A Drag Race At The Strip At Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Is A Very Singular Affair 

Every race has a distinct
personality, none more so than the two NHRA POWERade events at The Strip at
LVMS.  In fact, there’s really a
considerable difference between the spring Summitracing.com Nationals and the
fall ACDelco Nationals.  But, just as
those events seem to have their own personalities, which in some respects seems
surprising because it is, after all, the same facility, there are also very
distinct differences between the two Pomona
events.  Beyond those duplications,
anyone who has attended or competed in the Gatornationals will tell you it’s
nothing like racing at Houston Raceway Park,
or in Atlanta
or at any other venue on the schedule.

PHOTO GALLERY 

On Saturday, November
4th, some of the baddest Pro Modified competitors on the East Coast descended
upon South Carolina’s Darlington Dragway for an eighth-mile, open Pro Mod
event.

The legendary facility,
which is undergoing a re-birth thanks to new owners Ronnie Siders and Bill
Wilson, saw “name” racers such as Tommy Mauney, Annette Summer, John Lynam,
Ronnie Hood, Todd Tutterow, Sonny Tindal, and more, 20 in all, take to the newly
paved track for a shot at the $5,000 purse.

Blue sky and sunshine
notwithstanding, temperatures struggled to climb into the upper 40s, but
die-hard fans didn’t seem to mind. Wrapped in warm winter garb, they enjoyed the
action in the pits and out on the track well into the night.

The most impressive
shot of the day was fired by Tutterow, who paced his supercharged ’41 Willys
coupe to a blast of 3.898, 190.88 during qualifying. The run didn’t count,
however, as Tutterow experienced tire shake on his first launch, backed up, and
launched a second time, voiding his outstanding effort. To add insult to injury,
the throttle hung open on the run, and the engine suffered severe
damage.

In the end it was the
nitrous cars prevailing as Randy Weatherford’s Corvette outlasted Brian
Williams’ Mustang in a classic Ford versus Chevy final round.

Keep
in mind that the next energetic fan you might meet could very well be a
potential sponsor.

NHRA
Top Fuel driver Troy Buff took a few minutes in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel
during the Dallas
event to talk to young fan Cole Runyan. Buff invited the youngster and his
father to come out to the races.

Ty
Runyan was so impressed by the gesture that he agreed to become a sponsor for
the upcoming event in Pomona.

Bill Miller's Top Fuel team is working hard at being on the cutting edge of technology. 

The BME team is continuing development of its proprietary blower, the

Gibson-Miller Mk II supercharger. The Mk II designation is a reminder of

Miller's days as a Navy submariner when he worked with Mk II
torpedoes.

PHOTO GALLERY

Goodguys Close Out VRA Racing Season
on a High Note at Famoso Raceway

Auto Club Famoso
Raceway, Bakersfield, CA - An abbreviated 2006
Goodguys/VRA Nostalgia Drag Racing Series came to a picture perfect end today at
Auto Club Famoso Raceway, just north of Bakersfield as all 14 class finals were run at
sunset. It was almost as if Mother Nature was in sync with the drag racing gods
– timing the whole thing just right.

The Nostalgia Top Fuel race outcome and the championship
points battle hung in the balance of the final which featured 2005 Goodguys
champion Rick White against 25 year old hard charger Sean Bellemeur. At stake in
the final for Bellemeur was his first-ever Goodguys Top Fuel event win and his
first-ever Goodguys Top Fuel Championship. His bid fell short just after he left
the line as his Plaza Hotel & Casino entry went up in smoke. White, who had
struggled all season, found the winning combination here at the ‘Finals streaked
away to win the event in 5.873 seconds. Utah’s Brett Harris, who had gone out in
today’s second round, won the Goodguys Top Fuel  Championship as his second
round finish here and big win earlier in the season at Pomona gave him the
needed points for his first-ever Goodguys Top Fuel title. Harris also set a new
Goodguys Top Fuel class speed record this weekend at
261.24.

Let us take you behind the scenes at the Bakersfield Fuel and Gas Championships. Roger Richards has provided us with this photo gallery. 

PHOTO GALLERY

Ron Capps was trying to
qualify at the Goodguys 8^th annual Fuel and Gas Finals and instead
placed first in the wheelstand contest. He also grazed both Bakersfield retaining walls. The end result
was an uninjured Capps, a wounded race car and one for the highlight reel.

At the hit, Capps experienced
exceptional traction in Jeff Gaynor’s classic Mopar flopper and put the car on
the bumper. The car landed hard (with apparent steering damage) and scraped the
left wall before slowing and eventually crossing over to make contact with the
right. (Photo captured from video)

CRASH VIDEO

THE VIDEO

Don Garlits has experienced some wild rides
in his day but few like the one he took during the Southern Nostalgia Shootout
recently at South Georgia Motorsports Park. “Big Daddy” did a 180-degree spin in
a front engine dragster.

Garlits brought his Swamp Rat VIII recreation to put on
a show for the fans. He made a short blast on Saturday and another on Sunday,
and participated in the Cacklefest on Saturday night. He spent hours talking
with his fans and signing autographs.

Check out our extensive photo gally by Roger Richards.

SEMA PHOTOS