Point standings for the eight drivers in each class who have qualified for the
NHRA playoffs, following the 53rd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly
Raceway Park at Indianapolis, the 18th of 23 races in the NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series (after 21 races, the top four drivers in each class will advance
to the two-race championship round at Las Vegas and Pomona):

Responding to inquiries about Bruton Smith’s plans to build a new NHRA drag
strip on the grounds of Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, Rockingham Dragway
owner Steve Earwood said such a facility “will do nothing but enhance the
region’s reputation as a motor racing Mecca.

“To be honest, all it
will do is elevate our industry,” Earwood said of the new track rumored to be
the site next year of an NHRA national event.  “I’m looking forward to working
with Humpy Wheeler and his talented staff at Lowe’s Motor Speedway to increase
interest in the sport throughout the region.”

Earwood, whose track
hosts a pair of races in the IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series, said he
anticipates a track similar to those Smith has built adjacent to his other
NASCAR tracks in Bristol, Tenn., Sonoma, Calif., and Las
Vegas, Nev.  Those
tracks presently are host to four NHRA events.

While Gainesville
and the yet-to-be built Bruton Smith drag strip appear at the head of the list
for the NHRA's 24^th T.B.A. event, could Sydney Australia be one of the
contenders as well.

A source indicates the event would feature the top
eight
qualifiers in each of the Countdown to the Championship categories if
it comes
to fruition. The event appears to be a longshot, but odder things have
happened on the NHRA POWERade Championship Drag racing tour.

“We have been in negotiations with the NHRA organization for
some time now,” remarked WSID Chairman Jim Read. “I have had many ongoing
discussions with Senior Vice President-Racing Operations Graham Light from the
NHRA and we are excited that very real progress has been made in relation to us
securing a round of the 2008 POWERade Drag Racing series.”

The suggestion of Sydney joining the NHRA schedule was made on
ESPN’s ‘NHRA Today’ Drag Racing program, when announcer Mike Dunn confirmed
speculation that Sydney was being closely considered as a date between the 2008
US Nationals in Indianapolis and the round at Dallas.

QUALIFYING ENDS AT
53rd MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS WITH SOME SHOCKING RESULTS

Force, WJ miss field;
Naylor, Arend nail down first career No. 1 qualifiers

Two
first-timers outshined two of the biggest names in the sport as
qualifying for the 53rd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals concluded
Sunday evening in shocking style.

While Funny Car's Jeff Arend and Pro Stock's Max Naylor secured the
first career low qualifying awards of their careers, the two winningest
drivers in NHRA POWERade Series history, John Force (125 career wins)
and Warren Johnson (96 wins), failed to qualify for this all-important
event.

It's a tough way to start the six-race POWERade Series playoff for
Force and Johnson, as well as Top Fuel contenders Whit Bazemore and
J.R. Todd, who also failed to make the cut here. It was the first time
since 1984 that Force has failed to start at the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals and for Warren Johnson it's the first time in 32 career trips
to the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals that he has failed to qualify.

Meanwhile,
in the Skoal Showdown, the $100,000 race-within-a-race bonus for Funny
Car drivers, "Fast Jack" Beckman defeated Ron Capps in an all-Don
Schumacher Racing final and the win-light went to Beckman by
one-hundredth of a second, 4.950 to 4.976. Both Capps and Beckman,
seeded first and fifth entering the playoffs, qualified safely into the
field. Capps will open with Kenny Bernstein and Beckman opens against
Scott Kalitta.

Four-time world champion Shirley Muldowney told Torco's CompetitionPlus.com she’s moving forward with her plans for owning a Top
Fuel team and if things work out right, it could happen in the near
future.

Muldowney said she recently entertained a potential sponsor during an NHRA POWERade event. She’s tight-lipped about who it is.

One thing Muldowney isn’t remaining quiet about is who she’s chosen to
drive – NHRA Lucas Oil Division 1 Top Alcohol Dragster driver Sheila
Kopchick.

On Saturday morning another web site published a story linking the
futures of Top Fuel driver J.R. Todd and team owner Kenny Bernstein
together.  Unfortunately, according to Todd no one involved in the
publishing of that story had spoken with either of the individuals
mentioned.  That further helped to stir the pot regarding Todd’s future
with team owner Dexter Tuttle, so there being no better source than the
man himself, we sought out Todd for his version of what’s going o.

“I got  call last Friday that the sponsor was pulling out and that
Dexter was going back to part-time racing, and that he was looking at
Alan Bradshaw to drive,” he said.  “Ever since that words gotten out
the rumors have been flying

FORCE ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN ENTERING FINAL DAY OF QUALIFYING AT FIRST RACE OF PLAYOFFS

Todd, Bazemore also need to race ways into field on Sunday
 
After
marching all the way from 20th place to third to secure his playoff
berth, NHRA icon John Force is on the verge of putting himself back in
a hole.
 
With two rounds of qualifying remaining on Sunday at the 53rd annual
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the first leg of the six-race POWERade Series
playoff, Force needs to run at least a 4.826 in the Castrol Syntec Ford
Mustang tribute car or risk a DNQ that could be a devastating blow to
his hopes of winning a second straight and 15th career world
championship.
 
J.R. Todd and Whit Bazemore, the Nos. 5 and 7 seeds in Top Fuel,
respectively, are also currently unqualified and needing at least a
4.595 to get in the field for Monday's race.
 
All four of Friday's provisional No. 1 qualifiers -- Tony Schumacher,
Jeff Arend, Max Naylor, and Chip Ellis -- remained in control of their
respective categories at the sport's longest-running event. Saturday's
increased heat kept elapsed times and top speeds relatively in check.
For Naylor and Arend, the No. 1 qualifier would be the first of their respective careers.

NHRA released its 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule today,
expanding the Series to 24 national events.  It is the first addition
to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule since 2000. 

The newest event on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule,
which will be announced in the near future, will be held September
11-14, 2008.  To make room in the schedule for the new fall event, the
O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn. will move to
September 26-28, 2008.

In addition, NHRA announced that the Pro Stock Motorcycle category will
expand to 17 races in 2008, with the addition of the to-be-announced
event in the fall.  

The only time in NHRA’s history when 24 national events were staged
during the season was to celebrate NHRA’s 50th anniversary, when a
special one-time event was conducted at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in
the summer of 2001. 
           
“We are coming off one of the most successful seasons in NHRA history
and anticipate the record-setting attendance figures we witnessed at a
majority of our venues in 2007 to continue based on the consistency we
have created in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule,”
said Tom Compton, president, NHRA.   “There has been much anticipation
regarding today’s announcement and that anticipation will likely carry
over until we announce the newest addition on the national event
schedule.”

SCHUMACHER WOWS INDY CROWD AGAIN

Arend, Naylor and Ellis round out provisional No.
1s

Tony
Schumacher's dominance of the world's greatest drag race continued
Friday as the five-time Mac Tool U.S. Nationals winner closed out the
opening qualifying session with a 4.477-second blast at 333.66 mph to
claim the provisional No. 1 in Top Fuel.

In the other categories, Funny Car qualifying leader Jeff Arend (4.754
at 327.51 mph) and Pro Stock front man Max Naylor (6.655 at 206.39 mph)
were mostly overwhelmed by their accomplishments, while Chip Ellis's
provisional top qualifying pass of 6.970 at 188.78 mph in Pro Stock
Motorcycle kept his recent hot streak alive.

The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals marks the beginning of the POWERade Series
playoffs, the Countdown to the Championship, and there were some
notable non-qualifiers on Day 1, including four drivers in the
playoffs: Whit Bazemore in Top Fuel, Tony Pedregon in Funny Car, Greg
Anderson and Jason Line in Pro Stock, and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle.