Smoking the tires and failing to qualify for the NHRA CSK Nationals was
a tough pill to swallow for Bob Tasca III but not nearly as tough as a
wide open throttle might have provided. An exploded supercharger
provided an escape for the rookie driver.

“Not a good situation,” said Tasca after the throttle. “Our car shook
and I pedaled it, but we had something fail with the throttle. When I
stepped off of the throttle at the finish line, it was still wide open.
I’ll tell you what, I’ve never been afraid in one of these cars, but
when you’re going over 300 and your foot is off the throttle and the
car is still accelerating, that gets your attention. Fortunately for
us, the parachutes both came out.”

Tasca pulled into the shutoff area of the track following his second
run with a crack across the top of his Shelby Mustang and smoke coming
from underneath.

Let’s state right at the
outset that there are innovative tuners and builders, and then there are the
likes of men like Austin Coil and Alan Johnson. 
They are, by any measuring stick you can come up with, ahead of the
curve.  We mean no disrespect towards
anyone when we say that, because we know a couple of dozen guys out there who
are, whether anyone likes to admit it or not, infinitely sharper than the tech
inspectors charged with keeping them honest.

The championships that
Johnson and Coil have won are proof positive of their respective talents.  We said it in our coverage of the ’07 Finals
and again after the Winternationals: 
Alan Johnson is a genius.

But – and this is
important – Johnson is also a smart businessman.  Alan Johnson Performance Engineering, located
in the hinterlands of California,
produces a substantial line of must-have hardware, including cylinder
heads.  Johnson realized long ago that no
matter how brilliant his innovations, if he failed to share those goodies with
his clientele there would be no clientele. 
No clientele, no business.

True, Johnson must be at
or very near the top of the highest paid tuners list, as well he should
be.  The record he’s amassed is proof
positive of his skills, and while there seems no end in sight for his brilliant
trackside career, there’s probably going to come a day when he’d prefer a less
hectic lifestyle, and that’s when he’ll be most appreciative of the way he’s
operated AJPE.

Today's classic You Tube video moment features vintage Shirley Muldowney and Don Garlits.

FRIDAY QUALIFYING
RAINED OUT FOR THE CHECKER SCHUCK’S KRAGEN NHRA NATIONALS

Friday's racing action at Firebird International Raceway has been cancelled due
to persistent rain showers.

Professional
qualifying for the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals will continue on
Saturday, with the sessions scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
(MT).

Eliminations
will start at 11:00 a.m. Sunday.

"Fast" Jack Beckman is always willing to squeeze a little time away from his job
as the driver of the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T Funny
Car in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series to share his life and on-track
experiences with young children wherever he goes.

On Thursday, after he
arrived into town to prepare for the NHRA Nationals at Firebird Raceway this
weekend, Beckman was joined by son Jason Russell, who will celebrate his
one-year birthday March 8, and his wife Jenna when he spoke to over 100
sixth-grade students in the library at the Centennial Middle School in
Phoenix.

The 41-year-old California native answered numerous questions
from attentive students about his profession, as he spoke to them about the
importance of school, staying away from drugs and the benefits of a good
education.

Before heading to Phoenix for the next race in his “For My Boys” Tour, Doug
Herbert spoke to Michelle Boudin of WCNC, the local Charlotte NBC  affiliate, about the tragic loss of his sons
Jon and James.

One of NHRA Pro Stock racer V. Gaines' companies experienced something that's normally reserved for the movies.

Last Sunday, his company moved the Federal Reserve Bank of Seattle last
Sunday morning. From 2 AM until 5 AM, Gaines provided five armored
tractor/trailers and two trucks that was used to moved nearly 1 Billion
dollars of currency from the former Seattle Federal Reserve Building to
a new facility fifteen miles away. The Western team didn't roll alone
as they were covered by the Secret Service, SWAT, Local Police and a
Coast Guard helicopter. They managed to pull off this feat without a
single media leak and kept the move top secret until it was finished.
Heck, they even slipped by Torco's CompetitionPlus.com's roving
reporters.

J

ack Wyatt, who finished second in IHRA Nitro Funny Car
championship points the last two seasons, is in Baytown, Texas
getting ready for the season-opening Amalie Oil Texas Nationals at San Antonio
Raceway in early April. Wyatt has enough associate sponsorship to make it to
every race on the 2008 IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam schedule, but he remains waiting
for the phone call that will bring a major sponsor and set his mind at
ease.

“We have enough to run every race, but we are hoping to
get a primary sponsor because as things stand now we won’t be able to do the
other stuff, like testing on a regular basis, that is so important,” Wyatt said.
“We have plenty of equipment that’s fresh and ready to go and we’re looking
forward to San
Antonio.” 

Kenny Koretsky, a regular on the NHRA Pro Stock tour, is
expanding his KPK Motorsports team and venturing into a different competitive
arena.  

Koretsky, known as Captain Chaos on the drag racing circuit, Thursday
announced the creation of a new NASCAR Dirt Modified Series team that will race
at oval tracks in the Northeast beginning in April.

“This Captain Chaos team will be going in circles,” he said.  “Dan Hieber will be driving our new Dirt
Modified car with sponsorship from Nitro Fish Wear.  I’ve known Dan a long time.  He’s a good driver and we believe we will be
very competitive.”

Koretsky, an entrepreneur with varied business interests, has been trying
to “define the direction we want to go with our Nitro Fish Wear apparel
brand.  The company needs more exposure
and we believe this is an excellent way to accomplish that.”

Here's a sneak peek at Billy Glidden's new look debuting this weekend during the NHRA CSK Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona.