Despite two NHRA POWERade Funny Car championships on his resume
including last year's title, Chevy Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon has
an elusive jewel missing from his crown - a victory at NHRA's premier
race on the schedule, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The driver of the Q
Horsepower Chevy Impala SS looks to remedy that when teams invade
O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis for the 54th annual Mac Tools
U.S. Nationals on Aug. 27-Sept. 1. The 43-year-old Pedregon was
runner-up at Indy in 2001 and won the $100,000 U.S. Smokeless Showdown
in 2003. With a win (Brainerd) and two semifinal appearances in the
last four races, Pedregon is as confident as ever that this year he can
add U.S. Nationals champion next to his name.

Recently, Chevrolet public relations specialist Jeff Romack spoke with Pedregon.

Jenkins legs to early lead and potential world record at ADRL Ohio Drags …

While
his fellow Awesome/Al Anabi teammate was halfway across the country
competing in Tulsa, Pro Nitrous icon Shannon Jenkins sprinted to
one-half of a new ADRL Pro Nitrous speed world record during first day
qualifying at the ADRL Gatorz Eyewear Ohio Drags in Norwalk, Oh

Jenkins, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., recorded the provisional No 1 qualifying
position with a 3.925 elapsed time and claimed early dibs on the record
with a 191.35 mile per hour speed. He will be required to run within
one-percent for an official record per standard drag racing rules.

One driver transported to local hospital for observation...

Anthony Prestamo crashes the former Witchdoctor Nova Pro Modified car.

Three different racing accidents during the first day of
qualifying at the ADRL Ohio Drags in Norwalk, Ohio, sent one driver to
the hospital and the other two scurrying to the pits to make necessary
repairs.

Pro Extreme racer Larry Higgingbottham, destroyed his beautiful 1957
Chevy when tire shake sent his doorslammer from the right lane into the
left lane, missing opponent Frankie Taylor and impacting Summit Racing
Equipment Motorsports Park’s [SREMP] left retaining wall. The force of
the impact sent the car back into the right lane where he hit the right
side wall head-on.

The special-edition Castrol GTX Ford Mustang in which Ashley Force this
week will try to become the first woman to win a Funny Car title at the
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the world's oldest, largest, and most
prestigious drag racing event, definitely is pretty in pink.

Nevertheless, rivals aren't likely to be fooled by the distinctive
paint that celebrates the 25-year-old's 2007 rookie-of-the-year season.

That's because they know that beneath the feminine facade beats the
mechanical heart of one of the world's most potent race cars, one in
which Force not only became the first woman in drag racing history to
win an NHRA Funny Car race, but also the first to reach a final round,
the first to lead the points, and the first to earn a starting berth in
NHRA's Countdown to 1.

The graduate of Cal State, Fullerton picked the color for the car. For
her, it recalls an era of empowerment for women in drag racing, an era
in which Shirley Muldowney's hot pink Top Fuel dragster shook the very
foundation of the sport.

Don Schumacher has signed XXX Racing Fuels as associate sponsor on the
Schumacher Electric Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle ridden by Chip Ellis
for the remainder of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series,
beginning at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend.

XXX Racing Fuels comes on board with Don Schumacher Racing in an
attempt to raise awareness of the XXX non-leaded high-performance fuels
it has created that produce virtually no carbon emissions. The
company's goal is to make XXX Racing Fuels the first "green" racing
fuel in the NHRA, beginning in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class in future
years.
 
"By joining DSR we hope to brand XXX Racing Fuels in the NHRA and other
racing venues as well," explained Thomas Goss, CEO and co-creator of
XXX Racing Fuels. "We're extremely excited to join up with DSR and Chip
Ellis. We enjoy Pro Stock Motorcycle racing, Chip Ellis is a great
rider and a good friend, and we're happy to support his and DSR's
racing efforts."

Ron Capps, driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car in
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, will be on hand at the 22nd
Goodguys West Coast Nationals this weekend at the Alameda County
Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif., making an appearance on Saturday,
Aug. 23, to sign autographs throughout the day in the NAPA AUTO PARTS
booth.

Currently No. 8 in the NHRA Funny Car standings, having clinched a
berth in the Countdown to 1 playoffs, which begin following the U.S.
Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend, Capps is looking
forward to returning to his home area this weekend. “It’s going to be
fun coming to Goodguys in Pleasanton,” he said. “I grew up in the Bay
Area and I love coming to this event. For hot-rodders it’s like their
U.S. Nationals or Super Bowl. And I’m a big hot-rod fan. I love driving
my Brizio-built Hot Rod coupe whenever I get a chance.”

Terry McMillen Sizzles at Sooner Nationals

Claims provisional pole with 4.692 at 308.99 mph; Matt Hagan (Nitro
Funny Car, Jim Halsey (Pro Modified), Dale Brand (Alcohol Funny Car)
and Cary Goforth (Pro Stock) also lead provisional qualifying at Tulsa
Raceway Park

Before
the Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Top Fuel driver Terry
McMillen, an Elkhart, Ind. resident,  made an addition to his crew. He
brought veteran tuner Doug Kuch into the Hoosier Thunder Motorsports
fold, a move that has made all the difference.

McMillen captured the Ironman in Grand Bend, moving from on the fringe
of the Top Fuel championship points chase directly into the middle of
it. He followed that up with a final-round showing at the Torco
Northern Nationals three weeks ago, where Spencer Massey ended his
quest for a second straight national event victory. Though he fell
short in the final round, McMillen did move to within 140 points of
front-running Massey in the 2008 points chase.

The Ken Black Pro Stock team sponsored
by Summit Racing Equipment will field a third car during at the least
the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. This car is designed to be a
team research and development entity and will be supported by the
Wilson Manifolds team and driven by IHRA Pro Stock standout Rob
Mansfield.

The third Pontiac Pro Stocker will carry the Summit Racing Equipment
livery. The car will be campaigned by KB’s induction specialists Wilson
Manifolds of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with who they've enjoyed an exclusive arrangement since the team’s inception.

Today's classic You Tube video moment features a crash compilation from Diamond P's Decade of Thrills video,
you will see classic clips of Mr. Conrad Kalitta "up-on-the-tires" moments and even a rare Richard Tharp sighting.

Terry Haddock knew a break was all he needed. Lately, the current IHRA Funny Car driver has been getting more of them than he ever imagined possible.

This weekend during the IHRA Sooner Nationals in Tulsa, Ok. he debuts
his newly decorated Lend America Chevy Monte Carlo as he attempts to
hold on to his dream of winning the world championship.

"Having Lend America come on board right now has given us all a great
boost," Haddock explained. "Mike Ashley [Lend America VP and Chief
Business Strategist] knows how important focus is when you're trying to
win a championship, and with his sponsorship and the support of others
like Dean's Casing Service who is stepping up for this Tulsa race, we
can rest assured that we won't have little things like blower belts and
couplings nagging at us.”