Marie
Ferriolo poses with friend Scott Siesing, team member for Frank Manzo,
proudly displaying her NHRA Member sticker on her cap she wore during
her graduation ceremony from Seton Hall University, School of Graduate
Medical Education, where she received a Master of Science in
Speech-Language Pathology.  Marie, daughter of Barry and Bonnie
Ferriolo, owners of the Central Metals Division One Top Alcohol Funny
Car, also recently earned her Super Comp license.

Tim Wilkerson knew the kid could handle driving an 8,000-horse nitro Funny Car, but he just had to see it

Somewhere in the photo you will see a smiling Tim Wilkerson. (Roger Richards Photos)

for himself. The kid was Wilkerson’s 21-year old son Dan, who was
making his professional drag racing debut in the same nitro Funny Car
which leads the NHRA championship standings.

Dan drove to a provisional IHRA world record on his maiden nitro voyage with a 4.831 elapsed time at 316.01 miles per hour.

“I knew he was capable of showing me up,” Wilkerson said. “We didn’t
get after it as much as we could have. He got out of the groove a
little bit but he can see really well out of the car.”

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
Motor City Nationals presented by GM Performance Division &
Heritage Newspapers at Milan Dragway, the third 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. Scott Palmer, 4.597 seconds, 317.49 mph 
vs. 5. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.716, 290.13; 2. Bruce Litton, 4.620, 322.27 
vs. 6. T.J. Zizzo, 4.740, 272.06; 3. Mike Strasburg, 4.647, 327.43  vs.
7. Kevin Jones, 4.833, 282.36; 4. Spencer Massey, 4.715, 307.51  vs. 8.
Chris Karamesines, 5.052, 289.14.

Dan Wilkerson #1 Nitro Funny Car Qualifier at Motor City Nationals

Scott Palmer (Top Fuel), Kenny Lang (Pro Modified), Dale Brand
(Alcohol Funny Car) and Jeff Dobbins (Pro Stock) set the pace at Milan
Dragway

Young Dan Wilkerson leads the Funny Cars into eliminations.

Dan Wilkerson (Springfield, Ill.) has made quite a splash in his Nitro
Funny Car debut. The son of current NHRA Nitro Funny Car points leader
Tim Wilkerson set a provisional IHRA world record during Friday’s
qualifying session with a 4.831 pass at 316.01 mph.  Despite failing to
back up the record, Wilkerson held on to the #1 qualifying spot heading
into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Wilkerson had no idea he had the provisional record in his pocket when
he made his Saturday qualifying hits. His Levi, Ray & Shoup ’07
Impala, the same car his father drives in NHRA competition, went into
tire shake at about the 100-foot mark in his Saturday qualifying pass.

Thousands of race fans paraded through the John Force Racing East shop
today during the 2nd annual Brownsburg Motorsports Network Open House.
For over four hours people steadily walked through the doors and got to
see first hand the tools of the trade that have garnered John Force
fourteen POWERade Funny Car World Championships and his team 176 NHRA
national event wins.

The tour led fans through the machine shop where they were able to see
the numerous MAG Fadal machines that craft so many of Team Force’s
components. They also saw the paint shop where eye-catching designs are
applied to the four JFR Ford Mustangs. Three of Force’s 8,000 hp Ford
Mustangs were on display arranged in a true race day configuration
complete with open transports. Finally, the tour culminated for many
fans with an emotional exit through The Eric Medlen Tribute Room.

Zizzo loses a tire as he goes through the lights.  (Roger Richards)

Top Fuel driver T.J. Zizzo walked away from a high speed accident during Saturday’s first qualifying

The end result of Zizzo's engine explosion. (Brian Wood)

session.
An engine explosion reportedly sent shrapnel into his one-run old left
Goodyear tire puncturing it and forcing him over into the wall.

“I didn’t even have enough time to get scared,” Zizzo said. “I was
talking to my crew while I was sliding down the track. This was my
first accident in 17 years of racing.”

The parts were flying and the flames were flying during Top Fuel qualifying at the NHRA Motor City Nationals in Milan, Michigan. Our Roger Richards has two graphic examples.

Pro Mod racer Steve Engel knows exactly what turned his season around and
allowed him to win the eighth annual O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals on
May 18th, but he isn't willing to divulge any information.

No, it's not
some elaborate tune-up or chassis setting he doesn't want to share with his
rivals. It's something a little less significant. "It's almost embarrassing to
be honest," he said. "Let's put it this way -- some times you can over-think
these things and make the simplest of problems a big deal. I'd say we fall into
that category."

These pictures were taken just days ago of the forthcoming zMax Dragway
@ Concord on the grounds of Lowe's Motor Speedway outside of Charlotte,
NC. The inaugural
NHRA Carolinas Nationals will take place Sept. 11-14 and will serve as
the first of six races in the final phase of the Countdown to the
Championship.

Every time the stars and cars of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing
League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard take to the track they
deliver “Adrenaline on Asphalt” and now a double shot of adrenaline is
also available over the Internet. Just one day after the debut of the
online version of official ADRL publication Adrenaline: The Magazine,
the second installment of Adrenaline: The Series, the ADRL’s official
one-hour video show, became available for online viewing or downloads.

“When we rolled out Adrenaline: The Series last month we weren’t quite
sure what to expect, but the response has been nothing but positive,”
ADRL Vice President of Communications Ian Tocher said. “I’ve heard from
so many racers and fans who said they loved the content and appreciated
the flexibility to sit down and watch the show whenever they liked,
whether all at once or in segments as they found the time.”