One might think the new wicker increase might be working well for Warren Johnson considering he’s

scored substantial top speeds during the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.

“Truth be known, we’ve burned two holes in the body because of it,”
Johnson said. “We did that in Valdosta where the downforce is
compressing the rear so much.

“The situation wasn’t so bad in Gainesville but when we get to a
facility that is bumpy at the finish line – then we’ll have problems.
Someone is going to get in some serious trouble past the finish line.
There is too much downforce for these cars.

There are times when the difference between winning and losing is attitude.

Even though six-time IHRA Top Fuel world champion Clay Millican didn’t
light a single win-light during the NHRA ACDelco Gatornationals in
Gainesville, Fla., he and his SinFuel Choppers Top Fuel dragster
presented by Torco Race Fuels/Knoll Gas might as well have scored the
overall victory.

The real triumph was in providing a measure of encouragement for team
owner Evan Knoll, who was sidelined earlier in the year with serious
health issues. Millican drove his way into a tough sixteen car field
with only one testing weekend’s worth of preparation.

Check out the action from last weekend's Pacific Street Car Association event in Fontana, California.

PHOTO GALLERY 

All of a sudden, the sting of a first round loss doesn’t burn as much for Cory McClenathan. The

Cory McClenathan admits drag racing has been good to him over the years. He's just happy to give back to the sport today. (Roger Richards)

Fram-sponsored
driver from Avon, Indiana lost in the first round during the NHRA
Gatornationals to Hillary Will but the impression of a Saturday
afternoon encounter remained emblazoned in his memory banks.

McClenathan, a 29-time winner in Top Fuel, was asked by a family of
race fans to place the ashes of their patriarch inside the parachute.
He obliged without hesitation.

“I do this every once in a while,” McClenathan pointed out. “This is
twice we’ve done this in 2008. How can you say no to a request like
that?”

Tony Pedregon pointed out on Saturday during the NHRA Gatornationals
in Gainesville, Florida, he didn’t subscribe to the superstition of the
No. 1 qualifier jinx. On

Tony Pedregon wanted to use this event to earn his way back into the top ten. Sunday's Gainesville victory made it happen.

Sunday,
he showed why. The two-time NHRA world champion from Torrence,
California drove his Quaker State-sponsored flopper to his first
victory of 2008 by stopping Gary Densham in the final round.

“Qualifying number one anytime is an accomplishment in itself but to be
able to go into eliminations with that kind of pressure, and we had
some pretty tough opponents, this is a good day,” said Pedregon. “The
weather hung in there, it got a little warmer than the crew chiefs
would've liked, but under these circumstances the teams who can adapt
better are going to have an advantage.” 

Sometimes championship prowess doesn’t mean scoring low elapsed time
every single round. Even though Pedregon nailed the best run of the
first round, he did what was necessary to win from then on.

"It was going to be tough to make a better car than the Pontiac GTO, but the
folks from GM Motorsports and Quarter-Max Chassis have done
it."

This statement comes from Pete Berner,
hot off his first time out with the new Quarter-Max.com Pontiac GXP. The team
tested last week at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Georgia. The new
Pontiac GXP proved itself a Championship worthy car in its maiden voyage. Berner
was able to test two different motors, one of which was the same Jon Kaase
engine that put him in a closely contested battle for the '07 Pro Stock
Championship. Berner ran a best elapsed time of 6.30 at 223.21 mph during the
test session. He is thrilled with the results.

IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam racing will soon be on the big screen -
literally. After a successful trial run last year in Rockingham's IHRA
World Finals, Upstage Video will bring Nitro Vision to the IHRA
national events in 2008.

The first meeting of the newly
formed NHRA Sportsman Racer Advisory Council (SRAC) was held Friday,
March 14, during the 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals at
Gainesville Raceway. Several of the 35 committee members attended in
person, and the remainder participated via teleconference. NHRA
President Tom Compton, NHRA Executive Vice President/General Manager
Peter Clifford, NHRA Senior Vice President-Racing Operations Graham
Light, and each of the seven NHRA division directors -- Bob Lang, Bill
Holt, Jay Hullinger, Craig Hutchinson, Rob Park, Jonathan Adams, and
Mike Rice -- were in attendance.

SRAC was formed in December to provide a means for discussing
and evaluating rules and regulations pertaining to Sportsman racing at
NHRA events. The committee consists of Sportsman drivers, crew chiefs,
and team owners and is divided into five subcommittees: Top Alcohol,
Comp, Super Stock-Stock, Super Comp-Gas-Street, and Top Sportsman-Top
Dragster. Each subcommittee has one representative from each NHRA
division. Hullinger has been appointed as the overall committee
chairman, and Lang serves as the secretary. The other division
directors also play integral roles in SRAC, serving as chairpersons of
each subcommittee.

Former Top Fuel owner and crew chief Bobby Rex was rushed to a San
Antonio emergency room earlier this week to be treated for a tear in
his esophagus. After blood transfusions and a five-day stay in the
hospital, he is back home recovering and doing well. Cards and letters
may be sent to 219 Coral Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78223.

Allen Johnson continued his solid start to the 2008 NHRA POWERade Pro
Stock season, advancing to the quarterfinals at the NHRA Gatornationals
on Sunday and moving to the fourth spot in the NHRA Pro Stock points
standings.

Johnson seeded his Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T fifth on
Saturday, after Friday's round of qualifying was cancelled due to rain.
AJ defeated Dave Northrop in the first round, overcoming a shaky
reaction time off the starting tree to drive his HEMI-powered Stratus
R/T to the round win by more than a car length. In the quarterfinals,
Johnson bettered his reaction time, reeling off a near perfect light of
.003 seconds—only to see his opponent, Mike Edwards, earn a perfect
.000 light and score the round win.