Motorsports fans who dream of driving
a 7,000-horsepower Funny Car down the quarter-mile in 4.7 seconds at
325 mph will have a chance to do the next-best thing when Houston
Raceway Park and the Baytown Chamber of Commerce host the second annual
Baytown Hot Rod Rally from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, at San
Jacinto Mall.

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series is hosting the largest motorsports event of the year in southeast Texas March 28-30 at Houston Raceway Park,
the 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil.
The second annual Hot Rod Rally will help kick off the race, which
draws more than 100,000 people to the Houston area during the three days.

The
main draw of the free festival will be the two-car POWERade Funny Car
simulator that allows wannabe racers to experience a full pass in a
virtual drag racing world and compete with the sound and fury of the
real thing. "It's as close to drag racing as you can get without
actually driving a car down the strip," Top Fuel pro Doug Foley said.

The NHRA Technical Services Department has announced the
following weight adjustments for Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors in
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Effective immediately, all
S&S Buell V-Twin entries will be required to weigh 625 pounds, an
increase of five pounds. In addition, the two-valve Suzuki 101-cid
inline four-cylinder combination will be reduced from 610 pounds to 605
pounds.

Top Fuel driver and Texas
native Alan Bradshaw will campaign a special-edition design during this
weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park.
Bradshaw's normal maroon and yellow Vis Viva Energy drink colors will
be changed to the red and blue of Shell's V-Power fuel additive for
both this race and the upcoming event in Las Vegas. Bradshaw's traditional Vis Viva scheme will return at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta.

"This is just another example of how our partnership with the
Worshams is helping Tuttle Motorsports both on and off the track,"
Bradshaw said. "The Worshams traditionally run special-edition cars for
Checker Schuck's Kragen throughout the year and thought it might be
cool to put one on a Top Fueler. Our primary sponsor, Attitude Drink
Co., was open to the idea and felt it was a great way to repay the
Worshams for all the support and hospitality they have shown the Vis
Viva brand and their guests this year. It really shows how all our
sponsors like CSK Auto, Vis Viva Energy, and Shell V-Power work
together to make this program the best in NHRA."

Melanie Troxel has always faced her fears head on; which is exactly the
way she will approach her upcoming flight with the Air Force's
legendary Thunderbirds in the days following the NHRA Summit Racing
Equipment Nationals in Las Vegas.

The multi-time Top Fuel national event winner, who now drives a Funny
Car for Gotham City Racing is cautiously confident headed into the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to thunder through the skies.

Since the emergence of humankind, man and woman has always held a
fascination for speed. It is a thirst that can only be satisfied by
going faster and faster and faster. For some the thirst is sated by
just watching, however for the purists of those with desire the only
path is one where the adventurer is in control.

Bobby Bennett, owner of Torco's CompetitionPlus.com, has long satisfied
his thirst, along with the masses, by watching and then reporting on
drag racing. No more.

Driving home to South Carolina from the recently completed NHRA
Gatornationals in Gainesville (Fl), Bennett returned to South Georgia
Motorsports Park outside of Valdosta (Ga) to drink from a different
cup. To not just observe, but to become a true participant in the
quarter mile run.

Bennett accepted an offer from the owner of Roy Hill's Drag Racing
School, Roy Hill, to complete his Super Comp licensing requirements. The Super Comp level
is an entry level into the world of drag racing, but everyone starts
at the beginning, including Bennett.

Donnie and Hollie Faulkner, whose story of losing a child touched the
hearts of the drag racing community last year, have found out they're
having a little girl and she's due on August 1. The Faulkners plan to
name the baby Emma.

In a display
of perfect poker etiquette, the Don Plemmons Quick-8 Association’s newest
member, Jim Halsey unloaded some final round thunder when he needed it.
His timing was perfect when he called veteran Rickie Smith in the final round
of the Farmington, NC event on Saturday evening. 

"As I
was coming down the return road someone told me that I was a pretty good poker
player,” said Halsey.

Mired in the
three second zone for much of special Friday test session preceding the event
and qualifying, Smith was considered the favorite headed into eliminations.

Fans of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno know of the comedian's love of classic
cars and motorcycles and his extensive personal collection of automobiles and
bikes. A lesser known fact is that, despite a staff of full-time caretakers,
Leno loves to work on his various machines. Consequently, the affable funnyman
is prone to the same dangers of any backyard mechanic -- busted knuckles, greasy
fingernails, and painful burns.

Although he can't offer much more than a
band-aid and a bar of soap for the first two problems, Paul "Torch" Le Sage, who
grew to prominence spending 25 years as the exclusive welder of the National Hot
Rod Association before he created Torch Wear safety equipment, was able to
immediately solve Leno's challenge of avoiding the various hot spots on his hot
rods. Leno was so appreciative of Le Sage's help, he's broaching the subject on
the March 24th episode of his immensely popular TV show.

"I had the great
pleasure of meeting Jay just before the Winternationals when Don Schumacher
Racing took Gary Scelzi's Oakley Funny Car over to Jay's Garage in Burbank," Le Sage said.
"He's as nice a guy as you could ever meet and he really had an interest in
every part of the racecar. We even put him in there and fired it up on nitro. He
was in heaven

NHRA Super Stock racer Grace Howell joins Marty Ladwig Racing to pilot
a Chevy Cobalt in the All Motor class for the 2008 NOPI/NHRA Xplôd
Sport Compact Series season.

“With GM Racing and Chevrolet stepping in to support our All Motor
Ecotec program, I’m really glad that we are working with Grace,” Ladwig
said. “She fits right in with our team. I think she’s one of the best
young drivers around and has already raced against some tough
competition.”

Howell, 21, has grown up around drag racing where both parents raced. A
former NHRA Jr. Dragster National Champion Grace started racing at 8
yrs old. The Aiken, S.C. racer, who finished in 7th place in Division 2
Super Stock in 2007, will make her professional debut on March 28 at
Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA in her K&N/Lucas Oil All Motor
Cobalt.