Sonny Leonard has built an 892-incher and it’s a beast …

The person responsible for coining the phrase bigger isn’t always
better obviously didn’t see what master mountain motor engine builder
Sonny Leonard did today.

Leonard, who owns and operates Sonny’s Race Engines in Lynchburg, Va.,
just finished running the largest displacement engine he’s ever put on
his engine dynamometer.

This horsepower-laden beast tipped the measuring stick at 892-cubic inches.

Promoter Dave Hance has quite a weekend with his Shakedown at E’town event …

Dave Hance had quite the weekend.

The part-time promoter and drag racer brought the drag racing community
a spectacle of an event and after six years of promoting a fast
doorslammer at his home track in Englishtown, N.J., he finally hit the
home run.

The Al Anabi Shakedown at E’town didn’t fill the grandstands, but the
2008 event laid the groundwork for what promises to be an incredible
2009 event.

All in a day’s work for Hance as the event showcased the first-ever
five second run in nitrous doorslammer history, the quickest and
fastest absolute full-bodied pass, and world records in four of the
five divisions contested.

Jim Halsey might not have been the key figure in the race to the
nitrous doorslammer five articles, but he ensured he was the first to
take the stripe with an astoundingly consistent performance over the
weekend. The nitrous Pro Modified veteran from Street, Md., recorded
not only the first five second run with a 5.998-second lap during
qualifying at the Shakedown at E’town outlaw Pro Modified event, but
also carded four consecutive milestone runs including a 5.959 in the
final round of the event.

The quickest and fastest nitrous doorslammer run in drag racing history – priceless.

Even $2.6 million dollars wouldn’t purchase his record-setting 1968 Camaro.

NHRA Partnership is First Major Sports Association for Full Throttle and the Brand’s Lead Marketing Platform for 2009

The transformation of NHRA’s top professional series from POWERade to
Full Throttle – which began earlier this year – has reached another
milestone as the new NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series logo was
unveiled.

Full Throttle and NHRA collaborated to create a signature logo design
that brings together the essence and personality of the brand and the
sport in an iconic way.

“This logo represents the next generation of NHRA drag racing,” said
Gary Darcy, senior vice president, sales & marketing. “Our
partnership with The Coca-Cola Company has been one of the longest and
most enduring series sponsorships in all of motorsports and we are
confident that aligning NHRA with Full Throttle is a move that makes
enormous strategic sense for the future growth of both brands.”

NHRA would like to make its members, fans, and the general public aware
of a fraudulent act against NHRA. NHRA has learned that consumers are
receiving a letter indicating they are a lucky winner of an unclaimed
cash prize. Included with the letter is what appears to be, but is not,
a check from NHRA. Further, the letter asks to call a number.

Hight knows the time to act is yesterday if he hopes to win title …

This
season has been very good to championship contender Robert Hight. He’s
won three races including the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.

In addition, Hight has also reeled off four No. 1 qualifying efforts thus far in 2008.

He could have gained even more had it not have been for an opponent’s
miraculous reaction time in one race and then by .003 of a second in
another race.

Would have. Could have. Should have.

HALSEY RIDES WAVE OF MOMENTUM TO WINNER’S CIRCLE; SMITH UPSETS CANNON IN PRO MOD BLOWN FINAL

All Jim Halsey wanted to do was record a five-second run with his
nitrous car as he headed into the Al Anabi Shakedown at E’town
presented by Speedtech Nitrous. The Street, Md.-based Pro Mod Nitrous
racer did so much more.

Halsey was joined by a score of jubilant winners as Von Smith (Pro Mod
Blown), Joe Newsham (Outlaw 10.5), Steve Lazzaro (Heavy Street), Dave
Hinzman (Drag Radial) and Bill Cannon (8.50 Index) scored victories at
the 6th annual event hosted by Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in
Englishtown, N.J.

Despite entering the event as a dark horse, Halsey clearly established
himself as the driver to beat early in qualifying. Halsey ran the
first-ever nitrous run under six seconds on Saturday to qualify No. 1
and on Sunday, he never left the zone en route to pocketing the $20,000
winner’s purse in a convincing victory over Rickie Smith.

Blown Pro Mod racer Scott Filkins emerged uninjured after a second session qualifying accident.

Filkins crashed his 2006 Pontiac GTO into the right guard wall just
past the finish line. He crawled out of the car and walked away under
his own power.

Watch the video.

Bobby Martindale, 65, of Glen Allen, Va.,
suffered fatal injuries in a high-speed racing accident Saturday during
the NHRA Southeast Division Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series race.  Preliminary
reports are that his Top Alcohol Funny Car experienced engine failure
and continued down the racetrack at a high rate of speed.

SCOTT CANNON JR. THUNDERS TO QUICKEST & FASTEST ABSOLUTE DOORSLAMMER PASS; HALSEY RUNS FIRST NITROUS “FIVE”

No performance barrier was safe from the assault of over 100 ferocious doorslammers during qualifying at the 6th annual Al Anabi Shakedown at E’town presented by Speedtech Nitrous in Englishtown, N.J.

On two occasions the performance barriers for doorslammers, regardless
of classification, and of the nitrous-injected variety created drag
racing history.