The Second Annual “Ohio Crankshaft No Box Nationals” is now officially
back on the schedule for 2009.  This big money No Box race is scheduled
to take place June 12 – 14 2009 at Bunker Hill Drag Strip in Kokomo,
Indiana.

There will also be a Test & Tune and ‘Gamblers Race’ on Friday June
12th.  The Test & Tune is free for all pre-entered competitors. 
The pre-entry for both Saturday and Sunday is only $75.00 to reserve
your spot and then $150 at the gate.

The continuing sponsorship between Ohio Crankshaft and Triple O
Promotions became official at the end of November.  Stan and Scott Ray,
from Ohio Crankshaft, are excited to continue being the official
sponsor of the race. 

Two venerable Baytown institutions have joined forces in a multi-year motorsports sponsorship agreement with Baytown Ford
becoming the Official Car Dealership of Houston Raceway Park. The
arrangement makes Ford the Official Vehicle of HRP, Southeast Texas'
premier racing facility.

"We're extremely proud to align ourselves with Baytown Ford and the
Ford brand," said Seth Angel, Houston Raceway Park's general manager.
"Ford celebrated 100 years in 2008 and we celebrated our 20th season
and we think that's exciting for
both of us.

"The people at Baytown Ford are first-rate and I think that's why
they're weathering the current economic downturn better than most. I
believe it speaks volumes about their commitment to their current and
potential customers by electing to support motor racing here at Houston
Raceway Park. We're thrilled to bring them into our family and we hope
our fans consider buying their next vehicle from Baytown Ford."

Rockingham
Dragway owner Steve Earwood announced Thursday that Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co. has renewed its presence package at the North Carolina track
for the next three seasons.

Goodyear, which has been involved with The Rock since 1993, will
continue to sponsor one of the track’s 4 X 16 electronic scoreboard
signs.

NHRA Technical Services has announced that the maximum nitromethane content for non-supercharged cars in the Top Alcohol Dragster class will be adjusted from 96 to 94 percent for 2009.  This requirement will be in effect for all events, except those conducted at Bandimere Speedway in Denver, where 100 percent nitromethane will still be permitted.

Jim Dunn Racing has announced that Lucas Oil Products will increase its
involvement with the team and join Canidae All Natural Pet Foods as
secondary title-rights sponsor on Dunn's Funny Car entry in 2009. The
Canidae Pet Foods/Lucas Oil Funny Car will be driven by Jerry Toliver. 

"We've got a great group of sponsors that support our racing efforts,"
team owner Jim Dunn said, "and I've always appreciated the strong
support from Forrest and Charlotte (Lucas) over the years. Great
sponsors like Canidae Pet Foods and Lucas Oil allow us to keep racing
in an increasingly tough and competitive Funny Car class. We're already
looking forward to getting back on the track with the new Canidae Pet
Foods/Lucas Oil Funny Car."

Don Schumacher confirmed today that Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Matt
Smith will join Don Schumacher Racing to ride a DSR TL-1000 Suzuki
sponsored by Nitro Fish Ultimate Gear and XXX Racing Fuels in the 2009
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Schumacher also confirmed that
he has released riders Chip Ellis and Craig Treble, who rode to two
national event victories under the DSR banner in 2008.

The DSR Hayabusa engine development program, a joint effort entered
into between DSR and Suzuki in 2008, continues, with introduction of
the new engine slated for the 2009 season. A second motorcycle may be
entered in the PSM class during the season as a test vehicle, while
longtime DSR motorcycle tuner Steve Tartaglia will be the crew chief.

Smith, 36, of King, N.C., is the 2007 Pro Stock Motorcycle champion,
claiming four wins in nine national rounds that year. He came close to
claiming his second straight PSM crown in 2008 after leading the
standings for the last six of seven events in the NHRA Countdown to the
Championship playoffs. A mechanical problem in the final event of the
season dropped him to a third-place finish for the year. He is the son
of NHRA Pro Stock racer Rickie Smith, has 10 career national-event wins
in 20 final rounds, and was low qualifier 14 times since joining the
class on a limited basis in 2003. He became a full-time competitor in
the class in 2005.

Eliminations begin on Monday …

The votes have been tallied and the fans have spoken – John Force is
the man most capable of telling a war story like none other. One thing
Force has learned in story-telling, qualifying is one thing,
competition is another.

This time Force is taking no chances considering last year’s upset first round at the hands of Aaron Polburn.

“I really want to thank the fans who voted for me,” Force said. “I have a few stories that might make a few people smile.”

Trailing Force in the voting was former high-profile Raymond Beadle
crewman “Waterbed” Fred Miller who has more than a few tales of his own
to share.

Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing confirmed the worst kept secret in drag racing on Thursday.

Two-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Larry Dixon has been named the
driver of the team’s Top Fuel dragster, effective immediately. Jason
McCulloch will be the team's Top Fuel crew chief.

Dixon brings a wealth of experience to the team having worked his way
into the cockpit of Don Prudhomme’s dragster in 1994. He was named NHRA
Rookie of the Year in 1995.

The Indianapolis resident has recorded 43 NHRA wins in 83 final rounds
and is third on NHRA's all-time Top Fuel winners list. He finished
second in the 2008 NHRA Countdown to the Championship, and in 2007, he
finished fourth.

Jerry Baltes’ historic 1960’s vintage Top Fuel Dragster recently
served as the centerpiece of the East Coast Drag Racing Hall Of Fame
booth at the PRI Show, December 11-12-13, in Orlando, Florida.  Baltes
and his wife Pat brought the car from their home in North Carolina and
displayed it during the entire 2008 edition of the Performance Racing
Industry (PRI) show in Orlando. 

Acting as hostess and representative of the East Coast Drag
Racing Hall of Fame and its weekend’s activities was Nancy Wilson, the
event’s President and Director of the Vance County Tourism Development
Authority, headquartered in Henderson, North Carolina.

CompetitionPlus.com has learned that longtime Bobby Lagana Jr. crewman Eric "Lippy" Litvin, passed away on Wednesday.