NHRA has announced the continuation of
its relationship with the American Forces Network (AFN) to deliver the
unique sights and sounds of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing to their overseas
audience.

“We are excited to offer the 2008
season of National Hot Rod Association races to our service men and
women and their families across the globe,” said Jeff White, Executive
Director of the Defense Media Center, American Forces Network.  “We
schedule the most popular sports on AFN and we thank the NHRA for
extending this opportunity to our troops and their families stationed
worldwide.”

NHRA has been notified by HD Partners Acquisition Corporation (“HD
Partners”(AMEX: HDP, HDP-U, HDP-WT) that it did not receive the
necessary number of votes to finalize the transaction announced last
May to acquire all of NHRA’s professional racing assets. 

Said Eddy Hartenstein, chairman and chief executive officer of HD
Partners: “We are very disappointed with today’s vote, given our
collective enthusiasm for NHRA and the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series.  Unfortunately, in the time since we first announced this
transaction in May of 2007, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in both
the financial markets and the perceived strength of the U.S. economy,
which we believe adversely impacted the final outcome of this
transaction.  With that said, we continue to believe that the NHRA and
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, led by Tom Compton and his
management team, are very vibrant properties with a bright future.  We
wish them all the best for continued success.”

It’s not the Ponderosa, but Larry
Morgan is justifiably proud of his 76 acres in Newark, Ohio.  There’s a farm on the spread, one that grows
corn and soy beans, and several other buildings where horsepower is the marketable
commodity. Make no mistake, Morgan is neither farmer or country hayseed.

Morgan is one of NHRA’s most
respected Pro Stock engine builders and horsepower is the focus of attention on
his acreage.  As for the farm, he leases
that to a local.

Morgan builds Mopar motors – horsepower-laden,
victory-enticing power plants built to withstand the test of high revolutions
and severe internal stress, all in less than seven seconds.  It’s a daunting task many have attempted but
few have mastered.

He leases those motors to fellow
Dodge drivers V Gaines, Johnny Gray, Max Naylor and newcomer Vinnie Deceglie,
besides bolting one in his own Dodge.

The HDP Board of Directors, as
required in SPAC transactions, approved of the proposed acquisition of NHRA’s
professional drag racing assets on May 29^th, 2006. The required
proxy solicitation statement became effective on December 24^th,
2006. The next step in the acquisition process, in accordance with Delaware law, as stated
in the HDP certificate of incorporation, and in accordance with SPAC procedure,
is to hold a Special Meeting of HDP stockholders to vote on several issues
related to this proposed acquisition. The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 AM on
January 31^st at the law offices of Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles.

Antron Brown, rookie Top Fuel driver of the David Powers-owned Matco Tools
dragster, made a lasting impression on the Top Fuel category during the six-day
preseason test session near Phoenix. The 16-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle
winner powered the Matco-backed rail to a run of 4.486 seconds Wednesday
afternoon at Firebird International Raceway.

Brown made seven test passes during
five days of testing at the Phoenix-area drag strip. Sunday’s action was washed
out due to rain showers. The 10-year NHRA pro made the necessary runs to earn
his crossover Top Fuel license on Saturday by clocking laps of 4.570 seconds at
292.58 mph and 4.582 at 296.89.

“I thought we accomplished a great
deal in testing,” Brown said. “My learning curve improved a lot. The Phoenix test session was
gratifying for my entire Matco Tools team and I’m very proud of my team. I’ve
got a great group and they’ve made this transition to Top Fuel as easy as
possible and I’m still learning every day.”

The 2008 recipients for Legion of Honor Awards were announced today by
the National Nostalgia Drag Racing Association and will be presented at
the Seventh Annual Musclecar Madness at the York Reunion car show to be
presented at the Toyota Arena, York Expo Center, York Fairgrounds on
July 11-12, 2008.
 
Legion of Honor awards will be presented on Friday, July 11th at 6 p.m.
at special ceremonies honoring twelve annual recipients.  Receiving the
prestigious awards will be Herb McCandelss, Alamance, NC; Ed Hedrick,
Washington, NC; Dave Reitz, Pasadena, MD; Jack Werst, Langhorne, PA;
Jon Lundberg, Oro Valley, AZ; Ken Montgomery, Jenkintown, PA; Joseph
McNally, Hatboro, PA; Ed Miller, Chesapeake, VA; Dale Smith
(posthumous) Oldsmobile; Ed Eaton, Boca Raton, FL; Fred Gibb
(posthumous) Laharde, IL; and Darwin Doll, York, PA.

NHRA announced that ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will continue to air 16 one-hour
shows with coverage from select NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series
national events in 2008.  In addition, the popular NHRA Sportsman
Spotlights, focusing on drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series as well as spotlights on NHRA’s member track network, will
return on Inside Drag Racing.

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will be showcased on ESPN2 and
ESPN2 HD on a taped-delay basis as part of NHRA’s exclusive
relationship with ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports. All 16
broadcasts will air on Saturday or Sunday.  The NHRA Lucas Oil Series
has a long-standing tradition of serving as a developmental arena for
the future stars of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Many of
today’s top professional drivers, including Brandon Bernstein, Gary
Scelzi, Jeg Coughlin and Ashley Force to name a few, got their start in
one of the NHRA Lucas Oil Series’ eight sportsman categories.

Tommy Johnson, Jr. has set goals for the 2008 season revolving around
his new car owner, Kenny Bernstein, and the Monster Energy Funny Car
team. 

He will begin to target those goals Feb. 7-10 at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals.

“Actually, there are two or three objectives,” confided Johnson.  “The
first is to match Kenny’s performance on the starting line.  Kenny is
the class of the field as far as driving and reaction time go and the
bar is set pretty high.  We’ve compared driving styles and mine is
different from his, but Kenny said for me to do what’s comfortable for
me rather than trying to adopt his driving style. His words were, ‘You
drive it like it’s yours.’

Here's
a reminder for race fans in the vicinity of Las Vegas Motor Speedway
this weekend. A meet-and-greet drivers' autograph session, in
conjunction with the third annual Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown, will take
place at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino on Friday, Feb. 1, from 7 p.m.
until 8 p.m. Race fans will get an opportunity to see some of the
biggest names in NHRA POWERade Drag Racing prior to the running of the
Pontiac Showdown on Saturday, and just a week before the start of the
exciting 24-race season. Warren Johnson's GM Performance Parts Pontiac
will also be on display at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino which his
located at 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89145.

Several years ago, the National Football League mandated to their professional teams that each franchise had to, on one weekend, wear the same jerseys and uniforms from an era in their past history. Several teams adopted the helmet emblems, jerseys and colors of their teams dating back to the 1930s through the 1970s. Let's suppose for a moment that same edict was passed down to the Funny Car teams in NHRA POWERade drag racing tour.

CompetitionPlus.com joined forces with up-and-coming graphic designer Greg Russell to create a few fantasy scenarios.