2009 IHRA BATON ROUGE - SAME DAY COVERAGE

For the first time since the IHRA was founded in 1971, the sanctioning body will begin its season at Sate Capitol Dragway in Baton Rouge, La. This won't be the first time the IHRA has been to the famed facility but it promises to be the quickest and fastest ever.


		POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

EVENT FINAL -

Litton claims Top Fuel Ironman

No. 1 qualifiers Commisso, Collins win Pro Mod, Pro Stock Ironman tropies.

What started out as a bit of a gloomy morning turned into a marvelous day of racing as Bruce Litton, Ray Commisso and Jason Collins claimed Ironman trophies during Belle of Baton Rouge Championship Sunday at the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge.

Litton (Indianapolis, In) topped Bobby Lagana Jr. in one of the best races of the weekend in the Top Fuel championship as Litton lit the win light with a 4.875 second pass at 284.93 mph to best Lagana’s 4.964 second time at 249.53 mph.

“Anytime you race a track that you don’t have any data to you kind of tip-toe through it. Friday night we tried to rotate the earth and it got out of our realm a little bit and we came back and got back to where we thought we could get down the track and it went down every time,” Litton said. “That is a tribute to Richard Hartman and all the guys on the team. It’s not a one man deal; I am just the guy that gets to drive it.”

And what a weekend it was for Litton who qualified No. 2 on his way to his 14th Ironman.
“I feel like I have lived here for a month. We had absolutely no data about this place except that my crew chief Richard Hartman at the Cajun Nationals in 1990 drove a Nitro Funny Car and he was in the finals against John Force and he lost in a slight hole shot and this is a race he wanted to win,” Litton added. “This track owed him 19 years ago and you don’t forget losses like that. It was just a great weekend all around for the whole Lucas Oil team.”

Lagana reached the finals by knocking off No. 1 qualifier Del Cox Jr. (Downey, Ca) in the semi-finals in a pedal fest at the far end of the track. Both cars started smoking the tires at the 1,000 ft. mark, but it was Lagana that was able to stay in it for the win light on a 5.085 run at 233.92 mph. The run ended a nice weekend for the rookie who took the pole in his first ever weekend of IHRA Top Fuel racing.

Litton knocked off Paul Lee (Anaheim Hill, Ca) in the semi-finals in a great drag race. Lee pushed Litton the length of the track, but it was Litton that lit the bulb on a 4.820 time at 299.66 mph.

In the quarters it was Cox over Tim Boychuk, Lagana over Terry McMillen, Litton over Mitch King and Lee over Terry Haddock.

In Pro Modified Raymond Commisso (Toronto, Ont) continued his incredible weekend with an Ironman victory over Tommy Gray (Baltimore, Md) with a 5.955 second pass at 244.83 mph over Gray’s 6.105 at 237.42 mph run.

“Every round you are trying to do your best and we just kept getting better every time,” Commisso said. “We didn’t have any computer so it was a bit of a crapshoot, but we rolled the dice three times in a row and it worked out in our favor for once.”

In the first two days of qualifying Commisso not only managed to grab the top qualifying spot, but also set an IHRA World Speed Record in the process at 246.08 mph. Add in an Ironman trophy and the Mardi Gras Nationals made for one incredible weekend for the Toronto native.

“Any racers’ dream is to qualify No. 1 and win the race and we have qualified No. 1 at a lot of races and this time we were able to close the deal,” Commisso said. “We set the speed record, we backed it up and we won the race going even faster E.T. wise and the car just kept going faster and faster all weekend. The funny thing is the last two rounds we didn’t have any data, our computer decided to pack it in, so it was basically a crapshoot.

“The one person I have to commend is Al Billis. Al is the god of drag racing. He knows how to get the car down the track and we certainly did that this weekend.”
In the Pro Modified semi-finals Gray got the free pass to the final round while Commisso had put in a little extra work to advance. Commisso battled Ed Hoover (Gilbert, SC) in an excellent drag race with Commisso continuing his hot weekend with a time of 5.984 at 243.15 mph to edge Hoover (6.156, 207.05).

Commisso came into the semis already holding the new IHRA World Speed Record he used that momentum to carry him through the ladder.

In the quarters it was Commisso over Taylor Lastor, Hoover over Danny Rowe and Gray over hometown-favorite and Baton Rouge native Harold Laird.

Jason Collins wrapped up the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock Ironman with a similar weekend to Commisso, taking the pole on Friday en route to a clean run through the elimination ladder.

Collins claimed the victory with a pass of 6.354 at 221.16 mph in the finals against John Montecalvo who turned in a time of 6.365 at 221.84 mph.

“We had transmission trouble and we worked and worked on it and we thought we had it fixed for the third round and we just got really lucky,” Collins said. “The guy we ran had trouble and we were able to get by in that round. For the final we managed to get a transmission from Team Aruba and we put it in and things went well from there. I think we were a little too soft in the finals, but we were just trying to get down the racetrack.

“You can go from hero to zero in no time in this class. We are going to go to the next race and go out and try to win it and we will let the chips fall as they may.”
One of the most competitive classes of the weekend came in the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock ranks as nearly every run down the track went to the wire.

Collins reached the PS finals with a win over Mark Martino (Stoney Creek, Ont), one of the weekend’s big surprises. But Martino’s nice weekend came to a close in the semis as he simply never got going and Collins cruised to the win on a 6.536 at 214.01 mph.

Montecalvo defeated Cary Goforth (Holdenville, Ok) in semi-finals when Goforth red-lighted. Montecalvo ran a 6.355 at 221.49 mph.

In the quarters it was Martino over Cale Aronson, Goforth over Frank Gugliotta and Montecalvo in an upset victory over defending Pro Stock world champion and No. 2 qualifier Pete Berner.

With so many cars on hand over the weekend trying to turn the win light, the IHRA needed to add an extra class to the already packed lineup and that class was Outlaw Pro Modified – and it didn’t disappoint.

Opelousas, Louisiana native Bill Doucet came away with the win in the Outlaw class, edging another Louisiana product in Joseph Palmisand (Abita Springs) in the final with a pass of 4.111 at 189.42 mph in the eighth mile.

Doucet reached the finals with a win over Shawn Davis (Lake Charles, La) with a pass of 4.822 at 128.24 mph and Palmisand defeated Danny Rowe (Laguna Hills, Ca) with a pass of 4.290 at 170.51 mph.

In Sportsmen action Gary Bingham (Kings Mountain, NC) claimed the Top Sportsman championship with a win over Chris Gulitti (Tomball, Tx), Chris Bermond (Bay St. Louis, Ms) won the Top Dragster championship with a win over Nick Folk (Durand, Il), Slate
Cummings (Hammond, La) won the Super Stock championship with a win over Mark Faul (Tacoma, Wa), Slate Cummings won the Stock championship with a win over Jarrod Granier (Labadieville, La), Luke Bogacki (Woodville, Al) won the Quick Rod championship with a win over Robert Cool (Laplace, La), Ben Massey (Bedford, Tx) won the Super Rod championship with a win over Jimmy Lewis (Forney, Tx) and Jay Bunce (Oklahoma City, Ok) won the Hot Rod championship with a win over Ray Dew (League City, Tx).

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FINAL QUALIFYING -

Commisso sets IHRA World Speed Record, takes Pro Mod pole; Cox tops Top Fuel list, Collins No. 1 in PS

Welcome back to Louisiana.

After a nearly 20 year absence from the area, professional drag racing finally made its return to Louisiana and did so with tremendous results as fans packed the stands for one of the biggest shows in IHRA history during Saturday’s “Night of Fire” at the Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway.

Under a blue sky and with perfect temperatures, Saturday’s excitement got started early when Pro Mod ace Ray Commisso (Toronto, Ont) set a new IHRA World Speed Record with a run of 246.08 mph during the third round of pro qualifying during the afternoon session – and the action just continued to heat up from there.

“We have actually been faster than that and we are hoping we can just keep getting faster,” Commisso said. “This is a new car we have here and I think we still have some more in store for the speed record.”

LSU head football coach Les Miles brought the capacity crowd to its feet during the evening ceremonies and the rest of the schedule did not disappoint.

Top Fuel made the most noise – literally and figuratively – during Saturday’s festivities as rookie Del Cox Jr. (Downey, Ca) set the pole for Sunday’s final eliminations with a run of 4.712 at 314.83 mph. driving the car that won the Top Fuel championship last season with Spencer Massey at the helm.

“I can’t complain, No. 1 qualifier at our first race out. It started with Paul Smith tuning it and everything took off from there,” Cox said. “This is the championship car from last year and I am just happy to be able to drive it.”

Cox was followed by Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, In) who took the runner-up qualifying position with a pass of 4.723 at 306.88 mph, good enough to claim Saturday’s Top Fuel “Last Man Standing” award going to the fastest car during the “Night of Fire” qualifying session. Terry Haddock (Woodinville, Wa) qualified third for Sunday’s eliminations (4.768, 302.41 mph).

Commisso was the biggest story of the night, setting a new world record while also claiming the Pro Mod pole and “Last Man Standing” with a pass of 5.970 at 246.08 mph.

“Last night’s qualifier was a nice clean run for us in our second full run in this car,” Commisso said. “This afternoon we had some heat in the track and we were just able to do a bit more.”

Tommy Gray (Baltimore, Md) took second in Pro Modified during the evening session with a pass of 6.011 at 240.94 mph and Ed Hoover (Gilbert, S.C) will start third (6.015, 238.93 mph).

Pro Stock was headlined by Jason Collins (Rainbow City, Al) who took the pole with a pass of 6.294 at 222.03 mph during Friday’s opening rounds of qualifying. Pete Berner (Crete, Il) will start second for Sunday’s eliminations with a pass of 6.306 at 220.33 mph while also claiming the Pro Stock “Last Man Standing.” Frank Gugliotta (Mt. Airy, Md) qualified third (6.317, 221.31 mph).

Sunday’s action will get underway at 9 a.m. with final eliminations set to begin at 4 p.m.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway, the first of 10 events in the 2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Del Cox Jr, 4.712 seconds, 314.83 mph vs. 8. Tim Boychuk, 5.040, 244.87; 2. Bruce Litton, 4.723, 306.88 vs. 7. Mitch King, 4.900, 283.91; 3. Terry Haddock, 4.768, 302.41 vs. 6. Paul Lee, 4.897, 291.45; 4. Terry McMillen, 4.863, 305.63 vs. 5. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.875, 282.48.

Pro Modified -- 1. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.970, 246.08 vs. Bye; 2. Tommy Gray, Camaro, 6.011, 240.94 vs. 11. Harold Martin, Martin M 4, 8.257, 120.89; 3. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.015, 238.93 vs. 10. Al Suggs Jr., Chevy S-10, 7.404, 195.56; 4. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 6.018, 240.12 vs. 9. Earl Folse, Camaro, 6.395, 220.19; 5. Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 6.071, 242.28 vs. 8. Harold Laird, Corvette, 6.374, 222.69; 6. Roger Burgess, Camaro, 6.116, 237.25 vs. 7. Taylor Lastor, Camaro, 6.189, 232.79.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Collins, Chevy Cobalt, 6.294, 222.03 vs. 14. Scott Hintz, Ford Mustang, 6.644, 217.91; 2. Pete Berner, Pontiac GXP, 6.306, 221.49 vs. 13. Trevor Eman, Ford Escort, 6.396, 219.94; 3. Frank Gugliotta, GXP, 6.317, 221.67 vs. 12. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO, 6.395, 221.31; 4. Mark Martino, Cobalt, 6.338, 222.77 vs. 11. Bob Bertsch, Mustang, 6.395, 220.69; 5. JR Carr, GXP, 6.340, 221.05 vs. 10. Cale Aronson, Escort, 6.394, 218.76; 6. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.351, 221.02 vs. 9. Dean Goforth, GXP, 6.366, 220.73; 7. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.353, 221.13 vs. 8. Richard Freeman, GXP, 6.353, 219.29.

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SATURDAY - COMMISSO ESTABLISHES NEW PRO MOD SPEED RECORD

Ray Commisso made his run really count during the third round of qualifying Saturday with a new IHRA Pro Modified World Speed Record of 246.08 mph to take the provisional pole after three rounds at the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge.

Commisso's speed accompanied a 5.970 second time to claim the pole after three Rounds of IHRA Pro Modified qualifying. His record-setting run came following a 245.09 mph run Friday night during Round 2 of qualifying.

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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - TRACK RECORDS FALL ON OPENING NIGHT

Del Cox Jr. sets provisional Top Fuel pole Friday night; Commisso, Collins top Pro Mod, Pro Stock

Del Cox Jr. topped the charts Friday night in Top Fuel qualifying for the opening night the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge.

Cox (Downey, Ca.) made a 4.712 run at 314.83 mph to hold off 2008 IHRA Nitro Funny Car Champion Terry Haddock (Woodinville, Wa.) who set his personal best Top Fuel E.T. and speed with 4.768, 302.41 mph pass.

Ray Commisso (Toronto, Ont.) took home the Ironman in Pro Modified with a record-challenging 5.993 pass at 245.09 mph. Ed Hoover (Gilbert, SC) was second with a 6.049 run at 237.88 mph.

Pro Stock driver Jason Collins (Rainbow City, Al.) was the Ironman in his class, making a 6.294 second pass at 222.03 mph. Pete Berner (Crete, Il.) was second after two rounds at 6.348, 220.84 mph.

The final two rounds of qualifying for the Mardi Gras Nationals will be held Saturday followed by eliminations on Sunday.

Results Friday after qualifying for the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway, first of 10 events in the 2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Del Cox Jr, 4.712 seconds, 314.83 mph; 2. Terry Haddock, 4.768, 302.41; 3. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.875, 282.48; 4. Terry McMillen, 4.896, 301.40; 5. Tim Boychuk, 5.040, 244.87; 6. Mitch King, 5.296, 218.27; 7. Paul Lee, 5.327, 232.43; 8. Bruce Litton, 7.290, 116.25. Not Qualified: 9. Todd Simpson, 9.600, 90.15; 10. Chris Karamesines, 11.827, 64.92.

Pro Modified -- 1. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.993, 245.09; 2. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.049, 237.88; 3. Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 6.071, 242.28; 4. Roger Burgess, Camaro, 6.116, 237.25; 5. Earl Folse, Camaro, 6.395, 220.19; 6. Taylor Lastor, Camaro, 6.528, 163.95; 7. Harold Laird, Corvette, 6.843, 163.87; 8. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 7.620, 128.53; 9. Tommy Gray, Camaro, 7.855, 115.81; 10. Al Suggs Jr., Chevy S-10, 9.530, 101.94.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Collins, Chevy Cobalt, 6.294, 222.03; 2. Pete Berner, Pontiac GXP, 6.348, 220.84; 3. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.351, 221.02; 4. Bob Bertsch, Ford Mustang, 6.407, 220.69; 5. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO, 6.412, 221.31; 6. Trevor Eman, Ford Escort, 6.422, 219.22; 7. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.462, 220.91; 8. Richard Freeman, GXP, 6.564, 212.90; 9. Mark Martino, Cobalt, 6.628, 214.11; 10. Cale Aronson, Escort, 6.906, 170.21; 11. Frank Gugliotta, GXP, 6.941, 148.82; 12. Dean Goforth, GXP, 7.346, 145.25; 13. Scott Hintz, Mustang, 8.063, 123.16; 14. JR Carr, GXP, 8.397, 143.84.

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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK -GETTING READY FOR THE MARDI GRAS NATIONALS

REMEMBERING 1989 - Former IHRA President Ted Jones knows a thing or two about survival.

Two decades ago, the former drag racing executive had to call on every instinct he possessed to keep the IHRA afloat.

The IHRA of '89 when compared to the 2009 version bears a striking resemblance. There’s no series sponsor and the only semblance of a points fund are a few special shootout programs. In both cases, a modest sportsman championship fund is the foundation from which to build.

A sportsman fund, an office and a field full of dedicated IHRA staffers determined to churn their way through a tough season.

Last season the IHRA ran into a combination of perfect storms related to the series being sold, open racer revolts and a series sponsor who defaulted on millions of dollars worth of sponsorship monies.

The IHRA, for the first time since 1989, enters a season without a professional championship point fund.

“I would give the 2009 season more hope than I would have 1989 because of the Feld family,” Jones said of the new IHRA owners. “They [Feld] are a professional organization in every sense of the word. They have their ducks in a row.”

If Jones had the backing of the Feld Family in 1989, things might have been a bit easier.

No disrespect intended towards Jim Ruth who saved the IHRA from going totally out of business when he purchased the sanctioning body from Billy Myer, the new owner just didn’t have to same kind of entertainment infrastructure to draw upon.

In 1989, there was no structure.

Gone were the sponsors, gone were the employees and totally gone was the morale of the sanctioning body.

Billy Meyer had called Jones to discuss the possibility of selling the IHRA to either him or a group of investors. Jones had the idea that selling the IHRA to a group of IHRA national event track owners would have been a neat concept.

There was only one problem with the idea. No one was willing to buy into the program but Jim Ruth, then a Pro Stock racer and owner of Bristol Dragway.

“The IHRA had for all intents and purposes been shut down,” Jones said. “Billy [Meyer] had laid everyone off. The track operators had no idea what was going to happen.”

Talk about a last minute program, Jones was given the task of resurrecting the once mighty proud alternative sanctioning body with only three weeks before the season-opener in Darlington, S.C.

“That’s when we had all of the paperwork signed,” Jones added, recalling the details of Jim Ruth’s purchase of the series.

“We couldn’t do anything until we actually owned the sanctioning body.”

Jones was a master of the last minute but even this challenge seemed overwhelming.

Where does a man start when he tries to make chicken salad from chicken poop?

The national schedule was the starting point, followed by a regional schedule. The regional schedule served as the “points” races before the IHRA adopted the divisional format in 2000.

Then he printed a rulebook and distributed it to the racers.

Then there was the issue of the house publication Drag Review, which had been relocated to Waco, Texas, and had to be moved back to the IHRA’s headquarters in Bristol, Tenn.

An average person could have been easily overwhelmed, but for Jones he had no choice. It was sink or swim.

“Fortunately I was able to reassemble most of the staff who were with the IHRA when Billy bought it,” Jones said. “Many hadn’t taken jobs even though they were laid off. That really helped.”

That was the one thing that made the most difference for Jones.

“They knew what to do,” Jones added. “It was like putting a car into drive. If it hadn’t have been for that experienced staff it would have been next to near impossible.

“We put in some long days.”

The end result of the long days was something the overworked staff could appreciate, but to the outside world the finished product had a face only a mother could love.

The point funds and bonus races were piece meal but provided enough of a ray of hope to keep the racers and fans interested.

The May 15, 1989 issue of Drag Review announced the various bonus points programs. There was the Angus Nitro Showdown which awarded $20,000 to the Top Fuel winner while Coogle Industries picked up the $6,500 bonus for the Alcohol Funny Cars. The Nitro Funny Cars had no shootout.

The sportsman divisions featured backing from Ram Automotive, Weld Racing and Lonestar Racing. However, when one figured in the title rights backing from local Bristol companies supporting programs such as the Wholesale Jewelry Great Class Comeback (Modified), Apollo Oil Shootout (Super Stock) and Tri-City Liquors (Stock), one could either laugh or become inspired.

More were inspired than amused.

“We sold sponsorships anywhere we could and to anybody,” Jones admitted. “But that’s what you have to expect when you begin working on the season in February. When we took over the sanctioning body there was nothing. No sponsorships, only the rights to the sanctioning body and the contracts for the events.”

Beyond that experience Jones admits there was a lot more behind the scenes mending that he is legally unable to discuss because part of the buy/sell agreement included a disparage clause which dictated that the new owners were unable to speak negatively against the former ownership.

“There was a lot of stuff that went on that I can’t talk about,” Jones added. “It happened, we made it through and we survived.”

Jones said the team at IHRA survived through the will of a dedicated group.

“I think when we saw the sponsors come back and the contingency companies returned, that’s when we knew we had survived,” Jones admitted. “When we had the first race and the racers showed up that was another good sign.

“I think that year proved my point that as long as somebody wanted the IHRA around, it would be there.”

Like 1989, as long as sponsors, racers and fan want the IHRA around it will survive the struggles of 2009.

LES MEANS MORE -Louisiana State University head football coach Les Miles will serve as the Grand Marshall for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals.
Miles, a native of Elyria, Ohio, has complied a 70-31 career head coaching record at two schools including a 42-11 record in four years at LSU and a BCS National Championship in 2008. He also has a Southeastern Conference championships coming in ’07.

Miles has won championships and coached award winning athletes, but in a few short days he will be trading in his whistle and playbook for ear plugs and a cozy spot on the starting line as Miles and his family will open the festivities Saturday, March 7 by sending the first set of professional cars down the track.

“I enjoy going out and attending events such as these,” Miles said. “I certainly enjoy the events that fit my family calendar because I enjoy taking my family wherever I go.”

And there certainly will not be a shortage of things to see and do when the IHRA rolls into town.

Along with special ticket packages aimed at easing the cost to race fans, the IHRA will also throw in its own unique Mardi Gras twist on the action including a crawfish boil, wheelie contest, dash for cash and a parade – with plenty of Mardi Gras beads, of course – all piled on top of the already jam-packed lineup of professional and sportsmen racing.

Top it all off with the thrilling Saturday “Night of Fire” and the weekend of March 6-8 looks to be one of the biggest shows in IHRA history.

“I am really looking forward to it,” Miles said.

And Miles is no stranger to the sport of drag racing.

In his younger days the adventurous coach, known by some in football circles as “The Mad Hatter,” was known to get an occasional adrenaline rush from time to time at his local drag strip.

“I can pop a clutch as good as the next,” Miles admitted. “I enjoy the speed and the mechanical strategy. Back years ago as a young man I enjoyed the occasional trip to the speedway and occasional drag race very much.”

Now Miles will get a chance to relive those earlier years when the engines fire up for the first race of the 2009 IHRA season in a little over a week. The inaugural race, the first of 10 events on the ’09 Nitro Jam tour, will feature three professional classes of racing including Top Fuel, Pro Modified and Pro Stock plus hundreds of sportsman competitors capped off by Saturday’s “Night of Fire” which will feature the ground-shaking jet semi of Bob Motz, the blazing jet bike of Kevin Martin and much more.

The Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals will also mark the first time in years that professional drag racing has visited the state of Louisiana. But while it has been some time since big league drag racing has been to the area, the diverse history and uniqueness of Louisiana and its residents will provide the perfect backdrop for the season opener.

“I think the people here are so special,” Miles noted. “They are very representative of our society and our country. It is a wonderful place full of very sincere, passionate people.”

It is for those reasons and many more that the IHRA has teamed up with Louisiana State University and coach Miles for the upcoming Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals for a weekend of fun and exciting racing.

STUDENT SECTION - Along with Saturday’s “Night of Fire,” Friday night will be LSU Student Night where students with a valid LSU I.D. will receive admission for just $10. The weekend will wrap up with Belle of Baton Rouge Championship Sunday on March 8.

Top it all off with a weekend long Mardi Gras celebration and the Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras National will be one event that can’t be missed.

“Mardi Gras is certainly very specific to Louisiana and this culture and there is a great spirit there,” Miles said. “There is an enjoyment of life and a celebration of life that is, in my opinion, is one of the great things about Louisiana.”

DOUBLE DIPPING - When the IHRA and ADRL posted their opening events on the same date, many doorslammers were left with a tough choice of where to make their season start. For New York racer John Montecalvo, there was only one obvious choice to make: run them both!

The IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is a scant 270 miles (roughly five hours in a race rig), from the ADRL Safety-Kleen Dragpalooza V in Houston, Texas. With eliminations being contested on different days, Montecalvo sees the feasibility of competing in both events. His plan is to qualify deep into the IHRA Pro Stock field on Friday, pack up and head to Houston where he hopes to qualify, race, and win ADRL Pro Stock Extreme on Saturday, then pack up and head back to Baton Rouge to capture the Iron Man on Sunday.

“When I saw that the IHRA and ADRL had scheduled their first events on the same weekend, and that both sides were unrelenting to change their schedule, I was disappointed. I want to race against all the best in Pro Stock, not half the best. I also want to see all of our friends that compete in the many divisions. The only way I can accomplish that this weekend is to compete at both facilities. If the events were any farther apart, that might not be possible, but I think we can pull it off. My crew is game and committed to doing the excellent job they always do.”

The soft-spoken but resolute racer clearly feels that the inconvenient scheduling was a mistake by both sanctioning bodies. “I want to support both organizations,” Montecalvo continues. “I have put a lot of time, energy and money into IHRA. Although I may not agree with some of their decisions and often question their rationale I still consider Aaron and all of the IHRA staff, my friends. The goal has always been the same and that is to elevate IHRA to the level it belongs and to give the fans a good show. It is heartbreaking to see IHRA losing competitors in the classes they created: Pro-Modified and Mountain Motor Pro Stock. Hopefully, the Feld Organization can see the potential and do what’s necessary and bring it back to its glory days. In the meantime, I am really looking forward to racing in Baton Rouge.

PRO MOD FIELD SHAPING UP - The Pro Mod entry list for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals continues to grow as several leading teams have announced intentions to compete weekend.

Heading the field is 2008 World Champion, Kenny Lang, who brings his stunning 1953 Corvette to defend his title. Lang, based out of Grande Pointe Manitoba understands the significance of what it means to be an IHRA Pro Mod Champion.

“IHRA Pro Mod features ferocious competition between many great teams. To prevail over that kind of quality competition makes the title even sweeter,” stated Lang. “Winning last year over guys like Castellana and Halsey made my accomplishment mean even more.”

But last year is last year. The 2009 Pro Mod Championship begins anew in Baton Rouge.

In addition to Lang, home town favorite and 2008 NHRA Indy Pro Mod winner, Harold Laird and Ed Hoover, veterans Danny Rowe, Chip King and Ray Commisso have announced they will compete at the Mardi Gras Nationals.

Laguna Hills, CA native Rowe returns to IHRA competition, with master tuner Jimmy Rector, himself a former IHRA Alcohol Funny Car champion. Rowe will drive a 67 Camaro from the Tommy Mauney shops, with sponsorship from Sterling Bridge, a finance company.

If pre-season testing is an indication, Rowe will be a threat at State Capitol.

“We took two cars to Valdosta to test last weekend,” said Rowe from his California office, “We had a great test. One ran a 5.97, the other a 5.99, so we’re pretty happy going into the Mardi Gras Nationals. At this time, Danny reports they plan to run only one car.

“However, if we land sponsorship for the second car, you never know.”

Commisso, winner of the 2006 IHRA World Nationals and a Toronto restaurant owner will pilot a 1967 Camaro owned by Roger Burgess. Tuned by Al Billes, the R2B2/ProCareX team has high expectations.

“IHRA is the place to be for Pro Mod,” said Commisso. “Our goal is to qualify strong and go rounds. Anything can happen from there.”