Last fall IHRA Top Fuel World Champion Bruce Litton’s trip to Rockingham was one
part business, one part celebration. After watching T.J. Zizzo falter in the
first round, all Litton had to do was knock off Luigi Novelli in the last pair
of cars of the first session and he would clinch his first-ever Top Fuel world
championship. He was up to the task, despite an oil-down the pair before the
biggest run of his career. He not only knocked off Novelli, he went on to win
his 12th career Ironman.

Clinching the 2007 world
championship just reinforced Litton’s high opinion of Rockingham
Dragway.

“I always enjoy coming to Rockingham
because this was the site of our first career victory at the 1999 Spring
Nationals,” Litton said. “I like the people and I like the community so it’s
always been a good track for us. To win the championship in Rockingham last year
was awesome.”

NASCAR superstar Kevin
Harvick will banner high-performance auto parts giant JEGS Mail Order through a
personal services contract that begins immediately. Harvick will feature the
JEGS.com logo and toll-free number on the racing helmets he uses on the NASCAR,
Nationwide, and Craftsman Truck series.

"JEGS is a great company and we
need to make JEGS.com the place for NASCAR fans to go whenever they need
high-performance parts," Harvick said. "The Coughlin brothers got involved with
NASCAR through the contingency program last year and they have big billboards at
most of the tracks. I think this new deal is just a natural progression for
their involvement with our sport.

"I've become great friends with John
(Coughlin) and recently watched Jeg (Coughlin) race his Pro Stock car in Las
Vegas. I'm anxious to meet Troy and Mike as well. We're all racers at heart and
that makes this relationship very comfortable right from the
start."

Was the fuel Don Schumacher fined for actually legal fuel? (Roger Richards Photo)

The NHRA’s fining of Don Schumacher Racing for possession of unapproved
fuel on site has no legal merit on a technicality. The fuel in the
drums emblazoned with Pro Nitro logos reportedly held nitromethane
purchased from Wego, an approved nitro supplier to the NHRA, a source
close to the situation told CompetitionPlus.com.

Our unimpeachable source, who would only speak under the condition of
anonymity, confirmed Wego had purchased nitromethane from Schumacher’s
Pro Nitro in the past and the fuel in question had actually been
repurchased from the Chinese-based company by Schumacher.

Funny Car points leader and driver of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Ashley Force
will be featured in a profile piece during ESPN’s E:60 show tonight airing at
7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com all but engraved a tombstone with their
off-season article with past and present players in the Pro Street game
question asking if the class had seen its better days. This past
weekend proved the reports of Pro Street’s death had been greatly
exaggerated.

Twenty Pro Street entries participated in the recently completed NMCA
opener in Bradenton, Florida. This represented the largest car count at
an event.

These were not just “leaker” and “filler” cars either.

“There were a ton of fast cars at this race,” said runner-up Steve King
who debuted his new blown and injected Camaro at the race. Fast was an
understatement. With a bump spot of 6.79, held by Kenny Voss, it was
the quickest field in the history of the class.

Billy Williams, who won the 1979 NHRA Pro
Comp Championship and twice won the U.S. Nationals, died April 14. He
was 63, and had been hospitalized  since he was critically injured in
the March 22, 2002, after a crash in his Alcohol Funny Car in Rockingham, N.C.

In his short time competing in the JEGS ProMod Challenge, Raymond Commisso
already has proven to be a contender for every race title. His four runner-up
finishes in 12 race-day starts has helped him establish an enviable 64-percent
winning ratio in eliminations and his 21 round wins rank him 10th on the
all-time list.

Currently third in the JEGS points, the driver of the
ProCare Rx Pontiac Firebird is considered by many to be a bona fide threat for
the 2008 Pro Mod title. With former driver Al Billes tuning his 526 Hemi and
crew chief Ralph Andreacchi calling the shots, this could very well be
Commisso's breakout year.

The Canadian restaurateur had his first victory
in hand at the 2008 season-opening Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. After a
first-round bye, the 37-year-old Commisso recorded both his career-best elapsed
time (5.935) and top speed (247.34 mph) in consecutive wins over top guns Tony
Pontieri and Jay Payne.

At times, students can say the darndest things and for Charles Womack,
Automotive Instructor at Union County Career & Technology Center
[Union, SC] one suggestion made all the sense in the world.

Womack, an instructor for the last six years with the vocational
school, was bringing a group of students back from the NHRA Southern
Nationals in Commerce, Ga., when one posed a question; could the class
build a car of their own?

“We’ve had the idea for a while and after a couple of years of rolling
around with administration, the idea is a reality,” Womack said. “We
finally got the blessing.”

The blessing for Womack and his students is nothing more than a beat
up, rusted 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass they plan to drag race in foot brake
competition against other school programs. The car will be powered by a
big block Chevrolet also built by the students.

Scotty and Scott Cannon
turned in an impressive performance at the IHRA season-opener in San Antonio, Texas.
Pending a new sponsorship program, the team will be parked after this weekend’s
IHRA event in Rockingham.

“We already have our cars
ready and since Rockingham is so close to home we will still run this race,”
said the six-time World Champion Cannon. “But you can bet your bottom dollar
that after this event we will be parked until a new marketing partner is found or
until Torco Race Fuels resumes its sponsorship with our team. We have worked
with Evan for a long time and hope to continue our business relationship. Our
friendship will always be intact.”