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

MAURO MOTORSPORTS JOINS WITH OCEANS OF LOVE

Tommy Mauro of Mauro Motorsports has joined forces with Ocean of Love to collect
toys for children with cancer at the upcoming NSCA New Jersey Drags on May
19-20. The team will be racing in honor of these kids and request that all
racers and attendees help support them by bringing a new unwrapped toy to the
event. All toys will be collected at the Mauro Motorsports trailer and then
distributed to the children through Ocean of Love.

MAYSE CONTINUES HOT STREAK

robbieabilenewin.jpgIn the world of sportsman drag racing, it’s got to be good to be a Mayse.  The
Frost, TX based family racing team earned two DragRaceResults.com/Goodyear
Bracket Series national championships last fall, with eighteen-year-old Rustin
Mayse taking the Super Pro title, and his sister Misty Mayse earning the Junior
Dragster Crown, while family patriarch Robbie Mayse finished the season in third
place in the Super Pro Standings.
 
Already in 2007, Robbie earned a $5,000 Super Pro victory at the
DragRaceResults.com/Goodyear Bracket Series event at the Texas Motorplex, and
just weeks ago Rustin earned a whopping $50,000 payday for claiming the main
event of the Big Bucks Bracket Bonanza at Farmington Dragway in Farmington, NC. 
Last weekend at the DragRaceResults.com/Goodyear Bracket Series event at Abilene
Dragway, Robbie Mayse kept the family hot streak going with an impressive 8
round $5,000 triumph in the CSR Super Pro class.
 
“I‘m just trying to keep up with Rustin‘s winning ways,” joked the elder
Mayse.  “Seriously, we’ve had a good run of luck lately,” he explained. 
“Watching Rustin win the $50,000 race last weekend was one of the proudest
moments of my life.  He couldn’t make it here this week because he had his
senior prom, but it feels great to come out with a win here as well.”

BERNSTEIN - HIGHT INTERVIEW

This week's NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series teleconference featured two of the
season's hottest drivers, Brandon Bernstein, driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil
dragster in Top Fuel, and Robert Hight, driver of the Auto Club Ford Mustang
Funny Car. Both drivers are currently second in the NHRA POWERade Countdown to
the Championship in their respective categories. Only 10 races remain until the
Countdown to Four begins at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and championship
contenders are established as the top eight racers in each Pro category and
championship points are reset.

JEG JR'S NEW RIDE

Race guys are car guys and three-time NHRA champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. is no exception. The winner of 47 national events, who is currently third in the POWERade rankings, recently took delivery of a car he has been searching for in his spare time -- a 1960 Cadillac Series 62 four-window sedan. The car is one of only 9984 made.

NHRA'S FORD PS EFFORT

You just have to admire Jim Cunningham’s spirit. The man loves Fords and puts his money where his mouth is.

Cunningham’s Shelby Cobra has provided the only measure of pride for
Ford Pro Stock fans this season. Jerry Haas is driving Cunningham’s
award-winning ride. The car was voted Best Engineered during the St.
Louis event.

EDWARDS, KME JOIN FORCES FOR BRISTOL

KME, Inc., a provider of conveyor and material handling equipment to
the manufacturing and automation industry, is pleased to announce a
partnership with Mike Edwards Motorsports for the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder
Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., the weekend of May 18-20.

CLAY MILLICAN TO RUN RATT TRIBUTE DRAGSTER

Car to feature famous Eighties Band

 
ratt2.jpgStephen Pearcy and the rock band
RATT enjoyed their 1980s drag racing exposure so much that they are back for
more – literally. Two decades later, their name will be emblazoned on the Clay
Millican-driven, Evan Knoll dragster for the balance of the 2007 NHRA POWERade
tour promoting their upcoming June tour with another popular Eighties icon band
Poison.
 
The RATT – Back for More dragster will make its
debut in two weeks at Bristol Dragway’s O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals,
May 18 – 20.
 
Knoll, an admitted heavy metal and rock and roll
aficionado, has been chomping at the bit to get the tour underway.
 
“I can remember rocking in the Eighties to RATT,”
Knoll said. “When I cranked up my stereo, everyone in the neighborhood knew I
was listening to RATT. Come to think of it … nothing has changed. I still like
it loud. The neighbors still complain about the noise.
 
“Top Fuel and RATT makes the perfect
combination.”

TEAM KALITTA SKY GUYS

It’s nine o’clock Friday morning and
the usual suspects have started assembling in the vast airplane hangar at
Kalitta Charters. This group of Kalitta Motorsports fly boys of course includes
the two most well known flying Kalittas, drag racing patriarch Connie and his
nephew and quarter-mile ace Doug, who will soon take their respective helms as
pilots of this aerial adventure. Also on the passenger list are two Team Kalitta
crew guys who have crisscrossed the country many times taking off and landing at
one NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event after another with Doug and Connie.

Scott Finnis has been flying with
the Kalittas for the longest amount of time. Finnis’ association with one of the
most respected names in drag racing history began when he signed on in 1993 to
help as a crewman for Doug when the younger Kalitta was still driving open-wheel
Sprint racers in USAC. Finnis worked with the Sprint car team until 1998 when
Doug got the call from his uncle to go straight line racing in the family
business. According to Finnis, he helped back then with “everything but putting
together motors”. Doug, with the guidance of his father Doug Sr., crew chief and
engine builder Jerry Danowski and Finnis, captured the 1994 USAC Sprint Car
World Championship as well as runner-up points finishes the two following
years.

TROXEL MAKES HUGE COUNTDOWN LEAP

countdown.gifMelanie Troxel looks like she may have learned from 2006, a season that
began with her setting the world on fire only to settle back into
fourth place by season’s end.

Heading into last weekend’s O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals, the
seventh of 17 races in the first stage of the new Countdown playoff
format, Troxel was, instead of setting the pace, stalking the pace.

LUCAS CONFIDENCE LEVEL HIGH

Consecutive DNQs cannot break Morgan Lucas’ confidence.

“Last weekend was just a growing pain for us,” Lucas said. “We run a
different combination than Rahn [Tobler] is used to running. We are
just taking some time for him to get used to it and get acclimated with
how it works.

“Lance and Rahn are working well together. They are having fun. I think
when everything begins working as it should – it will be a perfect fit.
I just think that over time we will get the data we need. That’s all we
need.

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