R2B2 Racing pro Mod driver Raymond Commisso gave an exhibition of skill and horsepower en route to winning the Summit Racing Equipment
Inaugural IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals Sunday. The only racer to break
into the five-second zone all weekend, Commisso saved his quickest lap
for the finals when he dispatched No. 2 qualifier Tommy Gray
5.955/244.83 to 6.105/237.42.

"What an amazing weekend," Commisso said. "I can't thank Roger Burgess
enough for the opportunity to drive such an awesome car. Al [Billes,
crew chief] and the team had everything dialed in, and it was like we
were running a bracket car."

Bruce Litton and the Lucas Oil Top Fuel Dragster found favor in
Louisiana Cajun country at the IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals. Fans loved
the return of nitro to State Capitol Raceway where Litton brought home
the first Iron Man of the season. Litton took out Mitch King and Paul
Lee before he faced off against Bobby Lagana Jr. in the final round.
Litton left on Lagana and never looked back, posting a 4.875 at 284.93
to take the win.

“This was a great, great weekend,” tells the Top Fuel Champ. “We
weren’t really sure what to expect, coming to a new race track where we
didn’t have any data to build upon, but [crew chief] Richard Hartman
did a great job of getting the car to go down the track consistently.
This win was a total team effort. Everyone worked hard all weekend, and
the crew deserved this win.”

No. 1 qualifiers Commisso, Collins win Pro Mod, Pro Stock Ironman tropies.

What started out as a bit of a gloomy morning turned into a marvelous
day of racing as Bruce Litton, Ray Commisso and Jason Collins claimed
Ironman trophies during Belle of Baton Rouge Championship Sunday at the
IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol
Raceway in Baton Rouge.

Litton (Indianapolis, In) topped Bobby Lagana Jr. in one of the best
races of the weekend in the Top Fuel championship as Litton lit the win
light with a 4.875 second pass at 284.93 mph to best Lagana’s 4.964
second time at 249.53 mph.

Point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories following the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway, the first of 10 events in the  2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.  Bruce Litton, 115; 2.  Bobby Lagana Jr., 77; 3.  Del Cox Jr, 76; 4.  Paul Lee, 71; 5.  Terry Haddock, 54; 6.  Terry McMillen, 53; 7.  Mitch King, 50; 8.  Tim Boychuk, 49; 9.  (tie) Fred Farndon, 10; Chris Karamesines, 10; Todd Simpson, 10.

Final round-by-round results from the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway, the first of 10 events in the  2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Bobby Lagana Jr., 5.095, 227.69 def. Terry McMillen, 7.704, 115.17; Paul Lee, 4.981, 290.69 def. Terry Haddock, 5.072, 219.54; Bruce Litton, 4.771, 304.25 def. Mitch King, 4.923, 285.53; Del Cox Jr, 6.057, 61.96 def. Tim Boychuk, DQ;

Sunday's final results from the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway.  The  race is the first of 10 in the  2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series:  

LOCAL FAVORITES CONNER, MC INERNY WIN AT ORLANDO SPEED WORLD DRAGWAY’S LUCAS OIL SERIES EVENT

NHRA’s Southeast division racers are now half way through the 2009
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season.  With the completion of the event
this weekend at Orlando Speed World Dragway, racers have completed
three of six events slated for the year and two local competitors made
it to the winner’s circle.  Oviedo resident Ed Conner wheeled his ’63
Corvette to the win in Super Gas while Titusville’s Greg Mc Inerny
grabbed the win in his ’89 Camaro Super Streeter.

Anthony Bertozzi scored a double win, ousting Arnie Martel, Tewksbury,
Mass., in the Comp Eliminator final and David Simmons of Suwanee, Ga.,
in the Super Stock final.  This is the second straight Super Stock win
for the Ashland, Va., racer who is also the division’s reigning Super
Stock champ as well as the Northeast division’s Comp Eliminator titlist.

Mike Carpenter confirmed this morning that his father, Pro Nitrous racer Charles Carpenter, suffered a fractured vertabrae in his Saturday evening accident during the ADRL Safety-Kleen Dragpalooza V at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.

Doug Kirk had a feeling that his winless streak was going to have to end sooner or later.

Kirk’s last victory was in 2003 when the multi-time IHRA Pro Stock champion won behind the wheel of Charlie Hunt’s Pro Stocker.
 
Sometimes a story gets better with another chapter.
 
Kirk wrote the new chapter with a victory in the inaugural Extreme Pro
Stock event at the ADRL Safety-Kleen Dragpalooza V in Baytown, Texas.

When someone mistreats you, you kill them with kindness.
 

When you’re not the quickest or fastest Pro Nitrous car in competition, you kill them with consistency.
 
That’s the path New Iberia, La.-based Stan Allen took to the
winner’s circle at the ADRL Safety-Kleen Dragpalooza V hosted by
Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.