Motel 6, the largest corporately owned and operated budget hotel chain
in North America, has renewed its contract with the National Hot Rod
Association (NHRA), continuing to serve as the Official Motel of the
NHRA through the 2010 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season. 

“We greatly value our relationship with the NHRA and its millions of
passionate fans,” said Eric Studer, senior vice president of marketing
services for Accor North America.  “The NHRA provides us multiple
platforms to communicate with motorsports fans, including traditional
media, online communications, sales promotions and on-site access to 3
million NHRA race attendees annually.”

Bob Vandergriff, Jr. is
scratching his head trying to figure out the answer to a question that has been
bugging him for the last few races. The UPS-sponsored driver from Alpharetta, Ga., said he wants to know what it takes to
get on the event broadcasts.

Vandergriff said he
felt that he’s got all the ingredients that should garner sufficient airtime,
such as winning rounds and making the Countdown to the Championship. He said
that despite the logical qualifying factors, he feels he is being treated as an
outcast when it comes to the televison coverage.

“You have one of the
largest companies in the world on the side of our car as a sponsor and they
should want to feature that any way because it sends out a good message about
our sport,” Vandergriff said. “It’s a valuable asset within NHRA Championship
Drag Racing. The big picture is that it might inspire others to look and see UPS
involved and look into our sport. Evidently that doesn’t fit the
criteria.”

Vandergriff said the
situation came to a boil between he and the television team last weekend in
Memphis. He said
he voiced his displeasure to the television crew and then moved on. When they
came to interview him later, he said, “No way.”

Why would a driver turn
down television coverage?

...our
brave soldiers in Iraq hear about it and wear your shirt into combat
that day. They are proudly showing off their Mike Ashley Torco Race
Fuels "Fuel Doctor" shirts.

Lee McKinney sent us this photo of the 1st squadron. 2nd Stryker Cavalry regiment led by Capt. Andrew Steadman. They heading
out in the red zone on patrol with their strykers. McKinney provides security for what was once Saddam's palace.

Bob Devour has purchased L&T Clutches from John Medlen, who has owned the company for the last eight years.

The
name L&T has long been recognized in racing clutch development and
manufacturing. Founded decades ago by the late Tony Miglizzi and later
supported by his talented son Lanny, the company was always at the
forefront of clutch technology.

For the second time this 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season, Jack
Beckman and the Mail Terminal Services Dodge Funny Car team will represent their
iconic sponsor Valvoline by running a Valvoline body on the MTS/DSR Funny Car at
this weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas
Motorplex.

Beckman, who moved into second in the Countdown to Four
playoffs point standings following his runner-up finish in Memphis on Sunday,
with two races remaining to determine the final four, is a fan of all the
Valvoline products used by his team.

"I've used nothing but Valvoline in
all my own race cars since 1994," said Beckman. "I use Valvoline in my (Super
Comp) tow vehicle and in my passenger cars and have done that more than a dozen
years. And it's very easy to support a company that you feel that passionately
about their product and their people. And I'm sure that is also why more top
mechanics choose Valvoline."

For Beckman, having this competitive
advantage at the race track is just as important. "At 8000 horsepower in the
Funny Car, our Valvoline gets changed every run as the engine is torn apart. In
my passenger car I always change mine every 3000 miles."

Ron Capps led the points in Funny Car for 14 consecutive races
before the points reset for the playoff and he’s slipped back to third
place right now heading into Dallas. Ron, what’s it like to be in the
middle of this Funny Car race with only 41 points separating … this
Murderer’s Row of drag racers from third to seventh place, you have
yourself, Gary Scelzi, Tony Pedregon, Mike Ashley, and John Force?

RON CAPPS:  Yeah, it’s pretty brutal.  I was looking at the
points again and the other categories don’t seem to be as close when
you take ‑‑ everybody is bunched up from third to six within one round,
I think, something like that.  But either way, it’s close.  We’ve been
through it … the way we came down to the wire at Pomona the last few
years and Tony Schumacher’s run last year to win on the last run we
felt like we’ve been in it.  So we can take that experience.

But even being through it like we have, nothing prepares you for it. 
Once you get to the starting line, it’s we’re not like Cup drivers
where we get to go around and around and you get to make up a bad lap
the next lap.  A crew chief has one shot at getting the car to go down
the track and I think that’s really what sets our score apart.

Don Schumacher said he was
unprepared for Wednesday’s notification

Friday’s announcement that the U.S. Army was ceasing their
association with the Don Schumacher Racing Pro Stock Motorcycle team
came as a total shock on Wednesday to the racing world. Two days later
it shocked the rest of the racing community.

“The conference call on the Wednesday prior to the Memphis event, this
decision came as a total shock to me,” Schumacher said. “The last word
I had heard prior to that was that they were continuing with the
present program in place and that everything was just fine.”

In Memphis, last Friday, the racing world learned otherwise.

Schumacher’s program with the U.S. Army runs on a year-to-year basis
with a particular deadline every season. He said the advertising agency
who represents the U.S. Army account had already verbally given a
commitment within the specified time to continue for 2008. That order
was rescinded.

Fans of the Angelle Sampey and Antron Brown tandem might be forced to pick one of the two for 2008.

Steve Johnson enjoyed his best weekend of the season after advancing to
the final round on his Snap-on Tools Suzuki during this weekend past at the NHRA Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, TN.
The Alabama resident defeated Chris Rivas, Hector Arana, and Craig Treble on a
holeshot to reach the money round for the first time this season.

The 20-year racing veteran
broke in the final round against Andrew Hines to end his fantastic weekend.

But, while all might have appeared peachy on the outside -- on the inside Johnson's weekend was a tempest. 

Four-time NHRA world champion Gary Scelzi said his
team fought gremlins all weekend, but he overcame them with his third victory
of the year on Sunday. Scelzi opened the day with a holeshot victory over Gary
Densham, then went on to beat Del Worsham and Tommy Johnson Jr. to finally
square off against teammate Jack Beckman for the event title.

"Isn't it amazing what
my little Hawaiian crew chief (Todd Okuhara) can do?" Scelzi said after
his semifinal win. "He can make this short, little fat wop look pretty
good. I'm excited as hell. This Countdown is a big thing for us. We struggled a
little bit here but this car is really ready to rock and roll, we haven't
unleashed the beast yet. Something's always breaking or going wrong, we've
still got some gremlins.

"You know they got me
monitored up on ESPN2 with Dunn and Page. It's hard for me to talk without
cussing, so they took the radio out. They can't listen to me now!"

Dave Connolly has opened the Countdown to Four with back-to-back victories over
season-long dominator Greg Anderson and the young Pro Stock phenom is feeling as
confident as ever as only two races remain until the Countdown to One fields are
established.