The excitement of bringing Ford Motor Company's big blue oval back to Pro Stock drag racing has been replaced by frustration for veteran driver Larry Morgan as the engine builder from Newark, Ohio, continues to search for an agreeable tune-up for his BOSS-powered Lucas Oil Ford Mustang.

Morgan insists his 500-inch motor is making plenty of horsepower and he's got plenty of data from the dyno room to prove his point. He says the chassis and body of his flashy red, white, and blue 2010 Mustang is definitely slick enough to carry him to the winner's circle. The problem, it seems, is the fuel delivery system, which has been so temperamental he's literally run out of parts repairing the stuff he's broken.

"I'm like a Top Fuel guy I've been blowing up so much stuff this year," Morgan said. "I love those guys but I don't want to be like them, especially in that department. I've scuffed up so much stuff my suppliers can't keep up. That never happens in Pro Stock.

Whenever Bill Reichert and Frank Manzo want to add to their collections of Wally Parks Trophies, all they need to do is enter a race at Maple Grove Raceway.

Reichert, in Top Alcohol Dragster, and Manzo, Top Alcohol Funny Car, both raced to victory Saturday night in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series NHRA Northeast Division points meet.

Taking advantage of the new and smooth concrete and asphalt surface down The Grove’s quartermile, the two wowed the large holiday weekend crowd with winning runs that went 259 mph and higher.

Few drivers make an impact on drag racing like a soft-spoken, determined individual named Lee Shepherd of Arlington, Texas did. When teamed with the formidable duo of fellow Texans David Reher and the late Buddy Morrison, Shepherd became a dominant force in a short span of time. His talent behind the wheel, combined with a non-confrontational personality and a sincere dedication to the Chevrolet brand, soon earned Shepherd the admiration of race fans young and old. He gained a huge amount of respect from fellow racers as well.

It's pretty safe to say that many teams underestimated the triumvirate from the Lone Star State, which formed under unusual circumstances. Shepherd first joined Reher-Morrison through necessity, and the relationship blossomed from there. The talented driver headed up a team that had developed a reputation in Division 4, and when Shepherd blew the engine in his ride and Reher and Morrison found themselves with an engine and no car, the forces morphed into one. They found success with a few national event wins, and in 1976 they made the huge leap into Pro Stock. The foundation had actually been laid many years before, however.

As is at times the case at drag strips the U.S., persistent rain kept any cars from taking the track Saturday at Great Britain's Santa Pod Raceway.

Melanie Troxel's R2B2 Racing Pro Mod team didn't mind the delay in the action as their '67 Camaro arrived in the late afternoon as expected. The rain postponement has left the American-based team on the same footing as the rest of the field. The revamped schedule now calls for Pro Mods to get three chances at qualifying Sunday ahead of Monday's eliminations.

The word of the car's arrival spread quickly across the carnival-like setting of Santa Pod. By the time the Camaro was unloaded off the transport truck, a large crowd of fans had gathered at teammate Michael Gullqvist's pit to watch the car getting unloaded.

The Super Chevy Show, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, kicks into high gear in June, hosting back-to-back events for the first and only time this season.

The touring series, which combines drag racing with a car-show, swap meet and a family carnival atmosphere, will make its first Midwest appearance when it visits Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio for the Micky Mart Rewards Super Chevy Show presented by Donald M Graham & Associates on Friday, June 11-Sunday, June 13.

The scene will then shift to Topeka, Kan. when the series will be hosted by Heartland Park Topekaon Friday, June 18-Sunday, June 20 for the Kansas Super Chevy Show presented by Rick Hendrick's Superior Chevrolet.

Almost a week removed from the richest eighth-mile race in history and the biggest payday of his career, Steve Kirk Jr. savors his $60,000 Automatic Pro Mod win over longtime nitrous racing rival Mike Hill last Saturday night at Carolina Dragway.

“I’ve been to a lot of races, but that one topped the cake, I want to tell you; that was the real deal,” the speed shop owner from Monroe, Georgia, said. “I thought it was pretty cool me and Mike going in there for the final and I think that’s the match up everybody wanted to see.”

It was a race in danger of not even happening, however, as the 833-cubic-inch, Fulton-built monster residing under Kirk’s hood was down on power in two cylinders after his semi-final win over Ronnie Gardner. That necessitated removal of the right cylinder head and replacement of all four pistons on that side of the motor.

The same team who brought you the over-the-edge Yellowbullet.com website, a three-time Dot Com Award Winner for Message Board of the Year, has branched out with a video channel featuring action from the volatile doorslammer drag racing world.

Bob Tasca III will be part of a joint NHRA and NASCAR program in promoting the launch of the new FordParts.com website. As a result of this inclusion, his traditional red paint scheme will become blue during the upcoming NHRA Supernationals..

In addition to Tasca's new scheme, the Wood Brothers’ famous No. 21 NASCAR Ford Fusion driven by Bill Elliot will carry a matching scheme during the event at Michigan International Speedway.

The members of the R2B2 Pro Mod racing team took Friday to get familiar with their new surroundings at Santa Pod Raceway.

Melanie Troxel's Pro Mod car cleared customs in Amsterdam on Friday morning and was placed on a boat for shipment to England. The car is expected to arrive at Santa Pod on Saturday afternoon.

Even with the late arrival, Troxel's group might not be too far behind the other 28 Pro Mod cars entered in the race because rain is supposed to move in and sit over the area around the racetrack throughout Saturday.

Despite not having their own car to work on, Friday at the FIA Main Event wasn't a total loss.