The recent five second runs by Jim Halsey and Mike Castellana might
just be scratching the surface of the newfound performance increases by
nitrous doorslammers, this according to their respective engine
builders. Gene Fulton and David Reher admit newfound gains in the
five-inch bore spaced, nitrous-injected engines will quickly propel the
bottle rockets through the 5.9-second realm and into the 5.80s at a
rapid rate.

According to Fulton, engine builder for Halsey, the 5.80s are already
in the bag and if the season were one month longer, we’d see them.

“Nitrous Pro Modified still has piece to go and it can go quite a bit
further,” Fulton added. “It’s just a matter whether there are people
mechanically inclined enough to make it happen and people financed
enough.”

Kenny Bernstein has confirmed that Rob Flynn will take over as crew
chief on the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster at the end of the season. 
Flynn will be accompanied by Mike Guger, who has been named assistant
crew chief.

The duo will replace Tim and Kim Richards who have announced their retirement from the sport at the end of the year.

“Sometimes timing is everything,” said Bernstein.  “It was a whirlwind
weekend at Richmond. When Tim and Kim told us of their decision to make
this year their last, suddenly Rob and Mike became available.  The
pieces of the puzzle just began to fit together.

“We are excited to welcome them to our Budweiser/Lucas Oil team. It
will be our first opportunity to work with Rob, and of course, Mike has
spent several years with our team in the past. They have proven that
they can win races and nearly won the championship last year, so we’re
very optimistic that we can continue to field a highly competitive team
for Budweiser, Lucas Oil, Mac Tools, and all our sponsors.”

The Brett Stevens Racing team have announced that they have come to an agreement with former National Supercharged Outlaws Champion Daniel Reed to drive the team’s Makita Top Doorslammer in the ANDRA Championship Drag Racing series.

The son of high profile husband and wife Top Alcohol racers Steven and
Debbie Reed of the Reed Racing team, Daniel, 27, is a highly successful
racer in his own right winning the Willowbank Raceway Supercharged
Outlaws Track Championship in 2004, 2005 and 2007, in addition to
taking out the 2007 National crown.

Seats are available for Speedway Children's Charities' fifth
annual Cards for Kids Texas Hold 'em poker tournament Wednesday, Oct.
29, at the Cannery Casino & Hotel. The charity event will kick off the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

Tournament
players will test their poker skills against some of the top NHRA
personalities, including Brandon Bernstein, Cory McClenathan, Greg
Anderson, J.R. Todd, Morgan Lucas, Dave Connolly, "Fast Jack" Beckman,
Allen Johnson, Justin Humphreys, Urs Erbacher, and Nicky Morse, The
Racing Chef. 

Annual awards night to be held at Best Western Cairn Croft in Niagara Falls
 
Once
again the Pro Modified Racing Association Banquet to honor its
competitors is fast approaching, and a large contingent of PMRA
drivers, teams, sponsors, and supporters is expected.
 
The 2008 PMRA Champions Banquet will be held this year at the Best
Western Cairn Croft Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The event is to be
held in the Oak Room, Saturday, November 15, 2008. Cocktails are at
6:30 p.m., dinner at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Top Four Awards
Presentations.

Ron Capps, whose regular mount is the 7000-horsepower NAPA AUTO PARTS
Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series,
will drive a NAPA-sponsored NASCAR Late Model in a companion event to
the NASCAR Camping World Series championship finale in Roseville,
Calif., on Oct. 25.

Capps, who is seventh in the NHRA Countdown to 1 championship chase
with two events remaining in the 2008 season, will also act as a Grand
Marshal for the night's event at the paved one-third-mile oval at All
American Speedway.

He will drive a car owned by NCWS team owner Bill McAnally in the
NASCAR Whelen All American Series, in his first stab at competing in an
official NASCAR event. Capps has driven Late Models, Sprint cars,
Midgets, open-wheeled sports cars, and tested IROC cars in his career,
while competing regularly as a professional Funny Car racer since 1997.

The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, the largest rod & custom
association in the world with over 70,000 members, will stage
twenty-two events in 2009. The event lineup features eighteen national
events for rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage
as well as four “Get-Together's” in California which welcome all years,
makes and models of specialty vehicles.

The Goodguys 2009 event season kicks off March 14 & 15 with the 3rd
Meguiar’s Orange County Get-Together at the OC Fair & Expo Center
in Costa Mesa, CA. The season wraps November 20, 21 & 22 in
Scottsdale, AZ for the season-ending 12th Southwest Nationals at
Westworld.

Notable date changes include the 18th East Coast Nationals in
Rhinebeck, New York which has been moved from its traditional September
date to June 26, 27 & 28. The event will remain at the historic
Dutchess County Fairgrounds. The 8th Blue Suede Cruise will take place
August 28, 29 & 30 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Prior Oil down Penalties Will Make This Weekend’s Championship Battle Tougher

Nitro Funny Car rookie Matt Hagan would love to be a lot closer in the
final championship battle this weekend in Rockingham, N.C. At 65 points
in arrears, Hagan is facing the toughest battle of his fledgling career.

One DNQ and more than a handful of oil down penalties have worked against his quest to overtake leader Terry Haddock.

"We've been penalized more than all of the other drivers in the top 12 combined," explained Hagan.

With a total purse of $65,000.00 being dispersed this year, the racers
in NHRA’s D-4 have had an incredible opportunity to race for and pocket
a substantial bonus purse throughout the 2008 Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series. This weekend’s season final event in Noble, OK will see those
racers run for a $25,000.00 check to be presented to the last of the 23
racers that qualified to run for the money left in competition.

A national record fell and a milestone was passed at the AMA Dragbike
Fall Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park with the first-ever 250 mph
pass in Top Fuel motorcycle.

Top Fuel motorcycle rider Korry Hogan of Denver, Colo., made the first
250 mile per hour run in history on a motorcycle. The record-setting
pass came in the second round of qualifying of the AMA Dragbike Fall
Nationals on Saturday, October 11.