CompetitionPlus.com's Roger Richards is at this weekend's inaugural ProModifieds.us Nationals presented by Russell Auto Sales doorslammer event in Huntsville, Ala. Check out the action through the camera of a talented drag racing photographer. We'll have an event summary later.

PHOTO GALLERY

SAME DAY COVERAGE

One might think that not much would impress Bruce Litton after years of racing Top Fuel motorcycles and now 13 years behind the wheel
of his Lucas Oil Top Fuel Dragster. After all, 8000 horsepower is a lot
to compete with. And surely Litton could not be very impressed by a
street car. That is unless we’re talking about the world’s fastest
street car.

Litton, current IHRA Top Fuel point leader, recently took time off
between national events to test the world’s fastest street car. The
car, called Maxximus after creators Marlon Kirby and Maxximus
Technologies, is a twin turbo Chevy V8 based engine on a Rodeck
all-aluminum 434 cubic inch block. It puts out 1600 hp at the rear
wheel, and with an estimated top speed of 270 mph and three world
records to its name, the Maxximus is not your average street car. It
reaches 60 mph in 2.1 seconds; 100mph in 4.5 seconds, and smashes the
supercar 0-100-0 mph benchmark at 8.9 seconds.

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series takes over Heartland Park Topeka
for the annual Heartland Championships presented by Aeromotive. The two
day event is the fifth of six on the division calendar and will feature
drivers in eleven categories vying for divisional and national
championships.  Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Brandon Lewis, Broken Arrow,
Okla., and Roger Bateman of Winnipeg, Manit., of the Top Alcohol Funny
Car class, both received top qualifying honors going into Saturday’s
eliminations.

Lewis grabbed the top spot by posting a 5.320 second, 260.71 mph pass
after two qualifying sessions.  The NHRA South Central division racer
is searching for his first win of the season, yet is within striking
distance of the points lead.  Monroe Guest, Mannford, Okla., and Chase
Copeland of Walters, Okla., sit two and three respectively.

The Top Alcohol Funny Car class is once again being led by Bateman, who
has picked up every No.1 qualifier in the division this season.  His
5.647 second, 254.09 mph lap was enough to keep him ahead of the pack
and in stride to pick up his third home division win of the season.

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series makes its way to Cecil County Dragway for its fifth of seven events in Northeast division competition.  The scheduled three day event is currently on hold due to continuous rain, which has forced face officials to call it a day.  Racing will begin Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.

Four
drivers in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will be serving up
plenty of smiles for Indianapolis-area McDonald’s patrons during the
week leading up to the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil.
Top Fuel veteran Cory McClenathan, Top Fuel points leader Antron Brown,
Funny Car star Ashley Force Hood and Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader
Eddie Krawiec will be the featured drivers visiting local McDonald’s
restaurants during the promotion.

In addition to meeting some of their NHRA heroes during the McDonald’s
appearances, fans can receive a $7 discount on any adult
general-admission ticket for the event at O’Reilly Raceway Park at
Indianapolis, Sept. 2-7.

Although the schedule had to be rearranged a bit due to rain earlier in
the day, the opening round of qualifying is complete at the NHRA Lucas
Oil Drag Racing Series event at Beech Bend Raceway Park.  Robin Samsel,
Marion, Ind., is the best qualifier in Top Alcohol Dragster and
Davenport, Iowa’s Chris Foster is No. 1 in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Samsel outpaced the Top Alcohol Dragster field by more than a tenth of
a second, putting him squarely in the No. 1 spot.  His 5.370-second,
255.29 mph run was more than enough to cover No. 2 qualifier Ken Perry
of Richmond Hill, Ont.  Perry ran 5.475 seconds at 257.97 mph. 
Currently, there are nine Top Alcohol Dragsters vying for a spot in the
eight-car elimination field.

Reigning Pro Stock champion and current Full Throttle point leader Jeg
Coughlin Jr. was just 6 years old when his father Jeg Coughlin Sr.
won his first of two Indy trophies. But even at that tender age, Jeg
Jr. realized how important it was to claim glory on drag racing's most
hallowed grounds.
 
Sixteen years later, the extraordinary feeling of accomplishment that
comes from conquering the sport's longest running event returned when
Jeg Jr. watched from the grandstands as older brother Troy Coughlin
handled a competitive Super Gas class to earn the hardware.
 
Just a year after that, Jeg Jr. was in the driver's seat of his own
JEGS-sponsored Super Gas hot rod, beating veteran Sherman Adcock for
his first U.S. Nationals title. It was almost too much for the lifelong
drag racer to comprehend and the memory is as special now as it was 17
years ago.

Marvin Bridge came to the States nearly two decades ago and has found a niche in racing Modular Mustangs
on radial tires on the NMRA series. This is considerably different than
the combination he ran in Super Stock halfway around the world.

Then again, Bridge is used to change having migrated from Australia to Southaven, Miss.

“It's very, very different, said Bridge, his Australian accent still
very much intact, when asked about the cultural differences between
Australia and Mississippi. “Where do you start? There are just too many
differences. One thing with drag racing, it’s pretty well the same all
over. As long as you knock around some drag racing you don't know where
you are anyway. It's pretty good.”

Getting in good with the fast Mustang racers was a good start.

Drivers in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by
ProCare Rx will be signing autographs and eating wings  from 5-7 PM
Thursday evening, September 3 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Speedway, Ind.
 
Fans are invited and encouraged to join the party for a laid back and
enjoyable time before the marathon of the Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
kicks into high gear.