J.R. Todd experienced a tough month of March. Houston's triumph provided an
opportunity to cheer.The trials began with the abrupt departure of tuner
Jimmy Walsh and just last week the passing of close friend Eric Medlen. Today
was the completion of his most crucial mission ever.

"You bet your ass it was mission
accomplished," said Todd. "All week long I worried how long it would take me to
win a race so I could dedicate it to Eric and John Force Racing. I want to win
every race and every final round I am in. I know Eric was looking down on us. We
needed it for sure."

Two former teammates had one thing in common with two different outcomes. Their helmets controlled their respective destiny. 

Both
Ron Capps and Whit Bazemore experienced incidents where their helmets
got out of alignment temporarily breaking their attention and line of
sight. Capps won and Bazemore lost.

Some dreams conclude when you wake up. But for Joe Hartley, he kept pinching and  each time he was awake.

Hartley opted for a Cinderella impersonation instead.

Houston Top Fuel runner-up Hartley enjoyed the greatest day of his short
racing career by reaching his first Top Fuel final round.

From the start of the day with a cruel April
Fool's joke and learning why pits are called pits, to the final addition to the
AMS Five Second Club and a final round under the full moon, the AMS Staff
Leasing Pro Modified Challenge presented by Tindle Enterprises, Inc. proved once
again to be a stellar performance of top talent in the Pro Modified
world.
 
Conroe, Texas resident, Josh Hernandez, made it two in a row for
2007 and a three-peat in Houston as he won the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at
Houston Raceway Park and the coveted AMS eagle, defeating Scott Cannon, Jr. in a
peddle-fest final round under the lights, 6.208/225.26 to
6.227/233.72.

Funny Car driver Ron Capps has a plea to race fans and members of
the media:  Leave it alone.
 

Capps, who assumed the points lead Sunday in Robert Hight's absence, said he
wants the drag racing message boards, Internet sites, and newspapers to cease
speculation on what caused Eric Medlen's fatal accident. He said he's confident
that John Force Racing will release the information as soon as it is
100-percent certain. 

"I read the Internet sites just like anyone else," Capps
said. "I go for the news of our sport. I'm still a big fan of the sport. I
like to read up on the latest stuff.

Sunday's final results from the 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals
presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park. The race is the fourth of 23 in
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 20th
annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway
Park, the fourth of 23
events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Final round-by-round results from the 20th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals
presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park, the fourth of 23 events in the
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Whit Bazemore’s vault to the top of the Top Fuel
qualifying order, was his 30th career and first in Top Fuel. Bazemore
wasn't optimistic about Friday’s best run holding through Saturday’s
qualifying.

When Saturday's qualifying never happened, Bazemore didn't mind being wrong. 

Jerry Toliver didn't get to Gainesville, as he had
hoped. And he appeared in Houston,
with the Toyota Solara Funny Car that Jeff Diehl will drive for sponsor
Rockstar Energy Drink in International Hot Rod Association competition. But he
said Saturday he wanted to correct any rumors about his deal.

"Rockstar is extremely happy. We have a great relationship.
It's a three-year contract. We're just excited to get going," Toliver
said.