Ohio-based racer excited to get back out on the circuit

In 2005 Michael Dakin brought his A-Fuel dragster to the IHRA World
Finals, looking to break into the qualifying field despite long odds.
He was unable to do so, but his trip to “The Rock” left a very good
impression on him. Now, four years later, he will return to IHRA
competition.

Dakin will campaign a 2009 Murf McKinney Top Fuel entry at select ’09 IHRA Nitro Jam events, bringing former Frank Pedregon
and Melanie Troxel tuner Scott Graham along with him. Now the question
will not be if Dakin will make the show…chances are with the best
equipment in his pits and one of the top tuners in the world in his
corner the only question will be where he will end up on the ladder.

Joe Castello's XM Power Shift is no longer on the air- The nightly motor sports talk show on XM 144 broadcast its final show, Friday night, December 5th. The show which covered all forms of racing had a weekly rotation of experts including the NHRA's Alan Reinhart, who discussed drag racing each Tuesday night. Drag racing legends from Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney to current champions Tony Schumacher and Jeg Coughlin made frequent appearances on the radio program. 

First-time entrants “Waterbed” Fred Miller and Don Garlits in the top five vote getters

John
Force ended the first day qualifying for the second annual
CompetitionPlus.com War Stories Showdown as the provisional leader,
leading first time entrant “Waterbed” Fred Miller by 1.51 percent of
the reader voting.

The CompetitionPlus.com War Stories Showdown is a competition of
story-telling with the winners determined by reader vote as competitors
advance on an NHRA-style eliminations ladder. Ladder seeding is
determined by reader vote.

Adds Frank Gugliotta and J.R. Carr to Three Car Pro Stock Team …

Former NHRA Comp eliminator standout turned IHRA Pro Stock racer Richard Freeman will field three Pro Stockers in IHRA competition during the 2009 season.

Former NHRA Comp racer turned IHRA mountain motor Pro
Stock driver Richard Freeman is determined to ensure that he's throwing
out all the stops through his Elite Motorsports team for a championship
in 2009.

Freeman, of Paul's Valley, Okla., will enter the 2009 season with three
Pro Stock teams comprised of himself, current class record holder Frank
Gugliotta and J.R. Carr.

Gugliotta will serve as the team's crew chief.

In a day and age when most teams are scaling back their efforts,
Freeman appears to be pulling out all the stops to win at any cost.

Three-time IHRA Funny Car Champion Rob Atchison and ACE Manufacturing of Bittern Lake, Alberta have joined forces in a three year deal that will see the Atchison family Funny Car compete at races in Western Canada and United States.

“It is really exciting being able to join up with the ACE Racing and
Manufacturing family.” said Atchison. “With all of the instability
surrounding IHRA and the Alcohol Funny Car class coupled with the
addition of my son Wyatt I felt it was time for a change, it is time to
get back to having fun again!  I got a chance to meet Harold Parfett at
the Rocky Mountain Nationals and we hit it off.  We have been talking
racing and throwing ideas back and forth since July.  We are very happy
to finally be able to announce we will be racing with them for the next
three years and possibly beyond.”

Special events such as the Industry Roundtable, Grand Opening
Breakfast, All-Stars Kart Race, and action on show floor all resounding
successes

With
proof in the sheer number of buyers coming through the doors on Opening
Day at the 21st Annual PRI Trade Show, the motorsports industry put on
a remarkable show of strength. The commitment to preview and purchase
the hottest new racing products and precision machining equipment
remained high, with many participants saying their overall impression
was that this show was truly “the best ever.”

After completing the best season of his drag racing career, Terry McMillen, driver of the Amalie Oil Top Fuel Dragster, is making
plans for an even bigger 2009 season. McMillen made five final round
appearances with two wins in IHRA competition in route to a third place
finish in championship points. He also competed and qualified in two
NHRA events, including the 13th spot in the fastest field in NHRA 1,000
foot history during the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.

"We've been blessed with some of the best partners in the business,"
McMillen said from his Indiana race shop. "It's no secret that this is
probably the toughest economy that most people have faced in their
lifetime. It's been tough on racers, race teams and on families all
over the world. Our partners have remained solid through this down
period and we're focused on helping them grow even more during 2009."

CompetitionPlus.com
opens its annual “What’s new” gallery to prepare you for the upcoming 2009
season. This annual feature will run through February. If you have a new car
rendering or photo, please send it to us in .jpg format and make sure it is a
minimum of 500 pixels wide.

To be considered, you must include owner/driver's name, Hometown,
Classification. It would be helpful to include as many details as
possible such as chassis builder, engine and series you plan to race.

Mike Ashley confirmed with CompetitionPlus.com that he plans to return to competition in 2010 as a team owner on the

NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. He's uncertain if he will drive the
nitro Funny Car for the full tour. At a bare minimum Ashley says he
will drive a limited schedule with a hired driver filling the remainder
of the dates.

Ashley announced shortly following the NHRA Supernationals in
Englishtown, N.J., he was selling his interest in Gotham City Racing to
teammate Roger Burgess in order to concentrate on his Lend America
business.

Team Running 24 Events Without A Primary Corporate Sponsor …

Millican (right) with team owner Mark Pickens plan to challenge for
the 2009 NHRA Top Fuel crown. With the lack of full time Top Fuel
teams, their 24-race schedule provides an excellent opportunity. 

Clay Millican realizes his situation is completely outside the norm.

The six-time IHRA Top Fuel world champion turned NHRA runner plans a
24-race schedule minus major corporate sponsorship save for the
branding from team owner Mark Pickens' Motorvation electronic fuel
injection company and a score of associate sponsors.

Call him the little engine who could. Call him whatever you want,
Millican adds. He just wants you to call him a championship contender.

"We are going to go after that NHRA championship, I know we have the
team and we have the people in place to do it," Millican said. "We're
working hard to fill in the blanks for sponsorships; Mark says we're
going forward. Our cars are ready right now and we have two brand new
cars sitting in the shop ready to go. We have a well rested team and
it's kind of been a nice, slow off-season for us."