:::::: Feature Stories ::::::
Sun, 2006-07-23 06:53
For
the second day in a row Brut Dodge Charger Funny Car driver Ron Capps
ran the quickest time at Wednesdays test session for the upcoming Mac
Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
Capps piloted his Funny Car to a 4.846 second run at 317.87 mph. The
current POWERade points leader in Funny Car, Capps has been excited to
see what his team can do during these testing days in Indy.
“Testing was awesome,” Capps said. “You know these conditions are those that we could see on Sunday for the Skoal Showdown.”
Capps is one of eight drivers competing in the $100,000 Skoal Showdown
at O’Reilly Raceway Park during the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Aug.
31-Sept. 3. The Skoal Showdown is a high-stake, high-speed race
featuring the eight quickest and most consistent Funny Car teams from
the last season. Capps will face Don Schumacher Racing teammate Gary
Scelzi in the first round of the event.
But Capps says that the biggest excitement surrounding this year’s U.S.
Nationals is the addition of the Countdown to the Championship.
Mon, 2006-07-03 13:25
The SEMA International Auto Salon has proven
to be a pretty accurate barometer of where the industry niche, Sport Compact
racing, is going, and it appears that if it’s going anywhere, it’s away from
drag racing.
This once-important industry mini-convention came to life three years ago
with an impressive showing at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The following
year it moved cross country to smaller digs in Atlantic City. This year it
moved to the Fort Washington Expo Center, a warehouse-like venue 30 minutes
outside of Philadelphia.
Fri, 2006-06-30 13:23
It was hard to believe that over a year had passed
since my first visit to New Zealand and Australia. It was in May of 2005, to be
exact, that I joined American doorslammer pioneer Camp Stanley and New Zealand’s
Top Doorslammer champion Dave Green on a trip to Western Sydney International
Dragway for the Nitro Champs event. We had a great time, and long before we
boarded a plane for home I knew I wanted to experience the sights and sounds of
drag racing “down under” again.
Fortunately, in addition to being a veteran of supercharged door car racing,
Camp is also a seasoned long-distance air traveler. He makes the trip to New
Zealand and/or Australia three to four times a year. On many of these trips he
joins Dave’s crew at New Zealand Drag Racing Association (NZDRA) events and
serves as tuner for their blown Corvette. Thanks to his expertise it was a
relatively simple matter to make arrangements for the 2006 version of our
journey to the Southern Hemisphere. This time around we were heading to the
biggest race on the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA)
calendar, the Castrol Edge Winternationals at Queensland’s venerable Willowbank
Raceway.
Thu, 2006-06-29 13:07
When Ford Motor Company debuted their new Mustang
body just a couple of years ago, the automotive giant intuitively knew the
redesigned body would produce positive results. With an innovative concept, the
company brought together the most popular looks from years past. The body,
which was very reminiscent of the popular 1960’s versions, was a big hit with
both the young and old car enthusiasts throughout the world. Now, with growing
anticipation, the 2007 GT500 is about to be available to the public at large.
With the car growing in popularity on showroom floors
across the country, it was only a matter of time until the new Mustang was taken
to the drag strip. Robert Patrick of Fredericksburg, Virginia did just that
with a new 2007 Shelby GT500. Patrick, whose family owns and operates Purvis
Ford in Virginia, has been a long time Ford enthusiast. With Ford love running
through his veins, it was only natural for Patrick to choose the baddest of the
Ford family to race in IHRA Pro Stock and World Ford Challenge.
Thu, 2003-03-06 08:00
It’s a common sight
in the staging lanes of most Drag Racing Series events - involving both
professional and sportsman racers. On a growing basis there are Racers For
Christ chaplains taking time to pray with various drivers and teams prior to
their qualifying and elimination runs on the track. And it is a privilege that
we take seriously, as we consider it an honor to pray for racers at many of the
1,200 events per year that our RFC chaplains cover throughout the spectrum of
motorsports.
With this
opportunity, however, comes the necessity to teach racers how to pray properly.
Give any racer or competitor any wish he or she desires and chances are that
the number one response will be … a win.
If you have a competitive nature, your drive to be successful will
usually be measured by your ability to win – whether it’s a pass down the track
or a best appearing award. It’s
everyone’s desire to be a winner.
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