs, and be a familiar face in media centers at NHRA POWERade
Series events.

After five hours of successful surgery to repair the severe leg injury
suffered Sunday at the Rocky Mountain Nationals in Edmonton, two-time
defending IHRA Nitro Funny Car World Champion Dale Creasy Jr. is
recovering at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. Creasy’s lower left
leg was severely injured during his semifinal match-up when his
transmission failed.

“The transmission was spinning,” Creasy said. “Something broke and it locked up. There was nothing I could do.”