:::::: News ::::::

MOPAR HEMI CHALLENGE RETURNS AT JEG'S SPORTSNATIONALS

The Mopar® HEMI® Challenge Race Series Dodge Darts and Plymouth
Barracudas go head-to-head for a $5,000 payout this weekend in
Columbus, Ohio, at the NHRA JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals at National
Trail Raceway. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 25, with final
eliminations set for Saturday, Sept. 26, starting at 1:00 p.m.

The team of Charlie Westcott Sr. and Charlie Westcott Jr. is the
odds-on favorite to take the money. Westcott Sr. won the recent Mopar
HEMI Challenge at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in an epic thrash on Labor
Day Weekend. It was the fourth time in five years that a Westcott took
the Indy title. The Westcotts have claimed numerous Mopar HEMI
Challenge victories over the last four years.

Westcott Sr.’s engine suffered damage during a bye run into the Indy
finals. His son and a host of their fierce HEMI Challenge competitors
ganged up and swapped John Rains’ spare Westcott-built 426 HEMI engine
into Westcott Sr.’s ’68 Barracuda in 90 minutes. The car made it to the
line with no time to spare. Westcott Sr. then left a surprised David
Barton on the line to take the win.

MACH ONE GLOBAL SERVICES JOINS LANGDON

Coming off his first final-round appearance of his rookie campaign, Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon has picked up the sponsorship m_lucas.jpg3562.jpgsupport of Mach 1 Global Services, a worldwide industry leader in the overnight freight forwarding business.

Langdon will race the Mach 1 Global Services/Lucas Oil Top Fuel
dragster at this weekend's 24th annual O’Reilly Super Start Batteries
NHRA Fall Nationals and will pick up a boisterous group of supporters
from the organization's Dallas office as well as a huge group of Mach 1
customers.

FIA/UEM EURO FINALS - ENGLAND

ANTRON FLYING TOYOTA COLORS

Antron Brown moves forward at a very rapid pace in his 8,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster and the 23-time NHRA winner will be a_brown.jpgmoving
forward with a new look as he competes for the 2009 NHRA championship
at the Memphis NHRA race. Brown and the Mike Ashley Racing Matco Tools
team will fly the colors of auto industry giant Toyota at the 22nd
annual O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals, Oct. 2-4, at Memphis Motorsports
Park.

The arrangement between Matco Tools and MAR gives the team the
opportunity to generate additional funding and place a marketing
partner in the primary sponsor location at given events. Brown raced
the DirecTV/Matco Tools dragster to the win at the St. Louis race on
May 3. The team’s customary bright blue and silver pin-striped Matco
Tools Iron Eagle dragster theme will return for the final three races
on the 2009 NHRA schedule at Richmond, Va., Las Vegas and Pomona,
Calif.

ANALYZING THE FOUR-WIDE RACES

The key to winning a four-lane drag race is no different than a
standard two lane match. One has to leave the starting line quickly and
a quicker elapsed time doesn’t hurt, either.

Reaction time
made the most difference when it came down to winning the pair of
four-wide nitro drag race exhibitions staged on Sunday at the NHRA
Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC.

NASCAR'S PEARSON RECALLS HIS NHRA YEARS

The look of intensity on David Pearson’s face told the story.
pearson.jpg
The look of the 75-year old former racer, a 105-time winner on the
NASCAR tour as he sat astride a 350-horsepower Suzuki, assuming the
position of a competitive rider, was one of total concentration.

Pearson, a special guest of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen
Stoffer during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, listened
intently as Stoffer guided the cagey veteran through the nuances of
navigating the six-second, 200-mph bike down the quarter-mile.

“It didn’t fit me too good,” said Pearson of the Geico Powersports
Suzuki.  “Of course the thing was built for Karen. I was just a little
bit too big for it. I can see how it would be fun to run one of those.”

CAPPS HOLDS ON TO TITLE HOPES

"Anybody here seen my old friend Ron? Can you tell me where he's gone?"
 
nfc winner 2.JPGSeems
like a catchy and relevant tune for the National Hot Rod Ass'n. in the
aftermath of India-scrap-olis. The haunting music of peace-loving folks
and the 40th anniversary of Woodstock could make everything groovy
again (although John Force already told a television audience that it's
all groovy again).
 
Anyway . . . Whatever became of Ron Capps?
 
Surely you remember him, the driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge. He
was at the top of the Funny Car charts for the first 10 races of the
season. He delivered hit after hit, winning the first two events of the
year, three of the first five, and four of the first nine in five
final-round appearances.

NOSTALGIA PRO STOCK TO DEBUT AT GOODGUYS EVENT

Nostalgia Pro Stock, an exciting new vintage drag racing class will
make its debut at the Goodguys 2nd Nostalgia Nationals October 16, Nostalgia_Pro_Stock.jpg17
& 18 at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The
class will also be featured at the Goodguys Friday Night Drags, October
30th at the new ZMAX Dragway. The new class features door cars 1968
through 1978 that were originally intended for NHRA Pro Stock
competition.

SPORTSNATIONALS WINNERS POISED FOR A SHOT AT JEGS CROWN

The 16 winners of the two most recent JEGS NHRA SPORTSnationals events held earlier this year in Belle Rose, La., and Fontana, Jegs-Crown-Trophy-blank-LO.jpgCalif.,
are halfway home in their quest to capture the coveted JEGS Crown
trophy. The eight winners of the JEGS NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals at No
Problem Raceway Park and the eight champions who were crowned at the
JEGS NHRA Pacific SPORTSnationals at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana,
Calif., will now have an opportunity to capture one of the most unique
trophies in Motorsports when the JEGS Northern SPORTSnationals takes
place at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 25-27.
 
The JEGS Crown is beautifully handcrafted trophy that was designed and
created by Dan Dreisbach, of Naked Sculpture (www.naked-sculpture.com).
The only way to earn the JEGS Crown is to win the same category at two
of the three JEGS Mail Order-backed SPORTSnationals events in the same
calendar year. The only driver to earn the elusive award is Mike
Ashley, who won back-to-back Pro Mod titles in 2005, the year the JEGS
Crown was created. The three JEGS SPORTSnationals races are designed as
a showcase for competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

JEGS ASSOCIATE BURTON TAPPED AS DIGNITARY AT NORTHERN SPORTSNATIONALS

Longtime JEGS associate Keith Burton has been named Grand Marshal/Honorary Starter for the upcoming JEGS NHRA Northern Keith_Burton-LOW.jpgSPORTSnationals at National Trail Raceway.

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