When the sixth pair of
cars in the first session establishes a provisional world record, then you know
you’re in for a special weekend. That should be quite an accomplishment in
itself – but it was a forgotten memory by the time Sunday rolled around at the
IHRA Torco Race Fuels President’s Cup Nationals hosted by Maryland International
Raceway at Budds Creek, Md.

In fact, this scenario
would be repeated eight more times before the weekend was complete.

Nevermind the
record-setting aspect of the weekend, there were legends in attendance and a
ton of money [$50,000 in purse for eight cars, thanks to Torco Race Fuels] on
the line during the course of the weekend. But indeed, Saturday night (and
afternoon) was made for fighting.

The Torco Race Fuels
President’s Cup provided the perfect culmination for a 30-year anniversary of the
mountain motor Pro Stock movement.

Second-generation racer
Cary Goforth fired the first shot by cranking out a 222.88 mile per hour speed
but Brian Gahm soon overshadowed his mark as he recorded a 223.06 trap speed
just three pairs later.

Dave
Connolly knew from an early age where he wanted to go in life. He
reached it during the second portion of the three phase NHRA Countdown
to the Championship format -- the leading Pro Stock driver in the
country.

Connolly
learned from an early age that drag racing would be an integral part of
his life growing up. He often went to drag races with his dad, Ray
Connolly, a Sportsman racer. It didn't take long to realize that Dave
wanted to follow in dad’s tire tracks. 

Dave, 24, drove Super Comp cars like his dad but took the big step to
NHRA Pro Stock competition in 2003.  And, in his fourth full season of
professional racing, Dave currently is the category’s hottest guy in
the POWERade Series championship race.  He brings an impressive
four-race win streak with him to Virginia Motorsports Park, in nearby
Dinwiddie, for his car owner/sponsor Evan Knoll’s Torco Racing Fuels
Nationals.

Interested in driving a
300 MPH Jet Dragster? Hanna Motorsports has an opportunity for you.

Current driver Jessie
Harris will vacate the seat of the BIC Lighter Queen of Diamonds dragster at
the end of the year. Prior to Harris, Jessica Willard and Aggie Hendricks were
drivers.

“We are officially on the
hunt to discover the next BIC Lighter ‘Queen of Diamonds," team owner
and longtime jet racer Al Hanna said.  “We
have chosen to contact major tracks, and ask for input in terms of a young
woman who they feel dreams of having a career in professional drag racing.

Jimmy Blackman of Rockmart,
Ga., used his starting line skills
to win the featured Outlaw 10.5 title Sunday in the Holcomb Motorsports Fall
Civil Wars pro street showdown at  Rockingham
Dragway.

 Blackman’s 1992
Pontiac Trans Am was outperformed in each of the last two elimination rounds,
but the Georgia driver compensated for
slightly slower eighth mile performance numbers with a reaction times of .030
and .008 that earned him the $10,000 top prize.

 His nearly-perfect
.008 in the final made a 4.640 second time a winner over the 4.590 posted by
Charlie Dobin of Quarryville, Pa..  Blackman’s .030 light in the semifinals
enabled him to squeak past Michael
Martin’s giant-killing Camaro even though the Virginia driver enjoyed a 4.668-4.674
performance edge.

Millican’s Triumphant Return Claims Top
Fuel Ironman at President’s Cup Nationals; Pete Berner, Mike Janis, Jack Wyatt
and Laurie Cannister also take home titles in Budds
Creek

 

There was a familiar face
back in the Winner’s Circle at Maryland International Raceway. Six-time IHRA Top
Fuel world champion Clay Millican, who raced a full schedule on the NHRA tour
this season, came to Maryland International Raceway to defend last season’s
event championship. He succeeded, knocking off current points leader T.J. Zizzo
in the final round to claim his 51st career national event Ironman.

Point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories following the Torco
Race Fuels President's Cup Nationals at Maryland International Raceway, the
tenth of 11 events in the $19.5 million 2007 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing
Series

Final round-by-round results from the Torco Race Fuels President's Cup
Nationals at Maryland International Raceway, the tenth of 11 events in the
$19.5 million 2007 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series:

TOP
FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Bruce Litton, 4.685, 287.53 def. Dave Gallegos,
9.453, 73.59; Michael Gunderson, 4.817, 296.76 def. Bobby Lagana
Jr., 4.945, 292.52; T.J. Zizzo, 4.677, 318.32 def. Jeff O'Neill,
4.745, 303.91; Clay Millican, 4.702, 308.99 def. Scotty Cannon,
4.710, 289.63;

Former IHRA Torco’s
CompetitionPlus Pro Stock world champion John Nobile knew he had an uphill
battle headed into this weekend’s Pro Stock Showdown. He’s got another
challenge in figuring out how to spend the $20,000 that he won courtesy of Evan
Knoll, Torco Race Fuels and Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Saturday evening.

Nobile ran a 6.304 elapsed
time at 221.49 miles per hour to defeat Frank Gugliotta, who drove Rick Jones’
Chevrolet Cobalt to a 6.320, 222.51.

“I couldn’t be any happier
than I am now,” said Nobile. “We knew we’d be a player, but things looked grim
after the first session and tried to piece things together after hurting the
engine. We wanted to come out here and just make things work.”

Nobile’s event started out
on a questionable note when he pulled through the gates at Maryland
International Raceway with no engine in his Ford Mustang. The Jon Kaase engine
that normally resides between the fenders of his car was damaged twice on the
dyno due to faulty parts.

Nobile said he knew just
getting to compete was a stand-alone achievement.

Wally Parks, the driving force behind the formation of NHRA, has died
at the age of 94. It was Parks’ vision, goals and unconditional
commitment to the need for speed and side-by-side racing in a safer,
more controlled environment that created what is today the world's
largest motorsports governing body.

"Today is a sad day in the world of NHRA and the sport of drag racing,"
said Tom Compton, president of NHRA. "Words simply can't describe the
immeasurable impact Wally has had on the sport he created and the
millions of people's lives he touched along the way. The name Wally
Parks is synonymous with drag racing, and his vision and direction will
guide NHRA for years to come.  Everyone in drag racing, and the
industries formed to service the sport, will forever be indebted to
Wally, his vision, his focus and his desire to create, build and grow
NHRA."