First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
21st annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at
Memphis Motorsports Park, the 21st of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which
ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel -- 1. Brandon Bernstein, 3.825 seconds, 313.88 mph  vs. 16. Pat Dakin, 4.069, 294.05; 2. Hillary Will, 3.826, 313.66 
vs. 15. Morgan Lucas, 4.001, 298.93; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.838, 311.20 
vs. 14. T.J. Zizzo, 3.972, 300.66; 4. David Grubnic, 3.848, 311.13  vs.
13. J.R. Todd, 3.968, 305.70; 5. Doug Herbert, 3.853, 311.49  vs. 12.
Clay Millican, 3.911, 307.58; 6. Tony Schumacher, 3.859, 310.84  vs.
11. Rod Fuller, 3.909, 300.53; 7. Bob Vandergriff, 3.861, 312.13 vs.
10. Cory McClenathan, 3.873, 310.13; 8. Larry Dixon, 3.865, 308.50  vs.
9. Antron Brown, 3.871, 310.05.

Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Chip Ellis pretty much blew the argument for Steve Johnson.

Johnson ranted for about 5 minutes following his NHRA Carolinas
Nationals victory about how the Suzuki’s couldn’t qualify with the
Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidsons and Buells.

Ellis ran a 6.910 elapsed time at 191.10 miles per hour in Saturday’s
first session on his Suzuki during the NHRA Mid South Nationals in
Memphis, Tenn. He was over .05 quicker than the quickest non-Suzuki
racer.

So much for that argument.

Brandon Bernstein needed the momentum qualifying No. 1 in Memphis provided. At this stage in the championship battle, he can use every point he can get as he tries to keep pace with leader Tony Schumacher.

“It’s tough when you look at the points system and that car is so
consistent,” Bernstein said. “He runs the number so much that you begin
to question if you can catch him or not. As long as we are in this
fight, we are going to fight to the end. Anything can happen on Sunday.

Organizers with the JEGS
ProMod Challenge have stripped Joe Baker of the 37 points he earned in Dallas
after confirming with NHRA rules officials about proper procedure regarding the
incident. Although the JEGS ProMod Challenge is an exhibition class and not
under NHRA sanction, the series has always followed NHRA's rules of competition
and utilizes the NHRA for technical inspection of all vehicles.

Baker was
disqualified after the first round of eliminations at the 23rd annual Super
Start Batteries NHRA Nationals at the Texas Motorplex due to a violation of the
rules governing the size and shape of the supercharger.

Allen Johnson can’t help it.

The veteran driver from Greeneville, Tenn., has a legitimate chance to
contend for the 2008 NHRA Pro Stock title and the status has him
counting points.

“This gives us almost a half of a round,” Johnson said, speaking about
his third No. 1 qualifier of the season during this weekend's NHRA Mid South Nationals in Memphis. “We just have to do something
with it on Sunday.”

Make no bones about it; winning a championship would provide an incredible experience for Johnson.

ELLIS TAKES TOP SPOT ON HOT SATURDAY; BERNSTEIN, A. FORCE, JOHNSON REMAIN NO.1 AT MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK

Pro
Stock Motorcycle rider Chip Ellis rode to his second consecutive No. 1
qualifier in Memphis on a day when it seemed all Friday night times
would rule.

Brandon Bernstein, Ashley Force and Allen Johnson kept their No. 1
qualifying positions in their categories following strong runs Friday
night at the 21st annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by
Pennzoil, the third of six events in the NHRA Countdown to 1 playoffs.

Ellis rode his Schumacher Electric Suzuki to a blistering 6.910 seconds
at 191.10 mph during Saturday’s late-morning session. It’s Ellis’ first
No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 13th of his career.

An icepack falling from the body of his Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle
during a run was enough for the NHRA to disqualify rider Shawn Gann
from the event. They deemed the incident as a safety hazard.

Team owner Blake Gann said the team uses an icepack while sitting in
the lanes to keep the gas tank temperatures down while they run. Such a
procedure ensures a bike will perform at its highest potential when the
time comes to run.

Gann said their team has a ritual when they fire the bike they
automatically remove the icepack. He said a crewmember forgot this
time.

In 2007 Nitro Funny Car Driver Jack Wyatt won the IHRA's most
prestigious award: IHRA Sportsman of the Year by being an outstanding
member of the IHRA racing family. For Jack, the best part of receiving
the award was that he was nominated by his peers for his outstanding
contributions to the brotherhood that is IHRA drag racing.

In 2008 the IHRA has taken the voting out of the pages of Drag Review
Magazine, and onto the Internet. So now all of the racers and fans can
make their voices be heard in deciding who was the very best in IHRA
Drag Racing in 2008.

Allen Johnson has been around drag racing long enough to know one can never say never in this sport. However,
the Mopar-sponsored driver feels pretty confident in saying that his
6.591 elapsed time during first day qualifying at the NHRA Mid South Nationals will stand throughout Saturday’s qualifying.

Simply put, the weather at Memphis will be the deciding factor.

There was something about being thrown back in the seat of his Budweiser dragster that let Brandon Bernstein know that Friday evening’s conditions at the NHRA Mid South Nationals weren’t the norm for Memphis.

He’s used to nasty, hot and humid conditions.

This time the front wheels were in the air en route to what could be
his second No. 1 qualifier of 2008 and 13th of his career. The
3.825-second run at 313.88 miles per hour was a pleasant surprise.