Clay Millican confirmed today he is a free agent in the drag racing world again.

Millican, a veteran driver for Evan Knoll’s Top Fuel team, confirmed he
and the rest of his team was informed they “should start exploring
other opportunities” in drag racing.

“I was told by Torco they weren’t sure what was going to happen with
the race teams at this time,” Millican confirmed. “The whole team was
instructed to explore other opportunities.”

Reigning European Top Fuel champion Urs Erbacher of Switzerland completed his
early season tour of the United States with a computer full of data that the FIA
titleholder is convinced will help him defend his crown this
summer.

Racing at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend,
Erbacher successfully qualified for his fourth event in as many tries on this
year's POWERade Drag Racing Series. The four-time European champion has proven
he can run well at the sport's elite level and should now be an even bigger
force on the 2008 FIA tour.

"The experience we gained here this spring
has made us stronger," Erbacher said. "It was an expensive expedition,
especially without the primary sponsorship we continue to need, but the
dividends it will pay should make it all worthwhile. I'm not sure if our
European counterparts have found time to test for the upcoming season but even
if they have, it would be hard to compare with the experience of racing
NHRA.

The recently-completed NHRA Summit Nationals in Las Vegas marked the
second time that Bob Tasca III advanced to the quarter-finals in 2008,
his

Sunday’s race marked the second time that Bob Tasca III advanced to the quarter-finals in 2008, his rookie season.

rookie season.

“The car got real loose on me and came sideways,” said Tasca, following
his second run of the day. “I stepped off it and I pedaled it once just
in case Ron may have smoked the tires, but then I saw him out in front
of me. The car came around towards the cone as I lifted, and when I
lifted, I hit the cone. But that’s the difference between racing and
qualifying. On Sunday, within reason you do whatever you can to get to
the finish line and unfortunately for us we lost a little bit of
traction and the car came around pretty hard. But Capps made a real
good run down that left lane.”

Hillary Will maintain her foothold as the fastest female in the history of NHRA drag racing by running the

Hillary Will retained her position of the being the fastes femaledriver in drag racing.

fastest
speed of the weekend in Las Vegas, 331.85 mph. At the first two events
of this season, she set the track record for speed at both Phoenix
Int’l Raceway (334.32 mph) and at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
(Calif.) (334.56 mph). Her 330.63-mph speed mark at the event earlier
this season in Gainesville, Fla., tied for the fastest lap of the
event. Her booming blast in California established her as the fastest
female in the history of the sport.

The NHRA handed down the
largest fine in the history of NHRA POWERade championship drag racing on Sunday
afternoon after discovering Don Schumacher Racing to be in possession of four
drums of nitromethane not purchased from the official fuel supplier of the
NHRA, VP Racing Fuels. NHRA VP Graham Light announced DSR’s fine was $100,000.

“Yesterday we discovered nitromethane
in Don Schumacher Racing’s pits that was not purchased through the official
distributor and that is clearly in violation of the rules,” Light said, in an
interview with ESPN2. “As stewards of that product we take our responsibility
very seriously. There are very strict guidelines as to the purchase and use of
nitromethane. As a result of this violation, a $100,000 fine has been levied
against Don Schumacher’s team.”

Don Schumacher was in
complete protest of NHRA’s decision.

“I’ve been told by Tom
Compton and Graham Light that Pro Nitro is a legal nitromethane that can be
used in the NHRA,” Schumacher said, in reference to his brand that is legal in
IHRA, Nostalgia and test events. “We had four drums of Pro Nitro in our pits Saturday
and they have been removed. They feel this is inappropriate and have fined me. I
will appeal the fine and I don’t feel the rulebook is being enforced the way it
is written. That’s the bottom line.”

Thursday night before the Summitracing.com Nationals I got
the chance to participate in the grand opening of Carroll Shelby’s Shelby Café
at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There was an autograph session with Carroll,
Snake, John Force, Bob Tasca III and myself and after the signing event I got
the chance to get into Mike Kuhl’s front engine dragster for a mini-cacklefest.

VISIT BLOG CENTRAL

Rod Fuller raced a harsh reality in losing his first round match
opposite of Troy Buff during the first round of the NHRA Summit
Nationals at LVMS. The Las Vegas driver now ranks
seventh in the NHRA Top Fuel standings.

Atco Raceway's Quick 8 started this Sunday with a light field (5 cars). Not sure
if it is a little early in the season or the possibility of rain showers and
temps in the 50's that kept some racers from showing. We did see Joe Newsham lay
down a 6.81 @ 216 with his Mustang in the first round. 

Qualifying
video http://ywnv.vidiac.com/video/9f364b6f-c24b-4710-8ef5-9a7d016bc772.htm

Newsham
went to the Finals against Charlie Dolbin and won the first Event of the
year. 
 Eliminations video with Joe in the Winners Circle speaking 
http://ywnv.vidiac.com/video/f8bc9120-3ef0-4483-a498-9a7d01610719.htm

Also
Sunday we had an added treat (because of rain on Saturday) the East Coast
Stock/Superstock Associations season wheel standing season opener 

DON SCHUMACHER’S RESPONSE TO NHRA’S ACTION AGAINST HIM
  

Team owner Don Schumacher addressed the media at The Strip at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway following the announcement by NHRA that he was being
fined $100,000 “for possessing nitromethane fuel in (his) professional
pit clearly in violation of the fuel regulations…” He also answered a
few pointed questions on the subject. Obviously, Schumacher views the
fine in a completely different light than does the NHRA. Here, with
very minor editing, is his statement:
 
“I received notification from NHRA this morning that they have imposed
a $100,000 fine (on) Don Schumacher Racing because we possessed
nitromethane that is Pro Nitro methane at the facility on Saturday. It
was removed Saturday off site. I (was) also told at Gainesville, and
prior to Gainesville, by both (NHRA president) Tom Compton and Graham
Light that Pro Nitro is now an accepted nitromethane in NHRA.
 
“We’ll appeal the fine through the proper process, and go forward from there.

Roger Richards Photos

A. FORCE LEAVES EVENT FIRST FEMALE POINTS LEADER IN FUNNY CAR

Tim Wilkerson's victory in Vegas ended a three-and-a-half year dry spell from the winner's circle.

Tim
Wilkerson broke a three and ½ year winless streak and denied Ashley
Force her first career Funny Car win in the process at the ninth annual
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.

Wilkerson, a Springfield-Ill.-based auto service shop owner, drove his
Levi Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.962 at 292.58 to a win over
Force, who turned in a 4.993 at 313.95 in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

Despite the loss, Force leaves the event as the first woman in NHRA
history to top the Funny Car point standings as the tour moves to
Atlanta.