Dickie Venables and Kurt Elliott have landed at least for one day. Venables and Elliott have been spotted working with Del Worsham on the Alan Johnson Racing, Al Anabi Funny Car during the NHRA’s pre-Indy test session at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

Venables walked away from Tony Pedregon's operation just days before the Brainerd event when he couldn't see eye to eye with Pedregon over the dismissal of Elliott.

We'll bring you more updates from testing as they become available.

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For Bruton Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., the highway to success is always under construction.

One might wonder what his next conquest is after building a palatial
drag strip in Concord, N.C., and succeeding in procuring two national
events on the 24-race 2010 NHRA schedule.

The fact a lot of dirt has been moving on the grounds of Loudon, N.H.,
has created some buzz among folks wondering if Smith might be in the
initial thought processes of pulling off a northeastern version of zMax
Dragway.

Chances are at some point in your life you have seen – or at least
heard – the fiery, earth-shaking truck driven by the legendary Bob Motz.

Whether
attending a race or simply driving by your local drag strip on a
Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of people have witnessed the
awesome spectacle that is the 20,000 horsepower purple and black jet
Kenworth driven by the one and only “King of Quake” Bob Motz.

For
nearly 30 years many have tried to recreate the “Motz Magic”, but none
have been able to match the intensity and showmanship that Motz brings
to the table during each and every one of his jaw dropping runs.

For the fourth straight year, Don Schumacher Racing is teaming up with
its NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series sponsors and drivers to
provide another spectacular Open House for NHRA fans and supporters at
its Brownsburg, Ind., race shop before the U.S. Nationals on Friday,
Sept. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

With over 5000 attendees expected to go through the doors, the Indy
Hi-Winders Car Club will highlight the event with its popular Car and
Motorcycle Show, as DSR aims to exceed a four-year event total of
$75,000 in funds voluntarily raised for Riley Children’s Foundation and
Riley Hospital for Children of Indianapolis.

John Zappia is on track to present for Round 2 of the ANDRA Top Doorslammer Championship at the Fuchs Nationals in Western Sydney.
A spectacular crash in the Final of Round 1 gained international media
attention, and placed the Zappia Racing Team on the back foot in their
preparation for the next event.

“We ended up bringing the Striker Monaro back to Perth for repairs”,
said John Zappia this week, “I was inundated with offers of help from
local supporting sponsors and businesses straight after the crash, and
decided to come home to get the job done.”

“A special thanks to all the people that have helped repair the car.
The body was panel beaten by Peter Matulovich, the painting by John
from United Collision Repairs, the tin work by Dave from Kounis Metal
Industries.”

Ron
Capps, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car class-best
five-time winner this season driving the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge for Don
Schumacher Racing, will take to the one-third-mile oval at Madera
(Calif.) Speedway for the second time this year on Saturday, Aug. 29.
He'll be driving the NAPA/Race for Autism Late Model for Carlos Vieria,
for whom he drove back in April in the NASCAR Whelen All-American
Series Western Late Model division.

Second in the NHRA Funny Car rankings, Capps will compete in the
100-lap feature of the “Race & Ride for Autism” night charitable
fundraiser under a partnership between Carlos Vieria Racing and
PRO-RDS, a motorsports development firm. “Carlos and his professional
Late Model team are helping make a difference and we are always willing
to support a good cause,” said the firm's president, Nathan Svoboda.

When Spiro Pappas joined the National Guard ADRL’s eighth-mile
Flowmaster Extreme 10.5 (XTF) series this year, he had two stated missions:
break into the three-second zone and beat Billy Glidden. He
accomplished both goals Aug. 22, during the National Guard ADRL Summit
Racing Equipment Ohio Drags III at National Trail Raceway, about 20
miles east of Columbus.

Pappas raced into “the threes” with a
3.992-seconds pass in the semi-finals to advance and face off against
defending XTF world champ Glidden for the event win. Glidden went red
and Pappas went to his first National Guard ADRL winner’s circle
celebration.

How serious is Bruton Smith about filling the seats at the NHRA
Carolinas Nationals at ZMax Dragway in Concord, N.C., next month?

John
Force chats with Bruton Smith prior to Tuesday's press conference
announcing a second date in 2010 at zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C.

Apparently he’s very serious. The motorsports mogul and owner of zMax
Dragway will fly a planeload of local media from the Charlotte market
to the NHRA U.S. Nationals for a day to get a glimpse of the NHRA’s
most prestigious event.

ZMax Dragway held its press conference yesterday for the Charlotte
media announcing a second national event for the 2010 before the
well-attended media event. Several major venues including ESPN, SPEED
and a score of the area’s major television and newspaper networks were
present.

Dutch Top Fuel racer Lex Joon will fulfill a lifelong dream to race in
the United States, later this season. With major backing from the MPM
International Oil Company, Joon will compete at the Las Vegas Nationals
at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Auto Club Finals at
the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Joon is the most successful drag racer in the history of the
Netherlands having won several class championships before becoming the
FIA European Top Fuel Champion in 2005 and runner-up in 2007 and 2008. 

He’s expressed the desire on multiple occasions to race in the United
States. The Lex Joon Racing American Dream Tour 2009 is about to become
reality.

MacAllister Cat knows a good thing when they have it.
 
The
Indiana CAT dealer, for the third consecutive season, will support Hot
Rod Fuller at the NHRA U.S. Nationals this Labor Day weekend.
 
MacAllister
Machinery Co., will display the MacAllister Cat logo along with
additional representation from several of its other product
manufacturers and customers including Exmark ®, Kubota ®, and Wiese USA.
 
Fuller
will drive a Top Fuel dragster fielded Vandergriff Motorsports. Indy
will mark the third appearance in 2009 for Fuller whose appearances
have been backed by CAT dealers.
 
Fuller previously drove the
Patten Cat dragster at the NHRA national event in Joliet, IL, and the
Michigan Cat dragster in Norwalk, OH. Fuller’s thoughts on returning to
the U.S. Nationals exude confidence.