Okay, we stole that line from the late Yul Brynner in the 60s western
“The Magnificent Seven,” but it also applies to Pro Stock driver Craig
Hankinson, one of the nominees for this year’s Rookie of the Year award.

Mountain Motors, once just a
small fraction of the drag racing scene, are now found in nearly every
sportsman class and within every sanctioning body in the sport. They’re also over
50% larger and dominate in heads up and fast bracket racing.

In recognition of the impact
mountain motors have had upon drag racing,

Sonny’s Racing Engines and
the IHRA will host a special seminar titled: “Mountain Motors: Past, Present
& Future”. This special event will take place on Friday, Dec. 7th
at 2:00 PM at the PRI Show in Orlando,
FL.

Just imagine sitting in class one day at school, daydreaming about working in
the big leagues of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Then, out of the blue,
you have a chance to be picked at random as the one student out of nine WyoTech
schools to be flown to the races and hang out with a professional race team.

That's exactly what happened to 24-year-old
San Jose,
California resident, Timothy Higbee, who
attends the WyoTech
School in
Fremont,
California. 

Higbee had no idea he was headed to the fabled quarter-mile at
Pomona on Saturday. "I was picked at
random by Carl Blevins," said a grateful Higbee, "he's one of the WyoTech
administrators."

Snap-on Tools/WyoTech Pro Stock Suzuki rider Steve Johnson eagerly picked
up his special guest and the pair went to dinner at a local In & Out Burger
restaurant before retiring for the night. On Saturday Johnson introduce Higbee
to the sights and sounds of the prestigious 43rd annual Automobile
Club of Southern California NHRA Finals as a full crewmember of the Snap-on
team.

There’s a real world
out there completely unlike the fantasyland that is drag racing.  It’s a
world in which people have bills to pay, jobs to go to and concerns often far
more important that the next four second run or round of eliminations.  We
visit that world when we’re away from the track, but some of us are so wrapped
up in what we’re doing that what’s taking place in homes all across America
sometimes escapes our notice. 

Let’s find out what some of or friends think about other than drag racing.

Jeg Coughlin received a hero's welcome from 350 enthusiastic employees
when he returned to Jegs Mail Order headquarters in Delaware, Ohio,
earlier this week. Coughlin wrapped up his third Pro Stock title in
dramatic fashion Sunday by rallying from third place in the standings
to the number 1 spot in two short rounds of the 43rd annual Auto Club
of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. He went on to win
the race in his Jegs.com Chevrolet Cobalt, the 51st national event win
of his career.

The Torco Race Fuel Pro
Modified division received the lion’s share of rule adjustments for 2008 in the
IHRA’s listing of rule changes for their professional divisions. Other classes
receiving adjustments included the Alcohol Funny Car division and the Pro Stock
category.

For the first time in the
history of the soon-to-be 18-year old Pro Modified division, turbocharged
combinations will be acceptable but late model body styles won’t.

The following are the IHRA
rules adjustments for 2008:

Matt Hagan Racing will embark on a new mission for the 2008 and 2009
seasons, with a new car, a new teammate, and a whole new level of
competition.

"I've made no secret about wanting to move up," said Matt Hagan
regarding his decision to move up to a Nitro Funny Car in 2008. "I love
Pro Mod, but I've always had a goal of driving a top fuel car." Matt
was recently licensed in Nitro Funny Car in Las, Vegas and is ready to
begin his transition to a new echelon of competitive drag racing. "I
want to thank Tim Wilkerson who treated me great during the licensing
process in Vegas," said Hagan.

Matt will get his chance to drive a Nitro Funny Car in 2008 and plans
are for him to team up with veteran Torco Nitro Funny Car driver Dale
Creasy, Jr., who is a 2-time world champion (2006 and 2007).

Sometimes the apple
doesn’t fall far from the tree and Matt Smith proved that last Sunday in
Pomona, Ca. Smith, who turned 35 on Sunday, and is the son of seven-time world
champion Rickie Smith, captured his first career championship in grand style by
winning the final round of the 2007 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season.

For Smith, what seemed
like a mission impossible was very much possible.

“It was a wild day for
us,” Smith said. “I went in knowing that probably the best we could do was
second place in the points. Then I saw Andrew [Hines] red-light in the second
round and all I could say was ‘Wow.’”

The point leader Hines’
foul opened the door for Smith, who didn’t think twice about barging his way
onto the championship stage. Smith had no reservations about laying it on the
line.

The chances are very slim that IHRA mountain motor Pro
Stockers and Offshore Powerboats ever cross paths. This rare occurrence
transpired recently down in the Florida Keys when John Montecalvo loaned his
race rig to offshore powerboat racer Peter Meyer to use as a support vehicle.
Montecalvo also put his Chevrolet Cobalt on display, and that caught the eye of
offshore legend Reggie Fountain.

While Fountain’s name might not be a household one in the
drag racing community, his status in the offshore powerboat world is reportedly
akin to that of  “Big Daddy” Don Garlits
in drag racing.

“I was invited by a friend and the car immediately drew a lot of attention,”
Montecalvo said. “That’s when Reggie noticed our car.”