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

HOT DEBUT WITH A BANG

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Fire was not what Hannes Wernhart wanted to see again for a long time, let alone
his first time back in a race car.

But the agricultural innovator from
Bakersfield, California, who ironically drives for TNT Motorsports, saw his
Firebird nitro Funny Car erupt into flames just 100-150 feet off the starting
line Friday afternoon.

PIRANA-Z TO SPONSOR JONES TEAM

 

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Quarter-Max® Racing recently
made the announcement that they will field two new RJ Race Cars for their two
car team in 2007 with Mike Corvo Jr. driving the 2007 Chevy Cobalt and Frank Gugliotta driving the 2007 Ford Mustang.

 

Now, team owner Rick Jones
says “We are very pleased to announce that PiranaZ will be the primary sponsor
on the 2007 Ford Mustang that will be driven by Frank
Gugliotta. We are excited to be working with Mark Whisnant
from PiranaZ. They make some really cool apparel and we are proud to represent
them at the IHRA national events”.

2007 LEGION OF HONOR AWARDS

The 2007 recipients
of Legion of Honor Awards were announced this
week by the National Nostalgia Drag Racing
Association and will be presented
at the Sixth Annual Musclecar Madness car show at the
York Reunion and Nostalgia
Nationals to be presented at the Toyota Arena, York
Expo Center,
York Fairgrounds on
July 13-14,
2007.

Legion of Honor awards will
be presented on Friday, July 13th at 6 p.m. at
special ceremonies honoring twelve annual recipients.  Receiving the prestigious
 awards are George Weiler, Birdsboro, PA; Wally Bell, Fredericksburg, VA; Ray
Allen, Upland, CA; Ralph Truppi, North Branch, NJ; Walt Weney, Jr.,Spring
City, PA; Harold
Ramsey (posthumous) Chestertown,
MD; Paul Mayo,
Ginter,
PA; Bernie Agaman, Eatontown, NJ; Tom Sneden, Bryantown,
MD; Don Yenko (posthumous) Washington, NC;  Marvin Rifchin,
Waltham, MA; and Malcolm Durham (posthumous)
Hyattsville, MD.

DRAG RACE CANADA'S DRAG RACER OF THE YEAR

Following a month long mid-winter on-line polling period Canada’s
premier all drag racing website, www.DragRaceCanada.com has announced
the results of the 3rd Annual Canadian Drag Racers of the Year
voting. The pole which is co-presented by DragRaceCanada sponsor Eaton
Electrical, allowed drag racing fans worldwide to select the top
Canadian performer in four categories from last season. The response
from the voting public was tremendous. In fact the number of votes cast
on-line doubled that of the previous year.

Quebec’s Daniel Mercier, who rode his injected-nitro Top Alcohol
Dragster to a number of firsts by a Canadian, was selected by fans as
the top Professional Driver for last season. Mercier, under the capable
guidance of his crew chief Serge Blanchette and talented supporting
cast, ripped through the NHRA Division One TAD circuit last season. By
winning three races consecutively, Mercier took the overall Northeast
Division points championship becoming the first Canadian to achieve
that. Mercier also made history during September’s rain-delayed Toyo
Tires Nationals when he became only the fourth Canadian driver to win a
National event title in the class – and the first to do it with an
injected nitro car. Overall Daniel received the most votes in all of
the categories and gathered a highly impressive 70.5% for Pro
voting. London, Ontario’s Paul Noakes, who enjoyed a career season in
Alcohol Funny Car racing by claiming two IHRA national event wins last
season, placed second.

EATON SPONSORS MILAN DRAGWAY'S "RUN WHATCHA BRUNG"

Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation is proud to
announce it’s sponsorship of the 2007 “Run What Ya Brung” class held
during the Skinny Kid Race Cars Friday Night Heads-Up Racing Series
held at Milan Dragway. Eaton, no stranger to Milan Dragway, continues
to grow its involvement with the Milan facility and it’s patrons
through programs such as this.

“We are thrilled to be part of this series,” said Mike Rasnick, Lead
Technologist for Eaton’s automotive group. “Milan’s Friday Night
Heads-Up events are wild and intense. The “Run What Ya Brung” class is
what Drag Racing is all about. Run what ya brung and hope ya brung
enough”.

O'REILLY AUTO PARTS RETURNS WITH SUPER CHEVY; 4 NEW DATES

Roger Gustin, President of AutoStar Productions, Inc., producers of the
Super Chevy Show, announced the addition of O'Reilly Auto Parts to
their Title Sponsorship list for 2007 season. Gustin stated, "We are
pleased to have O'Reilly Auto Parts back as a sponsor of our Super
Chevy Show's. O'Reilly Auto Parts is one of the fastest growing
companies in America. They do an outstanding job of marketing through
racetracks and motor sporting events. We look forward to working with
O'Reilly's to accomplish both of our respective goals of promoting the
automobile through classic show cars and drag racing."

O'Reilly Auto Parts, located in Springfield, MO, is the Selected Event
Sponsor of 11 shows in 2007 at the following Super Chevy Show Tour
locations: Columbus, OH; Memphis, TN; Huntsville, AL; Atlanta, GA;
Bristol,TN; Indianapolis, IN; Chicago, IL; Kansas City, MO; Tulsa, OK
and San Antonio, TX. Spectators will be able to get $3.00 off coupons
towards admission, at O'Reilly retail locations within these
markets. At each event, O'Reilly Auto Parts will display automotive
aftermarket products for spectators and participants and will also have
various giveaways at each event.

TMP ADDS TWO PMRA DATES

PMRA returns for Victoria Day Weekend and KC Auto Family Day Thunder Fest

To start off its third year of competition, the Pro Modified Racing
Association will be returning to Toronto Motorsports Park outside of
Cayuga, Ontario for the track’s Victoria Day Weekend May 19 and 20, and
the popular KC Auto Family Day Thunder Fest sponsored by KC Auto Parts
on Saturday, June 16.

The first PMRA race was held at TMP in 2005, and Carl Spiering of
Jordan Station, ON, bested Al Billes of Barrie, ON in a stellar field
of Pro Modifieds.

CANNON RETURNS TO NITRO RACING

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Drag racing icon Scotty Cannon will return to the nitromethane wars after a
three year absence. Cannon, of Lyman, SC., will drive Evan Knoll’s personal Top
Fuel dragster and fly the banner of the Seelye – Wright Auto Group throughout
the 12-event IHRA Championship Drag Racing series.
 
Cannon will serve as crew chief with
assistance from Jim Ermolovich and Todd Blakely. The team will debut late March
during the IHRA Texas Nationals in San Antonio, Texas. Knoll will also be
involved in performance monitoring on the team.
 
“This is an exciting time for this team,” Cannon
said. “I am looking forward to this. It’s been a while since I drove a dragster
and the experience is something I am looking forward to. This will be a
tremendous challenge. There’s nothing like running a nitro car.”

BERNSTEIN EARNS FC LICENSE

Six-time NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein today completed the required
runs at Firebird International Raceway necessary to obtain his Funny
Car license. NHRA rules state that a competitor must make two runs of
250 mph or faster and two runs of 5.50 seconds or quicker.

On January 29, Bernstein clocked 5.312 seconds at 209.85 mph in his
Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car and made a second run at 5.146
seconds, 271.13 mph.

After waiting for rain showers to subside for the past two days,
Bernstein today fulfilled the final speed requisite with a run of 5.94
seconds at 296.89 miles per hour.

ADRL TESTING

A number of drivers and race teams are expected to make their first
appearances of the year when the  Flowmaster American Drag Racing League
holds its first test session  Saturday and Sunday at Montgomery Motorsports
Park.

The track, which features a new racing surface, will be open on
both days for open testing runs for all interested ADRL competitors. The 
weekend test session will also provide those in attendance a preview  of
the track where the 2007 ADRL season will open two weeks later.  The ADRL's
third full season of competition kicks off Feb. 16-18 with 
the ADRL
SpeedTech Winter Drags.

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