Gilbertson Claims Nitro Funny Car No. 1 Qualifier Honors at Mopar Canadian Nationals

Bob
Gilbertson gave the standing room only crowd at Grand Bend Motorplex a
thrill. Gilbertson (Gastonia, N.C.) shot to the top of the Knoll Gas
Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car qualifying sheet when he posted
a 5.011 at 258.91 mph in the Saturday evening qualifying session.

“Everyone
in Canada is pretty cool,” Gilbertson said of the huge Canadian crowd.
“Live Nation does a great job of putting these things on. I hope
everyone who came out today comes back tomorrow. We’re planning on
putting on a great show. We’re either going to blow it up, put it in
the wall or put it in the Winner’s Circle.”

Gilbertson will take on Andy Kelley in the first round while defending event champion Dale Creasy Jr., the No. 2 qualifier, will face Jack Wyatt.

The National Hot Rod Association has reported that veteran chassis builder Jerry Haas suffered a heart attack today in Seattle.

Haas, who is teamed with Erica Enders Pro Stock operation in 2007, was transported to Valley Medical Center in Renton, Wash., complaining of chest pains.

The
cause of the problem is believed to be a stint that in place from his
first heart attack had become constricted. It was repaired and Haas is
resting comfortably in the Intensive Care Unit. Haas could be released
as early as this weekend.

J.R. Granatelli got crossed up during qualifying at the 2ND Annual Motive Gear NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing
Presented by Nitto Tire. He heads for the Route 66 Raceway Christmas tree on this errant launch. (Kelly Pelrine Photo)

Gahm Breaks Down 6.20 Barrier


Runs quickest Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock pass in history during Friday qualifying in Grand Bend

Brian
Gahm, of Lucasville, Ohio, has made a habit of doing things first. He
became the charter member of the Quarter-Max 6.40s club during the 2004
racing season. He then, after that club was filled up, was the first
Pro Stock driver to run in the 6.30s to become the initial member of
the Lenco Transmissions 6.30s club.

Friday, at Grand Bend Motorplex during the Mopar Canadian Nationals
presented by Castrol, the fifth event of the 2007 Knoll Gas Nitro Jam™
Drag Racing Series, Gahm did it again. His 6.299 pass at 220.66 mph was
the quickest Pro Stock pass in recorded history and made Gahm the first
member of the Jerry Haas Race Cars 6.20s Club.

No matter how young you might be you’ve certainly heard the expression
“He wears his heart on his sleeve.” That, in a nutshell, is 18-year
fuel racing veteran Whit Bazemore’s persona.

For whatever
reason, Bazemore has never been able to stifle his emotions. While some
have blistered him for his openness and personal honesty while usually
completely ignoring how beneficial that honesty has been for the sport,
others – apparently in the minority – have rallied to Bazemore’s
defense for those very reasons. Ironically, at a time when even some
within the NHRA management team have decried the complete lack of
personal rivalries within the sport, when an individual like Bazemore
steps to the forefront with a willingness to speak his mind on any
number of subjects there are legions of fans who appear appalled at his
having done so.

Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com has heard from several sources
that the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) Board of Directors is
short one man after the sudden resignation of Barry Mano.

Mano came to the PRO from a professional referees
organization, and had the kind of vast union organizing experience that the
racing community was desperate for. His lack of actual drag racing
experience was apparently never a problem, as Mano was able to look at the
issues facing the sport without having any built in attitudes or feelings.

The gold “tribute” Dodge that was unveiled for driver Gary Scelzi last
weekend has generated a lot of talk among the fans, most of whom love
it. They aren’t alone. Scelzi was skeptical about the project, and
actually never saw the finished product prior to Thursday evening’s
Mopar Block Party in downtown Golden (there’s that word again), but he
was instantly sold.

“I
love it,” he said. “I’m not a big fan of gold, but when I saw this
thing unveiled at the block party I was impressed. Everybody out here
has also been impressed with it.”

Scelzi was under the mistaken belief that this would be a one-off
appearance of the car, but tuner Mike “Zippy” Neff informed Torco's
CompetitionPlus.com that the car would also appear at both Seattle and
Sonoma.

How much is eight thousandths of a second? Not much, admittedly, but
under the right circumstances it can be huge. In two recent races, the
Pro Care Rx Nationals at Englishtown and the Mopar Mil-High Nationals
in Denver, heat may have played a pivotal role in the outcome of Pro Stock Motorcycle competition.

Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and Bandimere Speedway are similarly
configured in that the competitors approach the starting line by
rolling under the control/VIP suite towers. When the weather’s hot as
it was at both races, the shade afforded by the tower can be
unbelievably important to the motorcycle competitors. If the lines are
long, the racers whose motorcycles are in the shade ultimately end up
with a considerable advantage over those who remain out in full
sunlight.

The Fifth Annual Women in the Winner's Circle Luncheon will be held at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26. This event is held annually to help
raise funds for the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation (formerly the Lyn
St. James Foundation), founded by racing driver and motivational speaker Lyn St.
James in 1993.

The Foundation is a non-profit educational organization
focusing on worldwide activities and programs for automotive safety and driver
development, especially for women who aspire to become race-car drivers. The
Foundation remains dedicated to continuing to train, advocate and educate for
diversity in racing until "opportunity" and "diversity" are no longer concerns
and are taken for granted.

To date, the foundation has trained over 230
female race-car drivers from 38 states and three countries through its Driver
Development Program and has contributed to Girls, Inc., the Wilbur Shaw Soap Box
Derby Hill in Indianapolis, and other charitable organizations. The WWCF has
also donated numerous autographed items for various charities throughout the
world.