Multiple sources have confirmed with CompetitionPlus.com rumblings about the future of eighth-mile mountain motor Pro Stock racing. We hear discussions are going on which suggest the racers will have to provide a set amount of sponsorship with the Extreme Pro Stock division to continue to exist in the PDRA. This style of Pro Stock racing has been divided since the IHRA racers defected over to the then ADRL, and then were forced to choose between the ADRL and X-DRL.
Rumor has it there are some major crew chief shake-ups which will be made public as early as Wednesday. Our sources indicate as many as two top name tuners could soon be seeking employment elsewhere.
That's what we hear. In a bit of positive news, we hear with the incoming new nitro supplier Sunoco, the reported cost will drop below the $1,000 mark per 40-gallon drum. The benchmark for nitro pricing has been in the $1,100 mark for this season.
You know how those rumors get started. First a female Pro Stock Motorcycle rider sits in the seat of an A/Fuel dragster. Then people start talking. Angie Smith, wife of two-time NHRA bike champion Matt Smith, was nestled in the seat of an injected nitro car during the NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa.
A source close to the situation tells CompetitionPlus.com that Dave Connolly's Top Fuel career will begin on the Monday following the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev. Sources also have indicated the announcement regarding Bob Vandergriff Racing's future will be revealed over the course of the Las Vegas weekend.
This is the kind of news we like to hear. A rumor making its way around the mill suggests an associate sponsor on one major team will soon announce an upgrade from associate status to major sponsorship for at least 12-events for 2015. We hear this announcement could come as early as Indy weekend.
A highly placed source close to the situation tells CompetitionPlus.com the NHRA will reportedly no longer license their Unleashed series to the NMCA. We are told this will mean the revered Wally trophies will no longer be presented to winners and the event held in Pomona is quite possibly in serious jeopardy of not happening in 2015.
CompetitionPlus.com has learned a Fortune 500 Company will be on the door of a major Pro Stock team starting in Indy and continuing through the Countdown. At a time when there's talk of Pro Stock's health, this will serve as a positive move in the right direction.
TJ Zizzo, we are told, will unveil his new sponsor at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. If you will recall, Zizzo and his team made their 2014 debut in Joliet and proclaimed the outing as "Knocking off the Rust." Our sources tell us the nickname was actually a hint of their forthcoming sponsorship with a major household brand.
