I miss him so much.

My dad never drag raced -- never tuned a car,
either.

But he held a crucial role in the sport. He
inspired me. But I will get back to him later in this article.

One would have to be totally blind to see the
impact that fathers make on their children. The drag strip provides the perfect
opportunity for that union.

Proud fathers walk to the starting line to
witness their sons’ and daughters' heroics and vice versa. It’s a union that if I have to
explain it, you just wouldn’t understand it.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for
the Torco Racing Fuels President's Cup Nationals at Maryland
International Raceway, the fourth of 11 events in the 2008 Knoll-Gas
Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in qualifying,
which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel --
1. Bruce Litton, 4.699 seconds, 287.90 mph  vs. 4. Kevin Jones, 5.091,
232.63; 2. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.717, 312.13  vs. 5. Spencer Massey,
5.305, 193.27; 3. Mike Strasburg, 5.048, 234.37  vs. 6. Terry McMillen,
5.433, 185.23.

Rain washed out the final round of professional qualifying Saturday
evening at the Torco President’s Cup Nationals, setting the fields for
all professional fields following Saturday’s afternoon session at
Maryland International Raceway.

Defending Torco Pro Nitro Funny Car World Champion Dale Creasy Jr.
claimed his first #1 qualifying position of the season, clocking a
4.967 during Friday evening qualifying…a number that stood up when all
qualifying was said and done. Paul Lee (Wynnewood, Pa.), the winner
three weeks ago in Milan, ended up #2 on the ladder while Matt Hagan
(Christiansburg, Va.) ended up third and Todd Simpson (Ponder, Tx)
fourth to round out the top half of the ladder.

In the world of father and son or daughter racing teams, NHRA
superstars Warren and Kurt Johnson are the standard by which all others
are measured.  In the sixteen years since Kurt first joined his father
on the quarter-mile at the 1993 Winternationals in Pomona, CA, the
Georgia-based tandem have combined to be a formidable force, with 134
wins in 220 final rounds between them.  In addition, their many
accomplishments include the first father-and-son final round and 1-2
championship finish in NHRA history.

Entering next weekend’s Lucas Oil Supernationals in Englishtown, NJ,
the Johnsons continue their commitment to competitive excellence. 
Kurt’s ACDelco Cobalt Racing team leads the Pro Stock championship
standings following their second win of 2008 while WJ’s GM Performance
Parts GXP crew sits in the tenth position coming off their best showing
of the season.  As the POWERade Drag Racing Series takes time off for
Father’s Day weekend, the talented tandem took time to answer a few
questions about working together on and off the racetrack.

Results Friday after qualifying for the Torco Racing Fuels
President's Cup Nationals at Maryland International Raceway, fourth of
11 events in the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. 
Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Bruce Litton, 4.699 seconds, 287.90 mph; 2.
Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.717, 312.13; 3. Mike Strasburg, 5.048, 234.37; 4.
Terry McMillen, 9.840, 91.07; 5. Spencer Massey, 9.995, 72.70.

Eight competitors will have the opportunity to double up in the win
column July 4-5, when the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL)
presented by the National Guard visits Motor Mile Dragway in Radford,
Virginia, for the 2nd annual Shelor Motor Mile Independence Drags.

Heavy rain washed out the ADRL’s national event at Knoll Gas
Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan last weekend before the final
round for all four professional classes could be completed. A lightning
strike also damaged the track’s starting-line tree, prompting ADRL
President Kenny Nowling to quite literally take matters into his own
hands with arm-drop start signals throughout eliminations from the
second round on.

“Sometimes you just have to do whatever it takes,” Nowling said of what
one team quickly dubbed the Arm Drop Racing League (ADRL). “We had fans
in the stands expecting a race, teams that had towed more than a
thousand miles just to get there and a method available—though I’ll
admit it was a little unusual—to get the job done. Plus, with the
points and purse distributed equally among those racers remaining it
took a lot of the pressure off and I think most who took part had a lot
of fun. I know I did; it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a
drag strip.”

Bruce Litton on Top of Provisional Top Fuel Field at IHRA President’s Cup Nationals

Dale Creasy Jr. (Nitro Funny Car), Tommy D’Aprile (Pro
Modified), Larry Dobbs (Alcohol Funny Car) and Jeff Dobbins (Pro Stock)
also claim provisional #1 qualifier spots Friday at Maryland
International Raceway

Fresh
off his win at the Motor City Nationals in May, defending IHRA Top Fuel
World Champion Bruce Litton thundered to the top of the provisional
qualifying sheet in the Torco Pro Nitro Top Fuel class, carding a 4.699
at 287.90 mph at the President’s Cup Nationals in Budds Creek. Litton
made a clean pass right down the groove at Maryland International
Raceway to move to the top of the sheet heading into Saturday’s two
qualifying sessions.

Pro Modifed pioneer Charles Carpenter is heading to Farmington Dragway
this weekend with consistent performance from his brand new ’55 Chevy
on his mind.

“The car ran really well right out of the box,” said Carpenter. “In
this day and age of ultra-lightweight cars, huge motors, and new
technology, just getting a car together and and on the track is a feat.
To go out and run well in your first outing is sort of in the back of
your mind, whereas making sure everything works is the main priority.”

Carpenter will return to the same place he debuted the car, which
should aid in gathering the data that is crucial to consistent success
on the track.

Outlaw 10.5 racers of all
models, brands & types will find out who their daddy is at the Battle of
the Brands race to be held in conjunction with Fun Ford Weekend at Atlanta
Dragway in Commerce, GA June 14-15th, 2008. Up for grabs will be a
$20,000 to win top prize with another $5,000 going to the runner-up, which will
make this the richest Outlaw 10.5 event announced thus far in 2008.

Cacklefest is the sweetest sight and sound in the world for car folks: 30 or
more vintage dragsters fire up and "cackle" 10 gallons of nitromethane fuel in
less than five minutes. The sound of that exploding nitro will be music to the
ears of thousands of fans at Beech Bend Park Raceway, Bowling Green, Ky. on
Saturday night, June 14, as Cacklefest once again roars at the 6th annual Holley
NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion. The 3-day Reunion runs from June 13-15.

"A
Cacklefest is like a barely controlled atomic bomb," said Greg Sharp, curator of
the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, producers of the Reunion and the man
who coined the term back in 2000. "That exploding nitro cracks like a gun shot
and shoots header flames into the night sky. It's a sight to behold and people
love it," said Sharp.

Among drag racing fans, Cacklefest is now a common
word - there's even a www.cacklefest.com.  This year, according to Sharp, more
than 30 cars will push-start their early-style front-engine dragsters like they
did in the 1950s and '60s, then line then up down the center of the drag strip
at Beech Bend with the headers glowing and the motors running or 'cackling.'