EVENT RESULTS EVENT NOTEBOOK			THURSDAY GALLERY FRIDAY GALLERY SATURDAY GALLERY LIVE VIDEO

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - RAIN PUSHES EVENT INTO SUNDAY

Despite extensive track drying and preparation efforts by the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA), not one car was able to make a pass down the eighth mile on Saturday at Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP).

After rain washed away Friday night's scheduled qualifying session for the inaugural PDRA Championship Finals, persistent light showers and misting continued throughout Saturday at the track just south of Richmond. Cale and Cody Crispe, also known as the PDRA's "Traction Twins," led a day-long effort to whip the track into shape, but about 6:30 p.m. the call was made to postpone qualifying, as well as previously delayed elimination rounds due to rain from the previous PDRA event last month at Rockingham, NC.

"Our guys worked as hard as they could to get the track ready, but in the end it just got too cold to be safe for racing," PDRA Director Bob Harris said. "We're obviously disappointed at not getting any runs in today, but the safety of our racers has to come first and if it's not ready, it's not ready. We don't want to end the season on a bad note just because we were trying to fit in a few extra runs."

The plan for Sunday--the event originally was scheduled to finish Saturday night--calls for a 10 a.m. start of two rounds of qualifying with the postponed eliminations from Rockingham run within them, then all the Rockingham finals followed by as many elimination rounds for the 2014 PDRA Championship Finals as possible before running up against the track's 11 p.m. curfew.

"I know it's a lot to get into one day, but weather permitting we'll do our best and anything we don't get finished tomorrow we'll have to stay until Monday for," Harris said. "It's unfortunate, but we need to finish these two races and finish out the season."

The PDRA will honor its 2014 champions from 7 p.m. to midnight at the inaugural PDRA Championship Banquet and Awards Show Dec. 13, at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis, held in conjunction with the annual PRI trade show.

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - RAIN TAKES CENTER STAGE DURING FIRST DAY VMP, CONCLUSION OF ROCKINGHAM

THAT'S ALL FOLKS - Rain trumped racing today for the final two events of the PDRA season. Persistent showers brought an early end to the completion of the rain postponed Rockingham event and this weekend's regularly scheduled PDRA Championship Finals.

The PDRA crew is scheduled to work throughout the night to complete the massive track drying effort they began on Friday. Downpours left a significant amount of water standing on the racing surface, and largely in the shutdown area.

The PDRA plans to resume racing at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

RACE TO THE THREES ON TAP - Headed into this weekend's final event at Virginia Motorsports Park outside of Richmond, a fair amount of talk has been devoted to the next performance milestone of the mountain motor Pro Stock division. Who will be the first of the naturally aspirated cars to crack into the three-second zone?

Cary Goforth, in terms of past performances, rates the edge at 4.008 seconds, a run attained while racing in Houston with the former American Drag Racing League. Once the ADRL formally folded, the PDRA reopened the Mountain Motor Pro Stock record books at 4.024 seconds.

Goforth said his 4.00 run was as close to being perfect as he's experienced.

"They were very good," said Goforth. "It will be tough to get everything to line up like it did that time. The corrected altitude was 1012 feet. That's with a perfect set up, and I drove decent. I shifted on time and even tickled the bottom bulb to where it staged when the car vibrated forward as I decked the throttle."

Mountain Motor engine builder Sonny Leonard created a three-second club, ironically three years ago in anticipation a Pro Stock driver would eclipse the mark.

"At nighttime this time of year, and if the barometer stays right, we should have it this year," said Leonard. "I think weather will be our friend here, and about six or seven cars could benefit from it."

The Sonny's Racing Engines Three-second Club will reward the first driver to pull off the momentous elapsed time with a $2000 cash prize as well as a commemorative ring, jacket and plaque. The second and third Pro Stock racers to the threes will receive $1000 as well as a ring, jacket and a plaque.

Leonard stands prepared to reward the driver who pulls off the feat whether they race PDRA or IHRA, who races a quarter-mile format.

In the event Goforth falters from racing two events, two-time Mountain Motor Pro Stock champion John Montecalvo stands prepared to etch his name in history.

“We feel we have all the right ingredients and believe that the conditions at Richmond will warrant a three-second run,” added Montecalvo. “There are several teams out there capable of doing that and we hope to be the first."

DOUBLE-DUTY WEEKEND - Cary Goforth is racing double-duty but not at Virginia Motorsports Park. Goforth will be shuttling back and forth between Memphis, Tenn., where he plans to compete in the Pro Stock division at the IHRA World Finals.

Goforth is the point leader in both PDRA and IHRA series. A double-title weekend could elevate Goforth into elite company such as Rickie Smith, who has five mountain motor Pro Stock titles.

“Since I was a little kid all I ever wanted to do was drive a Mountain Motor Pro Stock car and I’ve already done way more than I ever thought I would do,” said Goforth. “Winning races was way more than I thought I would do. I got to thinking about it a couple weeks ago and I got to adding this up and I thought, pulling this off is gonna make you a five-time champion in Pro Stock. Right now that comes to mind more than anything, because that puts you in company that’s pretty elite."

Goforth is one round shy of the PDRA championship, and could have clinched the crown back in September if rain hadn't postponed the event until this weekend. He also needs one round of competition to clinch the IHRA crown as well.

The emotion of the whole experience is starting to materialize for Goforth. Goforth says the effort his team is making this weekend gives an example of how he wants to be recognized when his career is complete.

"Everybody asks how do you want to be remembered?" Goforth said. "When it comes that my time’s done, I just want people to know I gave all my heart and all my soul to this deal. The sacrifices we’ve had to make, being away from family, the sacrifices they’ve had to make without us there. Five championships - thinking about what it takes to do that - we were gone a helluva long time away from home since we started this back in 2006. It took three years for us to start doing well.

"Kids these days want to start out winning immediately. They don’t want to work their way up the ladder or pay their dues, but it just don’t work that way, especially in drag racing. You’ve got to have a program and that just takes time. It takes a lot of heartache and parts break, too. Right now, I wouldn’t say I know what I’m doing, but I’ve learned a heck of a lot since I started in 2006."

Goforth said the final round to the championship began with a profound conversation with his father and teammate Dean Goforth. It wasn't the way he wanted the scenario to play out, but when you are dealing with the patriarch, he has final say.

“Dad told me first round at Rockingham [PDRA Dragstock] - we had car trouble and I barely got in," Goforth explained. "I was number eight and he was one - he said, ‘I’m going to give you this round and you’re going to win this Championship.’ That’s not something we normally do. I told him I didn’t want him to do that. He said, ‘I don’t care. You have no choice; you have no say. Look, Cary, everything I’ve done here in this deal is for you. It’s not for me; it’s for you. If I win a race or qualify number one every now and then, that’s just a bonus.’

"And, ya know, what do you say to that? First thing you want to do is cry. Everybody on this team has worked hard. I’ve worked hard, but he’s been the one to make the most sacrifices and put in the hours that I could never do. I don’t have what he has, and I wish I did. He’s a great man for working hard and doing what it took to be competitive again. It took almost twenty years to get back to the top. That’s a long time. There was a lot of hard work, sacrifices, late nights, 24/7, 365. No birthdays, holidays, no time off. That’s just the way the industry is. I’m so thankful to him for giving me that chance.”

TALL ORDER - Mathematically No. 2 Pro Stock man John Pluchino is still in the hunt. However, the odds are stacked against him. Pluchino will have to win both the Rockingham make-up and Virginia events, qualify No. 1 for the Virginia race and set a new world record. And, the biggest obstacle, Goforth will have to miss the race.

TRIPLE-UP OPPORTUNY - Among those with a chance to not only double up in the win column but also sew up a championship in the PDRA's inaugural season is points leader Bubba Stanton in the premier Pro Extreme class. Stanton, who qualified second at Rockingham and defeated Turky Al-Azfari in round one before the rain came, will face Wesley Jones in the postponed round two from Rockingham.

PRO NITROUS ALREADY CLINCHED - With five wins after the first six races Jason Harris has already clinched the Pro Nitrous title and after defeating John Camp in the opening round of racing at Rockingham he will make a solo pass at VMP to advance to the semis since Khalid Mohammed is a no-show in Virginia.

INTRUMURAL CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE - The PDRA Pro Boost championship will be decided between teammates Todd Tutterow and Kevin Rivenbark at Virginia, where both will also compete in round two of the delayed Rockingham race. A 116-point advantage over Rivenbark gives Tutterow the upper hand, but with 100 points available for each round win the points race could easily swing either way, especially with two events to settle.

TESTED AND READY - Keith Haney unveiled a new Pro Nitrous Camaro earlier this week with a good amount of publicity. A two-day test confirms this new ride isn't just hype.

Haney completed a successful two-day test of the Larry Jeffers Race Cars Camaro making him very happy.

"To win -- that is the expectation," Haney said. "We have all the right parts, all the right pieces, all the right people. I've said it before, instead of being a pretender; it's time to be a contender. With the right people, the right crew, I don't think anything can go wrong."

Haney has compiled a combination of show and go for the machine from Kryptonite Kustomz providing a state-of-the-art wrap to Reher-Morrison Racing Engines with the engine to Brandon Switzer of Switzer Dynamics providing the nitrous tune-up. Brandon Pesz made the final chassis tune-up.

"Larry [Jeffers] blows my mind away with the new technology in this car," Haney said. "This is his first Pro Nitrous car. He's got the Pro Extreme world covered, and this is his first true Pro Nitrous car. He's walking on Cloud 9 right now, too."

Haney said his test focused on the early incrementals.

"We did two 60-foot runs without a front end," Haney said. "Then we made a scheduled pass where we lifted before the 330 mark and another where we lifted before the eighth-mile. Both passes were straight down the racetrack.

"You couldn't ask for anything more. It can't get any better -- unless we win this weekend and next weekend. It is possible; we've got the stuff to do it."

MEMORIES - Every time Mick Snyder races at Virginia Motorsports Park, the strip located outside of Richmond evokes memories of days gone by.

“Virginia has been a really good track for us," said Snyder, who ranks fourth in the PDRA's Pro Extreme division. "I made my professional door car debut here back in 2010. We have had a few finals here over the years. This was also the last win on our back-to-back-to-back winning streak in 2012. That race is probably one of my most cherished victories. We won the race on a holeshot, which doesn’t happen very often in my camp. I like to think that is because our car is so quick. "