ORSCA held their first ever Automatic Pro Modified race Orangeburg Drag
Strip and when you look at the record book you’ll see Dennis Jordan’s
name as the winner. Right off the trailer Dennis looked like he was
going to be the one to beat. On Friday Don Brown tuned the Executioner
‘53 Corvette up to post a 4.06 in a shake down run but the best was yet
to come.

During the first round of qualifying Dennis laid down a thundering 4.05
in the heat, the track temperature was steaming 137 degrees. Dennis was
starting to put on a show again the best was yet to come. Don Brown
elected to set the 2nd round of qualifying out and when they did they
saw a few people pick up their e.t.’s. Troy Jordan driving Terry and
Terri Green’s Green Eyed Monster got down in the 4..0 range with a
4.08. He wasn’t the only one though, Herman Shepard laid down a 4.09 to
prove he was going to be a contender. Several of the Pro Mods were
running in the mid four teens and were improving.

After a season with a new car, Al Hinds said he’ll be ready to show the
team’s full potential for the 2009 Pro Modified Racing Association Tour.
 
“We haven’t made a lot of changes, he said recently. “But we’ve got
more power courtesy of Carl Spiering and Terry Vince at ERD (Engine
Research & Development).”
 
The Corvette’s fuel system is built by ERD, and supplies the fuel to
the Alan Johnson 526-cubic inch TFX engine. A PSI supercharger sits on
top of the engine, and a Lenco three-speed transmission is coupled to
it.

NHRA officials announced today that Sioux City Truck & Trailer, a
leading distributor of high-quality heavy duty trucks and trailers, has
extended its agreement as the Official Heavy Duty Truck Dealership of
NHRA and the NHRA Safety Safari.

The official marketing partnership increases Sioux City Truck &
Trailer’s participation in NHRA Championship Drag Racing. The company
also is an associate sponsor of the nitro-powered Funny Cars driven by
Cruz and Tony Pedregon.

“We look forward to generating even more awareness and recognition for
Sioux City Truck & Trailer through this unique marketing
partnership with the NHRA,” said Kevin Christensen, general manager of
Sioux City Truck & Trailer. “We have been involved with NHRA for
several years and we are certain that increasing our involvement with
this official marketing program is going to provide us with a bigger
platform to reach our target demographic. We believe it will have a
direct impact on our sales and marketing efforts everywhere we do
business.”

Robert Hight is tired of being frustrated. He is turning over a new
leaf heading into the 13th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at
Gateway International Raceway.

The 2005 rookie of the year and perennial championship contender has
been off his game in 2009 opening the season with his longest winless
drought of his career. Entering the seventh race of the season Hight
hasn’t even reached a final which has the former trap shooting champion
at a loss. He isn’t giving up or even coming close to that attitude

“I am not going to be discouraged about our situation anymore. I feel
like I have been in a bad mood for a couple of races and I have to just
get over it. I have one of the best teams in the NHRA. I have the best
owner, John Force and the best teammates with Ashley (Force Hood) and
(Mike) Neff. I know we will get this Auto Club Ford Mustang figured out
and I am hoping that happens at Gateway this weekend,” said Hight.

A ticket package that saves fans $90 per ticket -- a savings of 50% --
for two major motorsports events was announced by Summit Motorsports
Park, an NHRA track in Norwalk, Ohio, and Michigan International
Speedway, a NASCAR track located in Brooklyn, Mich.

Racing fans can purchase a discounted Fan Value Pack ticket package
that includes reserved seats, pit passes and free parking to two major
races: the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 25-28 in Ohio
and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Michigan 400 held Sunday, Aug. 16 in
Michigan for $90, a savings of 50%.

The two tracks created the combined ticket package to offer fans a
better value, savings and convenience. The tracks are located 120 miles
apart and have overlapping fan bases.

NHRA stars such as John Force, Tony Schumacher, Greg Anderson and
defending Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon will race down the drag
strip up to 300 mph when the Christmas tree lights turn green at Summit
Motorsports Park in June. In August, NASCAR stars Jeff Gordon, Jimmie
Johnson, Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr., will keep fans on the
edge of their seats from green to checkered flag as they race around
the two-mile oval.

Fans of the NHRA and the wildly popular social media site Twitter will
be able to mix, mingle, and "Tweet" during the 13th annual O'Reilly
NHRA Midwest Nationals, May 1-3, at Gateway International Raceway.

A number of NHRA Full Throttle Series teams/drivers are already active
on Twitter – including Kenny Bernstein Racing, John Force Racing,
Kalitta Motorsports, Mike Ashley Racing, Don Schumacher Racing, Tasca
Racing, Pro Stock driver Kurt Johnson and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider
Steve Johnson – posting "Tweets" with round-by-round results, driver
appearances, autograph opportunities, and general fan updates.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal characterized John Force
as, and we quote, "the owner of John Force Racing and once a dominant champion who still drives a Funny Car at (age) 59."  Nice.
 
While technically accurate, that portrayal understandably struck a
nerve with the 14-time champion who, 20 months after the crash that
almost took his life, insists he still has a few more championships
left in him.
 
The upshot is that this week's 13th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Midwest
Nationals at Gateway International Raceway has taken on a little more
urgency for Force, who hasn't won a Full Throttle tour event in almost
a year.
 
"I'm in better shape than I was before the crash,"  the 126-time tour
winner said of the September, 2007, accident that left him with
injuries that confined him to a Dallas hospital for almost a month.  "I
feel like I can still do this; I can still win.

Zizzo Racing will join the NHRA Drag Racing tour this weekend for the
O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Illinois, just outside of St. Louis. Driver T.J. Zizzo is looking forward to the race.
 
"It's time to take off these winter boots and put on my driving shoes,"
Zizzo said from the family-owned auto body shop. "Our whole team is
ready to get out of the shop and get on the race track. We haven't been
to St. Louis is a couple of seasons. For us this track is kind of in
the neighborhood. We're looking forward to getting out to the track and
seeing all of the O'Reilly associates as well."
 
The new season brings a fresh look to the PEAK/O'Reilly Dragster. Brand
& Motorsports Marketing Manager at Old World Industries, Brian
Bohlander, states "We're excited about the start of the season.  The
team has worked long hours this winter on the little details to find an
advantage since the Top Fuel field is now so competitive.  We are also
very happy with the new car design that also includes one of PEAK's
newest products, PEAK Performance Motor Oil.  Phil at Rage Wraps put
the final design elements and graphics together with some 'old school'
pinstriping on top of the car and it makes this hot rod look fast
standing still!"

Indianapolis is often referred to by its nickname, “Circle City”. 
Perhaps it is due to the historic circle drive in downtown, or the abundance
of oval race tracks in the area.  For Rislone Engine Treatment Top
Alcohol Dragster driver Bill Reichert, the only circle that mattered in
Indianapolis last weekend was the winner’s circle at O’Reilly Raceway
Park, which is precisely where he and his team found themselves at the
conclusion of Sunday’s eliminations.

Reichert took an important step towards defending his TAD championship
Sunday, pulling off a final-round win at the NHRA Division 3 event,
posting a 5.476 second run at 267.91mph.  To say that Reichert was
ecstatic about the win would be an understatement.  “It felt really
great to be back in victory lane,” said Reichert.  “We qualified really
well (2nd) so we definitely had our sights aimed high for the rest of
the weekend.  The track was great all weekend long, it was a bit warmer
than normal for Indy at this time of year, but all in all it worked out
very well for our Rislone Engine Treatment dragster!”

The Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx once
again returns to Madison, Ill. and Gateway International Raceway,
a mere five minutes from downtown St. Louis and a stone's throw from
the mighty Mississippi river. The premiere Pro Modified series joins
the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals this weekend and will feature 17 of
the nation's best drivers all competing for a coveted Get Screened
America Warrior and a $10,000 prize.
 
Contestants in the ninth Pro Mod Challenge event at Madison include:
Burton Auxier, Joe Baker, Roger Burgess, Mike Castellana, Raymond
Commisso, Chip King, Mike Knowles, Harold Laird, Kenny Lang, Taylor
Lastor, Jay Payne, Brad Personett, Danny Rowe, Rick Stivers, Tim
Tindle, Kirk Wilmes, and Andy McCoy.