Team Rage announced today that it has formed a partnership with Harold
Martin Racing to field the second National Guard car in ADRL
competition. The long awaited announcement means that none other than
Harold Martin will be the new driver of the National Guard’s Pro
Nitrous entry in the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL)
presented by the National Guard. Martin, from New Hudson, Michigan,
will race as a teammate to Joshua Hernandez, who drives the National
Guard car for Team Rage in ADRL’s Pro Extreme class.

“When we decided to go outside of Team Rage in search of a second
driver, Harold Martin was on a very short list of names that we
compiled,” said Team Rage owner Dave Wood. “I am thrilled about this
new partnership with Harold Martin Racing and confident that both Josh
and Harold will contend for the 2008 ADRL world championships in their
respective classes.”

“This is a great opportunity for me and my race team, as well as a true
honor to represent the National Guard,” Martin stated. “Dave Wood is a
first-class individual who has built a first-class racing operation.
I’m looking forward to our partnership and to carrying the National
Guard colors into an ADRL winner’s circle as early and often as
possible this year.”

You can always count on a son-in-law. That’s the belief that Robert
Hight, son-in-law to Funny Car legend/team owner John Force, keeps
finding out. In Pomona, he handed the John Force Racing camp their 18th
career win in Pomona.

Despite eating up his Jimmy Prock-tuned ride shy of the finish line,
Hight drove his way to a 4.861 elapsed time with a slowing 284.39 miles
per hour to edge Cruz Pedregon’s competitive 4.879.322.50 package.

Jim
Head thought he got the point across crystal clear last season. Just in
case his attempts didn’t hit home, he’s going to repeat himself.

Jim Head wants out of driving and wouldn’t mind in the least stepping aside for another driver.

“I'm not sure I got the world to understand how badly I want to get out
of my race car,” explained Head. “I want to furnish a perfectly
operating race team- crew, crew chief, all the equipment to some lucky
new driver who hopefully brings a new sponsor; they have to bring a new
sponsor.  Too many people told me that I'm not really ready to get out
of the car and they just don't understand.  I am ready and now
unfortunately I need to get out because we're not going to make the
year without some money.”

Make no bones about it this is not a knee-jerk reaction for Head.

Tony Pedregon returned to Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Ca., following a
hospital visit in time to watch his brother Cruz drive to a runner-up
finish. His right hand was bandaged – the after affects of a serious
explosion that annihilated his Quaker State-sponsored Funny Car and
subjected the two-time and defending world champion to one of the worst
fires in drag racing history.

So intense was the fire Pedregon experienced that, on Motel6/ESPN2
video, the lower portion of his firesuit appeared burned away.

"A lot of times when something happens to your car, like when you drop
a cylinder, you feel it, and I would have reacted,” Pedregon said. “But
it blew up, and I had instant flames, like a flame-thrower in my face
and the scary part was I didn't know where I was. I hit the wall very
hard and I feel very lucky. I knew that my hands were burned and I knew
that I got beat up a little. When I got out of the car I thought, ' I
can't believe the car finally stopped and I'm going to get out of it.'
I got out of it slowly because I wanted to make sure the car was
completely stopped.

Defending
Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher raced to his 42nd career
victory Sunday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals.

Robert Hight and Greg Anderson also were winners in their respective
categories at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event, the first of
24 races in 2008.

Schumacher, who with the victory moved to second on the Top Fuel
all-time wins list behind legend Joe Amato (52 wins), covered the Auto
Club Raceway at Pomona quarter-mile dragstrip in 4.499 seconds at
331.28 mph in his U.S. Army dragster, while final round opponent Cory
McClenathan trailed in his FRAM dragster at 4.536 at 329.26.

Sunday's final results from the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts
Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the first
of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the
48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at
Pomona, the first of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Final round-by-round results from the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto
Parts Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the first of 24
events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

There’s been considerable confusion
regarding the new qualifying procedure which some believe “locks in”
the quickest 12 cars in each pro category at the conclusion of Friday’s
second session.  Many at the Winternationals were under the mistaken
impression that those 12 cars couldn’t be bumped from their respective
fields regardless of how they performed on Saturday, and this is not
the case.

The new procedure was really put into effect for races later in the
season, when an under-ideal-running-conditions-Friday evening followed
by a 20 degrees and 15 humidity percentage points higher Saturday could
effectively end all hopes of outsiders making the field.

Unquestionably this has been a major problem.  We can recall more than
one U.S. Nationals when there was but a single night session on Friday,
and if you didn’t make it into the show then you would be making
useless “demonstration runs” for the remainder of the weekend.  The
same situation has occurred at other venues, with this new plan
designed to enhance qualifying prospects for the competitors while at
the same time insuring the spectators of a better show.

The first round of Funny Car eliminations during the NHRA
Winternationals in Pomona, Ca., produced more excitement than one could
imagine as Tony Pedregon suffered a devastating explosion and John
Force ran off the end of the track.

Neither driver was apparently seriously injured in the accident, although Pedregon is being tended to by medical staff.

“I broke every rule you can break as a driver. It’s called brain fade,”
Force said. “I was worried about the reaction times because I was late
off of the line because of my foot.”