You may be able to gather by my last name I have ties to drag racing.  What you may not be aware of is that those ties go beyond two brothers (Jim and Wayne) who are talented fuel crew chiefs and a father (Lynwood) admired and respected by competitors, team owners, track owners and operators, racing organization management, colleagues and, most definitely, by his family.  I am the “invisible” family member as my involvement in the sport focused more on race operations which did not put me in the limelight of TV cameras as my brothers nor out among the people in the groups mentioned earlier, as in the case of my dad.

Last week, reigning NHRA Competition Eliminator National Champion Bruno Massel JR was notified that WyoTech would not continue as primary sponsor after the 2010 season.

“We’ve had a successful association with WyoTech for the past nine years and while I’m disappointed that our relationship is coming to an end, I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to represent them,” stated Massel.

Amanda Matusek, daughter of Aeromotive founder and President, Steve Matusek runnered-up at the NHRA Division 5 race this past weekend in Stock Eliminator at the NHRA Division 5 at the LODRS in Great Bend, KS. This was her first participation as a competitor on the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional level.

Matusek, driving the AA/SA Aeromotive Cobra Jet Mustang, qualified 16th with a 10.164 elapsed time and worked her way through the field as if a seasoned veteran.

World champion drag racer Jeg Coughlin Jr. recently was enshrined in the Dublin City Schools Hall of Fame as part of the 12-member Class of 2010. Recognized for his achievements on the racetrack and in the community, the 1988 graduate of Dublin High School was named one a top alumnus of the Dublin City Schools system.

"It's quite an honor," Coughlin said. "I've never even contemplated being inducted in any Hall of Fame, but it's a really neat deal and I can't thank the nominating committee, the Alumni Association's Board of Directors, and Superintendent David Axner enough.

"The work the Dublin City Schools Alumni Association does for the community should be commended and we've all seen how the Dublin Education Foundation has positively impacted students throughout the school district. I'm very proud to have gone to Dublin High."

When Carl Spiering won the first Pro Modified Racing Association race held in May of 2005, a new era in Pro Modified drag racing was established.
Since that time, the PMRA has been a big part of the makeup on the Cayuga Dragway at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario, and has been a favorite facility with the fans and the teams.
 
Canada’s oldest drag strip, which began operations in 1954 and has continued to the present, has traditionally been the season opener and season closer for the PMRA. For several years the series championship was decided during the final event in the fall of each year since the PMRA started racing at the fabled Kohler Road strip in Southern Ontario.

Everything is bigger in Texas - and that includes the upcoming Super Chevy Show event at Texas Motorplex. The series is celebrating its 30th anniversary season and will be in Ennis for the third of 10 national events in 2010. The track has big plans for the Super Chevy Show this year.

The event, which runs May 21-23, will include drag racing, an autocross and the ever-popular car show, which is expected to feature the largest contingent of show trucks on the 10-race circuit.

And in response, Custom Classic Trucks Magazine will be on hand to view it all.

Back in 1990, the outlook for the Top Sportsman class appeared to be uncertain. The foggy status was a result of the IHRA creating a Pro Modified class out of Top Sportsman that year.

At the time, however, Top Sportsman racer Ronnie Davis didn’t worry at all about the class being eliminated.

“It never even entered my mind,” Davis said. “Pro Mod spawned or grew or burst out of Top Sportsman. When I heard about Top Sportsman in 1989, I knew some guys that ran it, but I was an NHRA racer. They would go to the tracks, qualify at national meets, run the Quick 8 and load up and leave. That’s what Scotty Cannon, Blake Wiggins and those other old timers did. In 1990, when I won a world championship, I was a door car, and I had to run against dragsters and altereds.”

After winning 16 NHRA titles – more than legends Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Butch Leal, or Ronnie Sox – and contending for the Pro Stock championship year after year, Bruce Allen had a horrific crash with Kenny Koretsky at the 2005 Dallas event and walked away from the sport. He hasn't raced since. He's hasn't even been to a track to watch.

"That last run's not what I want to be remembered for, but the truth is that in some people's minds, it probably will be," Allen said. "If it is, that's fine. I was going to have to quit one day – that was probably as good a time as any. It was a perfect way, actually. All it really did is make us quit a couple of weeks earlier than we were already going to because we definitely weren't planning on racing the next year anyway. As much as we kept saying, 'This is it, we're done,' we somehow kept hanging on for a few more races – until then. Maybe that was God's way of saying it was time."

That 2005 season wasn't Allen's best with the legendary Reher-Morrison team of David Reher and the late Buddy Morrison, but it had been just a little over a year since he'd last appeared in a final and just three years since he'd last won. He didn't have to quit then. He just did. It wasn't like he was afraid to drive after he crashed.

Join Ashley Force Hood and your local mail carrier in helping to stamp out hunger in your local community this Saturday.

Force Hood encourages all race fans to Stamp Out Hunger this year, by simply leaving a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 8. Food items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans.

Due to this weekend’s unfortunate weather forecast the NAPA Thunder Nationals has been postponed to July 9-10, 2010.  “With the cold temperatures and rain forecasted the Mountain Motor Pro Stocks, Alcohol Dragsters, Pro Modifieds, Supercharged Thunder cars and all the other high horse-powered vehicles will have difficulty getting down the track,” said Jason Peterson General Manager US 131 Motorsports Park.  “Safety is our upmost concern and we want to put on a good show for our fans,” Peterson said.  All professionals are expected to return inc