The nominations are in and it's time to choose the winners of the NSCA Specialty
Awards for 2006. These individuals have proven themselves to be the best in
their class demonstrating great dedication, performance, and dedication to the
National Street Car Association Drag Racing Series in 2006. 

In a show of loyalty to the NHRA and series sponsor POWERade, Pro Stock drag
racer Erica Enders has chosen to enter the 2007 season without the support of
Revive-USA by electing not to renew with the Dallas-based food, nutrition, and
beverage company, which sponsored her for the last four races in 2006.

Citing a potential conflict of interest with POWERade and
Coca-Cola's Full Throttle Energy Drink, Enders and her father
Gregg Enders, the general manager of the race
team, decided to pass on the three-year option that was part of Enders Racing's
initial agreement with Revive-USA.

On Friday, December 29,
2006, drag racing lost the ultimate fan and the staff of Torco’s
CompetitionPlus.com lost one of their dearest friends. We learned this morning
that Mike Aiello passed away at the UCLA
Medical Center
in Santa Monica,
Ca.

Morgan Lucas and J.R. Todd, two of NHRA’s rising young Top Fuel stars,
have proven quite capable of handling any quarter-mile challenge
they’ve encountered on asphalt, but neither expected to be driving a
bobsled in Lake Placid, N.Y.

“I was surprised because I really didn’t know much about it,” said
Todd, who agreed to join Lucas on a two-man sled for the second annual
Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge at the U.S. Olympic team’s training
site, Jan. 5-6.  “Morgan called and asked if I wanted to do it.  I
don’t know much about bobsledding except it was about the only thing I
watched during the Olympics. It definitely will be interesting.”

I am writing with the hope that you
will be able to help.  As you may know
the NHRA has announced that they will implement a “playoff” system for their
points this year.  There is a large and
growing group of fans that is strongly against such a system.  An online petition has been started at
http://www.petitiononline.com/nhra/petition.html

The goal is to gather enough
signatures which will then be delivered to NHRA as well as to Powerade.  We hope that this will impress upon them the
passion of the fans and our dislike of the playoff.  We hope that they will listen and reverse
this unwise decision.

Scott Kalitta used a string of consistent runs to win the second running of the
Australia VS. USA Top Fuel Showdown. Throughout the day Scott used a 4.67, a
4.56 and a 4.58 to take the win for the second year running.

"What a way
to end an awesome two days of racing. It was great to come down here last year
and even better to come back again this year", said Scott.

Scott's run to
the final is as follows:

On January 1st each year some people take the "polar bear plunge" while

others sit home and watch college football bowl games, but in West Salem,

Ohio racers are able to participate in the country's longest running New

Year's Day drag racing event, Dragway 42's Eighth Annual Hangover
Nationals.

This kickoff to the 50th Anniversary Season at Dragway 42 will
feature
heads-up racing on a 20.07 index for any street legal vehicle. In
addition,
if time and weather conditions allow, a 100% payback Gamblers Race
will
also be held as part of Monday's action.

DRM readers, get ready to receive a
surprise when Issue 1 for 2007 arrives in your mailbox. DRM is
currently undergoing a radical face-lift that will enable IHRA to better serve
its readers and advertisers with a stronger, more colorful DRM. The new
look will be more streamlined, more colorful and the size of a regular
magazine.

“We sit down
every year to tear apart the magazine, trying to figure out what changes we can
make to better serve our readers,” DRM editorial director Mike
Perry said. “One of the complaints we have
always heard about the magazine is the lack of color pictures. We decided to
reduce the size of the magazine to regular size and take the money we will save
on printing, materials and shipping and plow it back into providing more color
throughout the magazine. This is a drastic change, but we are very excited about
the new direction of DRM. I know our readers will love
it.”