Richard Maskin had a morning ritual back in 1971 from which he rarely deviated. He’d head into his office at his grandfather's business, Barnett Pontiac, sit down with his cup of coffee and read the morning newspaper. One day, instead of reading his local paper, Maskin instead picked up an automotive news publication. While he didn't know it at the time, that simple change of routine would forever change the course of his life.

Maskin, a C/Modified Production competitor at the tracks around Detroit saw where Bob Swaim, formerly with the Ford Motor Company, had accepted a position with American Motors. He wasted no time in calling Swaim and scheduling a lunch meeting. It made sense because their offices were only five miles apart.

Maskin learned that Swaim had already offered a deal to “Dyno” Don Nicholson as part of a major push for the American Motors brand in NHRA Pro Stock. Swaim told him there were two smaller programs in addition to Nicholson’s major Pro Stock effort. 

This blast from the past on YouTube.com features coverage of the 1982 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The event features some of drag racing's Hall of Fame legends and a memorable first time winner. This video features the classic Diamond P intro and well worth the investment of your time.

Under the guidance of Joe Powell, President of Joe Powell Motorsports, the Pro Alcohol Funny Car Association [PAFCA] will race into 2010. The PAFCA is a new professional touring alcohol funny car association based in the southwestern region of the United States. The focus is to put on cost affective six-second 200 MPH Alcohol Funny Car shows for  track promoters, racers, and fans  in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon.

“Recently we were looking at possibly taking over another association based in the southwest,” said Powell. “When negotiations fell through, we were still looking for alternatives to give to the track promoters, racers, and fans. The market has become saturated with 7 second Funny Cars, Dragsters, and Door Cars. An alternative is needed that is cost effective for track promoters and racers both. We believe with our new race format, purse and point’s structure, we have the best Blown Alcohol Funny Car show for tracks, racers, & fans in our market.”

Top Sportsman and Top Dragster will be featured during the professional elimination rounds at all IHRA Nitro Jam events in 2010.

Since the mid-1970s sportsman drag racing and the International Hot Rod Association have walked hand in hand and in 2010 that relationship is going to become even stronger as the IHRA returns to its roots and places its quickest and fastest sportsman classes on the stage they deserve.

In an effort to showcase the best sportsman racers in Top Sportsman and Top Dragster and to provide even more entertainment value to its Nitro Jam show the IHRA will showcase first round of main event eliminations during the professional rounds on the first event day and have created an “Elite 8” program for the top qualifiers in each of these two classes to be run during the professional rounds on the second event day.

In his successful twenty-five-year career as a racer, Greg Slack has faced numerous challenges, fought tough adversaries, and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to win races and championships, but when he rolled his dragster into the Rockingham Dragway winners circle last June, he celebrated a triumph monumentally greater than the Summit Pro-Am Quick Rod victory he had just driven to.

On that day his reward far outshone the gleaming IHRA Ironman. As he hoisted the trophy over his head he was rejoicing in the fact that he had his life back; his life on the track, his life with his friends and fellow racers, and his life with his family.

Yes, as satisfying as his accomplishment over his on-track opponent was that weekend, Slack knew he had out-muscled a much stronger, much more tenacious advisory, one whose wins often mean a devastating loss for whoever comes up in the other lane.

Longtime bracket racing legend, drag racing school instructor and overall good guy Jimmy “The Shoe” Harrington has fallen on hard times with his health and could use our prayers.

Harrington is currently hospitalized and battling an undisclosed illness.

For Steve Earwood, the third time is the charm. The Rockingham Dragway owner who once served as NHRA publicist has participated in every War Stories Showdown presented by CompetitionPlus.com and for the first time he’ll advance to the quarter-final round.

Earwood left no doubt as his story on rainouts and rental cars enabled him to thunder past former event finalist Roy Hill with 75.48 percent of the vote. Hill, for his part, provided an admirable challenge in the initial stages of the race with his story of kidnapped crewmen.

For the next four weeks, CompetitionPlus.com will conduct its third annual War Stories Showdown. The veterans of yarn spinning are paired for what promises to be a series destined to produce the finest behind-the-scenes stories.

Here are the rules –

Pro Stock Bike rider Angie Smith won’t have to wait until Christmas Day to open one of her finest presents.

Smith, formerly Angie McBride, will race a full NHRA Full Throttle tour aboard Karl and Kim Klement’s Buell thanks to sponsorship from Coffman Tank Trucks.

“I really excited about this,” said Smith. “This is the first opportunity I’ve ever had to race fulltime. This has been my dream and now it’s coming true. It’s probably the biggest Christmas present I’ve ever gotten.”

Billy Glidden and Bill Doner were declared first round winners and will advance to the second round of the third annual War Stories Showdown presented by CompetitionPlus.com. They will meet in the first day of quarter-final pairings scheduled for Mon., Jan. 4, 2010.

Glidden scored an 83.22 vote percentage with his story of one-upmanship with legendary basketball coach Bobby Knight and that was more than enough to get around former IHRA executive turned producer Ted Jones.