The first national championship of veteran racer Troy Coughlin's
two-decade-long drag racing career is just a breathe away after the
driver of the JEGS.com Pontiac GXP Pro Street machine raced to a strong
semifinal finish at Sunday's third annual JE Pistons Muscle Car
Nationals at Milan Dragway.

The point leader in the Scorpion Performance Pro Street rankings since
winning the Chicago race in mid July, it turned out the only thing
capable of slowing Coughlin and crew down on the racetrack was a faulty
battery, which ended their latest national event winning streak at two
events.

"We're really excited in the JEGS camp," Coughlin said while driving
from Michigan to his home in Delaware, Ohio. "We've had the calculator
out trying to figure out all the point scenarios and we're not sure
whether we've clinched the title or not. I think it's going to be very
close. Either way, we've got one race left and it's our intention to go
win that race and close out the season strong."

Prior to this weekend's race, Coughlin held 190-point edge over
second-place Vinny Budano and a 530-point advantage over third-place
Chris Rini. Budano didn't show up for this weekend's race, while Rini
raced to a runner-up result.

NHRA North Central division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors
closed out the 2009 season at Beech Bend Raceway Park this weekend. 
Defending event champion Bill Reichert scored the Top Alcohol Dragster
win again, increasing his lead in the division point standings, while
Mick Snyder, Demotte, Ind., earned his first Top Alcohol Funny Car win
of the year.

Reichert carried his No. 1 qualifying momentum into the winner’s circle
when he beat Brandon Booher of Urbana, Ill., in the final.  Although
Booher left first, Reichert laid down a 5.387-second, 261.22 mph pass
which was more than enough to cover Booher’s 5.658-second, 227.96 mph
lap.  This was Reichert’s fifth final-round appearance on the
divisional level this year and his fourth win.

The Top Alcohol Funny Car final was anticlimactic because Andy Bohl
broke on the burnout, giving Snyder a free pass to the winner’s
circle.  However, in the semis, Snyder beat No. 1 qualifier Steve
Harker, Gainesville, Ga.  This was Snyder’s third final-round
appearance this year and his first win while Bohl has had been to the
finals at his last three races. He also has one win on the year.

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Cecil County Dragway is
in the books with Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Duane Shields of Boulder
City, Nev., and Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Frank Manzo, Morganville,
N.J., taking home the goods. This event completes the fifth of seven in
Northeast division competition.

Shields worked his way from the No.6 qualifying spot all the way to the
Top Alcohol Dragster final to pick up the win. Dan Mercier of Montreal,
Quebec, the No.1 qualifier, had him off the line but Shields was able
to reel him in by posting a 5.423 second, 272.12 mph pass to secure the
win light.

Top Alcohol Funny Car was mastered once again by Manzo, picking up back
to back wins and his third in Northeast division competition. He
grabbed his 102nd divisional win of his career when Scott McNiece of
Brick, N.J., fouled at the starting line.  This marks Manzo’s 13th
divisional victory at Cecil County Dragway.

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series wrapped up this weekend at
Heartland Park Topeka.  Racers completed the long two day event, which
was the fifth of six events on the division calendar. The event
featured drivers in eleven categories vying for crucial points leading
to divisional and national championships.  Winning the Heartland
Championships presented by Aeromotive were Top Alcohol Dragster pilot
Brandon Lewis of Broken Arrow, Okla., and Roger Bateman, Winnipeg,
Manit., in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class.

Lewis made his way out of the No.2 qualifying position to pick up the
win with his 5.269 second, 273.00 mph pass.  He made his first trip to
the winner’s circle this season as Monroe Guest of Mannford, Okla.,
broke in the final.

In Top Alcohol Funny Car action, Roger Bateman picked up his third
consecutive win of the season. Lance Van Hauen out of Reinbeck, Iowa,
was a no show in the final which gave the win light to Bateman.   

As
NHRA celebrates the 55th anniversary of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
presented by Lucas Oil, the world’s most prestigious drag race is set
to provide its traditional offering of the very best in speed and high
performance for countless thousands of hot rodding enthusiasts. More
than 1,000 competitors in 12 different racing categories will perform
in front of the standing-room only crowd during the much-anticipated
Labor Day classic.

The Super Bowl of drag racing takes place at revered O’Reilly Raceway
Park at Indianapolis, Sept. 2-7. It is the 18th of 24 events in the
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series for 2009 and will be showcased
nationwide on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD, which will televise more than 10
hours of coverage of drag racing’s marquee spectacle.

Some legends are just too good to forget.

That’s why the Good Ol’ Charlie Brown is held in reverence among drag racing fans throughout the Carolinas.

Mike Boyles, a multi-time Super Stock world champion from King, N.C.,
keeps on keeping on with his stick-shifted, 1957 Chevy Wagon bearing
the likeness of the Charles Schultz iconic cartoon character.

The lumbering and high-winding wagon still screams through the gearbox
as it has done for the last 41 years. The old standard family wagon is
powered by a 283-cubic inch Chevy engine equipped with a single
four-barrel carburetor, attached to a manual, four-speed transmission.

Please note the scheduling change for this weekend's NHRA Toyo Tires
Nationals show on ESPN2HD. The one-hour show will air at 1 p.m. ET.
Please share this with your friends who may be interested in watching
the Lucas Oil Series highlights from Maple Grove.

Super Stock racer and U.S. Class Nationals organizer Alex Denysenko recently clinched his second career NHRA Div. 5 Super Stock championship.

“We had high expectations after a very dismal 2008,” Denysenko said.
“Fresh equipment, finally a motorhome, and a good attitude had us all
very upbeat hoping to repeat our 2004 division title.”

That’s how it looked on paper for Denysenko. Reality was another story.

“The first Pro Am at Martin about caused us to quit before we got
started due to motorhome, trailer break downs, a poor working car, and
only a single round win by Tony in two races out of three cars,”
Denysenko said.

John Force Racing’s Brownsburg, Indiana based shop and museum will be
the site of the Bill Estes Brownsburg Ford All Ford Car Show, Thursday,
September 3rd. The event will be hosted by the Mustang Club of
Indianapolis and will feature incredible vehicles on display and fun
for the whole family. The scheduled time for the event is 3pm – 7pm.
and it is free to the public. We are asking everyone to bring a can of
food as a donation for the Hendricks County Food Bank. For every can
you bring, you will receive a ticket for a chance to win a Sanyo 52”
big screen TV. Bring 5 cans, get 5 tickets, bring 20 can get 20
tickets. And the drawing for the TV will be drawn that night!

Fans who attend will get the chance to meet NHRA superstar funny car
drivers’ 14-time champion John Force, Ashley Force Hood, Robert Hight
and Mike Neff. Fans will also be able to tour the massive race shop and
brand new museum. There will be a variety of Ford and Mercury vehicles
on display from across the spectrum of Blue Oval history. All sorts of
Ford displays will keep the young and old entertained and educated on
an amazing variety of Ford vehicles.

Make no doubt about it, placing your name among the esteemed roll of drivers who have won the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals is an accomplishment
that contributes to a distinguished racing career, and if you are one
of the few NHRA competitors with multiple Indy victories, then you have
gained admittance to a prestigious club that becomes even more
exclusive. Since the inception of the Pro Stock class in 1970, only
seven drivers in that division have won more than once at Indianapolis,
and only six have won in successive seasons – ACDelco's Kurt Johnson's
name can be found in both categories.

Johnson scored his first victory at the "Big Go" in 1996 with round
wins over Chuck Harris, Tom Martino and Jim Yates before defeating
Rickie Smith in the final round. The following year, Johnson ran the
table at Indianapolis, earning No. 1 qualifying honors, setting low
e.t. and top speed of the meet and completing the weekend sweep with a
final-round victory over V. Gaines. Those wins at Indianapolis are two
races the Buford, Ga., resident remembers well.