Veteran driver still uncertain what 2009 will bring …

Tommy Johnson Jr. hasn’t made plans for 2009 and with good reason. He doesn’t know what they are.

Johnson, the veteran driver of Kenny Bernstein’s Monster Energy drink
flopper, was told in August that he could test the waters for a new
driving gig in case the team’s sponsor did not renew for next season.
He doesn’t have an answer as to what his plans are and neither does
team owner Bernstein.

Four-time European drag racing champion Urs Erbacher has returned to the United States
to resume competing in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Erbacher,
who ran four of the season's first races with his Fat Attack Top
Fueler, will compete at the ACDelco NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Oct. 31 –
Nov. 2 and the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals Nov.
13-16.

The
Goodguys Rod & Custom Association’s first visit to historic Beech
Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky was a colorful blend of
hot rods, vintage race cars, crisp fall weather and an enthusiastic
capacity crowd! The 1st Nostalgia Nationals proved to be a popular
first time event as over 2000 vintage rods and race cars packed the
quaint facility owned and operated by Dallas Jones and his family. The
Nostalgia Nationals served as the third and final Goodguys Vintage Drag
Race of the 2008 season.

This home movie comes from the 1981 Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga. After running it's formative years under the IHRA sanction, this was the first event with the NHRA. There are some interesting scenes such as Top Fuel Motorcycle and there's a cameo appearance from Terry Vance. You'll also see a pre-race parade and race action featuring such names as Jody Smart, Raymond Beadle, Al Segrini and the Yuill Brothers. The late John Hagen is on there as well.

When you drive well, especially in your rookie season, it draws
attention. Spencer Massey parlayed his IHRA prowess into a dream gig.

Massey was named as a driver for Don Prudhomme last week.

The recently crowned IHRA Top Fuel champion told CompetitionPlus.com
that his conversations with Prudhomme began earlier in the season when
he was approached by the drag racing icon.

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.