In 2010, the Drag Racing Association of Women will be celebrating its 25th anniversary as drag racing’s charity with a few special events. The first will be the annual Florida Golf Tournament Wednesday, March 10, prior to the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville.

Rolling into the seventh and final round of the 2009-10 Arabian Drag Racing League series at the Qatar Race Club, Von Smith and his Barwa Racing Pro Extreme ’68 Chevy Camaro have earned the No. 1 spot in the championship points standings by way of two wins and five-straight final round appearances. Their margin over Al-Anabi Racing teammate Sheikh Khalid Al Thani in second place, though, amounts to less than one competition round win.

In the two-year history of the Qatar Race Club, this will be the second straight Pro Extreme championship that may come down to the final round of the final race, and while the pressure mounts, veteran driver Von Smith and his crew-chief, the legendary Howard Moon, know this stressful situation all too well.

Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel driver Antron Brown would like to extend his condolences to the family and friends of a woman who was killed on Sunday at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Ariz. on Feb. 21.
 

Emphasizing their commitment to building a strong Jr. Drag Racing program, the AHRA announced today the AHRA Jr. Dragster Championships to be held October 2, 2010 at Desert Thunder Raceway in Midland, Texas.

The Jr. Dragster Championships will feature a limited open-entry, pre-registration format in multiple classes. Participation details will be
released in the near future according to AHRA CEO Troy Moe.

Beginning today, the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) is providing race fans the ability to print tickets to its national events from the comfort and convenience of their own computer.

“This new online service will ensure that anyone with a computer and printer will be able to obtain tickets to our events. We have thousands of fans who travel to see each of our events and they don’t want to wait until they get near the track to pick up their tickets. It will also be easier for teams and sponsors to get tickets without having to track them down in-market,” Executive Vice President Jeff Fortune explained. “Basically, this program is being offered as a convenience for our fans and track partners and we’re confident it will make things easier for everyone involved.”

As if the 30th anniversary season of the Super Chevy Show series isn't exciting enough, Virginia Motorsports Park is going to feature a new nitromethane-burning class during its show in 2010.

Virginia Motorsports Park will play host to a Super Chevy Show for the 15th time April 16-18 in Petersburg, Virginia. It will be the second of 10 national events on the Super Chevy Show schedule in 2010.

The track's newest category – the Chevy Extreme Nitro class – will be an eight-car shootout of nitro-burning Chevy vehicles.

If Firebird International Raceway were home to a professional football or baseball team, the team wouldn’t have walked out in the middle of the night. They would walk out in broad daylight for a better deal. Children play in sand boxes, not professionals.

If conditions are that bad, and they are, why does the Firebird International Raceway event remain on the NHRA Full Throttle tour?

Call it kid-friendly, nitro-driver-approved. Funny Car driver Bob Bode and Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher are planning their own team, of sorts.

Bode's son Bobby, 8, just became the proud owner of a new Junior Dragster. Right now it has an honored spot in the garage at the family's Barrington, Ill., home. Bobby practices every day -- getting in and out of the car. “They're difficult for a little guy with short legs to get out of,” Dad said. “So I taught him how to get on top of the roll cage and jump out.”

While Jack Beckman jumped about like the Mad Hatter, Cory McClenathan, fresh off a win over Doug Kalitta in the final round of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, grinned like a Cheshire Cat.

Admittedly having taken Kalitta too lightly in Pomona during a semi-final match-up, crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler were loading up for bear this time around.

“We are going to go down the track and we are going to do it fast,” was the message from Okuhara and Shuler, recalled McClenathan  as he discussed the win on WFORadio.com Tuesday night.

The AHRA's first ever Nitro Showdown will blast down the track on May 15 at Desert Thunder Raceway in Midland, Texas, featuring a one-day duel of Top Fuel Dragsters, fire-breathing jet cars and a Bug Bucks Sportsman race.

The event marks the first of several Nitro Showdowns planned throughout the season, AHRA CEO Troy Moe said Friday.