Seven-time IHRA Alcohol Funny Car World Champion Mark Thomas will have
a different look this season. The mop-topped farmer from Ohio will be
the first drag racer to drive a 2008 Impala SS body in competition.

“There is another Impala SS out there, I know there is an NHRA driver
who has one, but I don’t think he will be on the track before us,”
Thomas said. “Other than that I don’t know of anyone else who has one.
And you should see this thing…it is thoroughly wild. It looks like a
Batmobile. The wind tunnel numbers on this thing are incredible so
we’re expecting to be very fast.”

How fast? Well, Thomas has a number in mind.

David Reese is switching gears and is getting ready to run Pro Mod for
2008. See his new Mustang.

Two-time NSCA Top Street World Champion Randy Jewell spent many years
following the National Street Car Association circuit behind the wheel
of Patrick Budd’s nitrous assisted Corvette. During that time he took
two World Championships and one Championship runner-up back to his
Holley, NY, home, but he never really got to race in his own backyard.
The closest he came was when the NSCA ventured into Canada to the Grand
Bend Motorplex. Now armed with the JFM Racing twin turbo Camaro he is
getting that opportunity when he joins the 2008 Pro Modified Racing
Association tour.
 
Built by his own RJ ProFab concern, the Jewell, Falco & Mars Racing
Camaro ran a restricted schedule in late 2007, cumulating in an end of
season visit to the Orlando World Street Nationals.

Okuma America Corp., a world leader in the development of machine-tool
technology and computer numerical control (CNC), has entered into a
manufacturing and technology partnership agreement with Don Prudhomme
Racing for its NHRA Top Fuel team. The two-year associate sponsorship
deal through the 2009 season will give Okuma further exposure as the
official machine tool supplier for Snake Racing and provide Don
Prudhomme Racing the CNC machine technology it needs to be even more
competitive.

“Our success with Bill Miller Engineering, Don Schumacher Racing,
Richard Childress Racing, and Competition Cams has certainly helped us
show Don Prudhomme that we are interested in helping the Snake Racing
team both on and off the track,” said Okuma America Corp. President and
COO Larry Schwartz. “It’s an opportunity to become an associate sponsor
with another world-class organization and continue the momentum we have
providing quality CNC machine tools to the high-performance racing
industry.”

For the second consecutive year, GoldenWest Lubricants and its Prolong® brand
will be the title sponsorship for the Prolong® Twilight Cruise Nights at the
Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Automobile Club of
Southern California.

"We're pleased with the results we've seen from our
marketing efforts at the Museum's Twilight Cruise Nights," said Dan Griffiths,
president of GoldenWest Lubricants.  "Our sales to this important performance
car market have increased as has our brand recognition, as we support the Parks
Museum."

"GoldenWest Lubricants is an important marketing partner for
us," said Tony Thacker, executive director of the Parks Museum.  "We're pleased
that their marketing and sales results reflect the depth of their commitment. 
This renewal shows that they're getting tangible results from their Museum
connection."

Seven-time IHRA Champion Rickie Smith signed Bailey Trucking
to an associate sponsorship on his 1963 nitrous-injected Pro Mod Corvette for
the 2008 racing season.

Smith will compete at the season-opening ADRL Drag Illustrated
Dragpalooza IV in Houston, Texas, March 7-8. 

IHRA PRO STOCK CHAMPION LOOKING FOR STRONG TIMES WITH SPRING
TUNE-UP

Joe Signorelli was on a qualifying run in his Toyota Celica at the
recent Summernationals event at Western Sydney International Dragway when things got ugly rather abruptly.

Signorelli was entered in the Super Sedan class and on Friday afternoon had
this wild ride. He walked away okay and we believe that the
car didn't come out of the crash too bad either.

The RJ Race Cars built Toyota Celica is the former Titan car that
competed on the NHRA Sport Compact tour. The ride now belongs to Gary
Goodman and Joe Signorelli (Gas Motorsport).

In
December, the car represented one-half of the first side-by-side six
second pass for a Sport Compact vehicle in Australia alongside of Tony
Wedlock.