Greg
Stanfield doing more with less in NHRA Pro Stock

What
does it take to be successful in NHRA POWERade Pro Stock competition?  The logical answer, in a class where
automakers vie for the coveted Wally trophy each race weekend, is cubic
dollars.  If you don’t have manufacturer
backing and/or an owner with bags full of bucks, there’s really no chance, is
there?

Don’t
tell that to 41-year-old Greg Stanfield and his Team PiranaZ Pontiac GTO Pro
Stock squad.  They’ve managed to finish
in the top 10 the past two seasons – their only seasons as full-time Pro Stock
competitors – despite what can only be termed a laughable budget.

From the very first qualifying pass to the dramatic final, racing in the AMS
Staff Leasing Pro Modified Challenge presented by Tindle Enterprises, Inc. at
the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. was summed up by series
sponsor and AMS owner Dave Wood as the very best weekend in Pro Mod drag racing
history. The storylines ranged from smashing World Records and multiple drivers'
personal bests to tuning duals with an International flavor.
 
"I think
I've seen the most awesome racing ever," Wood commented. "This is why I love Pro
Mods, and why this series is the place to be. We've got the very best racers
around fighting for bragging rights, and a fan-favorite show that is second to
none."
 
Josh Hernandez, driver of the Dr. Moon's Rage '68 Camaro, landed
at the top of the list, winning the coveted AMS Eagle and setting a World Record
in Pro Modified drag racing. Taking the stripe ahead of his teammate Troy
Critchley in the final round with a stunning 5.938 244.29 pass, Hernandez just
added to his string of sub-six second record-setting runs for the
win.

If only one name could be associated with Pro Modified over the
past five-plus years, it would be have to be Dave Wood. Not only is he the Don
Schumacher of the class with a fleet of cars, but he also sponsors the AMS
Pro Mod Challenge for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, supplies the points
fund for the AMS Pro Mod Cup, and is an investor in the American Drag Racing
League (ADRL). Yet it’s all still basically a hobby for this 55-year-old
businessman from Texas.

Owner and President of Dallas-based AMS Staff Leasing, the largest
privately held professional employment organization in the U.S. With over $2
billion in payroll annually, Wood has had a lot of impact on Pro Mod. His
patronage alone has helped raise its visibility and status.

One of the most exciting
things about attending a motorsports event are the imaginative and beautiful
paint schemes that adorn the racing vehicles, transporters and trailers
throughout the pit area. Strolling among the mechanized beasts, sometimes it
can feel like you're at a car show instead of a race. It doesn't matter what
class or the size of the bank account, stunning artwork can be found everywhere
and often can become the visual signature of a driver or an entire team.

But paint is not the way
that most teams choose to display their colorful creations these days. In the
new millennium paint has given way to the lighter and more durable creation of
vinyl wrapping. To find out more about it we recently visited Expect A Lot,
Inc. at their brand-new 18,000-square-foot headquarters located adjacent to the
Ontario Airport
in Southern California.

Forgive Allen Johnson if
he doesn't look too disappointed if he makes a sub-par run at this weekend's
38th ACDelco Gatornationals at Gainesville,
Fla.

It's not that he doesn't
care anymore, it's just that wins and losses don't mean quite as much for the
12-year Pro Stock veteran, whose racing life was put into the proper
perspective in late February when his father and co-crew chief Roy Johnson
nearly lost his life after suffering two heart attacks on the final day of
qualifying at the CSK Nationals in Chandler, Arizona.

"It was very
scary," Allen Johnson said. "There were about eight miracles there,
but in hindsight, I believe it was one of those things that happen for a
reason, I think.

The following are the pre-entries received for the 7th annual Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco's CompetitionPlus.com hosted by South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. Pre-enter today. Information about pre-entry can be found HERE .

A switch in
teams has brought a good change of pace and renewed purpose for a determined
Terry Adams.

Brushed aside by other teams a season ago, the savvy and soft-spoken tuner from
North Carolina has found a groove with his new connection – the legendary
Georgia-based Pro Stock team of Warren and Kurt Johnson.

“I really wished we had gotten together five years ago. Who knows what we could
have done?” said Adams, who hooked up with the father-son Johnson combination
after a tumultuous 2006 NHRA season. “Probably the timing wasn't right for me
then, but maybe the timing is right for us now. Maybe we can win some races.”

Adams, a heralded clutch and chassis technician with more than 30 years of
experience as a driver and crew chief, was added to the Sugar Hill, Ga., shop
during the off-season to help revive the performance of “The Professor.” Warren
Johnson, 63, a six-time world champion, uncharacteristically faded from the
top-10 picture during last year’s POWERade Drag Racing Series run. Adams, 52, was brought in to make an impact.

Gary Scelzi says it was as simple as
taking a step back to move several steps forward.

It's hard to argue with the results.

The four-time NHRA champion, after struggling
through an admittedly disappointing season in 2006, appears to have recaptured
the winning mojo that guided him to the 2005
Funny Car title. He has already equaled his 2006
win total and now is ready to be a big-time player in the flopper world again.

"When you have a car that goes down the race track fast and does it every
time, it gives the driver more confidence and the whole team more
confidence," said Scelzi, who opened the POWERade Series season by winning the CARQUEST Winternationals
at Pomona in dominating fashion. "It gives the driver confidence, because
you don't have to worry about pedaling it every
time, you don't have to worry about a lot of things. It makes life a whole lot
easier."

Since
the last episode of the Northwind Project, Team Northwind has been continuing
to gather the rare parts needed to bring this fuel dragster back to life. The
chassis is complete and refurbished, awaiting the completion of the front and
rear axles, so now it’s on to the powerful Chrysler power plant.

But
first, a little history about the motor’s designer and builder,
Jim Albrich.

Albrich and Jack Coonrod hooked up back in 1961 with a partnership
on an

A/SR 1927 Ford T Touring. The beautiful yellow machine sported a
354-inch Chrysler with a huge 5/8” stroker. Jack was to drive the car and Jim
was to tune the huge motor. The pair had immediate success, setting a new NHRA
national record for street roadsters at 134.55 mph at the old McMinnville, Oregon,
track.  It was quite apparent that
Albrich knew and understood Hemi motors way back in the early 1960s.