Roger Richards, Director of Photography for Torco's
CompetitionPlus.com, is under the weather this weekend. The tireless
lensman for this publication since 1999, suffered a stroke earlier in
the week and has been hospitalized for the past few days.

Roger is itching to get back to the races and refuses to set his laptop aside as long as a race is going on.

With that said, get well wishes can be sent to GET WELL ROGER .

"Fast" Jack Beckman, who so far this season in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series has driven the Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to two
victories in three final rounds and is third in the Countdown to Four
championship playoffs, will be honored this Saturday in downtown Cumberland,
Maryland.

En route to the Oct. 5-7 weekend's final event of the Countdown
to Four - the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals outside of Richmond, Va. -
Beckman, with wife Jenna and son Jason Russell, will visit his father Bob's
hometown, where he is expected to receive a proclamation from Mayor Lee Fiedler.
He will also be appointed an honorary citizen of Cumberland.

"'Fast' Jack
Beckman Recognition Day" will be held at the City's Town Center from 4-8 p.m. on
Oct. 6 and will include a display of competition and specialty automotive
vehicles.

"My uncle Ted (Beckman) must have been the hub in this whole
thing," said Beckman. "I think it was supposed to be a surprise initially, but
because our travel plans had changed, he had to make sure that I would be
available.

Torco Racing Fuels will be among
the more than 2,000 manufacturers showcasing new and innovative products at the
upcoming Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Nevada,
October 30 – November 2, 2007.

The SEMA show is the only one of
its kind, featuring thousands of products that make it possible for drivers to
personalize and enhance their vehicle’s appearance, performance, comfort,
convenience, safety and fun. 

“The SEMA Show is a virtual
playground for industry enthusiasts,” said Janna Beebe-Price, Chief Marketing
Officer of Torco Racing Fuels.  “We’re
certainly no stranger to the marketplace, it seemed only natural for Torco to
get involved this year.”

Roy Hill epitomized the spirit of the Southern born and bred Pro Stock driver to the point he carried the nickname “Hillbilly.”

Hill, of Sophia, NC, was proud of his heritage and most of his
background was closely tied to the NASCAR community, before the
roundy-round sanctioning body became the 800-pound gorilla. It wasn’t
hard to see a Hill Mopar in those early days – they sported Petty Blue
and orange paint schemes.

Hill never won a world championship drag racing, but came close on many occasions. He raced IHRA Pro Stock from Day One in 1971.

Hill is credited with 33 final round appearances, 26 of which came
after the IHRA converted to the mountain motor format in 1977. He was a
player in the new format from the first race reaching the finals four
times and winning twice.

If Lee Shepherd hadn’t lost his life in a testing accident in March of
1985, there’s no doubt he would have rewritten virtually every Pro
Stock standard.

Shepherd was the soft-spoken fan favorite driver for the popular Reher
& Morrison team out of Arlington, Texas. When the NHRA adopted
their 500-inch format, it made crossover feasible for Shepherd and the
team.

IHRA Pro Stock was never the same after the 1982 season.

In just three seasons, Shepherd drove his way to nine victories in
thirteen finals. He joined a select few drivers who were able to win
championships under the IHRA and NHRA sanction simultaneously.

Shepherd added a second “double-up” championship in 1984.

“Racing the IHRA’s mountain motor program was a lot of fun,” said
Reher. “The IHRA people and Winston were always good to us in those
days. There were a lot of dedicated drivers running in the IHRA back in
those days.”

Torco Racing Fuels announced
today the launch of their year end Fueling the Sportsman Contest, starting just
in time for the Torco Racing Fuels President’s Cup at the Maryland
International Raceway, Mechanicsville, Md., September 28 – 30.

The winner of the Fueling the
Sportsman Contest will be given the option of one barrel of Torco Mach Series
110 or $200 cold hard cash.  The contest
will continue until the end of the 2007 racing season, but rumor has it that
Torco officials are in the planning stages for a 2008 Sportsman Appreciation
Contest to run the entire 2008 race season. 

Doug Kirk just can’t forget the moment. He and his dad, Carl, had just
boarded a plane for Charlotte, NC, the closest airport to Rockingham
Dragway.

The elder Kirk, a former member of Gil Kirk’s Rod Shop team, told his
son, “I guess we’ll find out this weekend if we need to invest any more
money in this Pro Stock thing.”

Doug Kirk was on his way to the “Rock” to drive for Roy Hill, who was
unable to drive for the remainder of the 1987 season for personal
reasons. When he looked for a replacement, he chose a driver with only
one race under his belt.

Not only did Doug Kirk qualify Hill’s Penny Family Thunderbird at the
U.S. Open Nationals, but he also drove his way into the final round and
stopped the seemingly unbeatable Rickie Smith.

According to the
Associated Press, federal bribery charges against former Spokane Raceway
Park operator Orville Moe
have been dismissed by Judge Edward F. Shea. The former mayor that was accused
of bribing pleaded guilty to taking a bribe.

Moe’s government case was
dismantled in two steps before reaching a U.S. District Court jury could hear
the closing arguments regarding a $109,000 loan to former mayor of Airway Heights, WA.
Dale Perry.