The Mountain Motor Pro Stock father and son team of Dean and Cary Goforth had a roller coaster year to say the least. Cary ended the year by winning the first ever Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association Championship, but it wasn’t an easy road to the top. Along the way Dean suffered a foot injury that sidelined him during the middle of the season and then at the final event he endured a horrific crash in which he rolled three times and hit the guard wall eight times. Amazingly he was uninjured, but the same couldn’t be said for the car. In spite of this less than perfect year for the team, they managed to keep their focus and win three MMPSA victories in the Dean’s Casing Service GXP driven by the younger half of the team. Their wins included the first ever MMPSA event and the final event of the season which was key in earning Championship rights. We took some time to chat with Cary and get some insight into what led to this victory in the face of adversity.

Matt Hagan usually doesn’t act this way.

The personable Hagen exited his Diehard-sponsored Funny Car and began walking away after losing in the first round.

This wasn’t just any first round loss. Hagan lost the pivotal race for the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car championship to Bob Tasca III during the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Ca., which cost him the 2010 title as Funny Car champion.

As a platoon of photographers trailed, he walked away. When ESPN2 reporter Gary Gerould asked for a word, Hagan responded, “I have nothing to say.”

It is not an easy life spending every waking moment on the road traveling from one corner of the country to the other, but it is the life that has been gladly chosen by brothers Bobby and Dom Lagana. Ever since catching the racing bug in the late 90s, the pair has been going nonstop in their quest for drag racing glory.

From their days hauling a multi-million dollar Top Fuel dragster on the bed of a ramp truck and struggling to qualify, to breaking the 300 mile per hour barrier and winning their first race, the Lagana’s have been a symbol for perseverance and have long been known as one of drag racing’s hardest working teams.

And on Monday night, the Lagana’s were officially recognized for their efforts.

Together Pro Extreme pilot Alex Hossler and crew chief Chris Duncan make for good chemistry.

The Illinois-based duo combined for two wins and a runner-up points finish in the 2009-10 Arabian Drag Racing League season, then repeated both accomplishments over the course of the 2010 American Drag Racing League schedule.

They’re both returning to Qatar Nov. 22, to begin the 2010-11 Arabian campaign, but after six years of racing together, they are not going as teammates.

“We kind of came to a crossroad where I couldn’t continue to fund things out of my own pocket the way I was doing it and Chris needed some compensation for all the time he was missing from work. So we both needed something a little different to happen,” Hossler explained.

John Force, 61, and rookie LE Tonglet, 20, the oldest and youngest world champions, respectively, in NHRA’s 59-year history, headlined the four world-championship-winning drivers crowned Monday evening during the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series awards ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in West Los Angeles.

Two other NHRA Full Throttle Series world champions – Larry Dixon and Greg Anderson – also were presented checks and trophies for their achievements during the 2010 Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.

Among the evening’s highlights was a very special award presentation from NHRA President Tom Compton to Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner Bruton Smith for his “extraordinary contribution and positive impact on NHRA Drag Racing.”  Smith’s son Marcus accepted the award.

One day after he became NHRA’s youngest world champion, LE Tonglet picked up two prestigious post-season honors – the $20,000 Automobile Club of Southern California’s Road to the Future Award and the Full Throttle Hard-Working Crew Award – during Monday night’s awards ceremony in West Los Angeles

He also collected the championship trophy and the $75,000 check that accompanied it.

The Road to the Future Award recognizes the top rookie driver of the year, and the 20-year-old Pro Stock Motorcycle champ’s stellar performance in the Countdown playoffs drew the most ballots from motorsports journalists. The other two candidates were Pro Stock driver Shane Gray and Jeff Diehl in Funny Car.

Don Schumacher Racing plans to field four Funny Cars in 2011 although the details have yet to be announced on the newest ride. However, team owner Don Schumacher is adamant one of those drivers will be Jack Beckman.

Austin Coil has resigned his position with John Force Racing as of today.

While the tears weren’t flowing freely you could tell the emotions were getting the best of Greg Anderson.

It was 11 months earlier that his life had been turned upside down by situations beyond his control. First there was team owner Ken Black’s severe stroke and not long after that a fire damaged his home. Then there was the reality Mike Edwards had totally dominated his Summit Racing Equipment team into submission and showed no signs of slowing down for the 2010 season.

A lesser man would have folded under the extreme pressure. Anderson almost did.

Yet, something wouldn’t let him.

Even though he's not old enough to legally drink the champagne, that didn't stop L.E. Tonglet for going after the ceremonial stuff.

On a weekend where the NHRA crowned both the youngest and oldest champion in series history, Tonglet was all too happy to be the former and not the latter.

At 20 years old, Tonglet clinched the Pro Stock Motorcycle crown after winning his second round race against Steve Johnson making his the youngest professional champion in NHRA history. A round earlier Johnson had gotten around Andrew Hines when the No. 1 seeded rider fouled.