As hard as it is to comprehend, it takes a rookie Top Fuel racer
several full passes down the drag strip before their mind actually
catches
up with what they're experiencing in real time. It's simply part of the
learning process of wrangling an 8,000-horsepower dragster through a
3.8-second, 315-mph journey.

Former two-time Sportsman world champion Shawn Langdon, the hand-picked
driver of the Lucas Oil/Dixie Choppers dragster, made the move from
175-mph Super Comp dragsters to Top Fuel in February. To date, he's
made about 30 full passes in his new car, including licensing,
qualifying, and race day action.

"I'm feeling really good in the car lately," Langdon said. "I've gone
from trying my best not to screw up to actually racing the car. I can
go back to Stewie (crew chief John Stewart) after a run now and tell
him exactly what happened. I feel like I've experienced most of the
things these cars do."

One would think with three wins and a 20-4 race day record, Pro Stock
racer Jeg Coughlin Jr. would be content with cruise control at this point in the season.

Five world championships and 57 national event victories at just 38 years of age suggests otherwise.
 
"There's always room for improvement," Coughlin said. "In Pro Stock, we
set a 16-car field that many times features a spread of just four or
five hundredths of a second from the top guy to the final qualifier.
When it's that close you have no thought of giving anything less than
100 percent every single pass. You have to.
 

Momentum bodes well for Top Fuel driver Antron Brown.

The combination of winning the most recent event and heading into a
race where his crew chiefs are defending champions only ups the ante
for the former Pro Stock Motorcycle standout turned nitro frontrunner.

Ask Brown how excited he is about this weekend’s event and chances are he won’t hold back much.

"Man, I'm fired up about going to Bristol,” Brown proclaimed. “We've
got 'big blue' back for Bristol with our Matco Tools colors and our car
is running great. Mark (Oswald) and Brian (Corradi) have this Matco
dragster hauling and we have such a great team here at MAR. Bristol is
an awesome track and our goal is to continue to go rounds and stay
consistent with the performance of this Matco dragster.”

For track owner Kenny Barnes and his crew, the weekend of May 29-31 can’t get here soon enough.

After years of putting everything he has into a dream, that dream will
finally become a reality later this month as his brand new,
all-concrete track is set to host its very first national drag racing
event when Nitro Jam rolls into town for the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals
at Dallas Raceway May 29-31 in Crandall, Texas.

“Kenny Barnes and his team at Dallas Raceway have spared no expense in
making his dream a reality in Dallas. I hope that the racers and fans
who attend this event get a chance to thank Kenny for building such a
wonderful place to not only grow IHRA’s brand of entertainment, but for
building a facility that will help grow the sport,” said IHRA Vice
President of Racing Operations Skooter Peaco.

Located just a few miles outside of downtown Dallas, the track is in a
prime location and Barnes is planning on seeing some big crowds when
the world’s fastest cars hit the track for the first time later this
month.

CompetitionPlus.com reader Reuben Martel captured what could be
considered one of the best photo sequences of the Rick Stivers crash at
the recently completed O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis.
Stivers was uninjured in the crash.

Tom Hammonds announced today that his NHRA Pro Stock race team will be
sitting out the next few races on the Full Throttle Series tour
beginning with this weekend's NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol
(Tenn.) Dragway. Hammonds is confident that the hiatus is temporary,
and hopes to return to racing as soon as sufficient sponsorship is
secured to run competitively.

"We have a terrific race team, and a great program to offer a potential
sponsor partner," Hammonds said. "We don't want to just go out and
qualify, we want to be competitive, win races and challenge for the
Full Throttle championship."

The 42-year-old Hammonds entered his first NHRA Pro Stock contest at
the 1996 Mile-High Nationals while playing professional basketball with
the NBA Nuggets. He continued to compete part-time on the NHRA tour
while still in the NBA.

They say you never forget your first NHRA victory, and that's certainly
been the case for Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas. Although
it's
been a little more than three weeks since Lucas and his GEICO
Powersports/Lucas Oil crew celebrated their big win in Atlanta, the
excitement is still palatable at Morgan Lucas Racing in Indianapolis.

"We're sky-high, no doubt," said Lucas, the youngest nitro racer on
tour at 25 years of age. "For one, we proved to ourselves we can do it,
which is huge. The other thing is the dragster is running so well and
so consistently right now that we truly feel another win is right
around the corner. It's an awesome feeling to have.

"I've had times in the past where I've dreaded going to the next race
but now they can't come soon enough. It seriously wouldn't surprise
anyone on this team if we won this weekend's race in Bristol. That's
how good we're feeling right now."

The Drag Racing Association of Women will be holding their annual
auction at the United Association Route 66 Raceway NHRA National event
in Joliet, IL, on Saturday, June 6, 2009.  There will be the usual
silent and live auctions.

DRAW needs items for the live and silent auctions they host during the
2009 racing season. Those auctions include: the large annual silent and
live auction held at the Joliet, IL, spring race and a live auction
held at the September race in Ennis, TX.   Small silent auctions are
held throughout the race season.

AHDRA makes changes to 2009 rulebook involving the S&S 124
Challenge class (SSC), Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod Destroyer class (VRD) and
the General Rules section.

1-Effective June 1, 2009, the weight specification for SSC Class
motorcycles will be changed from 750 lbs. to 682 lbs. The wheelbase
specification will change from 68 inches to 70 inches.

2-Effective March 1, 2009, the V-Rod Destroyer class records will be
set aside and new records established subsequent to that date will be
official. This change is made in conjunction with the weight increase
and fuel injection/RPM limits instituted for the 2009 season.

Brandon Bernstein, driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster, comes to the Thunder Valley Nationals May 15-17 on the heels of a runner-up finish at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis.

It was his third final round showing in seven events.

“We would like to seal the deal in Bristol,” said Bernstein.  “We have
performed well in Bristol in the past, and it’s a track where we really
enjoy competing.