ESPN2 has announced a schedule change for the Virginia NHRA Nationals
qualifying show. The one-hour qualifying show will now air at 7 p.m.
(ET) on Oct. 11, instead of the previously scheduled 11:30 p.m. (ET).
The qualifying show will re-air on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 11:30 a.m. (ET),
immediately following NHRA Race Day. Sunday’s three-hour eliminations
coverage on ESPN2 remains the same, starting at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

Carter Machinery and JLG Industries, Inc. have partnered with David
Powers Motorsports and seven-time NHRA Top Fuel winner Hot Rod Fuller
for the third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals, Oct. 10-12, at Virginia
Motorsports Park near Richmond it was announced today. Fuller’s
Caterpillar® dragster will fly the Carter Machinery and JLG logos
during the Richmond NHRA race.

The relationship between David Powers Motorsports, Caterpillar Inc. and
the Caterpillar dealers was designed as a pilot program to increase
technician recruiting since many Caterpillar dealers around the country
are experiencing a shortage of technicians. After successful events in
several NHRA markets during the 2007 season, DPM and Caterpillar inked
a multiyear agreement last August to participate in the NHRA dealer
recruitment program.

 “The support from our Caterpillar dealers and Caterpillar allied
vendors for the NHRA racing program continues to grow and we see this
with another new dealer, Carter, being on our dragster this year,”
Fuller said. “We’re going to have some fun at our last East Coast race
of the year and go out and try to win some rounds and hopefully the
Richmond race.”

TAD Champ Reichert regains points lead with Atlanta win

Two-time defending NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion Bill
Reichert and his Rislone Engine Treatment backed team scored a clutch
win to regain the national points lead during this past weekend’s
Division 2 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Atlanta Dragway.  The
win gave Reichert a 38 point lead over second-place Jim Whiteley.
 
Reichert, who runs the family business, Reichert Racing Engines, in
Owosso, Mich., qualified his injected-nitro dragster third in the field
with a 5.527 second elapsed time at 258.17 mph.  In round one, he
defeated fellow Rislone/Bar’s Leaks sponsored racer Jeff Bohr in a
pedal-fest with an off-pace 9.701 at 119.92 mph.  In round two, the
Rislone machine returned to form to defeat Robin Samsel with a 5.281 at
273.39 mph.

Grab the family and head to Auto Club Famoso for three days of roddin’, racing and fun

The annual three-day funfest known as the California National Hot Rod Reunion, presented by Automobile Club of Southern California, returns to Auto Club Famoso (just outside Bakersfield) for
the 17th time, Oct. 10-12 .While the hot rodding/nostalgia drag racing
spectacular offers a cornucopia of things to do, here are 10 family-fun
events to consider:

1. Meet drag racing legends such as “TV Tommy” Ivo:  Drag racing icons
abound at the Reunion. “TV” Tommy Ivo, one of the most likeable and
competitive drag racers of all time (he was voted No. 25 on the NHRA’s
greatest drivers list) will have three of his most famous rides at the
Reunion. The lineup includes the four-motor Showboat from 1961 courtesy
of America’s Automobile Collection; Ron Johnson’s Barnstormer tribute
car and Tommy’s last Top Fuel dragster from 1974. Restored by Bruce
Larson, this car gave Tommy the “wild ride” of his life when it went
through the traps at Pomona, upside down, backwards and on fire—at 200
mph. Tommy walked away with only one minor scratch.

Dave
Connolly finds himself at the NHRA Pro Stock championship crossroads
this weekend.  The number of races remaining in the Countdown to the
championship has dwindled to three while his rounds behind the leader
stay the same.

“Now it’s going to take quite a feat for us to overcome five rounds in
three races, but we’ve gone on streaks like that before,” said Connolly
as he prepared for the Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park
in Dinwiddie, near Richmond.  “We’ll just try to stick our Chevy Cobalt
into as many winner’s circles as we can.”

Dale Creasy, Jr. - two-time and defending IHRA Nitro Funny Car World Champion is recovering from his seventh surgery since his accident during the Rocky Mountain Nationals this past July 4th in Edmonton, Alberta.

The most recent surgery to repair the calf muscle in his left leg was
said to be a success. Creasy is looking forward to beginning the
rehabilitation process.

"It's been a long ordeal," Creasy said from his room at St. Vincent
Hospital in Indianapolis. "All the doctors have been great. This
facility is great They're doing everything they can and I can't thank
them enough."

Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson or Irondale, Ala. was among thousands of Suzuki dealers, racers and fans who attended
Suzuki’s new model introduction in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. 
Johnson’s Snap-on Tools/WyoTech Technical Schools Suzuki, a two-time
tour winner in the month of September, is currently locked in a tough
battle for the NHRA POWERade championship.

There was a day and time when Scotty Cannon wouldn’t dare miss an
Englishtown event and the chance to spar against former nemesis Jim
Oddy for supremacy of the doorslammer drag racing world. Much has
changed for the two entities since the 1990s.

Scotty has since tried racing nitro cars and for all intents and purposes, passed the driving mantle to his son Scott Jr.

Oddy has sold the family race team and accepted a tuning gig with the Team Rage operation.

Three races left to go and the Mopar team is feeling the crunch …

Allen
Johnson knows his championship odds are stacked to the point that he’s
going to need a few final round appearances just to stay in the hunt.

The Mopar-sponsored Pro Stock racer from Greeneville, Tenn., believes
this weekend’s NHRA Virginia Nationals provides the best starting point
given there are just three races left in the season.

Duck Tape Racing's Michael Beard covers a lot of ground, having
competed in events from Florida to Texas, and Pennsylvania to
Michigan.  The opening weekend of October found him closer to home, but
still logging the miles.  On Saturday, Beard raced his way down to the
final eight cars in an IHRA Summit Super Series bracket race at
Piedmont Dragway in Greensboro, N.C.