Here are some interesting figures
from the IHRA Northern Nationals. There were 41 Pro Mod cars in the pits, and
the average elapsed time through three rounds of qualifying for the blown cars
was 6.224-seonds, while the nitrous cars weighed in with an average of 6.270. In
the final 16-car field, the average E.T. for a blown car was 6.153, while the
average for a bottle-fed car was 6.171.

McClenathan Back in Older FRAM Boost
Top Fuel Chassis for Brainerd
 
Cory McClenathan will be driving a
different FRAM Boost Top Fuel dragster when qualifying begins Friday in
Brainerd.
 
After experimenting with a Brad Hadman chassis made from
thicker, less flexible tubing for three races, crew chief Wes Cerny, assistant
crew chief Tony Shortall and team owners Mark and Andy Carrier opted to return
to the chassis last used in St. Louis.

Paula Jo Smith, our special promotions
director at Torco's CompetitionPlus.com, and her husband Jim had a baby last
Thursday.

Carson Thomas Smith was born on August 3 at 8:14 PM and
weighed 9 pounds, 10.5 ounces and measured 21 inches.

One week after his triumphant return to the driver’s seat, Kenny Koretsky is sitting out this weekend’s O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals. Replacing him in the blue Nitro Fish/ISC Racers Tape Pro Stock Dodge is Dave Northrop.

“Everything went well for me last weekend,” said Koretsky, who made his first driving appearance since his on-track accident with Bruce Allen in October. “I was pleased with the way I drove and everything, but I just need to devote more time to my businesses right now.

Point standings (top 10) for
IHRA professional categories following the 25th anniversary Torco Racing Fuels
Northern Nationals at US 131 Motorsports Park, the seventh of 11 events in the 
2006 eMax Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.  Clay Millican, 482; 2.  Doug Foley, 445; 3.  Rick Cooper, 386;
4.  Bobby Lagana Jr., 381; 5.  Bruce Litton, 341; 6.  T.J. Zizzo, 260; 7. 
Andrew Cowin, 240; 8.  Chris Karamesines, 230; 9.  Louie Allison, 194; 10. 
Mitch King, 157.

Nitro Funny Car

1.  Dale Creasy Jr., 466; 2.  Jack Wyatt, 450; 3.  Bob Gilbertson,
402; 4.  Vincent Arcadi, 389; 5.  Gary Densham, 322; 6.  Terry Haddock, 315; 7. 
Gary Cooper, 228; 8.  Paul Lee, 221; 9.  Doug Kalitta, 97; 10.  Mitch King, 84.

Pro Modified

1.  Glen Kerunsky, 416; 2.  Danny Rowe, 356; 3.  Quain Stott, 354;
4.  Tommy D{Aprile, 293; 5.  Mike Janis, 292; 6.  Jim Halsey, 290; 7.  Mike
Castellana, 289; 8.  Carl Spiering, 283; 9.  Steve Bareman, 263; 10.  Scott
Cannon, 253.

Alcohol Funny Car

1.  Mark Thomas, 505; 2.  Thomas Carter, 459; 3.  Rob Atchison,
458; 4.  Terry McMillen, 373; 5.  Frederick Tigges, 269; 6.  Terry Munroe, 258;
7.  Larry Dobbs, 248; 8.  Trevor Lebsack, 241; 9.  Paul Noakes, 223; 10.  Chris
Foster, 168.

The 25 th Annual Torco Racing Fuels
Northern Nationals was a weekend of firsts for Illinois-based racer T.J. Zizzo.
He claimed his first career pole position when final qualifying was said and
done and, back where he made his first IHRA appearance last season, registered
the low ET of the meet and captured his first career national event victory at
US 131 Motor sports Park.

Zizzo was the best Knoll Gas-Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro
Top Fuel car all weekend. After his Friday qualifying hit stood up he knocked
off J.R. Todd, a recent two-time NHRA national event winner, in the first round
of eliminations. He then handled Bruce Litton in the semifinals and Doug Foley
in the finals to take home his first Ironman.

(8-7-2006) - Point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories following the 25th anniversary Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals at US 131 Motorsports Park, the seventh of 11 events in the  2006 eMax Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.  Clay Millican, 482; 2.  Doug Foley, 445; 3.  Rick Cooper, 386; 4.  Bobby Lagana Jr., 381; 5.  Bruce Litton, 341; 6.  T.J. Zizzo, 260; 7.  Andrew Cowin, 240; 8.  Chris Karamesines, 230; 9.  Louie Allison, 194; 10.  Mitch King, 157.

Nitro Funny Car

1.  Dale Creasy Jr., 466; 2.  Jack Wyatt, 450; 3.  Bob Gilbertson, 402; 4.  Vincent Arcadi, 389; 5.  Gary Densham, 322; 6.  Terry Haddock, 315; 7.  Gary Cooper, 228; 8.  Paul Lee, 221; 9.  Doug Kalitta, 97; 10.  Mitch King, 84.

Pro Modified

1.  Glen Kerunsky, 416; 2.  Danny Rowe, 356; 3.  Quain Stott, 354; 4.  Tommy D{Aprile, 293; 5.  Mike Janis, 292; 6.  Jim Halsey, 290; 7.  Mike Castellana, 289; 8.  Carl Spiering, 283; 9.  Steve Bareman, 263; 10.  Scott Cannon, 253.

Alcohol Funny Car

1.  Mark Thomas, 505; 2.  Thomas Carter, 459; 3.  Rob Atchison, 458; 4.  Terry McMillen, 373; 5.  Frederick Tigges, 269; 6.  Terry Munroe, 258; 7.  Larry Dobbs, 248; 8.  Trevor Lebsack, 241; 9.  Paul Noakes, 223; 10.  Chris Foster, 168.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

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The 25 th Annual Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals was a weekend of firsts for Illinois-based racer T.J. Zizzo. He claimed his first career pole position when final qualifying was said and done and, back where he made his first IHRA appearance last season, registered the low ET of the meet and captured his first career national event victory at US 131 Motor sports Park.
Zizzo was the best Knoll Gas-Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel car all weekend. After his Friday qualifying hit stood up he knocked off J.R. Todd, a recent two-time NHRA national event winner, in the first round of eliminations. He then handled Bruce Litton in the semifinals and Doug Foley in the finals to take home his first Ironman.

“This is an all-volunteer team, and I mean all volunteer,” Zizzo said. “Not even Dave Settles, the Crew Chief, gets paid a dime on this deal. US 131 is one of my favorite race tracks and I’ve won here before in an alcohol dragster, so this win really means a lot to us.”

Zizzo won the Ironman when he defeated Foley in the final, but it was his first-round match-up with J.R. Todd that Zizzo was most keyed-up for.

When
records are discussed regarding the IHRA eMax Drag Racing Series, the topic
usually centers on performance on the track. Saturday, at the 25^th
Annual Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals, all the talk was about everything
surrounding the race.  

Waves of people filed into the facility from the time the
gates opened until just after the final professional qualifying sessions were
completed. IHRA officials had to delay pre-race ceremonies for 45 minutes while
the late-coming drag racing fans made their way through the line of traffic that
backed up down the access road and onto US 131 in both directions.

“I have never seen anything like this,” IHRA President
Aaron Polburn said. “We are having trouble keeping up with the demand for
tickets at the gate. It is amazing to me that Jason and Stephanie Peterson and
their staff are still standing when you consider everything they have been put
through today. I have to take my hat off to them because they are performing way
above and beyond the call of duty.”

Ticket sales for the 25^th Annual Torco Northern
Nationals surpassed last season’s sales before the first pair of cars went down
the track Saturday. Saturday ended up being the single largest day, crowd-wise,
in Northern Nationals history. That record was not broken by hundreds, it was
surpassed by thousands.

Here's a look at Troy Coughlin's new
turbocharged Pontiac Grand-am. It is rumored to be headed to the IHRA with the
legalization of turbochargers in the Pro Modified class.