:::::: News ::::::

MORE TUBULAR TALES GONE WRONG?

Sat, 2008-01-12 19:49

Less than a month before
season begins, FC Chassis Designs Are Still Changing

 

hadman_02.jpgThis week has proven to be a
proverbial rollercoaster ride for drag racing’s sponsorship market, and yet underneath all the turmoil another monster issue is broiling that could produce even more dire
results.

A week before the first
official pre-season test a definitive Funny Car chassis design remains elusive.

 

According to prominent
chassis industry sources, as recent as a week ago, builders were scurrying
trying to fill the newest regulation requiring the X-bracing on frames that
was proposed towards the end of the 2007 season.

This is the same bracing that
reportedly failed in October during testing on Robert Hight’s flopper in Dinwiddie, Virginia following the Torco Race Fuels Nationals.

CHIP ELLIS JOINS DON SCHUMACHER RACING

Sat, 2008-01-12 13:55

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLIST CHIP ELLIS JOINS DON SCHUMACHER RACING FOR 2008 NHRA SEASON
 
INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 12, 2008) - Don Schumacher announced today that Chip
Ellis will join the Don Schumacher Racing stable for the 2008 NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing season in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock
Motorcycle class. Ellis will begin his fourth full season in that
category. The team, headed by longtime DSR tuner Steve Tartaglia, will
be sponsored by Schumacher Electric under a developmental relationship
with Suzuki.

"This is an awesome opportunity and I'm grateful to Don Schumacher for
providing it," said Ellis, who rode for G2 Motorsports from 2004 to
2007. "I'm really happy to be here and ride for such a great team,"
added the 37-year-old Florida native. "The DSR shop is quite the
facility and Steve Tartaglia is very smart and I'm going to be working
with a good bunch of guys. It's hard to find the words to describe how
excited I am."

Tartaglia joined DSR as an engine builder and assistant crew chief
shortly after the debut of the U.S Army PSM team in 2003. He took over
as crew chief for Angelle Sampey and Antron Brown in 2005 and has
wrenched Brown and Sampey to a combined nine victories in 20 final
round appearances, a national elapsed time record for Sampey, and 13
No. 1 qualifying efforts, until the departure of U.S. Army as a PSM
team sponsor at the end of 2007.

NHRA'S ANNOUNCES SPORTSMAN ADVISORY COUNCIL

Sat, 2008-01-12 10:01

In an effort to maintain a high level of communication between
race officials and  participants, the National Hot Rod Association has
announced the formation of a Sportsman Racer Advisory Council. The
purpose of the NHRA Sportsman Racer Advisory Council is to provide a
means for discussing and evaluating rules and regulations pertaining to
Sportsman racing at NHRA events.

The advisory council will consist of four subcommittees
representing groups of categories within the Lucas Oil Drag Racing
Series program. The categories are:Top Alcohol (Top Alcohol Dragster
and Top Alcohol Funny Car); Comp/Top Comp (Competition Eliminator, Top
Comp, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster); Super Stock/Stock (Super Stock
and Stock eliminators); and the Super classes (Super Comp, Super Gas
and Super Street). One representative per category group will be
appointed from within each NHRA Division. Committee members will be
chosen by NHRA Division Directors. Qualified candidates must be active
NHRA Sportsman drivers, team owners or crew chiefs.

CANNONS FACE ADVERSITY HEAD-ON

Sat, 2008-01-12 06:16

Scotty Cannon will tell
you that his career has yielded some tough situations despite winning six world
championships. However, this week he was dealt a blow that remains
unprecedented in his career.

Both
Cannon and his world championship-winning son Scott Jr., learned days ago that
their major sponsor Torco Race Fuels had suspended all motorsports team sponsorships.

The 2008 season is the
first-ever title defense for Scott, Jr., the 2007 IHRA Pro Modified champion.

FOLEY & LEWIS SEEKING 11TH HOUR REPLACEMENT

Fri, 2008-01-11 20:29

With the announcement on Wednesday, January 9th, regarding Foley &
Lewis’ major sponsor, Torco Race Fuels’  interruption of their 2008
commitments for all Torco-sponsored teams, it’s left the Foley &
Lewis New Jersey-based Top Fuel team having to explore other avenues
of support.

Team co-owner and driver Doug Foley said, “We’d like to thank Evan
Knoll and Torco Race Fuels for all the support they’ve given us over
the years, but the timing of his announcement couldn’t have come at a
worse time.

“We had everything in place - a new car, new truck and trailer, parts,
crew members, 13 engines, etc. – all set to leave on January 19th for
the west coast test sessions and to start the season at the Carquest
Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals in Pomona at the beginning of
February,” Foley added. “With Evan’s support, this was to be our first
chance to race the entire NHRA POWERade tour.”

SMITH STILL GETS TEARY-EYED

Fri, 2008-01-11 19:15

Rickie Smith can’t help
doing it. He still gets teary-eyed over drag racing and those who have made it
possible for him to win seven World Championships as well as being named the
No. 1 Mountain Motor Pro Stock Racer of All-Time.  

Today, Smith wanted to thank Evan Knoll for giving him the
opportunity over the last few years to let others know that he’s still got it.

STACKING THE DECK IN PRO MOD

Fri, 2008-01-11 18:31

Longtime Gotham City Racing crew chief Chuck Ford told Torco's
CompetitionPlus.com that he was looking to cultivate talent within the
team as well as bring in a few talented outsiders as part of the new
Roger Burgess and Mike Ashley Pro Modified alliance. Today, the GCR
team scored a coup.

Mike Ashley confirmed that veteran tuner Howard Moon has left the AMS Staff Leasing team to join their operation.

WAR STORIES SHOWDOWN – FINAL SET

Fri, 2008-01-11 16:20

For the last month, sixteen of drag racing’s most colorful
personalities have battled it out within the electronic pages of
Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com in hopes of becoming the inaugural WAR
STORIES SHOWDOWN champion. Sixteen hard-fought battles have whittled
the challenge down to one final match.

Their battles are not of a physical nature or one of performance. This
championship is decided by who can tell the best war story. On Monday
morning, Scotty Cannon will face off with Roy Hill for the coveted BULL

POO trophy. The BULL POO is the WAR STORIES equivalent to an NHRA Wally or IHRA Iron Man.

How fitting is it that out of the sixteen combatants, who are all
accomplished in some form or fashion within drag racing, the
championship comes down to two “good ‘ole boys” from the Carolinas?

THE CANADIAN FUEL CRISIS?

Fri, 2008-01-11 13:54

Canadian fuel regulations have always been considered forward thinking
by those deeply concerned about the environment. Since 1990, Canadian
officials have exempted several industries from the conversion from
leaded fuels to unleaded fuels – specifically airlines, farms, boat,
trucks and eventually competitive motorsports. Fuels for the exempted
industries is imported, mostly from the United States.

A fourth extension of the exemption for competitive motorsports has now
been proposed, however that exception is proposed to last only one
year, with all competitive motorsports vehicles required to use
unleaded fuels starting in 2009.

According to Ron Biekx, General Manager, Grand Bend Motorplex, a one
year exception is a death sentence to the top levels of professional
drag racing and the tracks hosting those classes.

HAGAN SIGNS NEW TUNER

Fri, 2008-01-11 13:29

Late last year Matt Hagan Racing announced it would run a Nitro Funny
Car team in the 2008 season. Matt Hagan Racing is now proud to announce
the addition of Jay Lewis as Crew Chief for the 2008 Nitro Funny Car
team.

Jay is from Dinwidde, Virginia and is an 11-year veteran tuner of top
fuel and funny cars. He has 3 career wins with Lagana & Lewis
Racing in IHRA Top Fuel competition, and his teams have finished 4th or
better in the points for the past 3 years running.

Jay was also awarded the 2006 IHRA Crew Chief of the Year.

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