Roger Richards Photo

Chip Ellis, rider of the Schumacher Electric Suzuki Pro Stock
Motorcycle in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, made a special
“V.I.P.” visit to Van Buren Technology Center in Lawrence, Mich., on
Tuesday, May 20. Ellis toured the technical facility, met with hundreds
of students and enjoyed a luncheon with members of the faculty. The
NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car was also on display during
the visit.
 
"It was a very interesting day," said Ellis, who is currently third in
the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings. "It is a technical
school for high-school kids who go there half-days. There are a variety
of programs available for the students, including everything from
welding classes and automobile repair to law enforcement and finance
and computer classes. It was a pretty cool day.
 

Photos by Roger Richards

Rookie Top Fuel driver and Bill Miller student, Troy Buff, says he’s learning to drive a Top Fuel dragster the

Former TAD standout Troy Buff is adjusting remarkably to the challenge of Top Fuel.

right way. The former Top Alcohol dragster standout is making a
significant amount of progress in his rookie season. Winning the first
round of eliminations at the recently completed NHRA Thunder Valley
Nationals for his first career Top Fuel round win confirms the
advancement.

Just ask Laurie Cannister if she expected to be undefeated headed into
the third race of the IHRA season and she’ll quickly respond the
experience has come as a pleasant surprise. An already strong Cannister
will get stronger headed into this weekend’s IHRA Motor City Nationals
in Milan, MI.

Cannister will be rejoined on the tour by crew chief Mike Couch.

Couch was unable to attend the San Antonio and Rockingham races.  First
due to an illness and second to attend his daughter’s wedding. He
assisted the team via telephone.

"We are all looking forward to having Mike be there with us,” she said.
“It seems like such a long time since he's been at the track. 
Although, we have stayed in constant contact with him each race, it's
never the same as him being there."

Make no bones about it, Couch wanted to be there to celebrate with the team.

Teams of the Pro Modified Racing Association Presented by Torco Racing
Fuels Ontario will be traveling to a new venue Saturday, June 7, and
the new owners of New York International Raceway Park are excited to be
hosting the popular Pro Modifieds.
 
“This is going to be a terrific show,” said Vito Antonicelli, who along
with wife Sylvia recently purchased the facility just south of
Rochester, New York. “The PMRA has established itself as one of the top
Pro Modified shows, and we are looking forward to having them with us.”

And you thought nostalgia dragsters were fast!  The JCB GT, the world's fastest
backhoe loader dragster, with driver Neil Smith behind the wheel, will be
speeding down the track, June 13-15, at the 2008 Holley National Hot Rod Reunion
at Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Ky. Powered by a 1,300-horsepower engine,
the "backhoe on steroids" is capable of speeds more than 150 mph and lights up
the sky with its flame-shooting exhaust.

"The JCB GT is an absolute
thrill to watch," said Tony Thacker, executive director of the Wally Parks NHRA
Motorsports Museum, producers of the Reunion. "People will be cheering---they've
never seen anything like it. The Reunion will be packed with drag racing action,
including Top Fuel, but this is something special that the whole family will
love."

God Speed Ministry is racing to “Change a Child’s Life.”  Every night
children right here in the United States go to bed hungry. Over 4
million children in the U.S. are hungry, according to statistics.

This is unacceptable. We can and must do something to change this. Together, we can Change a Child’s Life.

God Speed Ministry, Inc. has partnered with Feed The Children to help
feed children in each U.S. city that hosts an IHRA National Event. Feed
The Children is a Christian, nonprofit relief organization that
delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals,
children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war,
poverty, or natural disaster.

Your pocket change can significantly change a child’s life when pooled
together with the change of other like-minded people. At each IHRA
National Event in the US, God Speed Ministry will have jars located at
the concession stands, manufacturers’ midway, and various racer pits
for you to deposit your coins or other monies for these hungry
children. The money collected at each IHRA event will be used to feed
the hungry children here in the USA.

Since he was a teenager, Charles Carpenter has made the 1955 Chevy a centerpiece of his racing efforts.

After nearly seven months, Charles Carpenter can’t stand it much
longer; he has to drop the hammer on his new Pro Modified 1955 Chevy
soon. Luckily for Carpenter (and those around him on a daily basis), he
will get that chance this weekend at the Quick 8 Racers Association
race at Farmington Dragway.

Pro Mod racer Raymond Commisso is the latest recipient of the New York
Motorsports Top Speed Award after reaching 242.32 mph during last
weekend's eighth annual O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals. This
was the fourth time in five JEGS ProMod Challenge events that Commisso
had the fastest hot rod.

Fellow Pro Mod racer David Hance started the New York Motorsports Top
Speed Award prior to the St. Louis event. Danny Rowe won the first
award and $500 cash bonus. Commisso is the second racer to collect the
check.

With the recent announcement and the change over of the
national event series name from NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series to the
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, there are some new provisions
that all national event participants need to be aware of. , No energy
sponsors will be allowed unless they were existing as of April 24,
2008, and fall under the "Grandfather Clause." This includes both
energy drink and energy drink-branded products. ,The Grandfather Clause
and a form that must be filled out completely, notarized, ,and
submitted with photographs to NHRA no later than June 20 can be found here if you believe your team falls under the Grandfather Clause.

Caravan Films, an independent production company based in the UK is
currently filming a documentary series following Swedish racer Adam
Flamholc on his Pro Stock racing journey to the European Championships.

The current episodes feature Adam doing test runs in Valdosta, Georgia
and then going on to participate in the World Championships in
Gainesville, Florida. To view the episodes, please click on the link: TheCaravanTube

Subsequent episodes will document Adam's races on May 23 2008 at Santa
Pod in the UK and the rest of the races of the 2008 European
Championships which will last throughout the summer.