With one race left to go in the 2014 season, the rumor mill is starting back up again. Sources close to the situation have told CompetitionPlus.com that 2013 NHRA Pro Stock series champion will get out of Pro Stock at the end of the year to devote more time to family and business.
We are told from multiple sources; Bob Vandergriff Racing will begin purchasing equipment and technology from Don Schumacher Racing for the 2015 season. Additionally, we hear Vandergriff's team will be based "very close" to Schumacher's Brownsburg, Ind.-based headquarters.
Multiple sources have confirmed with CompetitionPlus.com rumblings about the future of eighth-mile mountain motor Pro Stock racing. We hear discussions are going on which suggest the racers will have to provide a set amount of sponsorship with the Extreme Pro Stock division to continue to exist in the PDRA. This style of Pro Stock racing has been divided since the IHRA racers defected over to the then ADRL, and then were forced to choose between the ADRL and X-DRL.
Rumor has it there are some major crew chief shake-ups which will be made public as early as Wednesday. Our sources indicate as many as two top name tuners could soon be seeking employment elsewhere.
That's what we hear. In a bit of positive news, we hear with the incoming new nitro supplier Sunoco, the reported cost will drop below the $1,000 mark per 40-gallon drum. The benchmark for nitro pricing has been in the $1,100 mark for this season.
You know how those rumors get started. First a female Pro Stock Motorcycle rider sits in the seat of an A/Fuel dragster. Then people start talking. Angie Smith, wife of two-time NHRA bike champion Matt Smith, was nestled in the seat of an injected nitro car during the NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa.
A source close to the situation tells CompetitionPlus.com that Dave Connolly's Top Fuel career will begin on the Monday following the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev. Sources also have indicated the announcement regarding Bob Vandergriff Racing's future will be revealed over the course of the Las Vegas weekend.
This is the kind of news we like to hear. A rumor making its way around the mill suggests an associate sponsor on one major team will soon announce an upgrade from associate status to major sponsorship for at least 12-events for 2015. We hear this announcement could come as early as Indy weekend.
A highly placed source close to the situation tells CompetitionPlus.com the NHRA will reportedly no longer license their Unleashed series to the NMCA. We are told this will mean the revered Wally trophies will no longer be presented to winners and the event held in Pomona is quite possibly in serious jeopardy of not happening in 2015.
