DRAW, the Drag Racing Association of Women, will host its 13th annual
Florida Golf Tournament in Gainesville Wednesday, March 11, prior to
the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals.

Racing from the time he was 12 years old when he was piloting a 75-mph
Junior Dragster, Top Fuel rookie Shawn Langdon admits he's
never had much interest in the traditional spring break rite of passage.

"I was always racing somewhere," Langdon said. "Even when I was in
college, I spent my free time at the drag strip. It's really all I've
ever wanted to do."

Considering his history, the last two and a half weeks have been a bit
of an unusual time for the reigning back-to-back Super Comp world
champion, who was hired to drive the Lucas Oil/Dixie Choppers Top Fuel
dragster in mid January.

"Having two weekends off was great," Langdon said. "I did race my Super
Comp dragster a little but I didn't do well so I ended up with a lot of
free time on my hands. It turned out to be a really good break for me;
kind of my own little spring break.

Gary Anderson, founder and president of SoffSeal Inc., died March 7 after a long battle with heart disease.

Anderson had been involved in the automotive hobby his entire life. He
was a founding member of ARMO and an active member of NHRA, NSRA,
Goodguys, AACA, and many trade organizations. He was also an avid drag
racing fan and participant; he went to his first national drag racing
event in 1960, the NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis, with his father.
Anderson’s love for speed continued his entire life. As the owner of
SoffSeal, he helped catapult Rob Vandergriff and his '57 Chevrolet Top
Sportsman car to become one of the first Pro Mod cars. The duo set
numerous national records with the car, which held the title of World's
Fastest '57 Chevy for many years.

Two weeks ago three-time Top Sportsman World Champion Gary Bingham wasn’t sure he would be able to race at all this year. Now, he’s sitting in contention for his fourth IHRA Top Sportsman World Championship.

The Bingham family doesn’t usually miss many IHRA National Events, and
has only skipped a couple over the last 19 years, but due to economic
setbacks the two-car team was destined to sit on the sidelines for the
2009 season. With less than a week before their scheduled season start
the team had no way to get their cars to the track. But, thanks to the
help of a last minute private investor for the team and the workings of
Tom Johnson Camping Center, Gary and family were able to purchase an
American Coach to tow their trailer and Doug Herbert Performance Parts
racing machines to the track. The investment came just in the nick of
time, and a good investment it was. The team left for their first trip
out with the new coach less than a week after taking possession of it
and headed to the IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals in Baton Rouge, LA. There
Gary Bingham picked up the coveted Iron Man, earning a spot in IHRA’s
new Tournament of Champions.

Racers competing in Super Street, Stock Eliminator and Super Stock will
have to adjust to a new rule implemented by NHRA regarding their
protective clothing requirements. Drivers falling under certain
categories and speed brackets will now be required to wear a SFI Spec
3.2A/1 jacket and pants. Sparco is proud to announce that we are one of
the few safety equipment companies that are now offering a 2 piece
“Trophy Suit” that meets SFI Spec 3.2A/1 requirements for these
drivers.

Richard Shute used to be a wedding photographer until he decided to unite his business with his 

hobby of photographing drag racing events.

The result was Auto Imagery and it proved to be an extremely wise
choice because the Carlsbad, Calif.-based company is celebrating its
30th anniversary this month.  

Over the years, Shute and longtime associate Dave Kommel have traversed
the United States and Canada attending drag races   They are virtually
permanent fixtures at National Hot Rod Association event starting
lines, in pit areas and any place where a race-track photo opportunity
beckons.

It was déjà vu all over again. Seriously, it could have been 1966, 1972 or even 2008 as perfect weather,
packed stands and incredible drag racing competition all added up to
another wildly successful March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway near
Bakersfield, Calif. And speaking of 2008, the 2009 winner were
certainly familiar: Bucky Austin once again claimed the Nostalgia Funny
Car category and the Harris family continuing its winning ways as Brett
Harris took the Nostalgia Top Fuel title. Both racers also got a good
jump on the competition as the March Meet is also the season opener for
the NHRA’s eight-race Hot Rod Heritage Series.

A score of Pro Stock, Pro Modified and Pro Stock Motorcycles are in
Valdosta, Ga., getting in some last minute testing before heading to
the NHRA Gatornationals an hour down the round in Gainesville, Fla.
There are six 500-inch NHRA Pro Stockers, four NHRA Pro Modifieds,
seven Pro Stock Motorcycles and a handful of sportsman cars.

Whatever the sport, be it a "stick and ball" pursuit or any kind of
racing, every competitor knows very well the need to "get the first

Tim
Wilkerson's first victory in 2008's near championship season came at
Las Vegas 1. He's hoping for a sooner first win in 2009 to build
another championship run on. (Auto Imagery)

one out of the way" when a new season starts.  It could be
that first completed pass, the first basket, or the first base hit, but
until the initial winning stat is etched in the permanent record, the
pressure is on to break the seal and succeed.  For Tim Wilkerson,
driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang Funny Car, the
season's first "game" in Pomona ended too quickly, and without a
completion, bucket, or hit.   Two weeks later, they may not have been
the prettiest plays of his illustrious career, but a pair of round
victories got him rolling, and Wilkerson can now look forward to this
weekend's AC Delco Gatornationals with the confidence that is bred from
success.

NHRA Platinum Pass  Features Access to John Force Racing Drivers in 2009

Infineon Raceway has unveiled a “Forceful” addition to its Platinum
Pass lineup for the 2009 motor-racing season. It’s one more chance for
race fans to get closer than ever before to their favorite stars on the
NASCAR, NHRA and IndyCar circuits.

All four drivers from John Force Racing, including 14-time Funny Car
Champion John Force, Ashley Force Hood, Robert Hight and Mike Neff,
will headline two separate Platinum Pass packages during the FRAM
Autolite NHRA Nationals event weekend, July 24-26.