Sunday's final results from the Inaugural NHRA Carolinas
Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the 19th of 24 in the NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series, and the first of six races in the
Countdown to 1, NHRA's playoffs:

Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 3.882 seconds, 317.64 mph def. Antron Brown, 3.923 seconds, 309.42 mph..

John Force just wanted to talk and he commandeered an audience who just wanted to listen.

John
Force had an up and down weekend in Charlotte. On Friday, he saw the
John Force Grandstands. The next day he failed to qualify. On top of
that, Sunday's tickets are sold out and he can't get a seat in his
grandstands.

For the first time since 1979, Force has failed to qualify in back-to-back races.

A dejected Force talked to the media about the shortcoming on Saturday
afternoon following the final qualifying session at the NHRA Carolinas
Nationals in Concord, N.C..

“This is hard for me,” Force admitted.

A capacity crowd estimated at up to 30,000 witnessed the stars
of the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) go after a $100,000 purse
Sep. 13, in the ADRL’s Dragstock V at Rockingham Dragway.

Current
ADRL Pro Extreme world champion Jason Scruggs (left) and 2006 class
champ and eventual Dragstock V winner Bubba Stanton paired up in round
two of qualifying at Rockingham Dragway. The owners of the two race
teams were each offered a bounty of $10,000 if their cars posted
side-by-side, 200-plus-mph passes. They came up just a little short,
though, with Scruggs going 3.86 at 199.40 in his 2007 Dodge Stratus,
while Stanton and his 1963 Corvette earned the pole position with his
pass of 3.81 seconds at 197.33 mph.

Former Pro Extreme
class champion Bubba Stanton of Potts Camp, MS, steered his
supercharged 1963 Corvette to a final-round, 3.81-second pass at 197.02
miles per hour over the Rockingham eighth mile to beat Semora, NC’s
Chip King. Reigning class champ Jason Scruggs lost in the semi-finals,
but not before thrilling the fans with a pair of 200-plus mph passes in
the preliminary rounds.

Lend America’s Mike Ashley steps up with major sponsorship of this event …

For a doorslammer aficionado, Englishtown Raceway Park’s Shakedown at E-town has proven to be an incredible event.

The event has gotten even greater with an expansion to two days and an
incredible influx of sponsorship from Englishtown’s favorite son and
iconic Pro Modified driver Mike Ashley. His Lend America mortgage
banking firm has stepped up with primary sponsorship for the Pro Mod
Blown division. This represents one of the largest paydays for an
independent Pro Modified event.

“Pro Modified is at its strongest,” promoter Dave Hance said. “This
event promises to showcase the finest Pro Modified has to offer. When
you combine the talent we expect and the October air, not to mention
the great racing surface, you have all the makings for a historic
weekend of doorslammer racing.”

Texas Motorplex racers and fans need
not fret about Hurricane Ike ruining any plans for the O'Reilly Super
Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals Sept. 18-21  featuring the quickest
and fastest form of motorsport.

The 23rd annual event will
likely see some of the best weather of the late summer season –
something Texas Motorplex owner Billy Meyer couldn't be happier about.

"Hurricane
Ike is going east of Ennis and we're getting as little two inches of
precipitation. The forecast starting Sunday is going to be the nicest
weather we've had all year," Meyer said. "So far we have not heard
about any casualties from Hurricane Ike and our thoughts and prayers go
out in hopes that it stays that way. Ike could have been much worse and
we're just happy that it is less forceful than originally forecast.

"NHRA will be able to put on a great show and we are thankful Mother Nature isn't forcing us to make a schedule change."

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
Inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 20th of 24
events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on
results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel -- 1. Larry Dixon, 3.846 seconds, 311.63 mph vs. 16.
Doug Foley, 3.975, 307.44; 2. Cory McClenathan, 3.863, 312.71 vs. 15.
Clay Millican, 3.931, 306.74; 3. Antron Brown, 3.865, 311.20 vs. 14.
Troy Buff, 3.923, 304.67; 4. Hillary Will, 3.869, 315.12 vs. 13. Bob
Vandergriff, 3.898, 306.95; 5. Doug Herbert, 3.870, 311.49 vs. 12.
Morgan Lucas, 3.894, 309.42; 6. Doug Kalitta, 3.872, 310.84 vs. 11. Rod
Fuller, 3.889, 307.93; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 3.875, 313.80 vs. 10. J.R.
Todd, 3.883, 312.93; 8. David Grubnic, 3.876, 311.92 vs. 9. Tony
Schumacher, 3.879, 310.91.  Did Not Qualify: 17. Tim Boychuk, 4.056,
286.74.

DIXON, HAWLEY, JOHNSON AND SMITH ARE NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT NHRA CAROLINAS NATIONALS

Funny Car legend John Force fails to qualify in zMax Dragway debut and Countdown to 1 opener

Larry Dixon put a temporary hold on Tony Schumacher’s recent dominance
by racing to the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel Saturday at the
NHRA Carolinas Nationals. Meanwhile, Funny Car icon John Force failed
to qualify in his debut at the spectacular zMAX Dragway and the opening
race of the Countdown to 1, NHRA's playoffs.

Frank Hawley, Kurt Johnson and Matt Smith held on to their quick
performances from Friday and also will lead their respective categories
into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the first of six races in the
POWERade Drag Racing Series Countdown to 1.

Kenny Bernstein was one of the first NHRA drag racing competitors to
turn a hobby into a business venture.  Long recognized in the
motorsports community as a merchandiser, salesman and avid ambassador
for companies he represents, the six-time NHRA champion has aligned his
Monster Energy Funny Car team with the U.S. Air Force for a four-race
test program beginning with the O’Reilly Super Start Fall Nationals
Sept. 19-21.

“The Air Force and its personnel embody  all those qualities that
contribute to success in business, namely dedication, commitment, the
desire to be No. 1, honesty, and the willingness to go the extra mile,”
said Bernstein.   “These are core values that I look for in my
employees, and these are the same standards that personify Air Force
personnel.  In our business, it’s about team work.  In the Air Force
it’s team work that not only defends America but also the air, space
and cyberspace of the United States as well.

New leadership in Ford's motorsports program could bring the Blue Oval back into NHRA Pro Stock, albeit on a limited basis.

Brian Wolfe recently succeeded Dan Davis, who retired last month, as Ford's Director of Racing technology.

A past drag racer himself, he sees the value in Pro Stock
representation for the manufacturer, while continuing to focus on their
programs with John Force and Bob Tasca.

If NHRA President Tom Compton has his way, the next stop on the new track spree will stop in New England.

The thought of a track in the Boston area causes Compton to salivate.

“We’re in many of the top metropolitan areas, 37 out of the 50,”
explained Compton. “We’re just south of New York and Los Angeles, and
Seattle. But we’re not in New England and we’d really like to be in
that market. So hopefully someday we can get up there. Building
facilities in today’s environment is difficult, it takes time and money.