Bill Windham
was unhurt after nearly flipping his car during a pass in Friday's evening
session.

Windham, from El Dorado Hills, Calif., got loose just
before halftrack. The car then slid across the
centerline, nearly flipping, but Windham was able
to bring back under control. (Brian Losness Sequence)

Although the announcement that Rahn Tobler
would take over the tuning chores for Morgan Lucas came a while back, Tobler
stopped us cold Friday morning when he said, “This is my first day!

Actually, the first time I saw the car was yesterday. The team brought
the car directly to Las Vegas from the Houston race, so when I went to the shop
in Indy only a few of the guys were there.”

Mike Kloeber, crew chief for the Clay Millican-driven Knoll Gas Top Fuel
dragster, says “we’re just trying to get this car to run a little better. Our
biggest issue is still safety,” he said. “There needs to be an expansion of
mandatory rules in the safety area.” Kloeber believes a complete study of the
fuel classes should be undertaken to determine what’s needed to keep the drivers
safe in the event of an on-track incident.

A FEW WORDS WITH AUSTIN COIL REGARDING THE JFR TESTING AT LVMS ON
WEDNESDAY

COIL: We found out that (John
Force) can see perfectly and driver the car okay with the new head restrain
system and more padding (around the roll cage), and many of the things our
wizard, Dr. John Melvin, says are way, way better for driver safety in the event
of an incident. Our concern was that with the padding that close to the driver’s
helmet that it might obscure his vision if his head came in contact with the
padding when the car quivers a little bit like it does on a normal run. We know
that when you have sever tire shake no
one can see. That wasn’t really the
issue, but we were concerned that if it obscured his vision it would actually be
a safety hazard, but it appears that everything’s
fine.

It’s not often when competing aftermarket companies are seen working closely
together, but that’s exactly what’s going on with two firms normally found in
NASCARland. Innovative Safety Products (ISP) of Concord, NC and Safety Solutions
of nearby Mooresville, NC are playing a significant role in the modifications
being made to many Funny Cars as a result of the Eric Medlen tragedy.

Kris
Van Glider of ISP manufactures complete driver compartment safety systems,
including seats, restraints and related accessories, while Trevor Ashline of
Safety Solutions specializes in head and neck restraints. Together they’re
producing items that will shortly become commonplace in NHRA competition, with
John Force Race cars being their first customers.

Ashline’s products
include the mounting hardware for dual straps that will attach to the front
portion of the driver’s helmet on either side of the chin to help keep the head
in place under acceleration. This system will replace the more commonly seen
single “tie-down” strap that many drivers currently have affixed to their
helmets, and that can let the head move from side to side.

According to a report in the Mansfield News Journal, construction for
the forthcoming Mansfield Motorsports Park has been delayed due to an
EPA permit snag. The facility has been delayed, but not abandoned.

MMP President Chris Mize says the project is still a go and the county
agreed to a land deal for 90 acres on Thursday afternoon. The Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency is not allowing further construction.

"We're waiting for the EPA permitting to come through, which has shut
us down," Mize said in the article. "The standard process is 150 to 280
days. Why it takes that long, I don't have the answers.

ASHLEY LEADS FUNNY CAR FIELD AT LAS VEGAS WITH FASTEST SPEED IN HISTORY

Schumacher and Coughlin also are early race leaders in their categories

Mike Ashley raced to the fastest Funny Car speed in drag racing
history Friday night at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.

 Tony Schumacher and Jeg Coughlin also were leaders in their respective
categories at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

NHRA PowerAde Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Karen Stoffer and Speed Dawg
Performance Apparel are pleased to announce the launch of Karen's new clothing
line. The Karen Stoffer Signature Series line of ladies active wear is comprised
of items that Karen has selected to fit her active lifestyle both on and off of
the track. The first two items, a ladies long sleeve v-neck t-shirt and a super
soft tank top both feature the Genuine Karen Stoffer Signature logo on the front
while a small Speed Dawg image and the NHRA PowerAde logo adorn the back just
below the neckline. Watch for more items to follow. Karen's new line will be
available in the Nitro Fish trailer during her events as well as through http://www.speeddawg.com.

O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is hosting the Nostalgia Pro Comp
Association’s season-opening Spring Nationals the weekend of April 28th
& 29th.  The NPCA will launch their 2007 sophomore season with over
150 members traveling from all over the Midwest and the East Coast for
their first event of the season long, five race championship series. 
NPCA President, Troy Coker declares 2007 as the “break out” year for
nostalgia drag racing that is located east of the Rocky Mountains. The
NPCA will invade the legendary ORP quarter mile with hundreds of racers
competing in 7 different classes of competition. Expect to see some of
the best that vintage drag racing has to offer, featuring Nostalgia
Fuel Funny Cars! Justin Grant will debut his brand new Don Schumacher’s
Stardust Cuda and compete along side Troy Martin in the famous Chi–Town
Hustler!  See one of drag racing’s living legends, Larry Dixon Sr.
driving his blown Altered at over 200mph! Also on tap are, Nitro
Burning Front Engine Dragsters, Blown Alcohol Funny Cars, Supercharged
Gassers, and much more ground pounding action!

When Kenny Bernstein's Monster Energy-sponsored Funny Car rolled out of
the trailer this morning it had the widened rollcage nearly identical
to that of John Force. (Photos by marty Reger)