Zizzo loses a tire as he goes through the lights.  (Roger Richards)

Top Fuel driver T.J. Zizzo walked away from a high speed accident during Saturday’s first qualifying

The end result of Zizzo's engine explosion. (Brian Wood)

session.
An engine explosion reportedly sent shrapnel into his one-run old left
Goodyear tire puncturing it and forcing him over into the wall.

“I didn’t even have enough time to get scared,” Zizzo said. “I was
talking to my crew while I was sliding down the track. This was my
first accident in 17 years of racing.”

The parts were flying and the flames were flying during Top Fuel qualifying at the NHRA Motor City Nationals in Milan, Michigan. Our Roger Richards has two graphic examples.

Pro Mod racer Steve Engel knows exactly what turned his season around and
allowed him to win the eighth annual O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals on
May 18th, but he isn't willing to divulge any information.

No, it's not
some elaborate tune-up or chassis setting he doesn't want to share with his
rivals. It's something a little less significant. "It's almost embarrassing to
be honest," he said. "Let's put it this way -- some times you can over-think
these things and make the simplest of problems a big deal. I'd say we fall into
that category."

These pictures were taken just days ago of the forthcoming zMax Dragway
@ Concord on the grounds of Lowe's Motor Speedway outside of Charlotte,
NC. The inaugural
NHRA Carolinas Nationals will take place Sept. 11-14 and will serve as
the first of six races in the final phase of the Countdown to the
Championship.

Every time the stars and cars of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing
League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard take to the track they
deliver “Adrenaline on Asphalt” and now a double shot of adrenaline is
also available over the Internet. Just one day after the debut of the
online version of official ADRL publication Adrenaline: The Magazine,
the second installment of Adrenaline: The Series, the ADRL’s official
one-hour video show, became available for online viewing or downloads.

“When we rolled out Adrenaline: The Series last month we weren’t quite
sure what to expect, but the response has been nothing but positive,”
ADRL Vice President of Communications Ian Tocher said. “I’ve heard from
so many racers and fans who said they loved the content and appreciated
the flexibility to sit down and watch the show whenever they liked,
whether all at once or in segments as they found the time.”

Besides considering Heartland Park Topeka a sort of hometown track,
native Iowan Tommy Johnson, Jr. thinks of it as his “lucky dog” track. 
He hopes his Kenny Bernstein-owned Monster Energy Funny Car team can
capitalize on his past success May 30-June 1 at the O’Reilly Summer
Nationals.

“When we lived in Ottuma, Iowa, Heartland Park Topeka was one of the
tracks closest to where we lived,” explained Johnson.  “We really
considered it our hometown track.  We still have many friends who come
to that event so I always look forward to seeing familiar faces.

Jim Yates and Richard Maskin, who teamed to win the 1996
NHRA Pro Stock championship, have partnered for the duration of the 2008 NHRA POWERade
season. Maskin will join the WileyX Eyewear Pontiac GXP Pro Stock team
effective immediately.

Yates and Maskin boast one of the most successful
partnerships in NHRA Pro Stock history. The former championship duo first
proved as a lethal driver/crew chief combination from 1994-‘97 where they
combined to win 10 races in 23 final round appearances, along with five No. 1
qualifying efforts. They twice won three consecutive races in a season. The
WileyX team will next compete at the O’Reilly Summer Nationals, May 30-June 1,
at Heartland Park Topeka. Yates is a three-time winner at Heartland Park,
1996, ’97 and ’02.

Dan Wilkerson Claims Provisional #1 Qualifier Spot at First Career National Event

Son of current NHRA points leader Tim Wilkerson scores impressive debut at IHRA Motor City Nationals

In his professional debut, Tim Wilkerson raced to the No. 1 spot.

Dan Wilkerson has big shoes to fill. The son of current NHRA Nitro
Funny Car points leader Tim Wilkerson took a huge step towards filling
those shoes at the IHRA Motor City Nationals at Milan Dragway.

Wilkerson, from Springfield, Ill., made the best of his first-ever
Nitro Funny Car competitive pass by carding a 4.831 at 316.01 mph to
move to the head of the Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro qualifying list
Friday night. Though Dan Wilkerson has made a name for himself in the
Alcohol Funny Car ranks, winning the NHRA Division 3 title last season,
he has always wanted to move into the nitro ranks. Though he earned his
license last season,the Motor City Nationals were the first chance he
had to show what he could do behind the wheel of the ’07 Impala his
father has put in the Winner’s Circle on the NHRA tour twice this
season.

Thanks to the amazing stories of Ashley
Force's first win, the inspiring comeback of her legendary father,
John, and the growing popularity of both, images of the John Force
Racing team have been showing up far and wide.

A CNN special produced by Ray D'Alessio that focuses specifically
on John's comeback from career-threatening injuries incurred in the
crash of his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car last September at Texas
Motorplex in Dallas will air this weekend on CNN Headline News.

The piece, developed from an interview last month in Atlanta
before the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals where Force
was runner-up to Ashley, will air twice an hour between 1 and 4 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 25.

A monumental icon of drag racing history now crowns the all-new Hot
Rodz Diner at Maryland Int’l Raceway. Graciously donated by Bunny
Burkett, the championship winning 1985 Chrysler Laser Top Alcohol Funny
Car adds soul, spirit & celebration to the new landmark.

In the 60’s, Bunny worked in a Baltimore Playboy Club to earn money to
purchase a 1967 Ford Mustang. Shortly after, “Lead Foot Bunny” was
painted on the car and a nickname was born. In 1973, Bunny started on
her way to become a professional driver as she got behind the wheel of
a nine-second Pinto Pro Stocker. She later traded it for her first
Funny Car, and a star was born. Being the first woman to ever win an
IHRA World Championship, her fame and fan-appeal follows her from coast
to coast with one exciting chapter after another. However, it was her
passion for racing that opened up a daunting new chapter in her life…
the fight for her life following a horrific accident in 1995.