Monaco Las Vegas will be host a pre-race kick-off party for the
inaugural Speed Spectacular on Thursday, May 1, from 4-8 p.m. at its
showroom at 7445 Dean Martin Dr. in Las Vegas.  The free party will
feature hot rods, race cars, Monaco’s luxury motor coaches and a
barbeque.  Included in the race car display at Monaco’s showroom will
be the legendary Pisano & Matsubara Vega nitro Funny Car and Mendy
Fry’s Future Flash Dodge Charger.

“Vintage drag racing participants spend a great deal of time, money and
energy preparing for – and competing in – a sport that is strictly a
hobby,” said Daryl Rogers, co-owner of Monaco Las Vegas.  “Our motto,
‘Driving Your Dream’ is exactly what these racers are doing. Monaco Las
Vegas’ pre-race celebration simply is an opportunity for the racers,
enthusiasts and coach owners to relax and enjoy their hobby away from
the track.”

The inaugural Las Vegas Speed Spectacular will include nostalgia drag
racing featuring the NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series.  The
traveling NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series was created to preserve the rich
history and tradition of drag racing and will contest nostalgia drag
racing classes, including: nostalgia nitro-burning Funny Cars, A/Gas,
B/Gas, C/Gas, D/Gas, Hot Rod and three Nostalgia Eliminator classes.  A
pair of Fuel Altereds also will battle in heads-up,
first-man-to-the-finish-line-wins match racing.

Ohio State
University's Comprehensive Cancer Center
-- Arthur
G. James Cancer
Hospital and Richard J.
Solove Research Institute recognized the fifth anniversary of the JEGS
Foundation "Racing for Cancer Research" program on April 29th by presenting a
certificate of appreciation to the Coughlin family.

The JEGS Foundation
"Racing for Cancer Research" program directly benefits the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute by
raising money for cancer research, educating the racing community and public
at-large on the disease, providing an avenue for people to get involved in the
fight against cancer, and helping with patient care.

Together in partnership with San Francisco’s KFRC
106.9 FM, CBS 5 and product sponsors Intro Wheels, Global West Suspension, Billy
Built, BF Goodrich, Grant Driving Accessories, Steele Rubber Products, PPG Paint
and Troy’s Body
& Paint, Goodguys will give away a Vintage 1965 Mustang this season.  The
car will be given away at the 19th Autumn Get-Together, November 8 & 9 at
the Pleasanton Fairgrounds, in Pleasanton, CA
this fall. Semi finalists will be chosen at all four 2008 Goodguys events held
at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds. Additional finalists and qualifiers will be
chosen throughout the year by registering on KFRC’s website www.kfrc.com.

Sometimes a malfunction can make a driver look like a genius. NHRA Southern Nationals Top Fuel

A troublesome brake led to lightning quick reactions for two-time winner Antron Brown. (Roger Richards)

champion
Antron Brown can relate. All weekend, the Matco Tools-sponsored driver
fought problems with his hand brake and the more he fought, the better
his reaction times got.

Nothing defies the traditional definition of breakage more than a hole
shot victory over the point leader and former U.S. Army teammate Tony
Schumacher.

“My car just kept rolling on me,” said Brown, the former Pro Stock
Motorcycle standout. “I just kept pulling the lever back and I kept
rolling a little bit.  I was popping up with some good reaction times
this weekend so it made me look like I was doing good.  I was hurt in
the ET a little bit but I went into the final round knowing that we
were racing Alan Johnson and Tony Schumacher with that great US Army
race team over there. 

“They’re five-time world champs and you've just got to give it
everything you've got, so as soon as I saw that thing just flicker
yellow I just hit the pedal as quick as I could.”

Ron Krisher is having fun in NHRA Pro Stock again. (Roger Richards Photos)

Ron Krisher abandoned his own in-house engine program to lease an
engine from Cagnazzi late last season. The program has been paying
dividends ever since. On Saturday, the program yielded a quite an
accolade during qualifying at the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce,
Ga. He led qualifying from start to finish.

“The best money I've spent in a little while,” Krisher said. “Aside
from the fact that their really, really good people to work with.  I
just have an excellent relationship with all of these people and I'm
extremely happy with the whole situation.  You can run it and be at
odds with everybody but that's not happening.  It's a really, really
good situation that I'm in.  It can't get much better than it already
is.”

Krisher said this pathway has put the fun back in racing for him.
 

The Drag Racing Association of Women is seeking items for its annual auction at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., Saturday, June 7. There will be the usual silent and live auctions.

DRAW holds multiple live and silent auctions
during the 2008 racing season, including the large annual silent and
live auction held in Joliet, Ill., and a live auction held in September in Ennis, Texas. Small silent auctions also are held throughout the race season.

The range of items popular at these auctions
includes racing collectibles, vehicle parts, custom or handmade
treasures, t-shirts, team shirts, memorabilia items, anything
autographed -- a little bit of everything and anything. If you have
something you no longer want, remember the old saying, “one man's junk
is another man's treasure.” Don't throw it out. Give it to DRAW for the auctions.

John Force will score his 1,000 round win with a first round victory on Sunday. (Roger Richards)

Having been stopped just short in his most recent bid for drag racing
immortality, John Force takes his quest for 1,000 round wins to Gateway
International Raceway this week where he'll try to put his Castrol GTX®
High Mileage™ Ford Mustang in the winners' circle on his 59th birthday.

 
Beaten by his daughter, Ashley, in the final round of last week's
Summit Southern Nationals at Atlanta, Ga., drag racing's biggest winner
needs just one round win in Sunday's 12th annual O'Reilly Midwest
Nationals to reach 1,000.
                                                                 
Last week, the 14-time Auto Racing All-American tried to play down the
importance of becoming just the second pro driver to compete in 500
NHRA events ("It ain't hard.  All you gotta do is just show up").  By
contrast, he is keenly aware of the impact of his next achievement.
 
"Winning all those rounds, that even impressed me," joked the 14-time
Auto Racing All-America selection, "but I remember the days when we
couldn't even win one round. 

Alan Bradshaw and Vis Viva "Living Force Energy" will celebrate the
late Darrell Russell's life by debuting the "Tribute to a Champion -
Never Forgotten" special edition Top Fuel dragster at this weekend's
12th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals. Vis Viva driver Alan
Bradshaw, a friend of Darrell and his family, also will wear a custom
helmet and firesuit commemorating the event. Darrell's parents, Gwen
and Burnell Russell, and his brother Chris Russell will also be in
attendance as guests of NHRA.

"We couldn't be more thrilled that Darrell is being honored in this
way," Chris Russell said. "This was something Darrell would have been
very proud of, and the fact Alan will be driving the car is a perfect
fit."

Like many racers, Darrell began his driving career in the Sportsman
ranks competing in a Super Comp dragster for a number of years before
eventually moving up to his family-owned Top Alcohol Dragster. With
Chris tuning the car and Gwen and Burnell serving as crewmen, Darrell
won a total of 26 national and divisional NHRA events along with four
divisional championships in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 1999.

Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser brand has sponsored Kenny Bernstein’s NHRA
drag racing team for 29 years, the longest current team/sponsorship
association in all of auto sports.

It’s no wonder that Brandon Bernstein, driver of the Budweiser/Lucas
Oil dragster is excited about the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals May 2-4 at
Gateway International Raceway.

“When we come to St. Louis, our friends at Budweiser roll out the red
carpet for us,” said the second generation driver.  “It’s as if St.
Louis is our second home and all the executives at Budweiser that work
with us are our extended family.

“Dad actually sold Budweiser on sponsoring his race team during a rainout at Baton Rouge in 1979,” explained Bernstein.

“The race rained out on Sunday, he went to St. Louis and met with
Budweiser and sold the sponsorship, and then went back to Baton Rouge
on Wednesday night and beat John Force in the Funny Car final.