Pontiac could be the next victim of General Motor worsening financial
condition, this according to a report in today’s Detroit Free Press
website.

According to the published article, Pontiac would be at the front of
three other brands the auto manufacturer proposes dropping in order to
put itself in a better position for government financial aid.

Detroit Dragway was a legend of another era.

When the strip closed in the 1990s, the facility ended a rich history
of drag racing that dated back to the 1950s when a fledgling sport was
just beginning to spread throughout the country.

The facility hosted national events but none like the premiere drag racing in the world.

Detroit Dragway hosted the NHRA U.S. Nationals in 1959 and 1960.

While that may prove quite the trump card in some circles, nothing will
ever invoke the Detroit Dragway legend like its famous radio
commercials did.

Simply put, the catchphrase became the tradition for drag racing advertising.

“Sunday Sunday Sunday at Detroit Dragway” began at Detroit Dragway and quickly spread throughout the drag racing world.

That fever was no doubt inspired by the YouTube Video we found of the 1959 NHRA U.S. Nationals at Detroit Dragway.

This video clip, we understand, came from a documentary titled "Ingenuity in Action".

For every story of unprecedented courage told here on the pages of CompetitionPlus.com, there are millions of others that will go untold.

In the days to come, CompetitionPlus.com will bring you five stories of incredible bravery, dedication and determination. Stories of people who did not let accident or illness end their dreams of racing.

The first lady of drag racing Shirley Muldowney, fourteen-time world champion John Force, second-generation Top Fuel driver Brandon Bernstein and cancer survivors Jack Beckman and Steve Torrence have all shared with CompetitionPlus.com their innermost struggles and fears coupled with undying determination to live.

This final chapter of our three-part series deals with the rehab and the insatiable desire to race again for Muldowney, Force and Bernstein.

Maybe Thanksgiving dinner hasn't begun or perhaps you've already eaten, whatever the case may be we have a special Thanksgiving treat for you. We found these Diamond P gems on You Tube featuring the 1979 NHRA World Finals at the old Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, Ca.

There are some classic names on these videos such as "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Don Prudhomme, Raymond Beadle, Bob Glidden, Frank Iaconio and more. Featured today are the first rounds of Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock as well as the sportsman final rounds.

Witness Rob Bruins crowned the NHRA Top Fuel champion over Kelly Brown and Beadle clinching the Funny Car crown breaking Prudhomme's streak of four championships. 

Oh Yeah, you have to see that up and coming John Force -- he's a hoot.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Bob Glidden strapped into Kenny Perry’s Outlaw 10.5 Pontiac GTO last weekend. While while waiting to make a qualifying pass during the PSCA Streetcar Supernationals in Las Vegas, the 64-year old, ten-time Pro Stock world champion had a flashback.

Thirty years ago the veteran drag racer embarked on one of the sport’s
legendary winning streaks which included nine straight national event
victories. He also remembered a No. 1 qualifying streak that spanned
for a record 23 national events.

SIX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BUOY MATCHUP BETWEEN TWO SAN DIEGO AREA HIGH SCHOOLS

There
was some real drag racing pedigree on hand during this past weekend’s
SPEED original Drag Race High live shoot finale at Auto Club Dragway in
Fontana, Calif. In a bit of irony, these multi-time professional
champions were on hand to witness an ode to true ‘first-time’ racers as
two Southern California high schools battled it out on the quarter mile.

GM correspondent Jeff Romack has sent CompetitionPlus.com a
series of photos and updates related the NHRA drivers visiting the
military troops abroad. Today's installment includes the group of
drivers in their second day of Kuwait as well their visit to Frankfort,
Germany.

Day 2 in Kuwait we headed north for the Ali Al Salem Air Base
which is about 40 miles from the Iraqi border. It's a Kuwaiti Air Base
but it is shared with U.S. Army and Air Forces and it's where a lot of
the U.S. troops come for a few days to kind of unwind before flying
home. There are these huge, thick concrete bunkers that are visible
here that are about 60 feet high, and about 30 yards. These were
smashed by US bombs when the Iraqis were ran out after the 1991 war.
Understandably, there are also a lot of place where you can't
photograph, including some flight-line areas around these bunkers. The
first pictures coming your way, though, were taken at the Rec Center at
the LSA (Life Support Activities) at Ali Al Salem. This is where the
troops watch movies, play video games, catch-up on e-mail, watch
football, play cards. There's a McDonalds here and other amenities of
home, but at the same time, it's still a long, long way from home. A
lot of the troops were getting ready to fly home for Thanksgiving and
again, their appreciation for the drivers and the fact that they were
there, meant a lot to them. You will see that in the photos and the
smiles on the faces of both our drivers and the troops. Our drivers are
doing a tremendous job with very little, and at times, no rest
(catching catnips during some of the few downtimes we've had) and NHRA
fans can be very proud of the way they are representing the sport. 

Despite all its ups and down, the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season
ended for Pontiac's Greg Anderson the same

way it began - with a Pro
Stock victory from the No. 1 qualifying position at Auto Club Raceway
at Pomona (Calif.).  Bookend wins at the NHRA Winternationals in
February and at the NHRA Finals on Nov. 16 were two of a class-leading
six wins for the 47-year-old Anderson as he led a Pontiac contingent of
three drivers into the top five of the final 2008 Pro Stock standings.

Pontiac teams turned in impressive on-track performances in the factory
hot-rod Pro Stock category including a class-leading 12 victories, 19
final-round appearances, 13 No. 1 qualifying awards and low elapsed
time of the meet 11 times.  Four Pontiac GXP drivers, Anderson, Mike
Edwards, Jason Line and Greg Stanfield, qualified for the Countdown to
1 and three went on to finish in the top five of the POWERade standings
led by three-time NHRA POWERade champ Anderson.

Less than 48 hours before the start of the 2008 JEGS ProMod Challenge,
a spot opened in the 24-car field of the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in
Gainesville, Fla., when Mike Knowles crashed during a preseason test
session. Logistically speaking, there weren't many drivers who could
fill Knowles' slot in such a short amount of time. Then someone
mentioned Floridian Joe Baker, who lives five hours away in Milton,
near Pensacola.

A call went out and Baker accepted the invitation, saying he'd do his
best to get there, although he wasn't promising being anything more
than filler in his NHRA debut. Little did Baker know when he ended that
phone call that seven and a half months later he'd end up as the JEGS
ProMod Challenge Rookie of the Year with a pair of victories to his
credit, including an unlikely win in that fateful debut race.

"I had the luck when I needed it, that's for sure," Baker said after
his shocking Gators win. "We had to scramble just to get here but it
all seems worth it now."