First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for
the Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals at US 131 Motorsports Park,
the seventh of 10 events in the 2008 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing
Series.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Mike Strasburg, 4.612 seconds, 326.32
mph  vs. 5. Bruce Litton, 4.704, 307.02; 2. Terry McMillen, 4.659,
316.01  vs. 6. Tim Boychuk, 4.754, 294.24; 3. Spencer Massey, 4.683,
313.88  vs. 7. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.860, 307.02; 4. T.J. Zizzo, 4.691,
298.60  vs. 8. Kevin Jones, 4.863, 295.08.

Record Crowd sees Record-Setting Performances at US 131 Motorsports Park

Three track records fall as fields finalize for Sunday eliminations at Torco Northern Nationals

Cory Lee went into the final qualifying session and vaulted to the top on his last shot.

Cory Lee knew his team was in trouble. Following the Saturday afternoon
qualifying session they were on the bottom of the qualifying sheet and
had major problems to work through in the pits.

“We were lost,” Lee said. “We had some problems with our computer and
also had some problems with some engine parts. We had a lot of work to
do.”

The team was able to come through under pressure. They thrashed away to
get ready for the evening qualifying session, then went out and moved
to the #1 qualifying position. Lee’s 5.053 at 292.90 mph put him on the
pole and set up a first-round match-up with Andy Kelley Sunday.

Sources close to Bruton Smith have confirmed for CompetitonPlus.com
that a story appearing on another web site to the affect that Smith
would be announcing his purchase of the NHRA some time around the date
of the NHRA national event at the new track in Charlotte are just that
– rumors and nothing more.

Funny Car racer Terry Haddock emerged uninjured from a
massive starting line explosion during the IHRA Torco Northern
Nationals in Martin, Michigan. The momentum from the blast rolled the
car, fully engulfed in flames, to the 330-foot mark.  Hitting the
on-board fire system, Haddock then climbed through the escape hatch to
safety.

"I’ve been burned before and I spent a lot of time in the hospital. I knew I didn’t want to be in that situation again." - Terry Haddock (Roger Richards Photos)

“I’m not sure what happened,” Haddock said, as he surveyed the damage
to his Race Girl-sponsored Funny Car. “We are going to look on the
computer and see if we can determined what happened. Hopefully we can
find out what caused that. It didn’t throw the rods out, or put any oil
down, it just exploded the supercharger. It doesn’t make sense to me.

Terry McMillen headlines as provisional Top Fuel low qualifier

Terry McMillen followed up his Grand Bend Top Fuel victory with a provisional low qualifier.

Andy Kelley (Nitro Funny Car), Mike Castellana (Pro Modified), Tom
Carter (Alcohol Funny Car) and Jeff Dobbins (Pro Stock) also claim
provisional #1 qualifying spots at Torco Northern Nationals

Prior to the Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, veteran crew chief
Doug Kuch joined up with Terry McMillen’s Hoosier Thunder Motorsports
Top Fuel team. Early returns are in and the numbers do not lie…Kuch has
made a world of difference.

Friday sets the pace for Saturday. Saturday is when the storm hits.

Ed Hoover is one of eight Pro Modified drivers who will race for a
$100,000 on saturday. Hoover is currently qualified third in Pro
Modified. (Roger Richards)

The storm in this instance is the $50,000-to-win Torco Pro Mod
Shootout, a special race-within-a-race during the IHRA Torco Northern
Nationals in Martin, Mich.

The top eight Pro Modified drivers in the world will square off,
looking to claim the $50,000 first prize while the rest will grab their
share of a record $100,000 Shootout purse. This will be the richest
one-day drag race in Pro Modified history.

Bruce Litton knows every move he makes from this point in the 2008
season can be crucial to his IHRA Top Fuel championship defense. The
Lucas Oil-sponsored driver leads
rookie driver Spencer Massey by only two points with four races left on
the tour.

Bruce Litton entered this weekend's event leading Spencer Massey by
two points with four races to go in the season. He's ranked one spot
higher after Friday's qualifying. (Roger Richards)

Massey is not the only driver Litton should be concerned with and he’s aware of that.

Donnie and Hollie Faulkner are the proud parents of a baby girl.

Hollie delivered the 7 lb., 1 oz., Emma Jacquelin Falkner at 6:38 PM, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark.

Proud father Donnie proclaimed, "She's as perfect as you can get."

Both mother and baby are resting comfortably at this time.

John Lawson will drive the Dale Creasy Jr., Nitro Funny Car in
competition during this weekend’s IHRA Torco Northern Nationals in
Milan, Mi.

Creasy told CompetitionPlus.com that he initially planned to have
Lawson drive the car in a September match race, but the opportunity
presented itself and he invited Lawson to drive this weekend.

Vance and Hines Motorsports Inc. will expand their Indianapolis plant, creating 26 new jobs by 2011.  

As part of the expansion, they will invest more than $4 million to
build and equip a 66,000-square-foot exhaust systems manufacturing
facility adjacent to its current race shop in the suburban Indianapolis.

"Motorsports has a rich history and a bright future in Indiana," said
Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. "We'll continue to encourage motorsports
companies from across the country and around the globe to locate and
expand here as we build Indiana's reputation as the motorsports capital
of the world."