This is a story about losing a member of the a family. Anyone who
has ever had to make the tough choice to say goodbye to a family pet,
will understand the pain and the heartache now felt by seven-time world
champion Rickie Smith and his family.

While this story might originally been just another notebook item,
Rickie Smith was kind enough to share with all of us his family's grief
so that all of use might take a moment to give an extra hug, pat on the
head, rub of the belly or whatever it is we do with our pets, who
easily and quickly become members of our family.

This is the story of Sassy, the 16-year old dachshund, who has passed
into doggie heaven leaving behind a family stricken by grief, as if she
was a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister, or another close member of
a family.

Rest in Peace, Sassy, your family and the drag racing family has lost a friend. - Editor

John Force Racing just took delivery of a truckload of 2010 Mustang Funny Car bodies. When they hit the strip remains a mystery.

“I don’t know yet,” Fourteen-time NHRA champion John Force admitted,
suggesting that it would most likely be later in the season.

“It may be during the Countdown,” Force guessed. “We haven’t even
looked at them other than a glimpse from the back of the trailer.”

The game plan is for all of the Ford teams, the four within the JFR
stable along with Bob Tasca III and Tim Wilkerson to debut the
aerodynamically improved bodies simultaneously.

Pete Farber and Jeff Blasi drove to victory Saturday night as the
Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association concluded the Rumble at The Grove in thrilling fashion.
 
The late evening finish topped a long day at Maple Grove Raceway that
featured an early morning flea market that drew dozens of vendors and
the 11th round of the Sunoco Race Fuels Money Trail.
 
Farber needed to defeat veteran racer Tommy Gray to claim his victory
in the Blower/Turbo class. The Baldwinville, Mass., resident drove his
1969 Daytona to a quick finish of 6.110 seconds at 234.09 mph down the
quarter-mile. He had nearly a half-second better reaction time over
Gray’s ’68 Camaro and then took the holeshot.

Trevor Ashline, CEO of Safety Solutions, recently issued the following
statement regarding statements about the company's product line.

Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) officials announced a 5-year
agreement naming VP Racing Fuels as Official Fuel of PBIR, beginning in
2009.   As part of the agreement, VP will be PBIR’s exclusive supplier
of race fuels including VP110, C12, C16, MS103 and M1 Methanol in bulk.
The track also expects to add pail and drum inventory of VP’s most
popular specialty fuels such as Q16, U4.2, C14 and M5 Methanol. In
servicing the track, the VP Southeast distribution center based in Ft.
Lauderdale will staff the track full time, providing on-site technical
support to racers with fuel-related questions.
 
“We’re excited to partner with VP Racing Fuels,” said Ron Dixon,
President and COO of PBIR. “VP is dedicated to racers and supplying
fuels to the top racing series. After our complete facility renovation,
it was only natural that we partner with the top-notch fuel company.”

Moneymaker Racing has entered into a marketing partnership with
National Parts Depot (NPD) for the remainder of 2009 and through 2010.

"NPD is a premier mega supplier of restoration parts for Classic
American cars and trucks with locations in Michigan, Florida, North
Carolina, and California," said Alex Denysenko, owner of the all Ford
Super Stock/Stock team. "In addition NPD also carries a comprehensive
inventory of performance and maintenance parts. Although well known for
Mustang parts, NPD also supplies parts for classic Camaros,
Firebirds, Chevelles. 55-57 T-Birds, and Ford Trucks thereby
restoring American history. www.nationalpartsdepot.com ."

As
if Top Fuel dragsters, door cars and sportsman racing weren’t enough to
keep race fans busy, the three Nitro Jam events in July will have a ton
of extras thrown in to help add a little more bang for the buck.

As the IHRA Nitro Jam tour shifts its focus to the north with two races
in Canada at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta and Grand Bend
Motorplex in Grand Bend, Ontario and one race in Michigan at U.S. 131
Motorsports Park, the IHRA has worked with each facility to add a few
extra thrills to help create a unique, one-of-a-kind show at each of
the three national events held during the month of July.

“We love to entertain and that is exactly what we are going to do in
the coming month,” said IHRA President Aaron Polburn. “Drag racing is
an entertainment business. From the sights, sounds and smells of the
nitro-burning Top Fuel dragsters to our always exciting door car
classes, we love to keep our fans on the edge of their seat not knowing
what they are going to see next.”

Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels is pleased to introduce
a new rebate program beginning July 1, 2009. For a limited time, consumers can earn a MasterCard® Gift Card with the purchase of select Mickey Thompson drag tire and wheel products:

    * Buy any two ET Drag* tires or any two ET Street* tires, get a $50
gift card (*Excludes ET Street Radial, ET Front, and Junior Drag
products.)
    * Buy any two ET Drag Wheels, get a $50 gift card
    * Buy any ET Drag motorcycle tire, get a $25 gift card

NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car champ Frank Manzo continued his winning streak over the weekend, scoring his third straight national event
win at the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports
Park in Norwalk, Ohio.  Manzo was joined in the winner’s circle by the
reigning Top Alcohol Dragster champion Bill Reichert of Owosso, Mich. 
Reichert’s win was his first on the national event level this season.

It was the summer of 2003 when a circle track driver by the name of Tim
Boychuk first remembers putting four wheels on a drag strip.

As
part owner of Castrol Raceway in Edmonton a few years back, Boychuk
vividly recalls the thrill of driving his first vehicle – a slow, bulky
track grinder – down the Canadian quarter mile in preparation for the
IHRA’s first trip to Edmonton for the Rocky Mountain Nationals nearly
seven years ago.

“I remember for the first Rocky Mountain
Nationals weekend on Wednesday and Thursday I was out there with a
grinder making the track smooth and wondering what the heck I am doing
out here. I am an oval racer so what am I doing at a drag strip at
midnight in the pouring rain grinding the track,” Boychuk recalled.