Former IHRA President Billy Meyer had a vision for sportsman racing; he wanted to simplify the explanation of grassroots racing to the casual race fan.

Meyer’s vision was to create a day when the little guys would play in front of a packed capacity crowd of non-gearhead fans. He wanted to erase the explanations of how a car could get to the finish line first and lose; as well as why one car would leave before the other and so on and so on.

Meyer quickly erased the traditionalism of class racing and replaced the staple divisions with heads-up indexed bracket racing. Knowing full well that Detroit wouldn’t support this style of drag racing, Meyer sought a Junior Pro Stock division, an equivalent to the then NASCAR Busch Grand National cars.

Thus was born the concept of Factory Modified.

Drag racers create many special bonds throughout their strenuous pursuit of drag racing championships.

Cory McClenathan has a new friend to fill the void left when his 17-year old Cocker Spaniel passed away last year.

Cory
McClenathan enjoyed one of those bonds with a Cocker Spaniel named
Cookie. The veteran driver of the FRAM Top Fuel dragster lost Cookie
last year prior to the fall Las Vegas event.

Cookie was 17 years old.

McClenathan proudly proclaims he’s got another Cocker Spaniel. This one
is not a replacement for Cookie. Instead the new puppy is another
friend to bond with.

The new puppy was a gift from McClenathan’s girlfriend Debbie upon returning from Pomona.

Following 14-time Funny Car World Champion John Force’s dramatic crash
last September in Dallas, a decision was made by John Force Racing to
pursue the design and manufacture of an integrated composite safety
structure that could be mounted into
the existing chromoly chassis that would provide additional protection
to the driver’s lower extremities in the event of a chassis failure.

John Force Racing through The Eric Medlen Project (TEMP) brought in
Aerodine Composite Group, to develop a safety structure that would
protect the driver’s lower extremities. John Medlen, director of TEMP,
had previously worked with Aerodine Composites and knew they were the
perfect company for this critical job.

With input from all of the JFR crew chiefs and chassis builder Murf
McKinney, Aerodine Composites was able to develop a lightweight
two-piece composite footbox structure built from carbon fiber and
ballistic fiberglass that further added to the safety of the cockpit. 
The initial part was designed, manufactured, and fitted to a chassis in
time for NHRA championship contender Robert Hight to race in Richmond,
Virginia, less than two weeks after John’s horrific crash.  The use of
advanced composites allowed Aerodine Composites to add the additional
protection required inside an already cramped cockpit, while minimizing
weight that could adversely affect the performance of the car. 

Lew Arrington Jr., a Funny
Car pioneer, passed away on February 24 of heart disease. The former match race
icon was 69.

Oh, what Ed “Ace”
McCulloch would give for access to one of those miracle weight-loss
products.  You know the ones.  Their commercials proliferate late-night
television:  “Lose 60 pounds in 60 Days,
the

But alas, none is
applicable for McCulloch because the extra baggage isn’t around his hips.  It belongs to the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge
Charger that he tunes and Ron Capps drives.

New Funny Car rules
legislated this year piled on 100 extra pounds raising the minimum weight to
2,555 pounds, a number the former Funny Car and Top Fuel driver finds
overwhelming.  His gripe, he points out,
isn’t with the safety aspect.

“I’m all for safety,” said
McCulloch.  “I’m all for making these
cars safer. If we have to have a stronger car – which we do – I’m all for what
we have to do.”

McCulloch, a drag racing
veteran who began his successful driving career at the wheel of a late 1960s
push-started, front-motored Top Fuel dragster like everyone else drove at the
time, does have a few suggestions.

The following are the final pre-entries received for the 9th annual CSR Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco's CompetitionPlus.com hosted by South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. 

Matt Hagan’s vision for driving a Funny
Car went beyond what his mind could imagine. In a month, the former Pro
Modified driver will realize his dream when he fires his Torco-sponsored Funny
Car during the IHRA Texas Nationals in San Antonio, Texas.

Some of the grandest plans have humble
beginnings and for Hagan, a simple trip to watch the local racing at Elk Creek
Dragway located in the small town of Elk Creek, Virginia ignited his interest
in piloting a race car. Eight years old at the time, the visit had such a
profound affect on the youngster, Hagan was racing four-wheelers five years
later on Friday nights.

Once Matt was old enough to get a driver's
license, his father, David, invested in a drag car for his aspiring son.

“When I was 16 I got my first Chevy Nova,”
Hagan recalled. “I really didn’t know anything about race cars. The car was all
cleaned up and you could tell the guy who was selling it took good care of it.
He was telling me all about the car in terms that were Greek to me. I was in
way over my head. He could have sold me the biggest piece of junk in the world
and I would have been happy with it. Fortunately, it turned out to be a pretty
good car.

“We ran that car for about a year, then
decided to do some local Quick 8 races,” he said, continuing with his story.
“We bought another car, an old Trans Am with a 632 nitrous motor and two stages
of spray. We ran with a bunch of local guys and won a couple of races.

Dunkin signs test deal for
two races with David Powers Motorsports and development driver Zach Beard …

The Boston Business
Journal reports Top Fuel team owner David Powers will represent Dunkin Donuts for
at least two races in 2008 as part of a test sponsorship. The Canton,
Mass.-based Dunkin Donuts also struck a deal with DPM developmental driver Zach
Beard.

The marketing agreement
lists the NHRA Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.) and the NHRA Southern Nationals (Atlanta, Ga.)
as the two races for the special program.

Top Fuel driver Antron Brown will visit Indiana State University (ISU) on March
5 to speak with students about careers in motor sports. The visit supports ISU’s
Team Sycamore Racing program. A question and answer session will follow Brown’s
appearance.

Team Sycamore Racing (TSR) was
launched in January 2007 to give ISU students affiliated with the race team
experience in operating, managing and driving the TSR Super Comp dragster. The
team is advised by Randell Peters, assistant professor of industrial and
mechanical technology and coordinator of the automotive technology management
program.

“I’m looking forward to speaking to
the students at Indiana State (University) and to motivate them to
pursue and achieve their goals in earning a career in motor sports,” Brown said.
“It feels good to give back and mentor these future racing professionals. I
never experienced anything like this in my younger days. I hope I can offer up
some useful advice.”

The following are the pre-entries received for the 9th annual CSR Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco's CompetitionPlus.com hosted by South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga.