Shelly Payne crashed during the second round of AMS Pro Modified eliminations during the Torco Race Fuels NHRA Nationals in Richmond, Va. Opponent Tim Tindle aborted his run early and that very well prevented a two-car crash. Payne was walking around after the accident but later admitted to a local hospital for observation. She is expected to be released today according to a crew member on the team.

Torco's CompetitionPlus.com is on hand for this weekend's NMRA World Finals - Bowling Green, Kentucky

PHOTO GALLERY

From newly crowned 2007 World Champion Josh Hernandez delivering a blazing
5.990/241.67 performance, to 2006 World Champion Jay Payne opening his
parachutes after 600 feet in his second qualifying attempt and failing to
qualify for the 16-car field, the AMS Pro Mod Challenge presented by Tindle
Enterprises, Inc. once again delivered an amazing show in front of packed
bleachers and standing-room only fans at the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals
in Richmond, Va.
 
Hernandez and his Howard Moon-tuned Tommy Lipar Racing
'68 Camaro were the highlight of the day, ripping off a straight-down-the-groove
shot that set both ends of the Virginia Motorsports Park record and brought the
crowd to their feet with cheers.
 
"That was a wild ride," Hernandez said.
"I know it looked good on the video and for the fans, but inside the car it was
all over the place. The nose lifted and dipped, and I was fighting it all the
way down. When I looked up and saw the numbers, I was really
amazed.
 
"What a testament to Howard and the team, but also this whole
class. The guys out here have really been pushing the limits, and have pushed us
so hard all year. My hat's off to all of them," he said.

On the strength of his 45th career No. 1 qualifier Saturday at the Second annual
Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals, Tony Schumacher joined three other drivers in
clinching their berths in the Countdown to 1, the two-race championship that
marks the end of the NHRA Playoffs.

The Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals is the
fourth and final race in the first round of the NHRA Playoffs, which will halve
the field of eligible championship contenders from eight to four. There remains
one spot open in the Countdown to 1 in Top
Fuel, three in Funny Car and two in Pro Stock and
those final berths will be set at the conclusion of Sunday's race, which begins
at 11 a.m. ET.

Michael Ogburn of Mission Viejo, Calif., won the $5,000 first place prize in the
Mopar Hemi Challenge held during yesterday’s JEGS Pacific SPORTSnationals at
Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, Calif. Ogburn drove his vintage ’68 Barracuda to
an 8.75 to earn the final round victory over John Rains of Santa Paula, Calif.,
who slowed the final. Rains also competed in last week’s JEGS Northern
SPORTSnationals in Columbus, Ohio, which was won by Charlie Westcott Sr.
   

“This was a great win for out whole team,” said Ogburn, especially our
engine builder, Harry Holton. Nobody knows more about making these [Super Stock
Hemi] cars run that Harry does. I’m just the lucky guy who gets to
drive.”
   
The Hemi Challenge was the highlight of an action-packed day
of qualifying and eliminations at the second annual Pacific SPORTSnationals, an
event that features more than 500 of the best NHRA amateur drag racers.
   

The SPORTSnationals also featured special eight-car Shootout-type events in
Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street. Del Cox
Jr., of Downey, Calif., defeated Chip Rumis of Ramona, Calif., to win the Top
Dragster Shootout and in the Top Sportsman Shootout, Joe Roubicek of West Lake
Village, Calif., stopped Gary Ross of Trabuco Canyon, Calif. in the final round.

An NHRA official confirmed with Torco's CompetitionPlus.com today
that the civil case of Julie Russell versus the NHRA and the Goodyear
Tire & Rubber was settled yesterday. This comes just days before
the case was scheduled to go to court.

The NHRA official would only comment the case had been settled and declined to reveal any details.

FRIDAY QUALIFYING - ONE ROUND OF
QUALIFYING COMPLETED AT RAIN-SLOWED TORCO RACING FUELS NHRA
NATIONALS

Brandon Bernstein, Tommy
Johnson Jr. and Dave Connolly hold provisional No. 1 qualifying
positions

Fourth-place Brandon Bernstein's fight to hold onto one of the four spots in the
inaugural Countdown to 1 got off to a great start Friday night as the
second-generation Top Fuel pro earned the provisional low qualifier position at
the second annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals.

The son of legend Kenny Bernstein blistered Virginia
Motorsports Park with a 4.549 at 321.58 mph to outrun the four drivers looking
to replace him in the final leg of the first
round of the NHRA Playoffs.
Tommy Johnson Jr. leads Funny Car with a solid 4.790 at 312.06, while scorching-hot Pro Stock points leader
Dave Connolly showed the way in the factory hot rod class with a steady 6.649 at
207.24 mph.

"That was big," Bernstein said. "To qualify in the
top half and get those extra points gives us a little bit of a cushion. But it's
still going to come down to a round-by-round deal on Sunday. We just have to go
rounds on Sunday and hope we go more than [Bob Vandergriff] goes and even Whit
[Bazemore] and the others. They're all right back there."

Earlier this week, the city of Concord, NC., voted to rezone the
property owned by Bruton Smith and Lowe's Motor Speedway. This
effectively killed the plans to build a drag strip on the property.

An online petition has been created to show support of a drag strip.

You can sign the petition by logging onto CHARLOTTE DRAG STRIP PETITION .

The year was 1957 and Chevrolet was
introducing to the world what would become the most sought-after car ever to be
built, the ‘57 Chevy. In a small town in South Carolina another legend was being
born as well.  L.B. “Junior” Steed had a dream to open a drag racing track for
the world to see. He started clearing land and laid out his facility…little did
he know some of the biggest names in motor sports history would soon be visiting
him every month. Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and Ronnie
Sox would frequent the track, lining up next to the local racers and each other.
The years went by and Jackson came to be a household name in the racing
industry. Many tracks in the area came and went but Jackson withstood them all.

Being one of only two 1/4 mile tracks in South Carolina, Carolina
Dragway (originally named Jackson Dragstrip) was certainly destined for
greatness. At 25 acres Jackson was a large track in the 50's and 60's, but as
time passed the size of the facility grew out of necessity. Steed bought up as
much surrounding land as possible and kept expanding on his dream. Then, in
1985, it was time for a change.