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.

Non-perishable food drive to help local needy during the Nov.
27-30 Las Vegas Bracket Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway

A non-perishable food drive will be held during the Nov. 27-30 Las
Vegas Bracket Nationals during the Thanksgiving Weekend at The Strip at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Racers and fans are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items
during the event.  Donations will be accepted at the announcers’ booth
in the officials’ tower at the drag strip each day.

Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team owner Kenny Bernstein today announced
Tim and Kim Richards’ decision to retire from the sport of drag racing
at the end of the 2008 NHRA season.

“We are deeply indebted to Tim and Kim for their dedication and
talent,” said six-time champion Bernstein.  “When Tim and Kim joined
our team in 2001 we enjoyed a record-setting year filled with eight
race wins and 12 final round appearances culminating in our sixth NHRA
championship, our second in Top Fuel.

“Also in 2001, our Budweiser team won 61 rounds of competition which
set a Top Fuel record for the most rounds won in one season.  That
record held until Dallas of this year.

Championship Day at Reunion Austin, Green, White big winners at California Hot Rod Reunion

It was a championship day of nostalgia drag racing at Auto Club Famoso
Raceway – literally. A gorgeous, blustery autumn afternoon brought the
fans in out in droves to see the final day of nostalgia drag racing at
the 17th California Hot Rod Reunion, presented by the Automobile Club
of Southern California. It also was the finale of the inaugural NHRA
Hot Rod Heritage Series. In short, it was a day of champions and the
fans loved it.

In the Heritage Series, Troy Green, Purcell, Okla, nabbed the Nostalgia
Top Fuel title over Jim Murphy, Santa Rosa, Calif. Green, who clung to
a slim 5-point lead over Murphy, appeared headed for a
championship-deciding final, but both
were beaten in their semi-finals contests. Green lost to Rick White and
Brett Harris took Murphy out, thus giving Green the title. White, San
Diego, Calif. then beat Harris, Kaysville, Utah, whose car broke down
at the starting line, to
win the Hot Rod Reunion race title. White’s winning time was 255.89 mph with a 5.819 ET.

It definitely wasn’t easy, but Dave Connolly emerged with the Virginia Nationals Pro Stock championship for
the second consecutive year Sunday at Virginia Motorsports Park. And he
did so by defeating Cagnazzi Racing teammate Jeg Coughlin, who happens
to be the reigning series titleholder and current point leader.

The victory sent Connolly, driving a special red and white Lucas
Oil/Charter Communications Chevy Cobalt at this event, from sixth to
third in points with 2,397. He trails runner-up Kurt Johnson by three
and Coughlin by 77 with two races remaining.

Not only did Connolly have to defeat tough competitors Greg Stanfield,
Johnson and Greg Anderson to get to Coughlin, but his team had to
change a motor after the first round.

Cruz Pedregon’s team picked a good weekend to get aggressive.

Pedregon admitted that his championship-winning crew chief Rahn Tobler
had approached much of the 2008 season from a cautious standpoint,
focusing on just getting the car from one end of the track to the other
under power.

After all, a team can’t win a race if they smoke the tires at the hit,
neither can it win if the other teams are successfully leaving nothing
on the table.

Tobler, who tuned Top Fuel legend Shirley Muldowney to world
championships, decided to clear the table on Saturday during the NHRA
Virginia Nationals in Richmond.

Losing a first round race is always tough, but when it takes you out of championship contention, the sting is magnified.

FRAM Top Fuel dragster driver Cory McClenathan lost a crucial first
round race in eliminations that put the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series Top Fuel championship out of reach for the 17-year Top Fuel
veteran, who dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 in the Countdown to 1 points
chase.

No. 4 qualifier McClenathan was matched up against No. 13 Morgan Lucas
in the opening round. McClenathan left the starting line first with a
.068 to .095 reaction time (.000 is perfect), but tire shake forced him
to pedal the throttle early in the run, slowing him to a 3.970-second
elapsed time at 307.37 mph. Lucas drove past him to take the win with a
3.881/309.77.