:::::: News ::::::

COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE

Thu, 2007-06-28 07:29

Maybe this was what Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Skoal team needed, a little pressure from their bosses.

Racing in the shadow of Skoal’s Greenwich, Conn. headquarters, with two
busloads of employees watching, Johnson ended a season-long slump by
winning his first race to move up from 12th place all the way to
eighth, just inside the Countdown cutoff.

Johnson was the No. 1 qualifier and had the best car in three of four rounds of qualifying, so it’s not a surprise that he won.

Not unless you were in Englishtown and saw the inferno after his first-round win that melted his Chevy Impala SS body.

BOGACKI WINS BIG

Thu, 2007-06-28 07:24
Luke Bogacki added to what may be the most successful season of his career last
weekend at the Southern Survival Series event at Music City Raceway.  There,
Bogacki drove his beautiful CSR Performance Products backed American dragster to
a $10,000 triumph in Saturday’s main event. 
 
Bogacki defeated close friend Jeremy Jensen in the final round, culminating
an awesome string of stellar reaction times and close runs from his Huntsville
Engine & Performance powered machine.  On his way to victory, Bogacki
knocked off notable hitters W.G. Miller, Clint Dishman, Phillip Chester, Kenny
Dixon, and more before squaring off with Jensen in the final round.
 
“Jeremy and I had a little fun in the final.  We‘re real good buddies, so
it was a victory for both of us to run each other at the end,” said Bogacki. 
“We split the money and dialed-in at 7.00,” laughed Bogacki.  The final round
dial-in made for an interesting run, as Jensen had been running 5.4’s all day,
to Bogacki’s 4.90’s. 

PETER OSTERIO PASSES

Thu, 2007-06-28 07:19
World renowned businessman and IHRA Alcohol Funny Car driver Peter Osterio
passed away Wednesday after experiencing a sudden heart attack.  Osterio, 53,
immigrated to the U.S. from Australia to pursue his passion for drag racing.  He
is survived by his wife Ann K. Marshall, and brother Brian Osterio.
 
Away from the track, Osterio, a graduate of the University of
New South Wales in Sydney, Aus., was a successful business man in the corporate
world, operating his company, The Osterio Group, which specialized in Business
Processes, Risk Control, Audits and Corporate Governance.  He gave numerous
seminars all over the world to corporate clients and was the author of five
books on business risk, control and audit. 
 
Prior to moving to the United States, Osterio raced drag bikes
in his homeland of Australia.  While racing bikes he befriended the late Elmer
Trett of Top Fuel Bike fame, along with current Top Alcohol Funny Car racers
Steve and Jenelle Harker.

BRUCE LITTON'S 2ND CAR

Wed, 2007-06-27 17:05
Twenty-six year-old Jeff O’Neill will make his competition debut in drag racings
ultimate category, Top Fuel Eliminator July 6-8 at the IHRA Cars RV & Marine
Rocky Mountain Nationals presented by Torco Racing Fuels at Castrol Raceway in
Edmonton, Alberta.  O’Neill, who hails from Pennsdale, PA is no stranger to the
driver’s seat or the winners circle, having honed his skills in sportsman
vehicles since the age of eight.
 
Back in November, O’Neill earned his Top Fuel competition license at the
wheel of Litton’s Lucas Oil backed machine, and has since patiently waited his
opportunity to compete at the sports highest level.  That opportunity presents
itself in Edmonton, as O’Neill will pilot a team car for former IHRA Champion
Litton.  O’Neill will be working with the same Litton team that gave 2006 NHRA
Rookie of the Year J.R. Todd his first opportunity behind the wheel, and also
aided multi-time IHRA Champion Clay Millican’s progression into the Top Fuel
ranks.

DOUG KALITTA SR. PASSES

Wed, 2007-06-27 15:33

Doug Kalitta, Sr., the father of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel
driver Doug Kalitta and brother of drag racing legend Conrad “Connie” Kalitta,
lost his battle with cancer yesterday. He was 67. He passed away at his home in
Mt. Clemens, Mich.

THE SNAKE'S PITS

Wed, 2007-06-27 14:35

Make no bones about it. The Snake loves Englishtown. You could tell
because Don “The Snake” Prudhomme fired up a cigar for the press
conference following his double win as a team owner during the NHRA Pro
Care Rx SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

“I don’t smoke these often,” Prudhomme said to the members of the media
as he fielded questions surrounding victories by Larry Dixon (Top Fuel)
and Tommy Johnson, Jr. (Funny Car).

Prudhomme had two homes as a driver -- Gainesville and Englishtown. He won five times in Gainesville and six at Englishtown.

As a team owner, he’s won five times in Englishtown and thrice in
Gainesville. Englishtown now has favored status as the site of his
second career “double-up.”

LAWSUIT FILED IN SELMER TRAGEDY

Wed, 2007-06-27 12:23

The first lawsuit was
filed in conjunction with the Selmer, Tennessee Cars for Kids tragedy, according to a CNN.com report.

Bruce Replogle, whose
15-year old daughter Scarlett Replogle was among six deaths attributed to the
accident, filed a lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages.

The lawsuit names promoter
Larry Price, driver Troy Critchley and AMS Staff Leasing Inc. as defendants.

Authorities have reported
that Troy Critchley was performing a burnout during an annual parade and lost
control of the car, striking a utility pole and then bouncing into the crowd of
onlookers.

NHRA ADJUSTS PSM WEIGHT

Wed, 2007-06-27 10:43

The NHRA has unified the weight minimum for all brands of PSM.

Effective immediately, the minimum weight for Suzuki, Buell, and
Harley-Davidson V-Rod Pro Stock Motorcycles will be 620 pounds. This adjustment
is based on race performance and on maintaining parity among the brands.
The next race for the PSM class is this weekend's POWERade Drag Racing
Series event in Norwalk,
Ohio.

WHIT'S NEW LOOK

Wed, 2007-06-27 10:05

bazemore.jpgIt wasn't exactly what we had in mind, but a new look adorned the back for Whit Bazemore on the back of the David Powers Motorsports trailer Monday morning in Englishtown. The vandal might have given Bazemore a black eye on the rig, but in all reality, he gave Englishtown one. 

ESPN2 EXPANDS BRISTOL SHOW

Wed, 2007-06-27 08:47

Television coverage of final eliminations of the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder
Valley Nationals presented by Q at Bristol Dragway has been expanded an
extra 60 minutes to create a three-hour block from the highly
anticipated NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event July 6-8. Sunday's
broadcast on ESPN2 will air from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

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