Young third generation drag racer Troy “T.J” Coughlin will drive straight into the eye of the storm this weekend as he takes on the world’s best E.T. bracket racers at the 17th annual Huntsville Engine World Super Pro Challenge at the Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, Mich. Coughlin will join several hundred of the world’s best sportsman competitors in the pursuit of more than $200,000 in cash and prizes. At the core of the World Super Pro Challenge is Saturday’s main event, which pays a whopping $50,000 to the champion. Companion events on Thursday and Friday will pay $10,000 to the champion while Sunday’s finale will award a $5,000 top prize to the champion. In addition there will be a special Gambler’s event with a $1,000 entry fee that will pay $10,000 to the winner of the 16-car field.

Junior drag racing star Reba Sellers may not have made it to the final round of competition at the 2010 NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals held in Bristol, Tenn., but she is still a winner – especially to Safety Solutions, Inc.

Sellers, 15, of Byron, Ga., won an “Extreme Cockpit Makeover” from Safety Solutions, Inc., makers of quality safety equipment for all types of racing. The makeover – valued at more than $1000 – featured Safety Solutions’ Dynamic Occupant System, including a Hybrid Pro™ head, youth safety belts, Safety Foundation Inc. (SFI) roll-bar padding, arm restraints and a safety consultation with Safety Expert Trevor Ashline. The winner was chosen at random based on entry forms received during the event.

With the recent “Battle of the Big Dawgs” event at Carolina Dragway, HOH/Mike Hill Productions are teaming up once again to bring the "Night Under The Lights Automatic Pro Mods” racing back to the House of Hook, August 13 and 14, 2010. Keeping the converter cars in mind this race is designed to bring all types of power adders to center stage. All power adders are welcome with the exception of Screw blowers and Turbos limited to 94mm. With the popping of the Turbos, purging of the Nitrous, and the whine of the Blowers, this race should set the tone for a full series in 2011 that will visit tracks across the south east.

The scheduled Mad Dawg Unleashed race on August 14th has been cancelled. The track management felt that since there were so many heads-up racing in this area that it would in best interest of the track and fans to cancel this race. In a prepared statement, wanted to let everyone know had planned on attending so that they can make other arrangements.

Thunder Valley rumbles back to life with the return of the popular All Harley Drag Racing Association Thunder in the Valley Nationals August 7-8.
 
Among the highlights at this event, one of the most highly-anticipated and well-attended events of AHDRA’s series, is the nitro-powered Top Fuel class which features machines that can run in excess of 230 mph.
 
With the arrival of the mid-season mark in AHDRA’s Screamin’ Eagle Championship Series, the competition is expected to be stronger than ever at the Thunder in the Valley Nationals.
 
Fans can expect to see plenty of fast action on the quarter-mile strip with three nitro classes, modified gas bikes, street bikes and more.  In all, AHDRA offers 15 classes of competition.

There is a possibility that recent early exits are simply the calm before the storm for Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson.

The veteran racer emerged in 2008 as a serious championship contender and carried the points lead through a good portion of the season only to finish second. For his troubles and with his strength exposed, Wilkerson was rewarded with a giant bulls-eye on his back last year, but he battled exhaustively, only to see his hopes of the world title dashed in the waning hours of the chase yet again. This time, he’s ready.

When the first two events of 2010 failed to yield round-wins, the seasoned owner/tuner/driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang had no problem switching to his brand new chassis just prior to the Gainesville event, and sure enough, the change seemed to produce immediate results in the form of a Gatornationals win.

For the better part of two years, representatives from the Kingdom of Bahrain have pursued the tuning services of Jim Oddy, who was lured out of retirement in 2008 to become crew chief for ADRL Pro Extreme points leader Joshua Hernandez.

With Monday’s announcement of the purchase of the team from ADRL co-founder Dave Wood by Bahrain’s Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the deal is finally done.

“I kind of helped put this thing together,” Oddy says, explaining that after more than 50 years in the sport he wasn’t interested in leaving a successful operation for another unknown future—or in leaving behind the guys he works with on Hernandez’s ride.

Rockingham Dragway, a staple on the IHRA tour for the Seventies and Eighties, and the last decade, may not be on the tour for 2011, according to insiders close to the situation. While this speculation is prevalent, there’s no official word to substantiate the rumors to fact. And, for the sanctioning body, nobody’s denying it either.

“The IHRA is currently working on putting together its schedule for the 2011 Nitro Jam season and at this time has not finalized all of the dates for the coming year,” said Larry Crum, spokesman for the IHRA.

Ohio Crankshaft has reached a longevity milestone.

Founded by Stan Ray in 1969 as a one man auto repair shop. Ohio Crankshaft has become a major supplier of high performance engines and components.

John Force has not pulled the plug on his daughters’, Courtney and Brittany, Top Alcohol Dragster efforts. A rumor has circulated throughout the racing community suggesting the patriarch of the Force racing family had decided to pull the plug out of safety concerns following Mark Niver’s death during the NHRA Northwest Nationals last month in Seattle, WA.

According to team spokesman Elon Werner, Force has opted to no longer run the dragster previously driven by Courtney Force which blew a slick during the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, WA. She managed to keep the car off the wall and came to a safe stop in the Pacific Raceway’s shutdown area.