Warren Johnson will become just the seventh member of the drag racing community
to enter the International Motorsports Hall of Fame when he is inducted on
Thursday, April 26. The six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion (1992-93, 1995,
1998-99, 2001), multiple national-record setter and driver of the GM Performance
Parts Pontiac GTO will join a select group representing drag racing in the
International Motorsports Hall of Fame that already includes Wally Parks, Bob
Glidden, Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Don Prudhomme and Joe Amato. In
addition to Warren Johnson, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame class of
2007 will include Bruton Smith, Junie Donlavey, Ray Hendrick, Jack Ingram and
Wayne Rainey.

FRIDAY - FOLEY NO. 1 TOP FUEL QUALIFIER
AT ROCKINGHAM

Haddock, Rowe, Munroe and Mansfield
Also Provisional Top Qualifiers

Doug Foley, Sewell, N.J., earned
the No. 1 spot in Knoll-Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Top Fuel after the
first round of qualifying Friday at the Spring Nationals presented by Advance
Auto Parts and Castrol. Other No. 1 qualifiers at Rockingham Dragway include
Terry Haddock (Nitro Funny Car), Danny Rowe (Pro Modified), Terry Munroe
(Alcohol Funny Car) and Rob Mansfield (Pro Stock).

Foley clocked a 4.552, 320.74 to take the top position. He won the
“Last Man Standing” as well. Points leader Bruce Litton, Indianapolis, sits in
the second position with a 4.631, followed by Michael Gunderson and Scott Weis
at 4.677. Bobby Lagana Jr. sits on the bump-spot.

“The car moved around quite a
bit,” said Foley. “It was a great run for us. That’s what we needed to come out
and do. Everyone is running so tough this year that every point is going to
count.”

Haddock, of Lynnwood, Wash., earned his first career provisional No. 1
qualifier in Knoll-Gas Torco Racing Fuels Pro Nitro Funny Car. He ran a 4.995
pass and locked up the “Last Man Standing.” Dale Creasy Jr., the current points
leader sits second, followed by defending event champion Jack Wyatt and Todd
Simpson. Jon Capps is on the bump-spot. Gastonia, N.C.-resident Bob Gilbertson
is currently not in the field.

The only thing more important to a Top Fuel driver than talent is the
ability to see. For a period of nearly a year, newly christened Top
Fuel driver Terry McMillen had that taken away from him.

McMillen's eyesight woes began late in 2005 after successfully
licensing to be a Top Fuel driver. He gained valuable help from Evan
Knoll, but even his employer/sponsor couldn't assist him in this
battle.

NHRA Top Fuel driver J.R. Todd will be a guest on SPEED-TV's Wind Tunnel
program, hosted by Dave Despain, Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT.  The driver of Dexter
Tuttle's SKULL Shine/Torco Racing Fuels dragster will be interviewed at the
team's shop in Brownsburg, Ind.

Drag Racing champ Brett ‘The Boss’ Stevens will be back on his home track at Willowbank Raceway, Queensland, on April 28 to turn up the heat for Round 6 of the Australian Top Doorslammer Championship at the QT Tin Top Titles.

Del and Chuck Worsham's pet side-project, their Blue Max nostalgia Funny
Car, may make an appearance this weekend.  Worsham is planning on entering
the car in the one-day Nostalgia Nitro Shootout event, at Auto Club Dragway
in Fontana, Calif.  In real throw-back tradition, the father and son team
will be handling much of the wrench turning, as well. 

Every
Friday, Torco's CompetitionPlus.com brings you our Feedback letters.
Read what our readers have to say about our feature articles and you
can even offer your opinions.

FEEDBACK FRIDAY - APRIL 20

NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car rookie Alexis De Joria is excited about her chances
going into this weekend's Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at "The
Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  De Joria ran a career best 5.86 second pass
in testing on Thursday, and feels the Tequila
Patrón/Jack O'Bannon Racing team is ready for more career-bests throughout the
weekend.

He’s big, he’s
imposing, he looks like, in his younger days, he could have lifted engine blocks
with one arm – but he’s a pussycat.  Drag racing abounds with nice
guys.  Just ask around.  When you’re cruising through
the pits, stop someone in a team uniform, any team uniform, and ask them if
there are any nice guys around, and the person you question won’t know who to
turn to first, there are that many of them in drag racing.  And Ken
Black ranks right up there near the top of the list.

           

His first real brush with national name
recognition came during his six year Pro Stock partnership with fellow Las Vegas
construction magnate George Marnell, but in recent years it’s his ownership of
the two Summit Racing-sponsored Pontiacs driven by Jason Line and Greg Anderson
that have vaulted him into the headlines.  When he added the Top
Fuel car driven by Hillary Will to his stable it became obvious to everyone –
Ken Black is a “player” like few others currently competing in drag
racing.

           

We caught up with him Sunday morning for
a little conversation.