The big, black Bill Miller Engineering 18-wheeler racked up more than
10,000 highway miles in the last two months, ferrying the BME Okuma Top
Fuel dragster from the team's headquarters in Nevada to NHRA national
events in Tennessee, Illinois and Ohio. In that same period, the black
and yellow BME dragster logged three miles in qualifying and
competition. Along the way, the BME team ran steady 4.60s, won a round
in eliminations, and won dozens of friends for drag racing.
 
"We had guests from Okuma, Sandvik Coromant, and Infinity Rebuild at
the events in Bristol, Chicago, and Norwalk," said team owner Bill
Miller. "It never ceases to amaze me how much our guests love standing
in the pits, watching the BME crew take the car apart, put it back
together, and then fire it up. Most have never been to a drag race
before and have no idea what goes on between runs, so it really is a
lot of fun to share our world with first-timers.
 
"Okuma even sets up the 'Bill Miller Theater' inside their hospitality
trailer," he continued. "We have a projector that's hooked up to a
laptop computer, and I can show the guests the data from a run,
complete with video, on a big screen. I explain that racing a Top Fuel
dragster is like running a three-axis CNC machine without a controller
– and since they work with very sophisticated machines, that is an
analogy they can understand.

Rookie of the year favorite Mike Neff has been getting acquainted with
his new teammates at John Force Racing for almost a year. From day one
they have been helpful and eager to see him succeed. As Neff learned
the ropes they were there to offer insight and suggestions to help the
former crew chief handle his Old Spice Ford Mustang as he navigated the
various racing facilities on the NHRA POWERade series.

That help may begin to dry up.

Neff has pulled up beside John Force Racing teammates an astounding six
times in the last eight races this season. Unfortunately he has never
met a teammate in a final which would guarantee a JFR winners circle.
He has a respectable, if not impressive, 4-2 record against JFR but he
would rather meet up with his teammates at the end of the day instead
of early.

“You always hate to have to race your teammate. You know somebody will
have a bad day since they are going to lose the first round (later in
the day). The one positive is you are guaranteed getting a car to the
(next) round,” said the Hemet, California native.

Max Naylor essentially ensured his sponsorship for years to come.
The veteran Pro Stock racer purchased the assets of VegasFuel Energy
Drink, his major sponsor.

Naylor has been flying the banner of
VegasFuel Energy Drink since the beginning of the season and has been
supporting and marketing the drink endlessly. 

“The overwhelming
response to this beverage, ‘This tastes great – where can I get it?’
convinced us that we should be more involved in the day to day
operations of VegasFuel," said Naylor. "We feel we have assembled a
great marketing team with our group, and with the at-track success we
have had with a former marketing partner, we felt we can do the same
here, except now we have direct control of it’s success.”

The country’s top award for a performance based Street Machine was
presented to North Lake, Wisconsin’s Erv Roller Saturday Night, July
12th at the Goodguys 11th PPG Nationals in Columbus, OH. Woller’s 1969
Camaro, known as “RAZOR”, was built by the Ring Bros. of Spring Green,
Wisconsin, the same team that produced last year’s Street Machine of
the Year winner. That’s the first time in the fourteen year history of
the award the winning car was produced by the same build team in
consecutive seasons.

Featuring a two-tone gray and orange design, “Hunter” leather interior,
carbon fiber hood and decklid, a Detroit Speed & Engineering
“Quadralink” suspension and one-off custom Budnik wheels, Woller’s
Camaro exudes class and ingenuity. Both Mike and Jim Ring, known for
their ability to design and fabricate parts from carbon fiber as well
as their finesse in body and paint applications, completely repainted
“RAZOR” during a 96-hour period over the 4th of July holiday weekend.
The car debuted June 27th at a Goodguys event in Nashville and when the
car hit the sunlight, they saw some flaws they knew would not serve the
car well in Columbus – the biggest stage there is for Street Machines.
“It was  painful decision,” said Jim Ring. “Mike and I were at each
other’s throats and our wives may never talk to us again. It had to be
done. You build a car like this for this event and this award. It means
everything.”

Justin Humphreys’ had an agenda prepared before he arrived in Seattle earlier this
week.  At the top of the list was a
fishing trip on Puget Sound.

“We did it last year and had a great time so we are going to do it
again,” said the NHRA Pro Stock driver. 
“We caught fish and enjoyed the whole experience.”

There was, however, one item that took precedence over everything else:
Getting out of the mile-high race track in Denver Monday and returning to sea level and
normal racing conditions.

Humphreys will be angling for a little good racing luck this weekend
during the Schuck’s Auto Supply Nationals at Pacific Raceways.  He could use some.

The second-year driver from Monrovia, Md.
is in contention for a top 10 berth in the new Countdown to 1 playoff format
with five races to go.  But he needs to
win rounds if he is to move into the final six-race contest.  He is 12th and trails
10th place by 70 points, four rounds of racing.

Dale Creasy, Jr. spoke via phone with friends and family shortly after
his final surgery on Sunday. He remains in good spirits, despite being
a long way from home.

"I can't say enough about the entire staff here at Royal Alex," he
said. "They have really made this stay as pleasant as possible, but I'm
ready to go home."

The downtime has given the 2-time IHRA Funny Car Champion time to
think and reflect. "I don't want anyone to have to go through what I
did, but having gone through this, it really makes you aware of the
special people around you every day. Craig and the entire Trackside
Safety crew did a great job of getting me out of my car. Every race,
every lap, they're right there waiting to put themselves on the line to
help racers. How can you say thanks for that?"

Rockstar Energy Drink Dodger Charger R/T Funny Car driver Jerry Toliver knows he
needs to start winning rounds if he is to get into the top 10 and battle for a
Funny Car crown this year. The Countdown to the Championship playoffs for the
top 10 in points begins following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor
Day weekend, and this weekend's 21st Annual NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways
is the first of the last five events remaining before the Countdown kicks
in.
  
Toliver moved up to No. 15 in the rankings last weekend at the
Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver but still remains 116 points behind Don
Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman, who sits in the No. 10 spot. With 20
points awarded for each round win, Toliver is just over five rounds out of the
top 10 and he's both confident and determined that the Rockstar Energy Drink
team can make up the ground by Indianapolis.

Cruz Pedregon seeks his first career win in Seattle this weekend.

Former world champion Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon has won 27 national events
in his two-plus decades of professional drag racing, but for some unknown
reason, the quarter-mile gods have never smiled on the So-Cal native in any of
his previous visits to Pacific Raceways.

The son of "Flamin' Frank"
Pedregon hopes to finally change that this time through when he lines up his
8,000-horsepower Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara at this weekend's event, the
14th of 24 on the 2008 POWERade Drag Racing Series.

"I'm a West Coast
guy, and we have always run well here, but we've just never been able to seal
the deal in Seattle," Pedregon said. "I love the city and it's always great to
get back to sea-level after being in Denver, so this race is always a welcome
stop on the tour. This time should be no different. From the looks of it, the
weather will be nice and cool so we should have every opportunity to be very
fast here."

…that
in the 28 years of the Western Swing only five drivers have swept all three
races (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma).  Those drivers are Joe Amato (1991, Top Fuel),
John Force (1994, Funny Car), Cory McClenathan (1997, Top Fuel), Larry Dixon
(2003, Top Fuel), and Greg Anderson (2004, Pro Stock).

Reigning Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has been on top of the drag racing
world four times, three in Pro Stock and once more in Super Gas. He also has
accumulated 52 national event victories along the way. Bottom line, the
38-year-old from Delaware, Ohio, knows what it takes to win at the top level of
the sport.

"We've climbed the mountain a few times so we know the journey
very well," Coughlin said. "There are no shortcuts and certainly there are bumps
and bruises to be had along the way. The main thing is keeping your eye on the
ultimate goal.

"I look at this team Victor Cagnazzi has put together and
I see a group of champions. Everyone knows it's a long, arduous haul that
requires countless hours of work and complete dedication. We have that here,
from top to bottom."