Dave Northrop was unhurt after flipping the Nitro Fish
Wear Dodge Stratus R/T in the second round of qualifying for the 22nd annual
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals. Northrop's car came to stop on its roof and was on
fire, but he quickly escaped.

Northrop was 800
feet into his pass when his car made a sudden move to the right. He successfully
turned away from the wall and avoided contact, but the out-of-balance machine
caught some air and flipped onto its roof. He then slid across the track and
tapped the left-side wall before grinding to a halt.

In less than two years, Steve Torrence has
gone from Super Comp racing to NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Series Top Alcohol
Dragster champion to aspiring Top Fuel driver. 
 
And Friday Torrence
will make his first professional start in a Dexter Tuttle-owned, Evan Knoll
sponsored SKULL Shine/Torco Racing Fuels Top Fuel dragster.  The occasion is the
inaugural Torco Racing Fuels Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park at
Dinwiddie, near Richmond.
 
Torrence, who took one test ride in the new,
Brad Hadman-built dragster Monday afternoon, is excited to open a new chapter in
his racing career, one that has him teamed with rookie sensation J.R. Todd.

Pro Stock owners Kenny Koretsky and Greg Hill are
combining their racing operations, creating a two-car team they believe will be
a solid contender for the 2007 NHRA POWERade Series
championship.

“We are blending the teams,” said Hill, owner of the
Indicom Electric Chevrolet Cobalt team and Fast Boyz Racing, “and Kenny will be
driving my Cobalt for the final three races of 2006 and the full 23-race 2007
season. Kenny will begin driving the car in
Richmond
this weekend.”

Koretsky, meanwhile, will keep his Nitro Fish Dodge
team intact until the end of the season. Dave Northrop will drive the car and
Larry Morgan will supply the engines at races in
Richmond,
Las Vegas,
and Pomona,
Calif.

Snap, cackle, pop: yes, it's Cacklefest
time again at the 15th annual NHRA
California Hot Rod Reunion (CHRR), Oct. 6-
8. Cacklefest, held on Saturday
night, Oct. 7, is one of the many highlights
for fans during the 3-day,
fun-fest of nostalgic dragsters and hot rods at
Bakersfield's historic Auto
Club Famoso raceway.

Cacklefest will feature more than 40 historic
dragsters, push-start old-school,
front engine dragsters at the center of
the drag strip and firing them up,
creating a 'cackling sound'. "At the last
Cacklefest, the event was surreal,"
said, Greg Sharp, Reunion director and
curator of the Wally Parks NHRA
Motorsports Museum, producers of the event.
"Seeing these retired cars firing
up together brought the crowd to tears of
joy."

Evan Knoll has confirmed with Torco's CompetitionPlus.com that he will run a Top Fuel car in partnership with Forrest Lucas during the 2007 season. The driver has yet to be named but in all liklihood will be Melanie Troxel as Knoll has confirmed on several occasions that Troxel will have a ride.

Competition Eliminator All-Star Rodger
Brogdon of Houston will make the move to Pro Stock in 2007 behind the wheel of a
David Nickens-powered Dodge Stratus R/T. Brogdon will be leasing a motor from
Enders Racing and will share data with driver Erica Enders, however the two
teams will remain separate entities. Brogdon's team will run all 23 national
events.

"This is the next natural step in my driving career," Brogdon
said. "I believe most Comp racers would make the jump to Pro Stock if they had
the finances to do it. We're going to aggressively pursue some sponsors and give
this thing a champion-level effort."

IHRA Tech Director Mike Baker has confirmed
that a submission of a Toyota Solara body has crossed his desk but likely will
not gain approval. The Solara was not the only body style turned down. Baker
admitted he also said no to others, including a Ford GT500.