When 2008 IHRA Funny Car World Champion Terry Haddock crossed the finish line for the final time at the World Finals in Rockingham last October, little did he know it would be the last time he would do so in a Nitro Funny Car.

But while most drivers in a situation such as his would have simply thrown in the towel, Haddock brushed it off and did what he has been doing his entire life.

He took lemons and made lemonade.

With the Nitro Funny Car class on hold for the upcoming season, Haddock switched to Top Fuel for 2009 and has high hopes that he can have the same kind of success this year that he found driving a Funny Car to an IHRA championship last season.

IHRA announced on Friday that Louisiana State University head football
coach Les Miles will be the Grand Marshall for the inaugural Summit
Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals March 6-8 at State Capitol Raceway in Port Allen, Louisiana.

Miles, a native of Elyria, Ohio, has complied a 70-31 career head
coaching record at two schools including a 42-11 record in four years
at LSU and a BCS National Championship in 2008. He also has a
Southeastern Conference championships coming in ’07.

In the first rounds of qualifying at Firebird International Raceway,
local Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Mark Niver of Phoenix, Ariz., and Top
Alcohol Funny Car driver Sean O'Bannon from Ontario, Calif.,  took the
No. 1 qualifying positions in their classes. This weekend’s NHRA Lucas
Oil Drag Racing Series event, which runs through Sunday, is the first
of seven in Pacific division competition

Niver owned the track today, by running a 5.350-second, 264.23 mph pass
to take the top spot.  The local racer ran only a limited schedule last
year and is hoping to start off divisional competition with a win on
Sunday.  The always competitive Del Cox Jr. of Downey, Calif., is
currently qualified at the No.2 spot clocking in at 5.364 seconds at
280.08 mph.

In Top Alcohol Funny Car, O’Bannon made a 5.651-second, 257.87 mph run
to claim the pole.  Preseason testing at Firebird earlier this year has
definitely paid off for the team, in which valuable passes and data
have been collected and analyzed.  Dropping into the No.2 qualifying
position is Roger Bateman of Calgary, Alb.

ADRL President Issues Challenge/Compromise to the NHRA in ASO Controversy …
 
Don’t issue a challenge unless you’re prepared to receive one in return.
 
The NHRA contacted ADRL President Kenny Nowling earlier this week with
an ultimatum ordering him to hold injected nitro percentage to the same
rule as the NHRA’s standard for the combination or risk losing their
Alternative Sanctioning Organization [ASO] status at NHRA sanctioned
tracks.

For many years Lee Beard played a harmony of horsepower with his instrument of tuning knowledge.
 
Now he’s facing the music from a different stage. He’s the conductor.
The maestro, the man making sure all are in harmony. The man who can
say that at least one one of the teams under his direction is
undefeated in 2009.
 
“It’s certainly challenging, let’s put it that way,” Beard admitted.
“For the past thirty years I’ve been a hands-on crew chief where I
personally worked on the equipment and keeping them polished with all
the system stuff. I was the guy that personally managed the things in
the computer and I’ve done that everywhere I’ve been at.”

Pete Berner wishes the IHRA and ADRL could have reached a compromise regarding their conflicting race dates.

Pete Berner will be the first to admit he’s starting the season in uncharted waters.
 
The IHRA Pro Stock world champion isn’t breaking in a new car or breaking in a new engine combination.
 
He’s starting the season disappointed and that’s something out of the norm for a guy who thrives on a positive outlook.
 
The veteran racer considers himself one of the few victims caught in a
Catch 22 of excellent opportunities to drag race his mountain motor Pro
Stocker. Until last season those opportunities were as rare as a white
tiger.

Many of the leading Pro Modified teams are testing in Valdosta, Ga., this weekend and some of the
numbers turned in during the first of a three day test are already
giving credence to 2009 being the quickest and fastest season ever.

Pro Modified racer Scott Ray's condition continues to improve after suffering a heart attack on Sunday.

Ray underwent a four-way bypass surgery on Monday and by Tuesday he was up walking.

"I couldn't believe it," Stan Ray said. "[He] seems to being doing really well, but still sleeps a lot and a little "groggy" at times."

The Ray family has plans to be back racing as early as the NHRA at St. Louis, Mo., in May.

Tim Tindle will kick off the season this weekend at the Heads Up Outlaw Winter Nationals at Emerald Coast Dragway at Holt, FL.  This weekend marks the beginning of Tindle’s third full Pro Mod season.

After a successful test session at South Georgia Motorsports Park during the off-season, the team is more than ready.

For Australia’s quickest-ever Top Doorslammer drag racer, Perth-based Robin Judd, this weekend’s 38th annual Westernationals at Perth Motorplex, Kwinana Beach, is a make or break event.

Judd, who is currently in second place in the 2008/09 Australian Top
Doorslammer championship series, is approaching the event as the most
important race in his championship quest.