For a driver who has won just about everything there is in IHRA
competition over the past 20 years, it is interesting to find that the moment that stands out most in Ed Hoover’s mind is a win that can’t actually be found in the record books.

While the official books say that the winner of the 2008 Northern
Nationals is and always will be Jim Halsey in a thriller over Mike
Castellana, the real winner that weekend in the minds of many was
Hoover in his legendary Paul Trussell owned ’68 Camaro.

Despite losing in the second round on Sunday, Hoover’s victory Saturday
night overshadowed much of the weekend’s action at last year’s Northern
Nationals as Hoover took home the largest single-day payout in Pro
Modified racing history – a whopping $50,000 – during the Pro Modified
Shootout at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.

Always one of the biggest events on the IHRA schedule, the Moser Engineering Axle Mania Sportsman Showdown is back and more competitive
than ever as the who’s who of sportsman racers converge on U.S. 131
Motorsports Park’s legendary quarter-mile July 31-August 2 as a part of
the IHRA Northern Nationals in Martin, Michigan.

With a $51,000 purse and yearlong bragging rights at stake, the Moser
Axle Mania Sportsman Showdown, featuring some of the best sportsman
racers in the world, is always one of the biggest and most exciting
races of the year.

"IHRA is very proud to be partnered with such a great company as Moser
Engineering. For years Rob and his family have supported the sportsman
racers at IHRA with safe, reliable and affordable components,” said
IHRA National Sales Director Tommy Dupree. “For almost a decade they
have been rewarding those same racers with the best sportsman bonus
program in the country.

Big businesses aren’t the only ones who deserve a bailout and the IHRA
is keenly aware that its racing family could use a little assistance as well.

In an effort to show its appreciation to the fans and to create maximum
entertainment value for your dollar, the IHRA has announced a new
Sunday Stimulus Package for the upcoming IHRA Northern Nationals
presented by Dart Machinery July 31-August 2 at U.S. 131 Motorsports
Park in Martin, Mich.

Fans that purchase a Friday or Saturday ticket can redeem that ticket
for a reduced $10 pass on Sunday. Along with being the best value in
racing, the reduced ticket also includes free parking, free pit access
and a chance to see the world’s best drivers go at it on the most
exciting day in all of motorsports – Championship Sunday.

Tony Zizzo, father of NHRA Top Fuel Driver T.J. Zizzo and patriarch of
the Zizzo Racing Team will make several appearances this summer. Not as
team owner - but as driver.

Zizzo, Sr. brought his passion for drag racing to his family when he
piloted his Top Alcohol Dragster, the same dragster that T.J. began his
racing career with at the age of 16. "I've always enjoyed driving in
Top Alcohol Dragster," Tony said. "I talked to the crew and we decided
to bring me and the dragster out of retirement." Zizzo, Sr. will race
his dragster at 'da Grove' - Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove, WI.

Two charitable events combined to raise more than $10,000 in the name
of the late Eric Medlen during the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals at
Infineon Raceway.  All funds raised will be donated to the Sonoma
chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities in Medlen’s name.

More than $6,000 was raised at the third annual Eric Medlen Nitro Night
dinner, which was held on Thursday, July 23, at the historic Fior
d’Italia in San Francisco.  Nearly 120 fans and members of Medlen’s
family joined NHRA drivers Ashley Force Hood, Morgan Lucas, Mike Neff
and Jack Beckman in remembering Medlen.

Reher-Morrison has launched a newly redesigned website at their traditional www.rehermorrison.com address.

“We have worked hard to make the site very user friendly,” said Laura
Reher, of Reher-Morrison. “You will find the same helpful information
and resources that were on our old site, including engine and component
information and Tech Talk articles.  There are also many great new
features.  We have a blog that you can follow so that you keep up with
all of the Reher-Morrison news.  The blog has a section with the
answers to frequently asked questions.  There is an interesting and
detailed shop tour, in addition to a section with Reher-Morrison
history and past car pictures.  You can also view customer results.

It was a weekend that, for those who were present, will not soon be
forgotten. May 1-3, 2009 in Madison, Ill., just the other side of the
mighty Mississippi from St. Louis. There was a train going through
town, and it wasn't the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, it was the
Trane Pro Mod Stratus, piloted by veteran driver and HVAC entrepreneur
Rick Stivers.  When he rolled into town, he was coming off a semifinal
finish in Gainesville and a runner-up performance in Houston. Things
were good... very good. Up to that weekend, he had delivered the most
5-second passes in the class for the year behind the wheel of his Brad
Anderson-owned and tuned car. And then, in the second qualifying pass
on a balmy Saturday evening, Stivers made the highlights - not because
of performance, but because of a most dramatic crash.

John Bartunek qualified seventh in Pro Nitrous
for the ADRL U.S. Drags II in Dinwiddie, Va., and the experience left
him with a feeling of déjà vu. A quarter-final finish confirmed it.

Bartunek has returned to Pro Modified style racing with a new Jerry Haas-built Camaro powered by a Gene Fulton engine.

Suddenly Bartunek was back in Bristol 1997, a virtual unknown, and
knocking off the hitters behind the wheel of his ex-Rickie Smith 1963
Corvette.

Sonny Leonard admits that building bigger and larger engine displacements became an obsession early in his career.
That’s why after starting off with 400 cubic inches in the early stages
of his career, his engines are now in excess of 900 cubic inches; he’s
got 1000 on his mind.

“I worked my way though a 390 to a 427 and then a 454, then when you
get that large, you always want to go a little larger,” said Leonard,
as he and the Sonny’s Racing Engines team unloaded their midway display
at the ADRL U.S. Drags II in Dinwiddie, Va.

Leonard has built efficient and championship winning motors since
getting into the race engine business in the late 1970s. Today he’s one
of the leading suppliers of engines in the Extreme Pro Stock division.

All Ford had to do was make a small step and Robert Patrick was willing to make a major leap.

Patrick
will jump back into NHRA Pro Stock class next season with a 2010
Mustang and a Bob Ingles engine program. He’s planning a debut at the
2010 NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

“I can’t begin to
tell you how excited I am to see more people racing Fords in NHRA Pro
Stock next season,” said Patrick, a former IHRA world champion. “We
have a major challenge ahead of us and now that Ford is involved more
in NHRA Pro Stock, we feel confident that we can have a competitive
program.”

Patrick will run a minimum of 12-races in 2010,
focusing on the NHRA Full Throttle events contested east of the
Mississippi River. His Mustang will carry major sponsorship from his
family’s Purvis Ford, Lincoln-Mercury dealership with additional
support from their Easy Care franchise.