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

WIN A HARLEY-DAVIDSON OR RACE TECH DRAGSTER IN 2007 SUMMIT SUPERSERIES

For this season’s $250,000 Summit SuperSeries, IHRA has once again
teamed with Race Tech Race Cars to provide the grand prize for the 2007
Box category World Champion.

The winner will receive a turnkey
dragster courtesy of Race Tech, constructed from the highest quality
performance products donated by some of IHRA’s contingency sponsors.
 Race Tech, of Burlington, N.C., has manufactured award-winning,
high-performance race cars and racing components for motorsports
professionals across the country for more than 15 years. Their cars
have set performance records for some of motorsports best teams and
their tradition of quality craftsmanship and dedication has earned them
an outstanding reputation in the industry.

ASHLEY FORCE ON A FAST TRACK IN CASTROL GTX FORD MUSTANG

Following almost a year of supervised testing and months of media
speculation, John Force confirmed Tuesday that his second oldest
daughter, Ashley, will move up in classification this season to drive a
fourth Ford Mustang Funny Car for John Force Racing, Inc., Castrol and
the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Ms. Force, who turned 24 last Nov. 29, will drive an 8,000 horsepower
Castrol GTX Ford prepared and maintained by first time crew chief Dean
“Guido” Antonelli who, for the last 12 years, was a member of the crew
that helped John Force win 10 of his 14 NHRA championships.

LSJ FOUNDATION AWARDS FOUR SCHOLARSHIPS

Four young female race drivers were awarded scholarships at the
four-day 12th annual LSJ Foundation Driver Development Program held in
Phoenix Dec. 8-11. The recipients were 15-year-old Chelsea Shillig,
16-year-old Kristen Daggett, 16-year-old Kerstin Smutny and Shannon
McIntosh, 17.
 
This year's group of 15 outstanding female racers from 13 states were
challenged at the four-day event, founded by former Indy 500 competitor
and motivational speaker Lyn St. James. Dr. Jacques Dallaire of
Dallaire Consulting and the Core Performance team at Athlete's
Performance in Phoenix put them through the paces mentally and
physically. They also were schooled in the business of racing by media
specialists Judy Stropus and Matthew Brammer and financial/business
expert Linda Conti. Volkswagen factory off-road race-team owner/driver
Mark Miller led a discussion on the subject of sponsorships, while Mike
Loescher of Finish Line Racing School of Edgewater, Fla., spent a day
covering chassis setup and other valuable racing and technical
subjects. The students also raced go-karts at theBondurant Super Karting School at Firebird Raceway and worked with the
Bondurant High Performance Driving School cars and instructors on the
autocross and skid pad.

JEGS CONTINUES TO GROW WITH NHRA

JEGS Automotive Inc, an industry leader in the high-performance
mail-order parts business, has extended its sponsorship of the JEGS
Super Quick Series through 2008 and will be sponsoring a special JEGS
Showdown as part of the NHRA North Central Division's new Top Dragster
class this year. 

"My brothers and I, along with many of our
associates at JEGS, enjoy this type of bracket racing very much," JEGS
vice president John Coughlin said.  "We've sponsored the JEGS Super
Quick Series for a decade and have enjoyed our relationship with NHRA's
Division 3 a great deal.  They put on great races and we're proud to be
a part of it moving forward.  Drag racing is an important part of our
business and one that our entire organization is passionate about. 
It's an exciting time in our sport and we are happy to continue to grow
with the NHRA."

2007 NSCA SCHEDULE RELEASED

The National Street Car Association has announced the 2007 schedule for
the NSCA Drag Racing Series. This year’s schedule departs from the past
with National Trail Raceway in Columbus, OH playing host to both the
season opener and the finals. The season kicks off April 28-29 with the
first trip to the historic Ohio dragstrip. The second stop on the
schedule will be at Atco Raceway in Atco, NJ, the first of a two race
tour of the northeast. The 9th Annual Jim Sellers Memorial at Cecil
County Raceway in Rising Sun, MD in June completes that portion of the
tour and then it’s back to the midwest. In July, all the action will be
happening at the incredible US131 Motorsports Park in Martin, MI
followed by a return to the nostalgic Thompson Raceway Park in Chardon,
OH in August. The season finale finds the association back at Columbus,
OH for the 10th Annual World Finals on September 22-23.

“HOT” ROD FULLER EAGER TO BEGIN 2007 NHRA SEASON

Three-time NHRA Top Fuel winner “Hot” Rod Fuller will pilot a Top Fuel
dragster for David Powers Motorsports, team owner David Powers
announced today. Fuller will hit the track for preseason testing with
new teammate Whit Bazemore at the National Time Trials near Phoenix on
January 26.
 
“David Powers Motorsports will run two race cars, one driven by “Hot”
Rod Fuller, which will be sponsored by Valvoline for the first two
races of the 2007 season as previously committed to by the team,”
Powers said. “The other car will be driven by Whit Bazemore and
sponsored by Matco Tools. We’ll have a new modern hospitality area
flanked by both race teams that will house up to 300 guests, along with
a new tech trailer. We couldn’t be more excited about our team heading
into the season.”

CAGNAZZI RACING HIRES BRAUN SMITH

Cagnazzi Racing is pleased to announce that Braun Smith has joined the team as the new director of business development. Smith takes over the role previously held for the
past three years by Dan Pikarsky who has been promoted to senior vice
president of business development. 

In his role, Smith will be responsible for identifying new partnership
opportunities for the Slammers Ultimate Milk and Torco Race fuels
teams, as well as developing new sponsor partners for Cagnazzi Racing.

FIRST LOOK - MIKE ASHLEY'S TORCO/LUCAS FLOPPER

Torco's CompetitionPlus.com just received this Rod Burke rendering of the new Mike Ashley Torco Race Fuels/Lucas Oil Dodge Charger Funny Car.

YORK REUNION AND NOSTALGIA NATIONALS

Musclecar Madness of the
60's and 70’s comes alive for the sixth straight year at York Reunion and
Nostalgia Nationals  presented at the Toyota
Arena, York Expo Center, York 
Fairgrounds on July 13-14th and the 
Nostalgia Nationals drag race at Beaver Springs Dragway on Sunday, July
15th presented by Toyota trucks.

The Sixth Annual show will
feature a Gasser Reunion that will be attended by the best of the best of the
gas coupe and sedan category of the NHRA. 
Gene Altizer will debut his newly restored Anglia, while Vinnie
Musiciaro of New York
will debut the recently completed

DRAG RACING TAKES CENTER STAGE

The Blackhawk helicopter was circling over Baghdad.
 
And one of the U.S. Army’s finest pilots was
on the cell phone in those dangerous skies, connected to his National Hot Rod
Association pals in Pomona, Calif. He wanted to know the outcome of Top Fuel
driver Tony Schumacher’s final-round run.
 
The championship was hanging in the balance.
Doug Kalitta, who had led the standings for the entire second half of the
season, had the Powerade Series title locked up – unless Schumacher could win
the final round against Melanie Troxel with
a national record-setting elapsed time.
 
In 4.428 seconds, Schumacher did it to clinch
his fourth championship in the Army Dragster. The Run will live in legend. The
miracles of modern technology will stay in Schumacher’s memory.

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