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

DAVE DANISH HOSPITALIZED

Dave Danish, general manager of Southwestern Int'l Raceway, an NHRA Division 7
track in Tucson, Ariz., remains in critical condition at San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland, Calif., after suffering a major heart attack
May 11.

According to family members, Danish was admitted to
the critical care unit, where his condition is very serious.

Cards and messages of support can be sent in care of
Mike Yurick, California Speedway, 9300 Cherry Ave., Fontana,
CA 92335, or via e-mail to caoperations@californiaspeedway.com.

SECOND-GENERATION MILLICAN HITS THE TRACK

His dad is a six-time series champion and 50-race winner, doing so by keeping
all four of his Top Fuel dragster’s wheels on the asphalt.  Dalton Millican,
meanwhile, is more content flying through the air and sliding around dirt
corners on his 4-wheeler.
 
The son of IHRA champion and current NHRA
competitor Clay Millican and wife Donna, Dalton must’ve inherited his father's
competitive genes because he’s placed third and second, respectively, in his
first two All Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) motocross events. 

 
“He’s not done too badly,” said Clay.  “I thought he did really well
with the third in his first national event. Then last weekend, in the debut with
his new sponsors – Knoll-Gas Motorsports and Lonestar Racing – he ran in two
classes at Red Bud (near Buchanan, Mich.), and finished second in Production C
class and third in Open C Unlimited. 

CREASY DONATES TO WORTHY CAUSE

creaseyDSA_5190.JPGTorco Nitro Funny Car pilot and reigning Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam World
Champion, Dale Creasy Jr., has pledged $100 for each round he wins to
the Wish Upon A Star Foundation during the 2007 Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam
racing season. Creasy has been a longtime supporter of the Joliet, Ill.
charity that grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.

"Dale has been supporting Wish Upon A Star for seven years," said Don
West, Executive Director. "Dale is always willing to give his time and
energy to help out with our fundraising events. Now we can cheer even
more for him because each time he races and wins it helps kids."

Dale Creasy sees the opportunity as extra motivation for his Creasy
Family Motorsports team. "It helps to know that every time we win a
round during eliminations we will be helping a sick child get their
special wish," Creasy said. "Don and all the folks at the Wish Upon A
Star Foundation do such a great job. It's really a pleasure to work
with them on this project."

IHRA PREPARES FOR RECORD-SETTING TULSA

soonernats07.jpgThe finishing touches on Tulsa Raceway Park are currently being completed as the
inaugural Sooner Nationals presented by Wolverine and Academy Sports + Outdoors
will put the Oklahoma drag strip at the center of the Nitro Jam universe May
25-27.

 

The event, the third on the 2007
Nitro Jam schedule, will bring IHRA’s brand of drag racing to an already booming
straight-track market. The Live Nation-Motorsports Thunder Jam, held annually at
Tulsa Raceway Park, historically draws among the
largest group of spectators on the series schedule. With significant facility
improvements in place IHRA officials do not expect the Nitro Jam event to be any
different.

MASTERS AUTO EXPO RELOCATES

The 2007 Masters Auto Expo, presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts, will held
at the Motor Mile Speedway and Dragway, in Radford, VA, and will run
Friday, July 6 and Saturday July, 7, 2007. 
This event will feature a custom automotive awards program and the
nitro-charged racing of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League. Gates open
each day at 9:00 pm.

 

There will be
eight classes of car show competition with the Grand Champion in each class
taking home $1,000 cash, awards and television feature on their winning ride.
The eight classes are: Motorcycles, TCI Trucks, Wild Custom, Street Rods,

BROWNSBURG NITRO OPEN HOUSES

Many auto racing shops in the Northfield Drive-South Point Circle area of
Brownsburg will open their doors from 10a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 26,
for race fans who may be in town for the weekend's events at O'Reilly Raceway
Park and the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Local
businessman Mike Green, of Brownsburg, is organizing the event and expects a
great turnout from race fans and the local community. "Brownsburg has always
had a rich history in racing, and recently we have added to the types of
racing and racing entities in our town. This event is to showcase to the
citizens of Brownsburg and race fans everywhere the racing industry
that we
are home to."

BRISTOL DRAGWAY'S JEFF BYRD SPEAKS

5-16-07bristol.jpgJeff
Byrd has understandably had better days in the office than the one he had on
Sunday.


Byrd,
the General Manager of Bristol Dragway, along with NHRA Senior Vice President,
Racing Operations Graham Light, was forced to make the unpopular decision to postpone
this weekend’s O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

The
concrete launching pad area of the track had been replaced, and for reasons
still unclear, the concrete just didn’t set the way it was supposed to. A top crew chief was brought in to check the track at the middle of last week, and at
that time he gave it his blessing. It wasn’t until the NHRA crew began to make serious
track preparations that the scope of the situation became evident.

MIKE ASHLEY'S SECRET FOR SUCCESS

saturday_stlouis0078.jpgMike Ashley has
plenty to be thankful for these days. The former Pro Modified
champion-turned-Funny Car driver has had the car to beat at the last three
events on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing schedule, and for him having that title
is sufficient for now. He just hasn’t reached the winner’s circle yet.

BLOW IT UP!

In the antithesis of his real job, NHRA Top Fuel driver Clay Millican is the
host of “Blow It Up,” a new program for SPEEDTV from the fertile mind of creator
Rich Christensen. 
 
Christensen, the man behind the successful “Pinks”
drag racing program, also on SPEEDTV, selected the exuberant, quick-talking
Millican for this new project.  The program features Millican devising a number
of ways to blow up engines in cars from an assortment of engine shops.  The
debut of “Blow It Up” is scheduled July 21.
 
“Clay is the minister of
destruction. It’s his show and his rules,” said Ray Iddings, brand manager of
Launch Hour and producer of “Blow It Up.”  “The shops bring out their finished
motors (in their cars) and Clay just punishes these cars.  We made it basically
the shop against Clay.  He’d tell them what he wanted done – from 30-second
burnouts, to launches, hot-lapping, or whatever until the engine fails.

TULSA PREPARES FOR IHRA EVENT

soonernats07.jpgThe Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series will host it’s inaugural event in
Tulsa, Okla., May 25 – 27. The event, the Skull Shine Sooner Nationals presented
by Wolverine and Academy Sports + Outdoors, marks the first national event drag
race to be hosted at Tulsa Raceway Park in the modern era. (Buy Tickets: http://www.ihra.com/results/2007/nitrojam.html).

“This is an opportunity for
Oklahoma fans to see the fastest and
quickest drag racing vehicles on the planet, including 330 mph Top Fuel
dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars,” said IHRA vice president of marketing Jim
Marchyshyn. “The event brings a great package of entertainment for hardcore
motor sport fans and the casual fan. Parents will discover the Sooner Nationals
is a great place to bring the kids and enjoy an affordable day of family
fun.

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