The scariest moments are the ones you can never prepare for -- seeing a dragster go out of control and diving into the flames in a split-second moment when quick reaction outweighs thought.

The men and women who are tested and can handle the pressure – like 31-year veteran Jere “Lefty” Grice -- are invaluable to NHRA. But after more than 10 years traveling the POWERade Series fulltime with the NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA, Grice, who turned 65 at the Seattle race, will retire after the 42nd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Grice’s involvement with NHRA drag racing began like many others’ – when he raced the first car he ever owned, a 1948 Plymouth with a ’54 Dodge V8 engine, near his home in Louisiana in 1956.

“I never won nothing, but I had fun,” Grice said. “Back then you could have fun for cheap.”

IHRA has announced a change to the 2007 eMax Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series
schedule. The MOPAR Canadian Nationals at Grand Bend
(Ontario) Motorplex will be held July 20 –
22 and the Amalie Oil North American Nationals at New England (Epping, N.H.) Dragway moves to August 10 –
12.

The North American Nationals,
previously held in September and originally scheduled next year in July, has
been moved to August to accommodate an unforeseen conflict for one of the event
sponsors.

“After releasing the 2007 schedule
in October, there became an event conflict with one of our major partners for
the North American Nationals,” said IHRA vice president of race operations
Skooter Peaco. “The new weekend in August allows us to avoid conflicts with any
other event in the area.  It gives the
event the full attention in the market, which will be good for everyone.”

Throughout his illustrious 36-year
Pro Stock career, Warren Johnson has become the standard by which all
competitors are measured.   With a record of success spanning four decades, the
man whose tireless and studious approach to racing earned him the moniker of
“The Professor of Pro Stock” has systematically rewritten the record books,
helping to mold the category into the highly popular and competitive division it
is today. 

On Wednesday, Johnson’s
accomplishments were recognized by the prestigious International Motorsports
Hall of Fame in Talladega, AL, who announced that the Minnesota native was one of six inductees
elected to their Class of 2007.  The formal induction ceremony will be held on
April 26, 2007, where Johnson will be joined by classmates Junie Donleavy, Jack
Ingram, Bruton Smith, Wayne Rainey and Ray
Hendrick.

Although Johnson, 63, is still
competing on a full-time basis as the owner and driver of the GM Performance
Parts Pontiac GTO in the NHRA’s POWERade Drag Racing Series, he was eligible for
induction under the unique “Over 62” rule, which waives the five-year waiting
period for anyone still competing after the age of
62.

Clay Millican and Kenny Koretsky’s Top Fuel team will have a different look for
a second 2006 NHRA event in the Auto Club Finals this weekend at Pomona
Raceway. 
 
Motorvation Automotive Performance Products will be featured,
along with Werner Enterprises, Nitro Fish, Torco Racing Fuels, OCC and Motel 6
in the season-ending event.
 
Mark Pickens, owner of Motorvation
Automotive Performance Products of Memphis, also sponsored the team at
Indianapolis in September. 
 

Young drag racing star Ben Bray and a crewmember of Team Bray,
Australia's best known Top Doorslammer team, have been seriously injured in a
freak accident while loading a car into a transporter at the team's workshop
yesterday. Another crewmember luckily escaped with minor injuries.

Ben was in the car and Mark 'Choc' Richmond and Anthony Vloedmans were on the
transporter's tailgate, which had just reached its full extension some three
metres off the ground when the tailgate lifting mechanism failed, sending the
tailgate and the vehicle crashing to the ground.

FINISH LINE PERFORMANCE STREET CAR SHOOTOUT

PHOTO GALLERY 

There will be a Rod Shop Reunion of drivers and team members during next year's Hot Rod Reunion at National Trail Raceway, June 15-17 2007. You will be able to meet the drivers,
crews and the employees of the famous Rod Shop of Columbus Ohio. Larry
Morgan's Rod Shop Dodge tribute Pro Stocker will be there as well.

We will publish the details as they are made available. For further
info. phone Skip Clark 614 263 4341 or Email @ matchrace@aol.com.

Cruz and Tony Pedregon announced GREAT STUFF™ has signed a major associate
level sponsorship extension with Pedregon Racing. GREAT STUFF, the No. 1 brand
of insulating foam sealant in the world, will continue to fly their GREAT STUFF
colors on the Advance Auto Parts and Q Power NHRA Funny Cars,
respectively.

Cruz Pedregon, driver of the Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo, and Tony
Pedregon, pilot of the Q Racing Monte Carlo, will continue to have the GREAT
STUFF logo prominently located on their NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Nitro
Funny Cars as well as on other team elements.

“We are extremely pleased with our relationship with the Pedregon
Racing.  Their winning team is a great joy to work with, watch throughout the
NHRA season and a great partner who helps promote the GREAT STUFF brand,” said
Jeff Fancher, Global Brand Manager.  “Not only do Tony and Cruz help us reach
the Hispanic market, but they also help us reach our intended target of
do-it-yourselfers and construction professionals in a fun, fast and exciting
manner.”

“Since we partnered with GREAT STUFF a couple years ago, Tony and I
constantly have fans that come up to us and share all the different ways they
use GREAT STUFF in their home,” stated Cruz Pedregon.  “I knew drag racing fans are
do-it-yourselfers, but I did not realize how many ways in which they could use
GREAT STUFF. GREAT STUFF is a perfect match for our loyal race fans.”

GREAT STUFF, manufactured by The Dow Chemical Company, is an insulating
foam sealant used to make the home more comfortable and energy efficient.
Available at all home improvement and hardware stores, using GREAT STUFF to fill
the gaps, cracks and holes around the home is a quick and easy project for both
seasoned and new do-it-yourselfers.

NHRA drag racing veteran Scott Kalitta and his Toyota Solara Funny Car team will display major sponsorship decals on their 7,000-horsepower race car from both Red Line Oil and Technicoat Companies at this weekend’s, Nov. 9-12, Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final event of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

 “It’s awesome to have Red Line Oil and Technicoat sharing the primary sponsorship on our Toyota this weekend,” Kalitta said. “It just goes to show you how our entire Kalitta Motorsports team has such loyal and dedicated backers.
 “Our Toyota Solara Funny Car has been making vast improvements in the past few events, and we want that to continue in Pomona for Red Line Oil, Technicoat, and all of our other sponsors and fans who have stuck with us through a very rough season.”

Both Red Line Oil and Technicoat Companies are longtime associate supporters of all Kalitta Motorsports’ drag racing endeavors. Kalitta, a 43-year old resident of Palmetto, Fla., and 25-year drag racing veteran, made the switch from Top Fuel to Funny Car this season. Scott has one NHRA national event win in his career in nitro Funny Car and that was at the Houston event in 1989 while driving with a broken left foot. In Top Fuel, Scott scored two world championships (1994-1995) and 17 NHRA national event wins.