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

THURSDAY - ESTN TESTING

Tom Hammonds (6.790, 204.66) and
Karen Stoffer (7.108, 187.21) led the NHRA Pro Stock Car and Pro Stock
Motorcycle divisions on the first day of the Eastern Spring Test Nationals
presented by Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com at South Georgia Motorsports
Park.
 
Sixty-five professional teams rolled through the
gates of the Valdosta, Georgia-based facility. Many teams performed maintenance
on their cars and plan to take advantage of the extended testing hours (9 AM –
10 PM) available on Friday. Temperatures hovered in the mid-seventy degree range
for much of the day.

JD RACER ADKINS MAKES THE LEAP

dragster-sccopy.jpg

Kalee Adkins is probably one of the most determined girls you will
ever meet.  This sixteen-year-old
Tennessean has set some major goals she wants to achieve.  Kalee is a junior at Sullivan East High
School, and maintains a 3.5 GPA.  After
high school Kalee would like to attend the University of Tennessee, and major in
Business Management and minor in Accounting.

 

She has just recently landed a major sponsorship with Mike Ashley’s
Lend America. Before Lend America, Torco's CompetitionPlus.com was her major sponsor for 2
years. "While I had Competition Plus as my major sponsor I got quite a bit of
attention," she said, "because you don't see many young drivers out there with
such a big name/company on the side of their car. This year will be all about
learning and understanding the car, we are going to start out doing bracket
races at Thunder Valley (Bristol Dragway, located in Bristol, TN), after we have
a couple of those under our belt we are going to start running many division two
races."

NHRA EXTENDS OIL DOWN PENALTIES

Given the significant increase in oil downs by both professional and
sportsman competitors, NHRA announced it will expand the oil down
policy to include all competitors attending each NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series national event.  The policy will be effective beginning
with the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 15-18.

Until this year, only professional competitors in Top Fuel and Funny
Car and sportsman racers in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny
Car in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, have been assessed oil
down penalties at national events.  Starting next week, an oil down
policy will be extended to professionals in Pro Stock and Pro Stock
Motorcycle, as well as sportsman racers in Competition Eliminator,
Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas and Super Street.

Oil downs, and more importantly down time associated with clean-up
efforts, affect everyone at an NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event,
including spectators, competitors, sponsors and television viewers. 
With curfews and schedules, the recent problem of oil downs in both
professional and sportsman categories, has caused in some cases
cancellation of qualifying sessions, early start times and very late
conclusions to the respective sessions.  

ANOTHER ROUSH AT IT

Though it has been nearly five months that the ROUSH Performance drag team has
been sidelined, the drivers are more than anxious to return to action with the
March 8-11 running of the 6th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA Spring Ford Nationals. This
event will take place at Bradenton (Fla.) Motorsports Park and is the first of
the seven race NMRA Ford Nationals season.

But don't make the mistake
that the offseason has been a leisurely time for the ROUSH team. In fact, it has
been anything but that.

Susan Roush-McCleneghan, daughter of motorsports
legend Jack Roush, will be competing in the ROUSH Modular Muscle class this
season, moving up from the Open Comp ladder. Her car, a 2003 Ford Mustang, has
been repainted over the winter and now sports a blue and silver scheme with
flames across the base.

BLOOD DID IT

The official 2007 March Meet poster and T-shirt will be a work of
art…literally. That's because renowned motorsports painter Kenny
Youngblood will create the artwork. Youngblood  will be on hand to sign
the poster and shirts at Auto Club Famoso Raceway during the famous
Mar. 9-11 event. Youngblood will also sell the original artwork, with
part of the proceeds going to the nonprofit Wally Parks NHRA
Motorsports Museum in Pomona, Calif.

ESTN PRE-ENTRIES - UPDATED

estn.jpgThe following are the pre-entries received for the 7th annual Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco's CompetitionPlus.com hosted by South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. Pre-enter today. Information about pre-entry can be found HERE .

WEATHER FORECAST FOR VALDOSTA

WEATHER FORECAST FOR ESTN

Weather.com 

RACE FUEL AT ESTN

Over 110 professional entries
will attend this week's Eastern Spring Test Nationals presented by Torco's
CompetitionPlus.com and race officials have ensured there will be enough octane
to go around. Eric Zerbe of Torco Race Fuels will have the same 18-wheeler on
the grounds of South Georgia Motorsports Park that he uses to service the IHRA
Nationals events.

PRUDHOMME MEETS COSTNER

Don “Snake” Prudhomme was at California Speedway for the NASCAR race
there Sunday, February 24 as he was being honored as the seventh
recipient of the Shav Glick/Justice Brothers Memorial Award for service
to Motorsports by a Californian. While there, he ran into Kevin Costner
and the conversation, as excerpted from Bill Center’s story in the San
Diego Union-Tribune, went like this:

HERBERT HIRES FLETCHER

Doug Herbert and the Snap-on Tools Top Fuel dragster team welcomed the newest
member of the team on Monday, March 05, 2007.

Dave Fletcher comes aboard filling the position of car
chief.

Originally hired into the drag racing world by Austin
Coil in 1984 to work on the Chi-Town Hustler Funny Car, Fletcher brings years of
experience to the Snap-on Tools team. Throughout his career, he has worked with
several drag racing notables, such as John Force, the Kalittas, Kenny Bernstein
and Del Worsham. The knowledge gained while working with such influential teams
will be invaluable as he becomes part of the Doug Herbert/Snap-on Tools team. In
his position as car chief, Fletcher will be responsible for managing the daily
activities of the crew as well as working with crew chief Jim Brissette to
ensure the Snap-on Tools team and dragster perform at peak level at all
times.

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