It may have taken quite a bit longer than planned, but Pete Berner (Crete, Ill.) has no complaints. Berner defeated John Montecalvo
in the final round of the $100,000 IHRA Pro Stock Shootout, a program
that was originally scheduled to be completed at the North American
Nationals in Epping, N.H. last month.

Rain washed away the final round in Epping after the first two rounds
were completed. Montecalvo and Berner agreed to race for the $50,000
first prize during the season-ending IHRA World Finals at Rockingham
Dragway during the Saturday evening session. Unseasonably cool weather
caused the race to again be delayed as IHRA rescheduled it for Sunday
at the World Finals. Again, things did not work out as planned…but it
was not weather that caused another delay, it was Montecalvo.

Dust Devils Auto Club, which staged the Inyokern Drags at Inyokern Airport [Calif.] from 1954 to 2005, recently donated its remaining assets to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital. In 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration imposed new safety requirements on the Inyokern Airport,
and the Dust Devils was forced to shut down the longest-running
NHRA-sanctioned dragstrip.

Orlando’s World Street Nationals promoter Carl Weisinger believes his
event is too prestigious to end without a defined winner. That’s why
he’s making steps to ensure that in the possibility the event couldn’t
be completed that a plan is in place to crown a winner.

Every run will count is Weisinger’s motto and plan.

“Thanks to great car owners, drivers, crew and spectators this has
become the event to enter and to win,” Weisinger said. “Just entering
makes a statement, qualifying in such great fields of cars is an
accomplishment and winning literally immortalizes one in the circle of
door slammer drag racing enthusiasts.  Certainly, at least one full
round of qualifying and a full eliminations program to determine a
winner is the minimum we would like to see.

The third and final “Lions – The Greatest Drag Strip” DVD is now
available, following its debut during the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion, in
Bakersfield, Calif. Copies can be purchased at: www.Lionsvideo.com .

The nearly two-hour (110-mi.) video documentary on the revered,
southern California-based Lions Drag Strip, by longtime
photojournalist, Don Gillespie, covers a critical and history-changing
period from late 1966 to its closing in December 1972.

Quain Stott has come a long way in IHRA competition. From his humble
beginnings of racing on a shoestring budget to making the most of a
modest one, the Inman, S.C.-based driver scored a world championship in
2006 and picked up nine national event victories in 14 finals.

After entering his 144th consecutive event at Rockingham, N.C., Stott
says he's made a tough decision regarding his future. He’s walking
away from the series in 2009, at least in terms of chasing a
championship.

Stott says the troubled U.S. economy didn’t make the decision. He’s
adamant that customer service or lack thereof from the sanctioning body
did. He’s under the impression his comments won’t be taken seriously.

Terry Haddock began the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, N.C., with the grim reality that nitro Funny
Cars would likely be out in 2009 under the IHRA sanction. By Sunday,
that meeting was a forgotten memory.

He was the world champion.

The Lend America-sponsored Haddock claimed the 2008 IHRA Nitro Funny
Car world championship Sunday by defeating rookie Matt Hagan in the
first round of eliminations.

What
do Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee Sen. John
McCain, five-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Aaron Peirsol, and
Carolina Nationals winner Steve Johnson have in common?

Answer: aThe NASCAR Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
drivers' meeting. That's right, all three were introduced last Sunday
at the drivers' meeting prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Lowe's
Motor Speedway.

Johnson, who won the inaugural Carolinas Nationals last month at zMAX
Dragway at Concord, was their guest to spend his off-weekend at Lowe's
Motor Speedway and take in a NASCAR Chase for the Championship event.
It was a thrill for the motorcycle racer, who's always been a NASCAR
fan, but it also provided him with the opportunity to mingle in the
suites, fly in the Army’s sky diving simulator and build relationships
that could prove beneficial to his race team and POWERade drag racing.

The Meatball giveth and the meatball taketh away.

Veteran Pro Stock driver and event low qualifier Frank “The Flying
Meatball” Gugliotta preserved Jeff Dobbins chances to contend for the
eliminator world championship on Saturday in Rockingham, N.C., only to end them a day later.

Dobbins faced Gugliotta needing only one more round than Pete Berner in
order to clinch the title following the latter’s first round exit.

Gugliotta swiped 25 points from Berner on Saturday therefore keeping Dobbins in the race.

Lawson Claims First National Event Title

Dale Creasy Jr.’s replacement driver captures Nitro Funny Car title at IHRA World Finals;

Two-time
defending IHRA Nitro Funny Car world champion Dale Creasy Jr. saw his
season end due to injuries sustained in an accident at the June Rocky
Mountain Nationals in Edmonton. John Lawson, who drove the Creasy
Family Motorsports #2 car at select races last season, slid into the
top car’s seat to finish out the year. He ended the season with a 
flourish, claiming the Ironman at the season-ending IHRA World Finals
in Rockingham.

Lawson tool a solo pass to the championship when Jack Wyatt, the other finalist, could not answer the call for the final round.

Unofficial point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories
following the World Finals presented by CapeFearWheels.com at
Rockingham Dragway, the 10th of 10 events in the  2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro
Jam Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.  Spencer Massey, 918; 2.  Bruce Litton, 829; 3.  Terry McMillen,
760; 4.  Mike Strasburg, 738; 5.  Bobby Lagana Jr., 713; 6.  Kevin
Jones, 483; 7.  Tim Boychuk, 400; 8.  Scott Palmer, 342; 9.  Mitch
King, 217; 10.  Chris Karamesines, 128.