CompetitionPlus.com has assembled a staff of weekly bloggers
for your reading pleasure. Tune in for a week in the life
of such notable correspondents as European Top Fuel racer Urs Erbacher,
John Force Racing's Robert Hight, Kendall Racing Oil's V. Gaines, Laurie Cannister, top running IHRA TAFC driver, and CompetitionPlus.com editor Bobby Bennett. 

Of course, there's Timmah.

Blog Central has been updated for your reading pleasure.

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New driving technique provides challenges for veteran Pro Modified driver …

Thomas
Patterson believed stepping outside of his comfort zone would make him
a better driver in 2008. The veteran Pro Modified driver from Houston,
Tex., who campaigns with his dad Richard, felt that it was easier to
change his driving style than to spend more money and exercise
resources bringing the car to his technique.

That’s why, Patterson said, the PMS Excavation team looked brilliant at times and well … not so brilliant in others.

NHRA Technical Services yesterday announced certain rule changes
that will be included in the 2009 NHRA Rulebook. "We have worked to
minimize cost impact to the teams from 2009 changes, given the current
economic situation," said Don Taylor, NHRA senior director-national technical operations.

Select changes are listed below. See the 2009 Rulebook for the
final and complete wording of the rules. The Rulebook will be available
in December and sent to NHRA members with Issue 48 of National DRAGSTER.

This year at the IHRA Champion’s Banquet there will be an
alternative for kids who might not want to sit through the entire
Saturday evening ceremony. Science of Racing will be hosting a pizza
party for children who are in attendance during banquet weekend.

While
you are at the ceremony, enjoying the speeches and celebrating a great
season of racing with your friends your kids can be enjoying a
supervised evening with the gang from Science of Racing. Science of
Racing is a non-profit informal science education organization
committed to inspiring kids and their families to discover the
excitement of the sciences while contributing to the nation’s
development of its human resources. Through innovative exhibits,
programs and services that tie the thrill of auto racing to the
engineering that literally fuels it this organization hopes to make a
real difference in our nation and in the lives of all they reach.

In this era of yesteryear returns, Hurst has returned to prominence with their introduction of the 2009 HURST/HEMI®

Challenger. This special edition vehicle will pull alongside of such legends as the HURST/Olds 442.

The special edition, high performance 500-plus horsepower, supercharged
limited edition vehicle was unveiled on Tuesday during the SEMA show in
Las Vegas.

Nate Shelton, Chairman of HURST, said in a prepared statement that his
company is committed to delivering a valuable muscle car.

Championship contender Tim Wilkerson announced that The Residence Inn
by Marriott-Ontario Airport will be an associate sponsor on his Levi,
Ray & Shoup Funny Car for the 44th annual Automobile Club of
Southern California Finals, November 13 – 16 and the 49th annual NHRA
Winternationals, February 5 – 8, 2009.  To commemorate the partnership,
the hotel will be offering a NHRA package special to fans and will be
hosting a Tim Wilkerson Fan Appreciation Night.

The Residence Inn is offering all NHRA race fans and Tim Wilkerson fans
a special package for each race at the rate of $199.00 per night, which
includes general admission for the race.

Chatting With Director of Ford Racing Technology

You'll have to forgive Brian Wolfe while he pauses for a moment to live a dream.

Wolfe, a management veteran for the Ford Motor Company, succeeded
Dan Davis as the Director of Ford Racing Technology back in June. He
says that every day since the appointment has been a dream. Come to
think of it, hearing Wolfe discuss his involvement with Ford, even
indirectly, is proof his dream started long before his executive
appointment.

Cut him and Wolfe bleeds Blue Oval Blue, something he has done since
being old enough to drive. He has a drag racing background, having
visited the strip just hours after procuring a driver's license.

What else would you expect from a man who once labeled Henry Ford as one of his heroes?

CompetitionPlus.com Editor/Publisher Bobby Bennett recently caught up
with Wolfe during the recently completed Las Vegas event to discuss the
current state of Ford’s racing endeavors among other topics.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW

Tour the SEMA show in Las Vegas through the lens of CompetitionPlus.com photo editor Roger Richards. You'll see all the latest in neat automotive technology as well as quite a few of the "honeys" at the show. We'll have complete galleries from all three days of this prestigious show.

Five
of NHRA’s most compelling and successful female drivers were the
featured guests this morning at the popular NHRA Breakfast, which has
become an annual tradition at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Hillary Will (Top Fuel); Melanie Troxel (Funny Car); Ashley Force
(Funny Car); Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) and Peggy Llewellyn
(Pro Stock Motorcycle) were engaging and entertaining as they answered
questions from host Bob Frey as well as from members of the record
crowd who gathered for the 7:30 a.m. wake-up call.

Top Fuel driver Clay Millican has done more than his share of fishing
in the last few months. However, the pole he’s had in the water isn’t
down at the local lake.

He’s fishing for a major sponsorship for team owner Mark Pickens
Enterprises. The Drummond, Tenn.-based Millican says he’s had a few
nibbles lately.

“I’ve done a whole lot more the past couple of months than I’ve done
since Pete Lehman owned this team,” Millican admitted. “It’s a crazy,
crazy business world out there right now and we’re certainly finding
that you have to do crazy, crazy things just to get a sponsor to talk
to you nowadays. I’m not a fisherman but we sure do have a lot of hooks
in the water right now. We just need to find our way into landing one.