Tom Hammonds made a great run on his first
qualifying effort at Route 66 Raceway. The former NBA star
recorded a stout 6.673 at 206.48 mph to jump into the No. 5
position. Even though he ended up sixteenth in the final pecking order, he was at least in the game.

"I tell you what," said
Hammonds, "that
was a pretty good run. It was a little bit aggressive down low but overall it
was a good starting point for us. It's tough out here. The former Minnesota Timberwolves power forward
found out how tough it was in the NBA Finals. But we're going to go out here and
just tune it up for next round and hope we come out and have a good
run."

After nearly
six months, Tom Hammonds and his team are about to evacuate the two-car garage
and lawnmower shed that have housed their racing operation since the start of
the year.  Their new 11,000-square-foot shop should be open the week following the
10th annual Torco Racing Fuels Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL.

Ron Krisher confirmed that he will soon have Victor Cagnazzi horsepower beneath
the hood of his Valvoline-sponsored Chevrolet Cobalt. The new engine lease
program will begin in Bristol.

The lack of a competitive effort was the
ultimate factor in this decision.

“We’ve been kind of lagging and
dragging and I’m not used to that,” Krisher said. “We did the things we thought
would be best for the car and the Valvoline people. We are in a two-year deal
and we just had to find a starting place.”

The NHRA Technical Services are increasing
the minimum weight of Funny Cars starting at the next event in Englishtown.
Officials want the class to increase the minimum weight from 2,425 to 2,455
pounds due to the recent implementation of additional safety equipment, such as
roll-cage helmet shrouds and extra roll-cage padding.

Most teams are already
well over the limit so the extra weight isn't much of an issue.

Donnie and Holly Faulkner
are intent on turning a negative situation into a positive. The couple, who run
the Oakley Rolling O store, on the midway found themselves faced with an
adverse situation two weeks with the death of their child on May 24, just 30
days before his scheduled birth.

The adversity has been replaced
with the formation of the Eric Blake Faulkner Foundation.

Donnie said the Eric Blake
Faulkner Foundation’s intent is to assist families who are faced with the same
situation. He’s convinced the person who assisted Himself and Holly through
their personal tempest was an angel.

Lynette Spruiell was that
blessing in a dreadful day.

“It was probably the worst
day of my life,” Faulkner said, when told the baby had been lost. “Lynette was
there for us. I am convinced she was not human. She was an angel for us. To do
the job she does, she had to be.”

Donnie pointed out that
Spruiell was there for them throughout it all.

Sometimes fireworks will send a statement. Other times they serve as a pretty
good eye opener.

Funny Car rookie Ashley Force exploded a motor near the
top end on her third qualifying attempt, resulting in a huge fire. Force handled
the situation like a veteran, keeping the car in the middle of the lane, putting
the fire out and getting the car stopped without further
incident.

Despite the unexpected conclusion, Ashley’s time was the fifth
quickest in the session and she remained ninth in the provisional starting
lineup.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following
the 10th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66
Raceway, the ninth of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
-

DIXON ENDS LONG DROUGHT, TIES KENNY BERNSTEIN FOR SECOND ON ALL-TIME TOP FUEL WINS LIST


Scelzi, Coughlin and Hines complete winner's circle

Larry Dixon tied legend Kenny Bernstein with his 39th
career Top Fuel win Sunday, beating points leader Rod Fuller with a
4.579 at 322.11 mph to capture the title at the 10th annual Torco
Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals.

Dixon and family shared a raucous winner's circle with Funny Car winner
Gary Scelzi, Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr., and reigning Pro Stock
Motorcycle champ Andrew Hines.

It had been 37 races since Dixon last won a Wally, dating back to
September of 2005 in Indianapolis, so his unbridled joy was tempered
with a strong dose of relief. Scelzi also seemed relieved to win once
again as he made a little history of his own by becoming just the
fourth racer in history to ring up double-digit wins in both nitro
categories.

Final round-by-round results from the 10th annual Torco Racing Fuels
Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, the ninth of 23 events in
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Sunday's final results from the 10th annual Torco Racing Fuels
Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. The race is the ninth of
23 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

MAJOR MOVEMENTS ALONG THE TOP FUEL CUTLINE IN POWERADE COUNTDOWN TO
THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Nos. 7 and 8 drivers in Top Fuel standings fail to
qualify; UPS team in good position

The
10th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals will shake up
the Countdown to the Championship standings, particularly in Top Fuel,
where the seventh and eighth place drivers each failed to qualify.

The top qualifiers heading into Sunday's final eliminations, beginning
at 11 a.m., are Top Fuel's Tony Schumacher, Funny Car's Gary Scelzi,
Pro Stock's Greg Anderson, and Pro Stock Motorcycle's Andrew Hines, but
the story
surrounded those who didn't qualify.

In Top Fuel, No. 7 Dave Grubnic and No. 8 Whit Bazemore -- the last two
in if the 17-race regular season ended today -- each failed to qualify,
opening the door for ninth-place Cory McClenathan and 10th-place Bob
Vandergriff.

Vandergriff's UPS team stands to make the biggest move. It already
passed McClenathan's Fram team with better qualifying position and
Vandergriff can pass Grubnic and Bazemore as well with a first round
win Sunday.