On Thursday, June 26, reigning US Nationals champion Mike Ashley sold
his interest in the Gotham City Racing nitro Funny Car team to his
partner, ProCare Rx Chairman and CEO Roger Burgess. Citing the
exponential growth of Lend America and the desire to spend more time
with his family, Ashley said he made the tough decision to do what he
thought was best for the team.
 
"Right now, Lend America is growing explosively. We moved into a new
location, added hundreds of new employees, and this past month we were
approved to issue Ginnie Mae government mortgage-backed securities -- 
bundles of mortgages sold to investors and backed by the federal
government," Ashley said.
 
In order to become a qualified Ginnie Mae issuer, Lend America went
through a rigorous screening process to determine its suitability and
must meet strict reporting requirements to maintain the coveted status.
Ashley said this development would help continue Lend America's growth
and provide opportunity in the country's current mortgage crisis.

First they drilled it. Then they sucked it. Then they beat on it.

In the end, the NHRA’s actions weren’t enough to keep water from
percolating through the racing surface at Summit Racing Equipment
Motorsports Park during the NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in
Norwalk, Ohio.

Not one drop of rain fell on Friday but that didn’t stop the event from being postponed because of rain.

The NHRA suspended qualifying after one session of Pro Stock Motorcycle
and seven Pro Stock cars as the racing surface became unsafe.

While still conducting its investigation into the details of last
week’s tragic accident that took the life of driver Scott Kalitta, NHRA
announced today some of its initial findings and subsequent steps being
taken to continue its efforts to make the sport safer.

The loss of Scott Kalitta, a passionate champion driver and devoted
family man, still weighs heavy on the hearts of everyone at NHRA, as we
reflect on his many accomplishments and pass along our deepest
condolences to his wife Kathy, his sons Corey and Colin, his father
Connie, his cousin Doug, the entire Kalitta family and team, and all
those he left behind.

It has been determined that a tragic series of events took place that
fateful afternoon.  An engine explosion near the end of the run
resulted in separating most of the car’s body from the chassis.  The
car’s parachutes did not blossom, and the vehicle continued down the
right side of the shut down area at a high rate of speed.  It went off
the top end of the track, up into the right catch net pole, and hit the
television camera boom beyond the end of the sand trap before coming to
a rest. 

Dan Davis, Ford Motorsports director for the past eleven years, will
retire on August 1. Davis had been with the company for 32 years.

Brian Wolfe, a 26-year Ford veteran who has held a series of management
positions within Ford’s powertrain operations, has been named the new
director of Ford Racing Technology, the company announced today.

“Dan has done a great job for the company and its racing program, and
he’s going to be a tough act to follow,” said Wolfe.   “I look forward
to the challenge of taking the program forward and continuing the
record of success he brought to us.”

Wolfe, 47, has been director, Powertrain Calibration and Controls, Product Development, since 2002.

In his most recent job, Wolfe had global responsibility for all
powertrain computer control software applications and powertrain
calibration, including drivability and emissions.

World Champion Robert Patrick is making the drag racing rounds this
season. He recently won the Fun Ford Weekend event at Virginia
Motorsports Park. (Roger Richards)

When you’re an IHRA mountain motor Pro Stock racer your racing options are limited.

A driver can only race the current ten-race schedule and that’s it, outside of countless test sessions.

That’s what IHRA world champion Robert Patrick used to think.

The Purvis Ford-sponsored driver from Fredericksburg, Va., has found an
alternative for the off weekends. He can now race the Pro 5.0 division
on the Fun Ford Weekend tour.

Recently Patrick won the Fun Ford Weekend event at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Va., less than 100 miles from home.

On Saturday, July 12, Pine
Valley Raceway just outside of Lufkin,
Texas, will host the Outlaw Pro
Mod Top Gun Shootout, paying out over $12,500 in purse money and $5,000 to the
winner.  The race will be run on the 1/8
mile and will be an eight car field.

Pine Valley
Raceway is quickly losing its title as East Texas
“Best Kept Secret.”  The state of the art
facility features a 330’ concrete launch pad, concrete walls, lengthy shutdown
(the track is ¼ mile), great lighting and a large paved pit area.  The track is conveniently located four miles
off of US
59 on FM 2497.

Angelle Sampey is still pushing for her first win aboard a Buell.

Making their third
consecutive appearance in as many events, Angelle Sampey is ready for a good
finish on a track she has only seen once before in her career in Pro Stock
Motorcycle.

"We have room to
improve and are on the right track of doing that," crew chief Bryce said
after the team's second round loss to former champ Andrew Hines. "We're
gonna go to Norwalk
and keep improving."

"This is only our
second year racing at Norwalk,
so this is a very new track to us," said Angelle. "Anytime we go to a
new track it takes some getting used to. I'm still not really familiar with the
surface of the track or how we need to run there. Especially being with a new
team, we're gonna have to figure that out together. We're gonna have to figure
out what it takes to get the bike as straight as possible down the lanes. From
what I remember it's a very good track, both lanes, so I don't think we'll have
any issues.

Melanie Troxel has a full plate at this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

As the lead-driver for the Gotham City Racing team, she is tasked with
defending team co-owner Mike Ashley's 2007 victory, and at the same
time, she is working to break into the top-ten to make the Countdown to
One playoffs.
 
In addition, this will be a difficult weekend in drag racing, the first
event since the tragic death of veteran champion Scott Kalitta last
weekend, and Troxel will join her colleagues as they all work to focus
on their jobs wile trying to make personal peace with the tragic loss.
 
"It's like a family out here, so when something like this happens, it
affects everybody and we all feel it. We all know, however, that we are
out here to do a job, something that we all have chosen to do," Troxel
said.

KP Components, a leading
manufacturer of sport-truck suspensions, has been acquired by Chris Alston’s
Chassisworks.  Founded in 2000,