Infineon Raceway will honor the memory of the late Eric Medlen with the
3rd annual Eric Medlen Nitro Night Charity Dinner at the legendary Fior
d’Italia Restaurant in San Francisco.

Medlen, a native of Oakdale in the San Joaquin Valley, won the Funny
Car championship at Infineon Raceway, his home track, in 2006. He
succumbed in March, 2007, to injuries sustained from a testing
accident. Medlen was a member of John Force Racing.

Funny Car drivers Ashley Force Hood (Castrol GTX® Mustang) and Jack
Beckman (Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge) will attend, as will
Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas (GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster).

Sig Erson, a noted and respected camshaft manufacturer for two decades, died at home in Okeechobee, Fla., July 6. He was 79.

Erson, an Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War, worked for
Iskenderian Cams in Los Angeles after the war, serving as shop foreman
until opening Sig Erson Racing Cams in 1963. Erson was a founding
member of SEMA (Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association, now
Specialty Equipment Market Association).

Erson was an avid drag racer, motorcycle trials participant, and
outstanding off-road racer, competing in the Baja 500 and 1000 many
times. He also was a great sport fisherman and private pilot.

This time, last season, Tony Schumacher became the first NHRA
professional driver to clinch a berth in the NHRA Countdown to the

Roger Richards Photo

Championship.

Schumacher won’t clinch this weekend at the NHRA Mile High Nationals in
Denver, Co., and while the performance-driven champion isn’t enthused
about the inability to repeat the phenomenal feat, he’d be more than
satisfied with securing a measure of momentum.

“It’s all about building momentum,” Schumacher said. “If you can have
success the next three weekends in Denver, Seattle and Sonoma (Calif.),
then you’re setting yourself up in a nice way for the Countdown to One
(playoffs).”

Ashley Force Hood believes the NHRA’s moratorium on testing has led to
struggles and frustrations, at times, for John Force Racing.

Roger Richards

Instead
of their traditional Monday test sessions following virtually every
NHRA event in the past, those test runs transpire during national event.

“I think it's added to everyone's struggle and frustration that every
lap, even not full run, half track passes, and launches, everything
helps in testing not just for the team but for the drivers just to gain
more experience and track time,” Force Hood said. “But you know, that's
part of the game, and you know, you go along with the rules and
everybody is in the same boat.  So it is frustrating though because
they always love to have that option of having to have testing and they
have always really utilized it.”

Roger Richards

He was the long shot last year.

This year Eddie Krawiec shoots long.

Krawiec, rider for the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Pro Stock
Motorcycle team, won the 2008 NHRA world championship ala Rob Bruins
style. He attained the feat exactly like the 1979 Top Fuel champion by
capturing the crown without having won a national event title during
the season.

He’s in more favorable territory this season when compared to his
status this time last year. Krawiec has won two national event titles
in five consecutive final rounds and holds a significant point lead as
the 24-race tour hits the mid-point.

Faith can move a mountain but so can a fine-tuned race car.

Experience doesn’t hurt, either.

Just ask Greg Anderson if you have any doubts.

The popular Pro Stock driver has two wins in his previous eight visits
to Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Co., and there’s no doubt his
familiarity of how to race and win in the thin air of the NHRA Mile
High Nationals has contributed to that success.
 
“Denver is the one track where previous success plays a very important
role,” said Anderson.  “As different as the conditions are at
Bandimere, if you haven’t won there before, you start to wonder if you
even can. Having taken our Summit Racing Pontiac to the winner’s circle
there twice gives us the extra confidence that we have what it takes
and can do it again, and that confidence can be the difference between
winning and losing.”

Once again, talk of a new motorsports complex being built in Denver or the surrounding area has resurfaced.

In late May, a group led by Colorado Springs developer Bill Schuck
announced its plans to build a new racetrack in northeast Aurora.

The proposed $200 million track would include a 1-mile oval speedway, a
4-mile road course and a go-kart facility. The track would seat
anywhere between 65,000-100,000 fans on 1,500 acres on the TransPort
property near Front Range Airport, east of E-470 and just north of
Interstate 70. Building of the private venture is supposed to begin
sometime in 2010.

Intially in the press release, it said that Schuck's group also was in
early talks with Bandimere Speedway about relocating its
dragstrip/complex to northeast Aurora.

Milan Dragway, located in the heart of Michigan, will open its gates to
Battle of the Jets, presented by Napa Auto Parts, on July 18th, 2009 at
11:00a.m.

This family-friendly event will present fans a full day of exciting
drag racing action and flame throwing exhibition vehicles for only $20
per person and kids 12 and under free all day! Cars, trucks and
dragsters will have jet engines strapped on making passes down the
track breaking speeds of 300 mph in a quarter mile!

Race fans will meet top stars from the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series and enjoy a night of poker, great food and fun at the 3rd annual
Burnout Bash party on Wednesday, July 22, at the legendary Fior
d’Italia Restaurant in San Francisco.

Burnout Bash, the official fan kickoff party for the FRAM Autolite NHRA
Nationals at Infineon Raceway, July 24-26, will be headlined by a Texas
Hold ‘Em Charity Poker Tournament, hosted by River Rock Casino.

Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer (GEICO Suzuki) and her husband
and crew chief, Gary Stoffer, as well as Top Fuel drivers Cory
McClenathan (FRAM Tough Guard) and Shawn Langdon (Lucas Oils/Dixie
Choppers) will take their seats at the poker table. Lamont &
Tonelli, the popular morning-show duo from 107.7 FM The Bone in San
Francisco, will complete the six-person poker table.

NHRA Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson knows how to have a good time. This
weekend as the NHRA Full Throttle tour rolls into Bandimere Speedway
for the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals there's a general consensus that
the real action doesn't start until Friday.

Johnson disagrees. 

He believes the real action begins on Thursday night at the Mopar Big
Block Party. Johnson says the “Official Starter” of the Mopar
Mile-Highs, is scheduled for Thursday night, July 9, in downtown
Golden, Colo., and it is the place to be.