Summit Racing Equipment has named Jim Greenleaf Manager of Motorsports and Events.

Greenleaf joined Summit Racing Equipment in 1996 as a Supervisor in the
company’s Tallmadge, Ohio Retail Store. In 2002, he was promoted to
Retail Sales Manager during the store’s expansion to a 25,000 square
foot Super Store. His responsibilities included managing store sales,
customer service, merchandising, marketing, events, promotions, and
staffing. He was also responsible for race event and track sponsorship
at local tracks.

The most prolific drag racer in history, 14-time Funny Car champion John Force, famously needed 10 years and 75 races to win
his first event. The best Pro Stock driver ever, Warren Johnson, didn't
earn a trophy until 12 years after turning pro. All-time Top Fuel
leader Tony Schumacher went 59 events until he climbed the winner's
podium. Success in drag racing, it seems, takes time.

As 25-year-old Morgan Lucas starts his fifth professional campaign he
reflects on the lessons he's learned in the first 101 NHRA events his
team has entered. He remembers what's worked best for his group and the
things that haven't gone so well. He also analyzes the reasons behind
the success of the top teams in each of the last four years.

For the second consecutive year, Ford Customer Service Division’s (FCSD) Motorcraft and Quick Lane brands team with Bob Tasca III as he competes in the NHRA Full Throttle Racing Series.

Motorcraft and Ford’s growing national network of Quick Lane® Tire
& Auto Centers return as primary sponsorship of the Shelby Mustang
Nitro Funny Car of Bob Tasca III and Tasca Racing, along with a major
interactive trackside presence at 10 NHRA events.

Motorcraft and Quick Lane® Tire & Auto Centers are brands of Ford
Customer Service Division. FCSD and its associated brands won a place
in the hearts and minds of drag race fans everywhere in the late 1980s
and early 1990s, sponsoring Ford powered International Motorsports
Hall-of-Fame racer Bob Glidden, a 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, and
NHRA legend Kenny Bernstein among others.

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series officially kicked off one of
the most anticipated seasons in many years today with a Parade of
Vehicles that passed through downtown Los Angeles.

The parade departed from Gate 17 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona at
11:30 a.m. with Los Angeles County sheriffs providing the escort and
2005 rookie of the year and two-time series runner-up Robert Hight,
driver of the Auto Club Ford Mustang, serving as the grand marshal.

"Drag racing is a huge part of the Southern California culture, so what
could be better than a parade through downtown L.A. to celebrate the
start of our 2009 season," Hight said. "This will be my fifth season
driving in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, and it just keeps
getting bigger and better, and this parade is just another example of
that."

The 2009 season begins later in the week, Feb. 5-8, at Auto Club
Raceway at Pomona with the 49th annual Kragen O'Reilly NHRA
Winternationals featuring 2008 Driver of the Year Tony Schumacher, 2007
rookie of the year Ashley Force Hood, and the rest of the stars of the
quickest, fastest, and most intense motorsport on the planet.

It almost sounds like a line best spoken by John Cleese in a Monty
Python skit, but it aptly describes everything surrounding Tim
Wilkerson, driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang Funny
Car, as he prepares for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle season: Everything
is exactly the same, except it's all completely different.
 
Wilkerson's marvelous run at the 2008 Funny Car championship was the
most compelling story of the year, and his selection as the "Pro Driver
of the Year" and "Mike Aiello Person of the Year" in on-line voting is
all the illustration one needs to know just how the fan base feels
about the personable driver from central Illinois. After years of
toiling in the underdog role, often overlooked and under-appreciated,
Wilkerson burst onto the scene as something of an overnight sensation,
despite the fact it was his 13th season in the pro ranks. Again, it was
exactly the same, but completely different.
 
By spending much of the '08 season at the top of the charts, before
missing out on the championship on the season's final day, Wilkerson
experienced the pressure and time-consuming commitments that come with
contender status, and those external issues made an even greater impact
due to the fact the LRS pro not only drives his car, but tunes it and
owns it as well. Having been hands-on and in-command since the first
day of his pro career, that was nothing new for Wilkerson, but the
added crush of media and fan interest was palpable.

With
Urs Erbacher, Andy Carter and Leif Andreasson gearing up for
Winternationals action at Pomona, European drag racing is fast becoming
a hot topic. Now a British travel company has a special offer for
followers of the sport interested to see how the Europeans do drag
racing on their home turf.

Grandstand Motor Sports, the UK’s leader in motorsport travel, has
arranged excursions to mainland Europe’s biggest drag race events for
enthusiasts from home and abroad. The Veidec Festival takes place at
Mantorp Park, Sweden, in July, followed in August by the Nitrolymp’x at
Hockenheim, Germany.

Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

When the soon-to-be announced title sponsor of this summer's Gateway
Drags II suggested to ADRL Executive VP of Operations Jessica Alcoke
that they would rather have the National Guard ADRL event at Gateway
International Raceway that will bear their name take place in late
summer rather than its original date, Alcoke did what any
self-respecting company executive would do.

She said, "Yes."

B.R.A.K.E.S., the nonprofit organization founded by drag racer Doug
Herbert that promotes safe and responsible driving, was honored at the
2009 NCMA Industry Awards on Monday, Jan. 26, by receiving the Safety
Innovation Award from the North Carolina Motorsports Association.

The Safety Innovation Award, which was sponsored by the Society of
Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and SME Education Foundation, recognizes
safety products, devices or programs used in motorsports.  B.R.A.K.E.S.
was chosen as the 2009 recipient for the work the foundation has done
to raise awareness about the importance of safe driving, as well as for
the program’s ability to use motorsports to transfer safety to the
streets.

“It was an honor for B.R.A.K.E.S. to win this award,” said Herbert, who
lost his two sons in a tragic car accident on Jan. 26, 2008.  “It has
been exactly a year since I lost Jon and James and everything I do for
B.R.A.K.E.S. is because I want to honor my sons and their memory.  We
are working hard to continue to grow the Teen Pro-Active Driving
School.  I am sure that Jon and James would be proud of this award and
everything that B.R.A.K.E.S. has accomplished.  I could not have done
it without the support of all the B.R.A.K.E.S. board members, my
friends and family.”

On Wednesday, February 4th John Force Racing will be teaming up with
KCXX 103.9 FM for a free fan event at Auto Club Raceway on the Fairplex
grounds at 1 p.m. The X103.9 Full Force Fanfest will feature
appearances by 14-time funny car champion John Force, Ashley Force
Hood, Robert Hight and Mike Neff. All four drivers will sign autographs
for fans and X103.9 FM deejays will be on hand to give away tickets to
the 49th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals as well as
additional promotional prizes.