Bob Motz is making his return debut at Summit Racing Equipment
Motorsports Park on "Fright Night", October 25th at the K&N
Filter's Halloween Classic.

As North Carolina residents, fans, NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
competitors and officials prepared for this weekend's inaugural NHRA
Carolina Nationals at the all-new zMax Dragway, drag racer Ron Capps
was challenged by NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip to a duel on the very
same dragway.

Waltrip issued the challenge to his fellow NAPA AUTO PARTS racing
partner to race down the quarter-mile at Bruton Smith's stunning
facility to continue the pair's on-air rivalry and banter promoted in
NAPA AUTO PARTS' clever ad campaign using the two racers with disparate
racing backgrounds.

Arriving with his fully race-functional NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry,
Waltrip faced Capps driving an NHRA Super Comp dragster, owned by
Charlotte's Tisha Wilson, in the pair's first head-to-head match-up on
a racing surface.

It was a heady experience for both, as neither had been down the new
dragstrip touted as the "Bellagio" of drag racing. For Capps, because
it was an all-new venue; for Waltrip because it's doubtful that he had
ever been down a state-of-the-art dragstrip in a powerful car in his
lifetime.

Two events, one weekend, promoter’s nightmare or race fans dream?

Drag racing’s perfect storm is descending upon the Carolinas, but this one is not of meteorological proportions.

This double-whammy is clearly of fantastical proportions.

Within two hours and less than 100 miles apart, two drag racing national events promise standing room only crowds.

Outside of Charlotte, located in the town of Concord, the NHRA will
stage its inaugural Carolinas Nationals at Bruton Smith’s new Bellagio
of drag strips, the zMax Drag Stip.

To the east, the legendary Rockingham Dragway will stage the fifth
annual running of the ADRL Dragstock event; arguably the largest of all
fast doorslammer drag racing events complete with blown outlaw and
nitrous machines as well as mountain motor Pro Stocks and a class of
motorcycles.

Drag
racing is officially underway at what could be the finest drag strip ever
built, the zMax Dragway at Concorde, located outside of Charlotte. Time
trials were scheduled for 8:30 AM, but heavy mist pushed the start to
10 AM.

Stock eliminator racers Robert Summer [far lane] and Dick Kincaid launch in competition during the first session. 

For the trivia buffs, the first oil on the racing surface transpired at 10:15.

MBE Cylinder Heads to Host Open House September 11 to Kick Off Inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals

Bring
your appetite for great food and big horsepower September 11 as MBE
Cylinder Heads hosts an open house at their 5000+ square foot facility
in Mooresville, NC. The event precedes the Inaugural NHRA Carolinas
Nationals at Z-Max Dragway located just minutes away in Concord, NC.

NASCAR
team owner and former drag racer Jack Roush, shown here celebrating a
team victory in Dover 2007, said 14-time NHRA champion John Force has
been an inspiration. (NASCAR/Getty Images)

Jack Roush is
far removed from his days of campaigning the Gapp & Roush Pro
Stocker. That doesn’t mean that he hasn’t watched drag racing develop
over the years.

He’s watched the development of 14-time champion John Force into a drag racing legend.

“I started in drag racing – I’m pretty much a generation older than
John,” admitted Roush. “I started drag racing back in the sixties and
spent a decade drag racing, which really formed the foundation of my
motorsport knowledge and my judgment as it related to sponsorships and
race teams and things. I’d like to think that if I’d stayed in drag
racing and grown up, I’d have been able to survive in John Force’s
shadow. John has certainly been an inspiration to me by maintaining the
continuity of his effort for all the decades and all the championships
he’s won. He’s been a great supporter and a great advocate for all the
sponsors, including Ford, and I still enjoy keeping track of what John
is doing.”

If there was any speculation that Ford’s new guy might not be a drag
racing gear-head, that notion was dispelled during the recent Ford
Motorsports teleconference.

Brian Wolfe, the newly promoter Ford Racing Technology director, touted
John Force as directing all four of his Mustang Funny Cars into the
Countdown to the Championship’s playoff phase.

For Wolfe, the timing is perfect as he enters his new role with his
prominent teams positioned prominently in both NHRA drag racing and
NASCAR’s championship battles.

Timeline for reimbursement provides major sticking point

Maybe the fight isn’t totally over.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith accused Concord, N.C., and
Cabarrus County officials early this week of not dealing in good faith
by alleging that someone is trying to negate his $80 million incentives
deal that inspired him to remain in his current locations.

Smith claims the money is owed within two to three years. The county contends 40-years provides more realistic terms.

As a result, Smith’s lawyers are exploring the reportedly reality of fraud charges.

Historically, the National Hot Rod Association has only approved
powertrains for competition as they come from the factories in Detroit,
but all that changed with the recent approval of the 2008 ROUSH®
supercharged 4.6L V-8 in the Stage 3™ and P-51A™ Mustangs. It is
believed that this is the first time the NHRA has approved an
aftermarket powertrain for competition.

The ROUSH Mustangs will be allowed in the NHRA Stock and Super Stock
categories as determined by the horsepower and shipping weight of the
two vehicles. Coupe or convertible chassis will be allowed with a
horsepower of 430 for the Stage 3 and 510 for the P-51A. The shipping
weight of the ROUSH coupes is 3316 pounds, while a convertible weighs
in at 3443 pounds.

On Tuesday morning, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported Chemical Bank had
filed a lawsuit against Evan Knoll’s Torco Race Fuels and that a court
appointed receiver was in the process of liquidating its assets.

A day before the damning article, Reuter’s news agency reported that
Chemical Financial Corp (CHFC.O) incurred a Q3 charge on loan fraud.
Shareholders will incur a charge of 30 cents per share in the third
quarter, as Reuters said, due to a fraudulent commercial loan related
to a single borrower.