Torco’s Competitionplus.com has learned that
Ray Alley informed NHRA president Tom Compton of his decision to leave to join
Kenny Bernstein’s Monster Funny Car team during the Indy weekend.  Compton was
reportedly stunned to hear the news, but wished Alley well, and also told him
there’d be a job waiting if he decided at the end of a year to return.

Oil and debris not only filled Dave
Grubnics lane, but also hit the left lane as well. (Roger Richards)

Numerous sources report that GM drag
racing honcho Fred Simmonds, one of the most highly respected and well-liked
corporate representatives active on the quarter mile, is less than pleased with
the move of the Pontiac Nationals from Columbus to Norwalk Raceway Park. 
Simmonds was reportedly informed of the move via a voice mail on the day of the
announcement, and if true, this would be far from the first instance in which
NHRA has handled a delicate matter in this manner.  The rumor mill is churning
with some wild ones on this subject, including the po

Point standings (top 10) for
NHRA professional categories following the 52nd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
at 'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, the 18th of 23 events in the $50
million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

The familiar sound of slot machines
and high dollar card tables was replaced by the sounds of banging hammers and
nail guns as Paul Athey and Mohegan Sun Racing welcomed a new sponsor to their
operation. Sterling Homes is proud to announce their backing of the Mohegan Sun
Team for the remainder of the 2006 season and the 2007 campaign as well.

“This is a great partnership,” team owner Paul Athey said. “Russ
is a great guy with a passion for what we are trying to achieve on the track.

Top Fuel racer Doug Herbert
confirmed that he's filed criminal charges against his former crewchief Wayne
Dupuy.

"When he left he was under the impression that all the parts that
he’d worked on were his, and all the records were his," Herbert said.

Last weekend’s IHRA World Nationals
(hard to believe, with all that’s been going, on that  it was just a week ago)
featured a scheduled Funny Car finale between Gary Densham and Scott Kalitta,
but the race never came off.  When Sunday’s final rounds were rained out the
competitors returned to settle things Monday morning, but Densham and Kalitta
failed to appear, forcing the association to simply list things as
uncontested.

Schumacher, Anderson and Smith also will lead their categories

into eliminations at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

John Force raced to the $100,000
Skoal Showdown victory Sunday at O'Reilly Raceway Park. It was Force's sixth
career win in the special bonus race for the top eight Funny Car qualifiers from
the last 12 months.

When your name is Jon Asher, you get
your own notebook at the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

ASHER'S
NOTEBOOK