Two first-time event winners visited the Motor Mile Dragway winner's
circle Saturday night at the conclusion of the ADRL.us Independence
Drags, although one of them had previously won the biggest title the
Flowmaster American Drag Racing League has
to offer.

Bubba Stanton (Pro Extreme) and Doug Riesterer (Pro Nitrous) won their
respective classes to cap an exciting day of racing Saturday in front
of another sold out ADRL venue. For Stanton, the event win was his
first in an ADRL points-earning event, although his other ADRL victory
- the Battle for the Belts world championship eliminator last fall -
made him the 2006 ADRL Pro Extreme world champion.

With his win Saturday night, Stanton jumped to the top of the
AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts points standings, leaping over Joshua
Hernandez (who did not attend) and Huntsville winner Jason Scruggs (who
recorded a surprising DNQ). Stanton's 1,544 points now leads Hernandez
by the rough equivalent of three round-wins.

After qualifying No. 7 with a 4.018 best, Stanton simply got better
with each eliminations pass he made. He opened with a 4.032 to oust
Dwayne Watkins, then followed with three consecutive 3-second runs:
3.997 to edge Michael Neal's 4.03; 3.990 to take a dramatic holeshot
win over Frankie Taylor's 3.971; and, in the final, a 3.971 to score an
easy win over Travis Swearingen, who shook and could not recover.

Reigning champion Tony Schumacher will try to become the first Top Fuel driver
this season to win a race from the No. 1 qualifying position after racing his
U.S. Army dragster to the top of the field Saturday at the seventh annual
O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q.

Schumacher, Funny Car
leader Tim Wilkerson, and hard-charging Pro Stock racer Jeg Coughlin all
finished the day on top of their respective ladders at historic Bristol Dragway
at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event. Coughlin's run to the top was the
most impressive as he went from out-of-contention to race favorite in 6.765
seconds. Like Schumacher, Wilkerson relied on his Friday night run to earn low
qualifier honors.

This
was Schumacher's sixth low qualifying effort of the season, which he secured
with his Round 2 pass of 4.544 at 321.12 mph. He then backed it up with
Saturday's quickest pass, a 4.585 at 322.58 mph in his U.S. Army dragster to
prove he has a car capable of winning its third trophy of the year.

FUNNY CAR DRIVER WILKERSON GRABS NO. 1 SPOT; SCHUMACHER
AND LINE ALSO NO.1 FRIDAY NIGHT AT BRISTOL

The largest crowd in
Bristol Dragway history watched independent Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson knock
off all the heavyweights to lead Friday's qualifying action at the seventh
annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q.

Wilkerson's 4.819 at
321.42 mph placed him alongside Top Fuel leader Tony Schumacher and Pro Stock's
Jason Line on the top qualifiers podium.

Racing without the
benefit of a teammate or a big-name sponsor, Wilkerson showed the little guy can
still hang with the big dogs, if only for a day. If his run stands, Wilkerson
will have a chance at his first No. 1 qualifying award since the Brainerd race
in 2004.

"The
people are usually pretty excited when they see an independent guy run good,"
said Wilkerson, who received an ovation from his peers when he towed back to the
pits. "There are a lot of teams in the Funny Car and Top Fuel ranks that give us
a lot of help. Don Schumacher has been letting me run his blower dyno here
lately. He'll probably lock the doors now on me but I hope not. There's a group
out here that pulls for the little guy and I think that's cool."

John
Force continues to qualify well, earning the fifth spot here with a 4.853 at
292.46 mph in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang. Daughter Ashley is 15th
with a 4.923.

NHRA, Motel 6, BRUT® and
Nitro Fish Wear have teamed up to select the Motel 6 “Ultimate Nitro Fan” at
ten events on the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule.  In conjunction with the “Ultimate Nitro Fan”
experience, the BRUT® and Nitro Fish Wear teams have offered access to their
teams.  Fans can register for the
“Ultimate Nitro Fan” sweepstakes online at NitroRaceFan.com or link to the
registration Web site through Motel6.com, BrutRacing.com, Nitrofish.com or
NHRA.com.

“We’ve been involved in many
motorsports series, and it seems drag racing fans are the most passionate about
their racing,” said Eric Studer, senior vice president of marketing services
for Accor North America. “Last year’s Ultimate Nitro Fan promotion was a big
success for Motel 6 and all our co-op partners. 
This year we’ll work with our good friends at Brut and Nitro Fish.”

In advance of the Mopar
Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver,
Colorado on July 14-15, a fan
will be chosen as the Motel 6 “Ultimate Nitro Fan.”  The “Ultimate Nitro Fan” and their guest will
receive two tickets for the Saturday and Sunday of the event, a full,
NHRA-guided tour of the track and its facilities, and will meet FRAM Top Fuel
dragster driver Cory McClenathan.

Master
tuner Rahn Tobler has had an exceptional career, and in the last couple
of seasons had Doug Kalitta in the championship hunt until the last
rounds of the last races. But, circumstances change, and Tobler
departed the Kalitta Racing operation after the Gatornationals, only to
land a short time later (just in time for the Las Vegas race) at Morgan
Lucas Racing. However, mere weeks after joining the team he moved on, a
decision made by the team owner.

We caught up with him in the pits at SREMP for a few questions.

Cory McClenathan and the Scott Griffin Motorsports Top Fuel team will
have a decidedly different look in their return to Bristol Dragway for
the O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals, Friday through Sunday.

231 years ago representatives of the original thirteen colonies laid
the foundation for a country that would come to be known as the land of
the free and the home of the brave.
 
This is more than just a day to illuminate the sky with fireworks. It’s a day of reflection and honor.
 
On this Fourth of July, the family of Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com
encourages you to pause in remembrance of those brave souls who stood
up for our freedom by declaring our independence from England on this
fateful day in 1776.
 
And pause as well to remember the brave soldiers who have stood on
battlefields around the world since that day to preserve freedom for
generations to come.
 
While Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com reaches a diverse world audience it
is very important that we make it crystal clear that we have an undying
patriotism when it comes to the country we are so proud to call home. 
 
Remember our troops as you celebrate this Independence Day. Pray for them, as well as for all POW/MIA and military families.
 
We are blessed to enjoy this day of freedom, and we wish you and yours a great Fourth. 
 
Sincerely,
 
The Staff of Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com

The Drag Racing Association of Women (DRAW) continues to be the most
unheralded organization dedicated to helping the families of every
injured drag racer, yet they continue to do their remarkable work in a
sort of media vacuum. Everyone even remotely connected to the sport
understands what this remarkable group of volunteers does, yet the
media pays very little attention, and racing’s officials, while openly
supportive, have long since ceased making their annual $25,000
contribution. Without that support the efforts of the women – and yes,
there are a number of men also involved – are more important now than
ever before.

We caught up with Rosalee Noble and her husband, Terry, at the Summit
Racing Equipment Nationals at SREMP (ah, what the heck, let’s just call
it what it is – Norwalk), and got this report. Noble reports that the
group took in slightly more than $59,000 at their annual auction that
took place during the Joliet race, stating, “We were very pleased with
the results.

As Funny Car points leader Ron Capps aims to solidify a place in the top eight
for the new Countdown to the Championship playoff beginning at the U.S.
Nationals on Labor Day, his familiar Brut Dodge Charger will sport Valvoline
colors at this weekend's O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol,
Tenn.

This is the second of four venues this season at which a Don
Schumacher Racing Funny Car will carry the Valvoline red, white and
blue.

"At Valvoline we are psyched for Bristol!" said Rob Stravitz, vice
president for global brands at Valvoline. "We have NHRA Funny Car points leader
Ron Capps running the Valvoline red, white and blue paint scheme and we have all
the DSR drivers running with Valvoline.

"We also have a stellar lineup
of Sportsman racers in Valvoline colors, and we have thousands of Valvoline
consumers watching the race in the stands and on ESPN2," added Stravitz. "If
that were not enough, Valvoline is the Official Motor Oil at
Bristol."