ADRL President Kenny Nowling has been recognized by Drag Racing Online e-zine as their Man of the Year.

The National Hot Rod Association, which has set the bar among
Motorsports sanctioning bodies in the field of diversity, was selected
as one of two finalists for the prestigious Diversity in Motorsports
Award following a 2006 season that was highlighted by the emergence of
Auto Club Road to the Future winner J.R. Todd.

The other finalist is the Urban Youth Racing School and the winner will
be announced next week, Tuesday Jan. 9, 2007, at the 11th annual Urban
Wheel Awards ceremony, which will take place at the Max M. Fisher Music
Center in Detroit. The Urban Wheel Awards ceremony is the only official
event honoring African-Americans, Latinos and Asians during the North
American International Auto Show.

Torco's CompetitionPlus.com has just received an email from the IHRA
chaplain Renee Bingham informing us that Funny Car racer Vinny Arcadi
has died after a battle with cancer. We will post details once they are
available.

Ron Capps, driver of the Brut
Revolution Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car in the
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series, will greet fans and sign autographs at the
Motorsports 2007
Presented by VP Racing Fuels Race Car show at Atlantic
City¹s Convention
Center on Jan. 12.

Capps, three-time season
runner-up in the Funny Car championship chase, will
participate in two
autograph sessions - from 1-2 p.m. and again from 3-5
p.m. - at the Brickel¹s
Racing Collectibles (of Leesport, Pa.) display which
will also feature the
race car driven by two-time Nextel Cup champion Tony
Stewart.

Nearly 250 racers from 4 states traveled to West Salem, Ohio's Dragway 42 to
kick off the new year at the track's 8th Annual Hangover
Nationals.Vehicles ranging from classic Mustangs to Corvettes, diesel
pickups to daily drivers battled each other and winter weather conditions
for eight rounds of racing on a 20.07 index.

Veteran driver Scott Weis, who has driven in the nitro ranks since 2000, has
been named the driver of the Scott
Griffin Motorsports Top Fuel Dragster for the
2007 racing season with a major associate sponsorship from Barrett Enterprises.
Serta Mattresses and Isky Cams will continue their involvement in an associate
role. The team is ready to tackle a limited NHRA schedule with two IHRA
crossover races, the Spring Nationals and World Finals at Rockingham
Dragway.

Torco's CompetitionPlus.com Australian friend John Baremans (Dragster Australia) was on hand for the USA versus Australia Boxing Day festivities. Take a glimpse at his extensive photo gallery.

PHOTO GALLERY  

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announced it has signed a
three-year sanction extension with Pittsburgh
Raceway
Park. The track,
located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh, hosts a Summit
Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by Mr. Gasket event, and beginning in
2007, will be the new home of the North Star Summit Team
Finals.

“We’re thrilled
to see the Tedesco family step up and renew their sanctioning agreement to give
IHRA racers a home in western Pennsylvania,” said IHRA
President Aaron
Polburn. “They continue
to make improvements to their facility and remain one of IHRA’s premier
venues.”

In just his first year competing in the Pro Top Outlaw
series Phil Esz captured his first championship.  The series, which is primarily
raced at 1/8 mile tracks, fills the gap between bracket racing and Top Alcohol
or Pro Mod.  It didn’t just happen overnight though, Esz has been in and out of
various racing circuits since he was just 15 years old.  The manufacturers rep
for engine rebuilding equipment went to 9 final rounds and won 6 races during
the 2006 race season.

After finishing a respectable seventh in his first season in the NHRA North
Central Division Top Sportsman standings, Mike Coughlin heads into the 2007
season with a goal of challenging for the series championship. Coughlin debuted
his JEGS Mail Order Chevy Cobalt in late April and found the winner’s circle a
short time later when he claimed his tenth career national event win at the JEGS
NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals at National Trail Raceway.