Matthew Brammer, president of Active Marketing, announced today he is stepping
down from his position as Series Director of the Pro Modified
Challenge.
 
"As of the end of this week, I will no longer be involved in
the Pro Mod Challenge," Brammer said. "It's my understanding that another
company may be running the series in the future, and, if this is true, I truly
wish that organization the very best of success in their venture.
 
"I'll
make every effort to facilitate a smooth exchange because I love Pro Mod racing
and I definitely want to see the series continue and succeed," he
said.
 
"We were appointed this position two years ago, and, in that time,
we resurrected the struggling Challenge in 2006, and doubled payouts and support
in 2007. We brought in new sponsors, and were preparing for continued growth
towards a fruitful future, but recent unexpected events changed our plans," he
said.

Last season Jeff Dobbins, a Wilmington, N.C. resident, had one of the most impressive
IHRA Pro Stock seasons of his career. He put a pair of Ironmen on his shelf, once going
from the first alternate position to the event championship at the Suzuki Motor City
Nationals in Milan,
Mich. as well as ending the season
by knocking off 2007 World Champion Robert Patrick in the final at the World
Finals in Rockingham, NC.

Today's YouTube Classic Drag Racing video features a handful of IHRA
catastrophes. In addition to the harrowing Top Fuel fires, you will
witness John Montecalvo's Bristol crash as well as the Bill
Mitchell-sponsored Pro Modified clearing the Norwalk guardrail signs.
Larry Dobbs and the Cardiac Kids alcohol flopper finds itself in a
precarious position running alongside of Mark Thomas in Leicester, NY.

Don't be surprised if you see Rickie Smith this weekend at the NHRA CSK
Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona. The seven-time IHRA world champion from
King, North Carolina will be working this weekend and possibly more
with the Tom Hammonds Pro Stock team.

Dave Wallace, Jr., former
stringer for Hot Rod Magazine and later founding editor of Petersen’s DRAG
RACING Magazine, will be inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of
Fame in Ocala, Florida in March. For the veteran
journalist, his career began with a byline in the revered Drag News paper in
June of 1964 at the tender age of 14 years old.

For drag racing veteran Scott Kalitta, driver of the 7,000-horsepower,
nitro-fueled DHL Funny Car, this weekend’s annual running of the Checker
Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals at Firebird Int’l Raceway in Phoenix, Ariz., has
the potential to be cause for multiple celebrations in the desert.

This Sunday, as final eliminations of the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA
Nationals will be thrilling race fans with the most exciting form of auto racing
in the world, Scott’s dad and Kalitta Motorsports patriarch Connie “the Bounty
Hunter” Kalitta, a drag racing icon, will also be celebrating his milestone 70th
birthday at the place where he is most widely known and comfortable – the race
track.

The following are the pre-entries received for the 9th annual CSR Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco's CompetitionPlus.com hosted by South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. 

Chock full of bad memories; this year could provide a reversal of fortunes

Some memories are just better forgotten. Easier said than done when
you’re NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson and the subject of the 2007
Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals comes up in conversation.

In one weekend, Johnson not only failed to qualify for the only time in
the 2007 season but also sat helplessly as his father and engine
builder Roy Johnson was transported to the hospital, the victim of a
near-fatal heart attack while working at the track.

With his father by his side, Johnson views his return to this year’s
Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals, scene of one of the worst
weekends of his racing career, as a time of rebirth and celebration.

“We’ve got Dad an appointment early Thursday morning with the people
who saved his life. They’re going to check him out and give him a
physical,” said Johnson of his father, who had to be rushed from the
track last year to a local hospital and was shocked back to life by
doctors. The elder Johnson didn’t miss a beat, however, and was back
turning the wrenches on his son’s Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus
R/T Pro Stock car at the next event, the NHRA Gatornationals.

NHRA Funny Car racer suprisingly rewarded Ford engineer with Winternationals trophy

Robert Hight surprised Ford engineer Niranjan Singh with his winning trophy at Pomona.  

Niranjan Singh immersed himself in the
technology associated with developing a safer NHRA Funny car chassis.
The racing engineer, who toils under the Ford Racing Technology
umbrella, did so without regard to gaining personal recognition.

Instead, he remained adamantly dedicated to protecting NHRA POWERade
Funny Car drivers from the same harmonics issue that killed Eric Medlen
last March.

Singh helped the John Force Racing team re-design its chassis for the
2008 season, and has been instrumental in developing additional safety
features for all the nitro Funny Cars.

Because of the relentless dedication Singh gave to the project, JFR
driver Robert Hight deemed it necessary to reward the behind-the-scenes
player.

Hight surprised many by giving his winning trophy to Singh.  The most surprised was the engineer himself.