:::::: News ::::::

2007 JOHN FORCE HOLIDAY CAR SHOW

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John Force Racing will
host their 10th annual Holiday Car Show benefiting the CHPS for Kids
program on December 2, 2007 from 10 AM to 4 PM. CHPS is a community program of
the

California Highway

program.

This year’s theme will be Those Fabulous Fifty Sevens -- featuring
1957 Fords and Chevrolets.

Last year’s event
reportedly attracted a considerable contingent of visitors and the 2007 event
promises to be just as popular – considering there will be over 850 cars on
display.

SECOND-GENERATION MILLICAN SHINES

Evan Knoll’s
Torco ATV rider Dalton Millican attended the ATV ITP Moose Racing National Motocross Series Awards Banquet in Pigeon
Forge TN. 

Dalton, son of
multi-time Top Fuel champion Clay Millican, placed 5th in the
Production C class in his first season racing the National Motocross S

HOLLEY NHRR RETURNS TO KENTUCKY

The hot rodders are coming back to Bowling Green. The 6th annual Holley NHRA
National Hot Rod Reunion, presented by SoffSeal, returns to Beech Bend Raceway
on Father’s Day weekend, June 13-15, 2008. Four of the five previous Reunions
had been held at Beech Bend. Upgrades in traffic patterns and infrastructure led
the non-profit Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum to bring the Reunion back to
its original home.

“We’re glad to be back,” said Tony Thacker, executive
director of the Parks Museum. “We listened to our core customers and this is
where they wanted to be. Bowling Green is a historic place for many hot rodders,
and Beech Bend Raceway’s covered grandstands and verdant background make a great
venue for our event.”

The Museum and Beech Bend have signed a five-year
contract to bring long-term stability to the event.

“We are so excited
about it,” said Dallas Jones, owner of Beech Bend Raceway Park. “I’m just
tickled to death that we have the Hot Rod Reunion back, and it’ll be a happy
reunion for us and the community. It’ll be wide open arms and great for
everybody.”

CHIP ELLIS – “I DIDN’T GET THE JOB DONE”

Chip Ellis might compare notes with Tony Dungy.

Dungy, a former head coach with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers was
relieved of his duties as head coach on November 14, 2002 despite
taking the franchise to the playoffs in four of his six seasons.

A half decade later, Chip Ellis lost his driving job with the G2
Motorsports team on the same date after losing the final round at the
NHRA Finals in Pomona, Ca. In a season of 18 races, Ellis’s employment
came down to .068 of a second – the holeshot he gave up to Matt Smith
in that championship-deciding race.

Team owners George Smith and George Bryce opted to not renew the Ellis contract Wednesday afternoon.

"My agreement with Chip for 2007 was that we would put forth a maximum
effort and do our best to perform at the highest level," Smith said in
a prepared statement. "And with Ken Johnson, Dale Ellis, the guys back
at S&S and the whole crew here at G2 in Americus, we did just that.
I challenged Chip to be able to surge hard and cut good lights on
Sunday. That was part of the deal. Had we won either of the final
rounds we were in at Pomona or Las Vegas, we would have won a
championship.

THANK YOU BRIAN!

brian_head_shot.jpgBrian Wood is a special
person who easily throws his heart into his passion. He joined the Torco’s
CompetitionPlus.com team 139 issues ago and the impact he made on our team went
well beyond just putting words and photos on a computer screen. Brian has been
more than a team player. He was a spirit – a spirit of someone who desperately
wanted to find a place in the drag racing world.

I can speak on behalf of
the staff of Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com when I say that we’re glad that he
found a place with us. He worked long and tireless hours in the formative years
of this magazine and worked many seasons for little or no pay just like the
rest of us. Brian always had his eye on a brighter day, which eventually came
when we signed a title rights program with Torco Race Fuels.

2008 NMRA-NMCA SCHEDULES

NMRA and NMCA Announce 2008 Season Schedules

 

This musclecar trend will
continue in 2008 and beyond as the late-model muscle car wars heat up.  Following the awesome debut of the all-new
’05 Ford Mustang, Chrysler will be releasing the ’08 Challenger and Chevy is
preparing for the historic re-launch of the ’09 Camaro.

 

The NMRA Keystone Automotive series will begin its
10th Anniversary Tour in Bradenton, Florida, and will travel to
seven locations throughout the season.  Several special announcements are forthcoming that include a new class, a
special birthday celebration in Atco, New Jersey, and special programs with
Roush, Steeda, and Saleen owners groups.

 

The
NMCA Edelbrock series is celebrating
its 20th anniversary and will host seven national events in
2008.  Special 2008 events
will include the 2nd Annual LS Shootout (designed for late-model
Camaros/Firebirds/GTOs/Corvettes) and a Late-Model Shootout where the Big 3 can
duke it out at one awesome event.

BRACKET RACING PRO STOCKERS

Three-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Pro Stock world champion Jeg
Coughlin has filed an entry for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Nov.
22-25 Bracket Nationals. Jegs, a leading high-performance parts distributor
(www.jegs.com) founded by Coughlin’s father, Jeg Sr., will contribute gift
certificates for the event.

"I will be driving two dragsters -- my
brother John’s Division 3 Top Sportsman-winning car and my 2006 Mullis dragster
that I raced in 2006 while not in the POWERade Drag Racing Series," Coughlin
said. "I entered the race because I haven’t bracket raced all season due to the
POWERade schedule, and I was unable to make the trip to Florida after the season
finale due to work. I found that LVMS was putting on a host of big-money races,
including what could be a $64,000 race [Saturday’s winner-take-all Ultimate
Gambler], throughout the holiday weekend and decided to come try my
luck."

PETE BERNER - VICTORY THRILLS, AGONY DEFEATS

You can recite the famous
catchphrase from the old ABC Wide World of Sports television show when you’re
around Pete Berner. Chances are the mechanical contractor from Crete, Illinois,
will get a rise out of it. He doesn’t need a reminder. He watched the show for
many years and he can apply it to his most recent championship runs in the
IHRA’s Pro Stock division.

 

Spanning the globe to bring you the constant
variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human
drama of athletic competition… this is ABC's
Wide World of Sports
!

Yeah, Berner remembers the
show and the action-packed intro. He recalls seeing the images of those
athletes celebrating victory – that was him in 2006 as he came from the third
place in points to win the Pro Stock championship by edging out Tony Gillig.

 

FIRST LOOK - MIKE CASTELLANA'S '69 FIREBIRD

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Torco's
CompetitionPlus.com has obtained these photos and the initial rendering
of Mike Castellana's new 1969 Firebird built by Jerry Haas. The car
will carry horsepower from Reher-Morrison. In case you're wondering on
the car's paint -- according to Castellana is brandywine.

MAPLE GROVE'S REORGANIZATION

Maple Grove Raceway today announced the reorganization of its management team. 
Lex Dudas has been promoted to the position of Vice President and General
Manager effective immediately.
 
Dudas had been Director of Sales and Marketing since rejoining the track
staff in 2004.  Previously he was Track Manager at Maple Grove Raceway from 1972
through 1978 before leaving to work for the National Hot Rod Association as
Southeast Division Director from 1979 through 1992 and then General Manager of
Indianapolis Raceway Park through 1995.  Dudas’ impressive career also includes
stints as Operations Director at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and General Manager of
Pikes Peak International Speedway in Colorado Springs, CO. 

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