In 1965 Jon Lundberg was event announcer for the Super Stock Nationals
at York US 30 Dragway. The event turned out to be the largest one day
drag race in drag racing history and became known as "The Woodstock of
Drag Racing".
 
Some 42 years later he returns for the 2007 Sixth Annual Musclecar
Madness at the York Reunion & Nostalgia Nationals to be held at the
York Expo Center, York Fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday July 13th and
14th. Jon will be signing autographs and will do some cameo  announcing
during the festivities.
 
Over 800 performance vehicles will converge on the Toyota Arena as
legendary race cars and legends of drag racing appear at this one of a
kind event.  The show is the only one of its kind in the country to
feature an all encompassing lovefest with musclecars, drag racing cars,
street rods and the legends of drag racing all in one show.  History is
made at each and every show.

Stop the presses. Hot Rod Fuller is recanting the
story of how he hurt his knee in Norwalk. He’s saying it was all for
the challenge of obtaining a phone number instead of the infamous “I
had to potty” line.

“I saw a girl and I wanted to get her phone number, that’s why I jumped the fence,” Fuller said.

If that’s true, Fuller is learning that love can hurt.

John Force once said he lied to Eric Medlen when he counseled him about the merits of a race car versus the female gender.

"A woman will hurt you, but this car -- she'll never hurt you," Force said.

Force
could never shake the guilt of those words following Medlen's death
during a test session. It affected everything about him. His
personality,driving performance and inevitably his team.

Sunday's Bristol triumph finally allowed Force to let go.

A TRANSITION IS IN EFFECT

The change in demeanor for Force was different that some actually believed the body snatchers returned their Force. And
he was just like the old guy the media grew to love and to quote –
quite often.

What happened? Force got ticked off and in usual fashion – apologized.
It must have been the spirit of Eric Medlen that got the old truck
driver straightened out. This marked the first Force victory since
Medlen’s death.

“It feels good because I really rode my guys hard this weekend,” Force
said. “Everyone from all of our teams jumped in and made this hot rod
good today. I was a jerk towards them yesterday and when we got
together today for the driver’s meeting, I asked them to forgive me for
being a jerk because that ain’t how a leader leads. It’s really easy to
lead when you’re on top. When you’re in the trash, it is sometimes
tough to find your way out.

“I think Eric reached down and slapped me upside the head and said go
out there and be who you used to be. It might not win me any races, but
it will make my guys love me again.”

One had to sense divine intervention when Force came to the line with a
smokeless burnout in the first round. It was so ugly that Coil had to
turn his back on him.

“We get a bone thrown our way every once in a while,” Force said. “It’s
mass confusion up there and the glue box is extremely slippery. They
need to take that tire machine up there. I heard they lost their driver
and won’t be able to take it to Denver. I’ll be the first to volunteer
to drive it.

Bristol Dragway’s storied his history has been captured in the pages of a new
book compiled by
one of the Tri-Cities area’s finest photojournalists.

David McGee has followed drag-racing on the hallowed grounds
of Thunder Valley since its inception in the mid-sixties. He worked for many
years with the Bristol Herald-Courier as a reporter and photographer before
moving on to serve for four years as editor of the IHRA’s Drag Review
publication.

In that time, McGee grew even closer to the aura Bristol
Dragway presented. Two decades later, he’s invoking memories for many, including
himself.

Point standings (top
10) for NHRA professional categories following the Seventh annual
O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q at Bristol
Dragway, the 12th of 23 events in the  NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.  Rod Fuller, 861; 2.  Brandon Bernstein, 787; 3.  Larry Dixon, 761; 4.  J.R. Todd, 730; 5.  Tony Schumacher, 693; 6.  Bob Vandergriff, 615; 7.  David Grubnic, 584; 8.  Melanie Troxel, 551; 9.  Whit Bazemore, 549; 10.  Cory McClenathan, 539.

Funny Car

1.  Ron Capps, 873; 2.  Robert Hight, 753; 3.  Mike Ashley, 690; 4.  Tony Pedregon, 669; 5.  (tie) Jim Head, 647; Gary Scelzi, 647; 7.  Cruz Pedregon, 547; 8.  Jack Beckman, 530; 9.  Ashley Force, 510; 10.  Tommy Johnson Jr., 495.

Pro Stock

1.  Greg Anderson, 1,029; 2.  Jeg Coughlin, 943; 3.  Dave Connolly, 851; 4.  Jason Line, 717; 5.  Allen Johnson, 638; 6.  Kurt Johnson, 571; 7.  Larry Morgan, 564; 8.  V. Gaines, 552; 9.  Richie Stevens, 524; 10.  Warren Johnson, 507.

Final round-by-round
results from the Seventh annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
presented by Q at Bristol Dragway, the 12th of 23 events in the  NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Sunday's final results from the Seventh annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q at Bristol Dragway.  The  race is the 12th of 23 in the  NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Brandon Bernstein, 4.648 seconds, 317.57 mph  def. Bob Vandergriff, 9.236 seconds, 100.08 mph.

John Force said following his Bristol victory that the fourth team
will return and the assembly is already being addressed.

“John Medlen told me that he’s
ready to bring the fourth team back,” Force said. “We are addressing it and we
don’t exactly know where we are with drivers. We are talking to a few young
kids and we are just happy to be here.”

Torco's CompetitionPlus.com will have more on this story as it develops. 

MCMILLEN CLAIMS FIRST CAREER
KNOLL-GAS NITRO JAM
VICTORY

Veteran racer Terry McMillen, Elkhart, Ind., defeated first-time Top Fuel
competitor Jeff O’Neill during the CARS RV
& Marine & Motorsport Rocky Mountain Nationals presented by Torco Racing
Fuels. Both competitors came to Castrol Raceway seeking their first career
Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam event wins.

Other professional winners included Terry Haddock (Nitro Funny Car),
Ed Hoover (Pro Modified), Mark Thomas (Alcohol Funny Car) and Robert Patrick
(Pro Stock). Sportsman eliminations are still underway after a short
rain-delay.

McMillen, who entered Knoll Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel
eliminations qualified No. 7, ran a 4.953 in round one to take out Mike
Strasburg. His semifinal opponent was teammate Doug Foley, who had just
dispatched Bruce Litton. Foley was No. 1 qualifier and had event low ET of
4.581. However, in round two, Foley shook the tires at half-track and McMillen
took the stripe to advance to the finals.

O’Neill had a tough road to the finals as well. He took out points
leader T.J. Zizzo in round one with a 4.678, then Scotty Cannon with a 4.951,
both times clocking impressive reaction times.

Gilbertson Claims Top Nitro Funny Car
Spot

Bob Gilbertson,
Charlotte, N.C., earned the Knoll Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car top
qualifying honors before a standing-room only crowd at Castrol Raceway, the site
of this weekend’s CARS RV
& Marine & Motorsport Rocky Mountain Nationals presented by Torco Racing
Fuels. As the last of the fans packed into the Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam™ event, after
backing up traffic for miles in both directions all day long, Gilbertson used a
track record-setting 4.831 elapsed time at 312.13 mph to jump to No. 1 and claim
the Last Man Standing bonus points.