Veteran Motorsports writer David Poole died today of an apparent heart attack. 

Poole, who wrote for the Charlotte Observer among other publications, was mostly known for his NASCAR reports but often ventured into the drag racing world. He wrote drag racing articles for publications previously only reserved for NASCAR.

If you see it coming, you'd best get out of the way.

Top Fuel racer Bruce Litton, of Indianapolis, says he keeps one periwinkle purple colored
bolt on his 1956 Suburban tow vehicle as a reminder of how ugly the car
used to be when he bought it in Tucson, Az.

The tacky colored bolt doesn’t tell the story of its true ugliness.

One experience behind the wheel or a ride in one of its three bench
seats and you’ll quickly understand why a ride in this classic is so
ugly it will make a train opt for a dirt road. Litton says the
experience is similar.

Tim Wilkerson's breakout 2008 season began with a convincing victory over Robert Hight at Gateway International.

The missions are entirely different, however for NHRA Funny Car star Tim Wilkerson, the potential payoff is just as important.

One year ago Wilkerson came to his home track – Gateway International
Raceway – looking for a win and hunting down the No. 1 points position
in the Full Throttle Series Funny Car standings. This year, the
Springfield, Ill. racer is still hunting for a win, however, this time
around he’s trying to navigate his way into the top 10 in the
ultra-competitive Funny Car class in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
Series.

The NHRA has approved Moser Engineering's new 8 3/4 Stamped housing for
use in the Stock Eliminator Classes. The new Moser 8 ¾” unit has all of
the strength you would expect from a Moser Engineering built rear.
Moser built the new piece using the same material and strength
engineered into our heavy duty stamped housings and also incorporated
the benefits of the 3/8” thick faceplate used in our MO875.  It
features 3” O.D. tubes made from seamless ¼” wall D.O.M steel. The
units are available with all new complete center sections and either
bare or with any spring perch location.  Plus, for anyone lucky enough
to have one, the rears are also available with all the brackets to work
with the stock suspension in a LC22R Challenger Drag Package Car.

Five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his JEGS.com teammates
are encouraging drag racing fans attending this weekend's 13th annual
O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway to
stop by the Victor Cagnazzi Racing pit area to take part in a special
live radio program.

If you're an NHRA Pro Stock driver faced with a mini slump predicated
on nothing more than the result of a combination of highly improbable
circumstances (i.e., bad luck), it's nice to know the next stop on the
race schedule is a venue that's treated you well over the years.
ACDelco's Kurt Johnson's is the defending champion at the 13th annual
O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals and this week's contest at Gateway
International Raceway is one that's been on his calendar for a long
time.

"Besides the runner-up at Phoenix we've had five races where we've had
odd stuff go wrong," Johnson said. "We haven't been consistent and
that's what it's going to take to win races. Mix in some bad luck and
you know that things are ready to turn around."

Rather than depending on the mystic qualities of four-leaf clovers,
rubbing a rabbit's foot, or scouring the race shop parking lot for a
heads-up penny to get them over this dry spell, Johnson and the ACDelco
crew are depending on tried-and-true methods that have worked so well
for them in the past – hard work and testing.

Friday evening qualifying at the 38th annual IHRA Spring Nationals marked the
first time since 1971 that a Funny Car hasn’t competed at the
traditional spring race hosted by Rockingham Dragway.

Terry McMillen, a front-running Top Fuel racer on the IHRA tour who has
raced an alcohol Funny Car at Rockingham Dragway since the 1990s, entered the event with a regretful sense permeating his mindset.
This is the first time in over a decade his alligator-themed, Amalie
Oil-sponsored Mopar Funny Car was left behind in Elkart, Ind., while he
traveled to the race track.

McMillen admits it was as if he left an old friend at home.

“We’re walking around kind of lost, actually,” McMillen admitted. “The
most frustrating part is that we’ve had fan after fan walk up and ask
us where the Funny Cars are. I nervously try to explain to them and I
don’t think they really understand. They believe they are paying for a
full show that’s supposed to include Funny Cars.”

Shawn Gann, a four-time NHRA Nationals winner, is scheduled to appear at the O’Reilly Auto Parts located at 1321 W. 5th St. in Eureka, Mo., Wednesday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. local time. Gann, who drives the RumBum, XTreme Rebellion, and XXX Racing Fuels Buell in the NHRA Full Throttle Series’ Pro Stock Motorcycle class, will be there to sign autographs, pose for photos, and talk to race fans about the upcoming O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals May 1-3 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.
 

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Eliminations are complete and the NHRA Wally trophies have been
distributed at Memphis Motorsports Park.  This event wraps up the
second of six in South Central division competition, where racers are
striving to add valuable Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series points in hopes
of division and national championships.

David Rampy of Piedmont, Ala., drove his '32 Bantam to the Comp
Eliminator winners circle by defeating No.1 qualifier Joey Tanksley,
Greenwell Springs, La. In the Super Stock final, Mike Stokes,
Hopkinsville, Ky., overpowered Mike Braswell from Weatherford, Texas,
to grab the trophy. Jerry Bennett out of Hickory, Ky., went rounds in
his '62 Savoy and clinched the win by ousting Wade Owens, Cape
Girardeau, Mo., in the Stock Eliminator money round.