MotorSports

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Art Evans looking for Help

December 21, 2005

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Members of ISVP,

I need your help. Please open the attachment. I want to use this photo in my next book, but I’m having trouble identifying all the folks in it.

Please see if you recognize any. Thanks,

Art Evans, The Fabulous Fifties Association,
800 S. Pacific Coast Hwy,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
phone 310-540-8068,
fax 310-373-5988
http://www.fabulous-fifties.com
f50s@yahoo.com

Thursday, September 15, 2005

F-1 WARMUP

TUCSON AZ, SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 (WDB-News). ...From our automotive engineer Tom Monroe we get a short quicktime movie of an F-1 car engine as it warms up at 5,000 rpm idle speed and revs to 15,000 rpm. NOTE the throttle response and the white hot headers after shutdown.

Click on the following link and also click on the quicktime logo to start the movie or the start pointer to move the title away.

http://www.clanstar.com/upload/files/Presspley_F1_Fireup.mpg

If you need a free QuickTime player, here are two URLs, one for Mac the other for Windows..

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/mac.html

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

Saturday, July 30, 2005

“LANDSPEED” LOUISE WINS VALENTINE AWARD – AGAIN!

Duarte, Calif., July 23, 2005 WDB —The Southern California Chapter of the Society of Automotive Historians, Bob Ewing, Valentine Award Chairman is proud to announce the winner of the annual James Valentine Memorial Award is “LandSpeed” Louise Ann Noeth, columnist for the Goodguys Goodtimes Gazette and author of Bonneville Salt Flats. The award for periodicals is granted for Excellence in Automotive Historical Research was presented for her column “What’s FIA World Land Speed Record Worth?”

“This makes Louise our second two-time winner,” explained SAH Selection Committee Chair Bob Ewing at the presentation ceremony held at Justice Brothers Racing Museum in Duarte, California on July 23rd, “and the first to ever win in two separate categories.she was first recognized for her book, Bonneville Salt Flats in 2002”

The Valentine Memorial Award is named for the late J.H. Valentine, at one time the recognized authority of automobiles built in Los Angeles. Always a strong supporter of the Southern California Chapter SAH, Valentine devoted his life to accurately compiling nearly insignificant data on early automobiles one by one. With no chance of personal wealth, he ensured that future historians would have a large quantity of priceless material.

The Valentine Award guidelines favor books, magazines or manuscripts with a Southern California slant, but does not preclude significant historical milestones anywhere in the world.

“After Nolan White died attempting a world record out on the Bonneville Salt Flats it hit me that he paid the ultimate price. . ., to get his name in a record book, or website,” said author Noeth of the column, “Although many land speed racers set FIA world records, pay fees in advance and satisfy all regulations, the FIA has rudely ignored them for decades. I’m grateful that others recognize the insulting, shabby treatment of American land speed racers who are uncommonly courageous and deserve better.”

Requests for a copy of the winning article made be made to: landspeed@adelphia.net

Monday, May 16, 2005

VINTAGE AMERICAN ROAD RACING CARS 1950 -1990

Book Review
by Doug Stokes
Authors HAROLD W. PACE and MARK R. BRINKER
Pages 304 Size 10x10+/-
Pictures 300 +/- Color and Black and White
PUBLISHED BY MOTORBOOKS INTERNATIONAL ST. PAUL, MN.
ISBN 0-7603-1783-6 2004 $60.00

First of all, I was very pleased to be asked by editor Tom Jakups (actually, I asked him) to review this book. 

If you are even slightly as enraptured by these halcyon times as I am; put this journal down and go buy this book.  That’s the short form, now here’s the full review:

Duarte, California, May 10, 2005 (WDB). ...  It’s exceedingly difficult for me to understand how a book so wonderfully comprehensive can be so very entertaining.  How could such a book crammed with hard facts, and cold figures, and exact measurements be such a magic carpet ride back to the halcyon days of American road racing?  I’ll just answer my own question if you don’t mind: “Let Harold Pace and Doctor Mark Brinker loose to research and write ‘Vintage American Road Racing Cars 1950-1970’ and you have a real masterwork.”

This great new book, which took this pair just over a year to write, is just a sheer joy to leaf through.  Within its 304 pages the reader will be reminded of (or introduced to) the days of American racing when average people (all with their passion gauges pegged) dreamed, designed, engineered, scrounged, built, and raced their own creations. 

You’ve heard of many of the protagonists the likes of Shelby, Gurney, Kurtis, Arciero, Reventlow, Penske, and Hall …They’re all here … But there’s over 500 more in here!  Names and machines, each with a story, each with a reason, each a part of the grand tapestry.  Read it straight through (one guess on who did that), or pick it up a page at a time; either way you’ll never cease to be spellbound by the facts of the matter.

Brightly written, accurate, articulate, this large-scale book is totally unstuffy and (as you must have gathered by now) eminently readable.  To say the book is “well illustrated” might be a click or two too weak.  This book is chocked-full of great photos that put flesh and bones on the memories of a wonderfully diverse group of north American road racing cars. 

These are the true tales of machines that were mostly hand made because their makers had a better idea of how it should be done.  Of particular interest are the mini-interviews that this book is seasoned with.  The authors tracked down many of the men who built the cars and asked them some of the questions that we all would like to know.  The results are insightful, modest, and now (thanks to Hal P. and Doc B.), part of the permanent record, these notes personalize and humanize the book and it’s heroes all that much the more.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Grand National America’s Golden Age of Motorcycle Racing

BOOK REVIEW:
by Doug Stokes
Author Joe Scalzo
Motorbooks International
ISBN 0-7603-2064-0
Pages 192 Size 10x10+/-
Black and White - 200
$34.95US

Duarte, California, December 24, 2004 (WDB). ... PRE-GRID: There’s always something achingly familiar about the best of Joe Scalzo’s racing books.

QUALIFYING: There’s something about the matter-of-fact way that Joe uses racers’ nicknames, about how he layers on detail upon detail, and smokes up emotions that only someone who had been there might know. 

These are not those public “secrets” that everyone has heard, these are none of the oft-told folk tales … And certainly not any of the stuff that’s been kicking around for years. 

This is the square shit, recalled, recorded, and (on paper at least) RE-LIVED by a guy who was there when it was all going down, and, who, happily enough, possesses the straight-ahead, square-shouldered, let-it-fly, wound-tight, eyes-open, teeth-clenched, gut-level writing talent to relate it back to us in what seems for all the world like real time. 

An example, Scalzo’s long out-of-print “Stand On The Gas” is the indelible record of American Sprint Car competition that, from page one, deliberately kicks clay right in your face, makes you nauseous from the smell of burning rubber and raw methanol, and then proceeds to get you all queasy airsick from the all the unscheduled flight time that his subjects collected before the crash wagon or the coroner collected them. 

That heart-hammering book from the 60’s laid bare the lives of the men who pounded those hulking pogues into the horrible high banks of Winchester way way too fast and then held on by sure dint of cussedness. 

Scalzo spit out the stories of the racers who raced each other with such a ferocity that most now believe Joe was exaggerating wildly … No way, no how, in fact, if anything, some think that this guy may have been playing it down a gear or two to make the telling a bit more palatable for the general public.

A couple of Scalzo “car” books that are still very much in print are his:  “American Dirt Track Racer”, and, “Indianapolis Roadsters 1952 – 1964” both of these MBI-published volumes pack a wallop as well.

Monday, March 28, 2005

36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals

Wrap Up - Gainesville Raceway

Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Florida, 2003-03-24 (WDB). ...

TOP FUEL

��������� Doug Kalitta, from Ann Arbor, Mich., raced to his 20th career victory and second at Gainesville Raceway in his Mac Tools dragster. It was Kalitta�fs first victory of the �f05 season. He defeated three-time Gatornationals winner Larry Dixon in a thrilling final round where both machines lost traction at the start and the drivers were on and off the throttle in a tire-smoking finish.

��������� Dave Grubnic, from Ennis, Mont., earned the seventh No. 1 qualifying position of his career. He powered his Zantrex-3 dragster to a time of 4.481 seconds at 331.85 mph.

��������� Tony Schumacher set the track speed record by posting a speed of 333.95 mph during qualifying.

��������� Schumacher, who lost in the second round, maintained his POWERade Series points lead, eight points ahead of Morgan Lucas.

��������� The crew members on Doug Kalitta�fs Mac Tools dragster collected $3,000 for winning the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship at this event.

�
FUNNY CAR

�������� Whit Bazemore, from Indianapolis, raced to his 18th career victory, and first at Gainesville Raceway in his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T, defeating a red-lighting Bob Gilbertson in the final round. With the victory, Bazemore took over the POWERade Series points lead for the category.

��������� In his semifinal victory over John Force, Gilbertson�fs Autolite/Prestone Monte Carlo experienced an engine explosion and spectacular fire. His crew was able to rebuild the car in time to make the final round against Bazemore.

��������� Rookie driver Robert Hight claimed his first No. 1 qualifying award, driving his Auto Club Ford Mustang to a performance of 4.749 at 325.96.

��������� Force set the track speed record in his Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang with a 329.42 mph blast.

��������� Phil Burkart, the points leader coming into the event, failed to qualify in his Checker Schuck�fs Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo, dropping him to fifth place in the points order.

��������� The crew members on Del Worsham�fs Checker Schuck�fs Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo collected $3,000 for winning the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship at this event.

PRO STOCK

��������� Jason Line, from Terrell, N.C., earned his fifth career victory and first at Gainesville Raceway, driving his KB Racing Pontiac Grand Am past Dave Connolly�fs Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier in the final-round.

��������� Line, a former NASCAR engine builder, is the third different winner in as many races in Pro Stock category in 2005. There were only four different winners in Pro Stock for the entire 2004 season.

��������� Greg Anderson, from Charlotte, N.C., collected his 34th career No. 1 qualifying award by clocking a national record performance of 6.633 seconds at 208.23 mph in his Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am. Anderson earned 20 bonus points for setting the national elapsed time record.

��������� Dave Connolly�fs runner-up effort moved him back into the POWERade Series points lead.

��������� Connolly earned a $1,000 bonus for earning the Motel 6 �eWho Got the Light�f award when he defeated Warren Johnson by .0088-of-a-second margin in the semifinal round of Pro Stock eliminations.

��������� No. 16 qualifier Rickie Smith, driving a Chevy Cavalier, anchored the quickest field in NHRA history with his qualifying time of 6.709 seconds.

��������� The crew members on Greg Anderson�fs Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am collected $1,500 for winning the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship at this event.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

��������� Veteran rider Steve Johnson raced to his second career victory and moved into the POWERade Series points lead for the first time in his 18-year career. In a final-round battle between Suzukis, he defeated Craig Treble.

��������� Andrew Hines, from Indianapolis, collected his ninth career No. 1 qualifying award by clocking both ends of the national performance record with a 6.991 second elapsed time at 197.45 mph on his Screamin�f Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. Hines earned 20 bonus points for setting the national elapsed time record.

��������� For becoming the first rider to break the seven-second barrier, Hines earned a $10,000 bonus from Mickey Thompson Tires. Hines�f milestone performance of 6.991 seconds gave him the coveted title of the inaugural member of the NHRA Mickey Thompson 6-second Pro Stock Bike Club.

��������� GT Tonglet posted the track speed record of 197.45 mph on his Screamin�f Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. Although Hines holds the national record at the same speed, Tonglet gets the track record because he posted the speed first.

��������� No. 16 qualifier Blaine Hale anchored the quickest field in NHRA history with his qualifying time of 7.149 seconds on a Suzuki.

��������� The crew members on Geno Scali�fs Trim-Tex Suzuki collected $750 for winning the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship at this event.

�

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - RACE, March 20, 2005

Weather: Sunny, dry. Temp: Air 34-37��C, Track 46-52��C, Humidity 50-57%

Sepang (MAL). 2005-03-22 (WDB) . ... - The BMW WilliamsF1 Team achieved it s first podium of the season today with a brilliant 3rd place from Nick Heidfeld, who also equalled his best Formula One finish ever. With 20 laps to go Mark Webber retired after an accident when he was battling for third position.

Nick Heidfeld: 3rd
Chassis: FW27 04 - Best time: 1:35.712min (lap 40, 2nd overall)
I am very happy, this was the most exciting race I ever had in F1. I pushed hard from the start since I had to recover from my 10th grid position and I had a good race with some exciting overtaking. It was real fun. At a lot of stages I got involved in battles with two other cars and we had several good fights, but in the end I got the upper hand. The car performed well and so did the BMW engine and our Michelin tyres. Still, as usual in a hot race when it is the last thing you would like to happen, I had a problem with the drink bottle from the very first laps, which made my life more difficult.

Mark Webber: DNF (accident - lap 37)
Chassis: FW27 03 - Best time: 1:36.026min (lap 20, 5th overall)
I had a pretty good start and set it into a reasonable rhythm and after the first pit stop I started to catch Fisichella who was holding me up quite a lot as his tyres were finished. I had Ralf behind me and I knew he could pounce anytime. We had a tight fight but I got in front of him in the end. Then with 20 laps to go I closed up with Fisichella again. His tyres were getting worse and worse, I passed him at turn 14 and left him plenty of room. Then Giancarlo came on the inside on the next corner and I knew it would be difficult for him to stop on the dirty side. I went back onto the clean side and I think Fisi braked too late, locked his tyres on the dirty stuff, lost the rear end and took my car out.

Sam Michael (Technical Director WilliamsF1):
It was a good day for us showing that the car performance is improving steadily. Nick proved himself to be a fantastic racer with all the overtaking he did without causing any incident. He drove the second fastest lap of the race and finished third coming from tenth. We have scored some points which we definitely needed and it is a shame that Mark had this coming together with Fisichella. However, that’s racing. Today the car has been competitive. But we know we need to push hard to close the gap to Renault. We had no mechanic problems.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
It is pleasing to come away with a podium from this tough challenge. Both the drivers showed strong racing today. I am especially happy for Nick. After a bad qualifying he managed to find his way onto the podium. Before his accident, it was Mark who had third place in sight. Both engines came through this very hot race absolutely troublefree, thanks to our crew in Munich. The telemetry on Nick’s car failed to work until just before the 2nd pit-stop therefore until that point our engineers had no data about the engine’s condition.

Test: Barcelona: 24-25 March - Mark Webber + Antonio Pizzonia.

Sunday, March 20, 2005

KALITTA, BAZEMORE, LINE AND JOHNSON EARN VICTORIES AT MAC TOOLS NHRA GATORNATIONALS

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States.

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GAINESVILLE, Florida, 2005-003-20 WDB. ... - Doug Kalitta raced to the Top Fuel victory Sunday at the Mac Tools Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Whit Bazemore, Jason Line and Steve Johnson also were winners at the $2 million race, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

In a thrilling, tire-smoking finish, Kalitta managed to regain traction in his Mac Tools dragster and cross the finish line just in front of final-round opponent Larry Dixon. Kalitta claimed his 20th career victory by recording a 5.182 at 296.24, while Dixon trailed with a 5.925 at 169.81 in his Miller Lite dragster.

“That was certainly an exciting final,” Kalitta said. “(My tires) started spinning at half-track and I could see Larry out there turning sideways and (losing traction) too, so I gave it a hit and it hooked back up. Obviously both teams were trying hard to run a number against the other guy knowing they’d be up for it and it got both of us.�h

It was Kalitta�fs second victory at Gainesville and it put him back on the championship track after opening the season with back-to-back first round losses.

“To win this race is phenomenal,�h said Kalitta, who defeated Doug Herbert, Andrew Cowin and Cory McClenathan to advance to the final-round. �gThere’s so much history with this race. I came here just wondering what it would take to get back in the mix (of the championship chase) and I guess this will go a long way towards helping us out. We moved up to fifth today so that’s a start.”

Bazemore earned his 18th Funny Car victory when final round opponent Bob Gilbertson fouled at the start in his Prestone/Autolite Chevy Monte Carlo. �Bazemore, who clocked a 4.897 at 315.67 in his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus, moved into the series points lead with the victory.

Bazemore, who earned his competition license at this track in 1986, claimed his first victory at the historic quarter-mile dragstrip by beating Cruz Pedregon, top qualifier Robert Hight and teammate Gary Scelzi in earlier rounds.

“This is huge,” Bazemore said. “I remember our family driving to Orlando for Thanksgiving with my grandparents when I was 10 years old. On the way home I begged my parent to stop by Gainesville Raceway. I just had to see it. I remember thinking I’d come here and race one day. I took Frank Hawley’s (Drag Racing) School here, but to actually win a national event here, the Gatornationals, is incredible. This is a special place for drag racers. This is one of the classics, like Indy or Pomona.�h

Line beat fellow young gun Dave Connolly to score his fifth Pro Stock victory. Line drove his KB Racing Pontiac Grand Am to a 6.716 at 205.90 to hold off Connolly�fs Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier, which posted a 6.749 at 205.66.

“It’s a tough task to race Dave with a trophy on the line, trust me,” Line said. “He’s unbelievable on the Tree. I did about the best I can do with a .027 and I made some mistakes shifting, but we ended up with the win. Credit the horsepower the guys gave me today.�h

Line, a former engine builder on the NASCAR circuit who won the Auto Club Road to the Future Award last year which recognizes NHRA�fs top rookie performer for the year, said he and team owner Greg Anderson are finally moving in the right direction after a slow start to the 2005 campaign. Anderson, the two-time defending series champion and 2004 Driver of the Year, lost in the second round to Warren Johnson, but earned 20 bonus points for resetting the national elapsed time record ( 6.633 seconds). Anderson also upped the national speed record to 208.23 mph.

“We haven’t been happy with our performance this year on either car but we had a great rebound weekend for the whole team,�h said Line, who defeated Ron Krisher, Richie Stevens and Jim Yates to advance to the final-round. �gWith Greg setting all the records and being No. 1 and then me winning, the only thing that could have been better was if he was in the other lane in the final. I remember losing here in the semis in 1992 in my Stocker and I was bummed out for weeks. I never thought I’d get that close again.”

Johnson became the series points leader for the first time in his career in Pro Stock Motorcycle by earning his second career victory. Johnson raced to a performance of 7.139 at 187.26 on his Snap-on Tools Suzuki to hold off rival Craig Treble�fs Matco Tools Suzuki, which trailed with a 7.161 at 185.95.

Johnson rolled to easy victories over red-lighting Chip Ellis and Andrew Hines and used a holeshot start to hold off the quicker U.S. Army Suzuki of Antron Brown before using more horsepower to drive around Treble in the final.

“I just found out the POWERade rules have changed; the Motorcycle season is now over and the champion will be crowned Monday,” Johnson said jokingly. “This is the Gatornationals. It’s our season opener and such a big race. I am thrilled to win it.�h

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series continues with the 18th annual O�fReilly NHRA Spring Nationals, April 8-10 at Houston Raceway Park.

GAINESVILLE, Florida.—Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.� The� race is the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1.� Doug Kalitta; 2.� Larry Dixon; 3.� Clay Millican; 4.� Cory McClenathan; 5.� David Grubnic; 6. Morgan Lucas; 7.� Andrew Cowin; 8.� Tony Schumacher; 9.� Scott Kalitta; 10.� Doug Herbert; 11. Bruce Litton; 12.� David Baca; 13.� Rod Fuller; 14.� Scott Weis; 15.� John Smith; 16.� Brandon Bernstein.

FUNNY CAR:

1.� Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus; 2.� Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Monte Carlo; 3.� Gary Scelzi, Stratus; 4.� John Force, Ford Mustang; 5.� Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo; 6.� Robert Hight, Mustang; 7.� Eric Medlen, Mustang; 8.� Del Worsham, Monte Carlo; 9.� Ron Capps, Stratus; 10.� Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo; 11.� Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo; 12.� Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo; 13.� Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo; 14.� Jim Head, Stratus; 15.� Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo; 16.� Dale Creasy Jr., Pontiac Firebird.

PRO STOCK:

1.� Jason Line, Pontiac Grand Am; 2.� Dave Connolly, Chevy Cavalier; 3.� Warren Johnson, Grand Am; 4.� Jim Yates, Grand Am; 5.� Greg Anderson, Grand Am; 6.� Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus; 7.� Mike Edwards, Grand Am; 8.� Greg Stanfield, Cavalier; 9.� Jeg Coughlin, Stratus; 10.� Kurt Johnson, Cavalier; 11.� Larry Morgan, Stratus; 12.� V. Gaines, Stratus; 13.� Allen Johnson, Stratus; 14. Rickie Smith, Cavalier; 15.� Kenny Koretsky, Stratus; 16.� Ron Krisher, Cavalier.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1.� Steve Johnson, Suzuki; 2.� Craig Treble, Suzuki; 3.� Antron Brown, Suzuki; 4.� Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 5.� Angelle Sampey, Suzuki; 6.� Geno Scali, Suzuki; 7.� Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 8. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson; 9.� Matt Smith, Suzuki; 10.� Scott Valetti, Kawasaki; 11.� Shawn Gann, Suzuki; 12.� Chris Bostick, Suzuki; 13.� Ryan Schnitz; 14.� Chip Ellis; 15.� Redell Harris, Suzuki; 16.� Blaine Hale, Suzuki.

GAINESVILLE, Florida, 2005-03-20—Sunday’s final results from the 36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.� The� race is the third of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel—Doug Kalitta, 5.182 seconds, 296.24 mph� def. Larry Dixon, 5.925 seconds, 169.81 mph.

Funny Car—Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.897, 315.67� def. Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Monte Carlo, foul.

Pro Stock—Jason Line, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.716, 205.90� def. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cavalier, 6.749, 205.66.

Pro Stock Motorcycle—Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.139, 187.26� def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.161, 185.95.

Top Alcohol Dragster—Aaron Olivarez, 5.408, 260.41� def. Ashley Force, 5.401, 267.37.

Top Alcohol Funny Car—Bob Newberry, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.591, 256.26� def. Mark Billington, Dodge Avenger, 5.734, 253.73.

Competition Eliminator—Tony Stephenson, Chevy Cavalier, 7.942, 147.68� def. Bo Nickens, Dodge Neon, 7.655, 154.40.

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Final round-by-round results from the 36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE—Clay Millican, 4.651, 313.58 def. Scott Kalitta, 4.567, 319.94; Andrew Cowin, 4.941, 216.19 def. Brandon Bernstein, foul; Morgan Lucas, 5.533, 228.60 def. John Smith, 6.821, 201.70; Larry Dixon, 4.712, 309.91 def. David Baca, 4.693, 287.53; Tony Schumacher, 4.549, 328.94 def. Rod Fuller, 4.731, 305.18; Cory McClenathan, 4.573, 315.34 def. Scott Weis, 4.732, 284.81; Doug Kalitta, 4.565, 326.44 def. Doug Herbert, foul; David Grubnic, 4.534, 322.81 def. Bruce Litton, 4.652, 315.12;

QUARTERFINALS—McClenathan, 4.631, 320.17 def. Lucas, 4.706, 302.01; D. Kalitta, 4.700, 308.85 def. Cowin, 4.740, 265.80; Dixon, 4.594, 318.13 def. Schumacher, 5.078, 198.45; Millican, 4.649,

308.53 def. Grubnic, 4.698, 295.66;

SEMIFINALS—D. Kalitta, 4.577, 323.62 def. McClenathan, 11.959, 71.08; Dixon, 4.546, 329.54 def. Millican, 4.609, 315.67;

FINAL—D. Kalitta, 5.182, 296.24 def. Dixon, 5.925, 169.81.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE—Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.924, 311.41 def. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.991, 247.93; Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.886, 320.39 def. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.970, 273.05; Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.824, 322.69 def. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 5.008, 302.62; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.809, 320.05 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 12.574, 82.42; John Force, Mustang, 4.847, 323.04 def. Jim Head, Dodge Stratus, 5.038, 292.58; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.857, 319.48 def. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.908, 315.67; Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.928, 301.60 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.913, 314.57; Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.869, 316.67 def. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 10.693, 89.68;

QUARTERFINALS—Scelzi, 4.851, 320.51 def. Worsham, 7.604, 121.29; Bazemore, 4.917, 315.45 def. Hight, 5.253, 261.39; Gilbertson, 4.909, 309.70 def. Medlen, 5.260, 220.75; Force, 4.912, 304.87 def. Arend, 5.167, 240.96;

SEMIFINALS—Gilbertson, 5.414, 211.41 def. Force, 5.990, 161.31; Bazemore, 4.920, 302.01 def. Scelzi, 5.377, 209.05;

FINAL—Bazemore, 4.897, 315.67 def. Gilbertson, foul.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE—Warren Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.706, 205.05 def. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.722, 205.94; Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.716, 205.52 def. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.700, 205.52; Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier, 6.711, 205.24 def. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.715, 206.18; Dave Connolly, Cavalier, broke def. V. Gaines, Stratus, broke; Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.701, 205.76 def. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.734, 205.24; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.736, 205.71 def. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.752, 205.47; Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.733, 204.87 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.737, 205.05; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.676, 206.56 def. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.750, 206.32; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.705, 205.66 def. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 9.481, 92.43;

QUARTERFINALS—Yates, 6.772, 203.98 def. Edwards, foul; Line, 6.717, 205.62 def. Stevens, 6.725, 205.85; Connolly, 6.742, 205.33 def. Stanfield, 13.272, 63.41; W. Johnson, 6.696, 205.99 def. Anderson, 6.702, 206.23;

SEMIFINALS—Line, 6.722, 206.32 def. Yates, 6.711, 205.47; Connolly, 6.719, 205.90 def. W. Johnson, 6.679, 206.70;

FINAL—Line, 6.716, 205.90 def. Connolly, 6.749, 205.66.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE—Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.178, 186.02 def. Chip Ellis, foul; Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.193, 183.52 def. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.209, 183.18; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.179, 183.93 def. Ryan Schnitz, 7.239, 183.63; GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.130, 191.20 def. Redell Harris, Suzuki, 7.311, 176.74; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.131, 189.83 def. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.336, 180.07; Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.158, 179.60 def. Scott Valetti, Kawasaki, foul; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.195, 186.99 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.211, 185.49; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.093, 184.99 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.225, 186.79;

QUARTERFINALS—Stoffer, 7.171, 184.84 def. Scali, 7.224, 181.81; Johnson, 7.231, 183.82 def. Hines, foul; Treble, 7.179, 184.57 def. Tonglet, 13.310, 43.85; Brown, 7.131, 186.02 def. Sampey, foul;

SEMIFINALS—Treble, 7.159, 185.79 def. Stoffer, 7.200, 185.33; Johnson, 7.162, 187.65 def. Brown, 7.135, 184.50;

FINAL—Johnson, 7.139, 187.26 def. Treble, 7.161, 185.95.

GAINESVILLE, Florida.—Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.� Tony Schumacher, 231; 2.� Morgan Lucas, 223; 3.� David Grubnic, 207; 4.� Scott Kalitta, 203; 5. Doug Kalitta, 187; 6.� Larry Dixon, 181; 7.� Doug Herbert, 179; 8.� Brandon Bernstein, 161; 9. Cory McClenathan, 160; 10.� Clay Millican, 125.

Funny Car

1.� Whit Bazemore, 237; 2.� John Force, 228; 3.� Tommy Johnson Jr., 178; 4.� Bob Gilbertson, 176; 5.� Phil Burkart, 174; 6.� Eric Medlen, 165; 7.� Gary Scelzi, 162; 8.� Ron Capps, 157; 9.� Robert Hight, 150; 10.� Del Worsham, 142.

Pro Stock

1.� Dave Connolly, 243; 2.� Warren Johnson, 223; 3.� Jim Yates, 202; 4.� (tie) Allen Johnson, 197; Jason Line, 197; 6.� Ron Krisher, 196; 7.� Greg Anderson, 163; 8.� Kurt Johnson, 146; 9.� Richie Stevens, 141; 10.� Jeg Coughlin, 136.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1.� Steve Johnson, 112; 2.� Craig Treble, 93; 3.� Andrew Hines, 78; 4.� Antron Brown, 75; 5.� Karen Stoffer, 72; 6.� GT Tonglet, 57; 7.� Geno Scali, 56; 8.� Angelle Sampey, 54; 9.� Ryan Schnitz, 34; 10.� Chip Ellis, 33.

Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway

the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States.

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GAINESVILLE, Florida, 2006-03-20 WDB. ...—First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.� Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel—1. David Grubnic, 4.481 seconds, 331.85 mph� vs. 16. Bruce Litton, 4.832, 295.76; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.488, 325.14� vs. 15. Doug Herbert, 4.774, 241.74; 3. Cory McClenathan, 4.497, 331.00� vs. 14. Scott Weis, 4.686, 315.67; 4. Tony Schumacher, 4.520, 333.95� vs. 13. Rod Fuller, 4.671, 316.45; 5. Larry Dixon, 4.525, 326.56� vs. 12. David Baca, 4.669, 322.92; 6. Morgan Lucas, 4.537, 320.97� vs. 11. John Smith, 4.629, 318.58; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 4.551, 325.85� vs. 10. Andrew Cowin, 4.583, 314.35; 8. Clay Millican, 4.572, 315.90� vs. 9. Scott Kalitta, 4.577, 326.20.

Funny Car—1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.749, 325.96� vs. 16. Dale Creasy Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 5.034, 286.80; 2. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.773, 326.08� vs. 15. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.014, 259.14; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.775, 329.42� vs. 14. Jim Head, Dodge Stratus, 4.967, 302.41; 4. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.803, 322.34� vs. 13. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.926, 315.90; 5. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.815, 312.60� vs. 12. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.902, 321.65; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.824, 320.17� vs. 11. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.887, 304.56; 7. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.834, 313.91� vs. 10. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.887, 311.63; 8. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.862, 313.26� vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.865, 302.31.

Pro Stock—1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.633, 208.23� vs. 16. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.709, 206.46; 2. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.650, 207.03� vs. 15. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.708, 205.94; 3. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.660, 207.27� vs. 14. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.696, 207.08; 4. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.669, 207.51� vs. 13. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.695, 206.32; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.671, 207.13� vs. 12. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.689, 206.94; 6. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.672, 207.23� vs. 11. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.687, 207.46; 7. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.672, 206.46� vs. 10. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.686, 207.13; 8. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.681, 207.03� vs. 9. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.683, 206.42.

Pro Stock Motorcycle—1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.991, 197.45 �vs. 16. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.149, 187.22; 2. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 197.45� vs. 15. Redell Harris, Suzuki, 7.147, 184.95; 3. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.016, 190.67� vs. 14. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.139, 189.03; 4. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.024, 190.47� vs. 13. Scott Valetti, Kawasaki, 7.136, 190.27; 5. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.029, 190.47� vs. 12. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.111, 187.85; 6. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.038, 190.63� vs. 11. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.093, 188.79; 7. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.055, 192.47� vs. 10. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.082, 187.26; 8. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.056, 187.77� vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.077, 190.31.

�HINES WINS $10,000 BONUS FOR BECOMING INAUGURAL MEMBER

OF MICKEY THOMPSON NHRA 6-SECOND PRO STOCK BIKE CLUB

Grubnic, Medlen and Anderson also are qualifying leaders at Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States.
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�GAINESVILLE, Florida, 2005-03-20 WDB. ... - Andrew Hines raced to the first six-second Pro Stock Motorcycle run in NHRA history Friday highlighting a record-setting day of qualifying at the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals.

It is another historic performance for legendary Gainesville Raceway, the site of many of NHRA�fs milestone runs, including the first 300 mph run in 1992 by Kenny Bernstein.

Defending series champion Hines powered his Screamin�f Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a 6.991 second run at 196.16 mph to claim the $10,000 bonus Mickey Thompson Tires offered to the first rider to post a six-second performance.

Hines was the only rider to post a six-second run, as his teammate GT Tonglet flirted with the mark by posting a 7.007 at a track record speed of 197.45 mph on his identically prepared Screamin�f Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

�gIt’s an awesome feeling,�h said Hines, who earns a permanent spot in the NHRA record book for the effort. “I knew as soon as I let the clutch out and it didn’t bog down that it would be a six-second run. There is only one of these trophies and now it has my name on it. I know Terry (Vance, co-team owner) was the first in the sevens so we kept the big barrier-breaking runs in the Vance & Hines camp. We’re kind of all in awe right now.”

Dave Grubnic, Eric Medlen and Greg Anderson also were qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the $2 million race, the third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Grubnic was quickest in Top Fuel, covering the quarter-mile distance with a track-record performance of 4.481 seconds at 331.85 in his Zantrex-3 dragster.

“(That) run was smooth as glass, just straight down the middle,” Grubnic said. ‘It was great to (qualify) right away and to be No. 1 at a Mac race because all their people are here rooting for us.�h

Grubnic�fs teammate Doug Kalitta was second with a near-identical 4.488 at 325.14 in his Mac Tools dragster.

Medlen powered to a track record performance of 4.773 seconds at 326.08 mph in the Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang to lead Funny Car and just edge out his boss and teammate John Force, who posted a 4.775 at a track record speed of 329.42 in his Castrol GTX Start Up Mustang.

“I don’t know what’s better; being No. 1 and setting a track record or edging John,�h Medlen said. “I hope he doesn’t hear me say that, but he probably wouldn’t care. We’re a family over there and we’re all pretty happy. It appears we have a little advantage over everyone right now so I don’t want to say too much about what we’re doing; but the truth is these other teams are all so good that everyone will be running 4.70s and 4.80s tomorrow.�h

Anderson set both ends of the national performance record to claim the top qualifying spot in Pro Stock. Anderson powered to a 6.633 at 208.23 in his Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am.

Two-time defending series champ Anderson, who struggled in the first two races this season and fell to 10th in the points order, says he wanted to come out and make a statement this weekend.

“We desperately needed something good to happen for this team,” Anderson said. “We’ve been off our game the first few races and we needed to get our morale and confidence back up. People have said it�fs just bad luck, but I have always said you make your own luck. We just needed to relax and remember that we haven’t forgotten how to race.�h

Anderson, who took advantage of the day�fs unseasonably cool and overcast conditions, will earn 20 bonus points if he holds the national elapsed time record at the end of the weekend.

“I don’t think anybody expected these conditions,�h Anderson said. �gOf course, I hope the national record holds because we really need those extra points to get out of the hole we’ve put ourselves in.”

Qualifying continues at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Results Friday after qualifying for the 36th annual MAC Tools NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, third of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.� Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel—1. David Grubnic, 4.481 seconds, 331.85 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.488, 325.14; 3. Cory McClenathan, 4.506, 331.00; 4. Larry Dixon, 4.543, 326.56; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 4.551, 325.85; 6. Scott Kalitta, 4.592, 326.20; 7. John Smith, 4.629, 318.58; 8. Clay Millican, 4.677, 308.95; 9. Doug Herbert, 4.774, 225.67; 10. David Baca, 4.805, 222.05; 11. Morgan Lucas, 4.835, 219.03; 12. Tony Schumacher, 5.396, 171.72; 13. Bruce Litton, 5.888, 148.00; 14. Scott Weis, 10.012, 97.03; 15. Rod Fuller, 10.773, 81.06; 16. Luigi Novelli, 11.500, 82.97.

Funny Car—1. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.773, 326.08; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.775, 329.42; 3. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.848, 306.33; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.902, 321.65; 5. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.926, 315.90; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 5.014, 259.14; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.016, 222.66; 8. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.074, 245.23; 9. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 5.232, 214.54; 10. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 5.508, 283.46; 11. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 7.186, 121.72; 12. Frank Pedregon, Stratus, 7.563, 115.65; 13. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 8.213, 103.60; 14. Robert Hight, Mustang, 9.047, 101.66; 15. Dale Creasy Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 9.120, 89.17; 16. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 10.954, 123.67.

Pro Stock—1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.633, 208.23; 2. Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.650, 207.03; 3. Kenny Koretsky, Dodge Stratus, 6.660, ��207.08; 4. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cavalier, 6.671, 207.13; 5. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.672, 205.80; 6. Dave Connolly, Cavalier, 6.677, 206.84; 7. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.683, 207.03; 8. Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.687, 207.46; 9. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.714, 206.51; 10. Rickie Smith, Cavalier, 6.723, 206.23; 11. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.723, 206.13; 12. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.726, 205.29; 13. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.727, 204.68; 14. Mark Whisnant, Cavalier, 6.731, 205.33; 15. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.733, 204.49; 16. Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.742, 206.28.

Pro Stock Motorcycle—1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.991, 196.16; 2. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.007, 197.45; 3. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.016, 190.47; 4. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.024, 189.95; 5. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.029, 188.60; 6. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.055, 190.11; 7. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.056, 185.52; 8. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.057, 188.87; 9. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.093, 187.14; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.126, 188.36; 11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.128, 187.34; 12. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.149, 187.11; 13. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.170, 188.60; 14. Rickey Gadson, Suzuki, 7.174, 185.91; 15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.185, 184.69; 16. Scott Valetti, Kawasaki, 7.190, 186.76.

�

�

Edwards Wins at Atlanta - Fourth Nextel Cup Race

Ford takes 1st, 3rd, 4th and 10th; Chevy takes five of top 10 with a best of 2nd; and Dodge takes 5th position. 

Atlanta, Georgia, 2005-03-20 WDB. ... Top 10 finishers, Nextel Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
1. Carl Edwards, Car # 99, Roush Racing, Ford
2. Jimmie Johnson, Car # 48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
3. Greg Biffle, Car # 16, Roush Racing, Ford
4. Mark Martin, Car # 6, Roush Racing, Ford
5. Kasey Kahne, Car # 9, Evernham Motorsports, Dodge
6. Brian Vickers, Car # 25, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
7. Michael Waltrip, Car # 15, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Chevrolet
8. Dave Blaney, Car # 7, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
9. Scott Riggs, Car # 10, MBV Motorsports, Chevrolet
10. Elliott Sadler, Car # 38, Robert Yates Racing, Ford

Chevrolet takes five in top 10
Ford takes four in top 10
Dodge takes one in top 10

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

MILESTONE PERFORMANCE UP FOR GRABS AS NHRA PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE TEAMS

TAKE TO THE TRACK AT MAC TOOLS GATORNATIONALS

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States.

GAINESVILLE, Florida 2005-03-14 (WDB). … - Already the site of the first 300 mph Top Fuel run in NHRA history, legendary Gainesville Raceway could add another important performance milestone to its legacy as one of NHRA�fs quickest and fastest quarter-mile drag strips during the 36th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals, March 17-20.

NHRA�fs Pro Stock Motorcycle teams will be racing hard to achieve the first elapsed time quicker than seven seconds when the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series returns to action at the $2 million race, the third of 23 events in the $50 million tour. It is the season-opener for the high-revving two-wheelers, whose season consists of 15 events.

Kenny Bernstein is still heralded as the �eKing of Speed�f for his historical 301.70 mph pass from the 1992 edition of the Gatornationals. Just who will accomplish the first run of 6.999 seconds or quicker on a Pro Stock Motorcycle is the question category experts have been pondering during the offseason. That question may be answered during the first qualifying session on Friday, March 18 at 11:30 a.m.

With the right weather combination - preferably crisp, cool and overcast conditions - the barrier will likely be broken. With more than five bikes capable of achieving the performance, it may come down to luck of the draw in the qualifying order. NHRA rules determine qualifying order for the first session based on last year�fs final point standings, which means Rickey Gadson (did not compete), Ryan Schnitz (31st) and Chip Ellis (17th), all three predicted as leading top-10 points contenders for 2005, will have the first shot at a permanent spot in the NHRA record book and collecting the hefty $10,000 bonus offered by Mickey Thompson Tires. Overall, the first eight riders in the sixes will become members of the exclusive NHRA Mickey Thompson 6-Second Pro Stock Bike Club.

Defending NHRA POWERade world champion Andrew Hines will have the last shot, but that doesn�ft worry the 21-year-old rider of the Screamin�f Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

�gWhen we get to Gainesville there might be several of us in the sixes,�h said Hines, who owns the current NHRA national record for elapsed time at 7.016 seconds. �gI believe we have two six-second bikes right here in our shop. I�fd like to be the first one to do it, but if I�fm not, I can live with it.�h

During offseason testing three-time champ Angelle Sampey recorded the second unofficial run in the six-second zone on a Pro Stock Motorcycle. Her teammate, Antron Brown, clocked the first one at 6.995 seconds, while Sampey followed on her identically-prepared U.S. Army Suzuki with a 6.989 second run.

�gIt was awesome to run in the sixes, even though it didn�ft count for anything,�h Sampey said. �gThe weather was really great so we knew we�fd run fast, and when Antron and I both ran 7.0 (seconds) on shutoff runs, we knew we could do it.�h

Sampey, who narrowly missed earning a fourth NHRA POWERade world championship title last year by 38 points, says the milestone would be nice, but she wants the big prize at the end of the season.

�gThis year my focus is on winning another championship,�h Sampey said. �gThere�fs a lot of pressure that goes with racing for a championship. Thankfully, I�fve learned how to deal with it.�h

With all of the excitement being generated around breaking the seven-second barrier, along with the addition of a couple of new riders and an expected break-out season for several others, this Pro Stock Motorcycle campaign could be one of the best ever according to veteran rider Steve Johnson.

�gEvery year I say this is going to be the most exciting and competitive season for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, but I think 2005 really will be,�h Johnson said.

In Top Fuel, defending series champ Tony Schumacher has raced out to the points lead after winning the second race of the season in Phoenix. Schumacher is the defending race winner at Gainesville, and with Alan Johnson supplying the tune-up, has a very good chance to repeat. He will be challenged by two-time Gatornationals runner-up Scott Kalitta, who is part of a trio of ultra-quick Kalitta Motorsports dragsters that also includes Dave Grubnic and Doug Kalitta. Upstart Morgan Lucas, who has been to three final rounds in the last four races, is making his first pro start in Gainesville and is a top contender, along with �e03 winner Brandon Bernstein, a rejuvenated Doug Herbert and two-time series champ Larry Dixon, a three-time Gatornationals winner.

While John Force has owned the Gatornationals in the Funny Car world for most of the last two decades, he will be pushed to the limit this season by a host of challengers. Current series points leader Phil Burkart leads that charge, along with Winternationals winner Tommy Johnson Jr. and Phoenix runner-up Ron Capps. Besides Force�fs seven victories at the track - his last coming in �e01 - only four active drivers have won the historic race, including Gary Densham, Cruz and Tony Pedregon and Del Worsham. Others to watch in the 7,000 horsepower category include Whit Bazemore, Gary Scelzi, Eric Medlen and rookie Robert Hight.

The current Pro Stock points leader took a wild tumble at the Gatornationals in 1999, as his car went out of control and flipped multiple times in one of the most spectacular crashes in the history of the 200 mph category, but Allen Johnson hopes to add a better memory at �eThe Swamp�f this season. After moving into the points lead for the first time in his career with a victory at Phoenix, Johnson would like to drive his J&J Racing Dodge Stratus into the winner�fs circle at Gainesville Raceway and keep the positive momentum going. He will be challenged by an energized Warren Johnson - nine time winner of the Gatornationals—who is making his final appearance as a driver at the storied track this season. Two other veterans that have been making noise early in �e05 include two-time Gainesville winner Jim Yates and Phoenix runner-up Ron Krisher. It will be an important race for two-time defending series champ Greg Anderson, who will try to turn his season around after getting off to a sluggish start. Other top contenders include Winternationals winner Dave Connolly, �f01 Gatornationals winner Jeg Coughlin and Kurt Johnson, a winner here in �f03.

BUSCH, BIFFLE AND KENSETH POST TOP 10 FINISHES AT LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas, Nevada, 2005-03-13 (WDB). … KURT BUSCH - No. 97 IRWIN/Sharpie Taurus (Finished 3rd) - �gI�fm very proud of him (Kyle).� Our car ran great, we just didn�ft have track position because of one bad stop.� But it was an awesome for our Sharpie Ford.� This was the first time I really felt like we were in contention at Vegas.� I understand you have to run for a championship and when I come to Vegas it feels like it�fs the Daytona 500.� Congratulations to my little brother and it officially stops now - the advice to Kyle because he beat me fair and square.�h� DOES THIS TAKE SOME PRESSURE OFF?� �gIt was great.� I wish we could have picked up the W for the hometown crowd, but there�fs a great group of people out there - probably 150,000 strong that saw a great race today.� We just hope that we can do it again when we come back next year.�h

GREG BIFFLE - No. 16 National Guard/Subway Taurus (Finished 6th) - �gIt was a good day.� Something was wrong in the drive train because it was vibrating so bad.� I�fm sure it vibrated bad enough to affect the handling of the car because it unhooked the tires from the race track.� That�fs unfortunate.� We just couldn�ft get it fixed in practice.� IT WAS A GOOD POINTS DAY.� �gYeah, it is. �We�fre trying to make the chase and we know what we�fve got to do.� We�fve got to keep our head on straight and just have good runs.� I was just disappointed.� I had a really good car and I couldn�ft get the balance between tight and loose balanced out, but that�fs the way it is.�h

MATT KENSETH - No. 17 DeWalt Taurus (Finished 8th) - �gWe didn�ft run very good at all, we just had the best pit crew on pit road today.� We had great stops that kept us in contention.� We ran bad.� We had a fuel problem.� I made a dumb mistake and got into Elliott.� I just didn�ft expect him to swap lanes.� He came from the lap-down lane in front of me and I couldn�ft get slowed down.� I spun him out and ended up wrecking our own fender.� That messed up his day a little bit, but I�fm glad it wasn�ft worse.� I feel bad about that.� It was a dumb mistake and just bad judgment.� That got us behind and we just had an uphill battle all day.�h� THIS HELPS IN THE POINTS.� �gYeah, I don�ft know what the streak is because I hate to talk about streaks, but it�fs been like 10 races or something since we�fve had a top 10, so we�fve got to crawl before we can walk.� At least we finished today and got a decent finish for how bad we ran, so if we get our performance back to where it was at California - hopefully at Atlanta - and have decent luck, hopefully we�fll get another good finish.�h� ANY TIME WHEN YOU HAD A CAR THAT COULD CONTEND?� �gNot really.� We got up front and got our lap back and that made us look like it was fast, but it wasn�ft very fast.� It was in clean air and I just overdrove it and got out there as fast as we could.�h

CARL EDWARDS - No. 99 World Financial Group Taurus (Finished 14th) - �gMy car was a rocket ship and we got caught in that wreck when we ran into the 38.� That was frustrating because at that point I think we were the fastest car on the race track, so I guess you can�ft say enough about my guys.� Bob Osborne and everybody did a great job.� It was an awesome way to recover from that.� I thought our day was over and they just battled back.� To come out of it 14th, that�fs making the most of a really bad day.� I�fm really proud of them and we�fll just go on to Atlanta and do our best.�h

DALE JARRETT - No. 88 UPS Taurus (Finished 18th) - �gI don�ft know exactly where we�fre missing it, but there�fs something we�fre not doing.� Different sets of tires just affect it too much.� We get to where I thought we made the car a lot better and run our way back towards tenth and the next thing you know we�fre sliding around and everybody is passing us.� I don�ft know.� There�fs something that we�fre missing.� We�fre just not getting it done yet.�h

HERMIE SADLER - No. 66 Peak Fitness Taurus (Finished 33rd) - �gI made a mistake.� There were 50 laps to go in the race and I should have just been a little bit more content where I was.� We were working on the car and trying to get better and I was trying to go as hard as I could every lap and it just got away from me.� No excuses.� I was just trying too hard.� It�fs part of the learning process that we�fll go through, but we�fll be back at Atlanta next week to try it again.�h� YOU GOT SOME LAPS BEHIND YOU AT LEAST.� �gWe had to get through this first.� The only disappointing thing is not to finish.� We really wanted to finish, but the pit crew did good.� The guys worked on the car hard.� Everybody worked hard.� The driver just made a mistake.�h

RICKY RUDD - No. 21 Motorcraft Genuine Parts Taurus (Finished 37th) - �gIt�fs just been a real frustrating season.� The first three races - we�fve wrecked in all three of them.� I don�ft know what happened down in turn one there.� Someone turned the 25 and there wasn�ft anywhere to go.� Our goal was just to run real conservative.� Just wait and go to the front toward the end of the race if the car would do it.� And we didn�ft even get going again.� The crew did a great job of patching that car up and getting it back out there where it could run.� It was pretty bad.� Usually people would put a car that bad on the truck and leave, but these guys didn�ft do that.� But, it�fs just three races of 36.�h

DOUG YATES, Engine Builder - Roush-Yates Engines - WHAT HAPPENED TO MARK�fS ENGINE?� �gSomething happened to the number four cylinder intake, but we�fre not sure.� We�fll have to get home and see, but I don�ft think it dropped a valve because it kept running.� We came in and disconnected that cylinder and went back out, but I don�ft know.� We�fll just have to see when we get home.�h

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Johnson Wins at Vegas, Third Nextel Cup Race

Las Vegas, Nevada 2005-03-013 (WDB). … Top ten finishers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
1.  Jimmie Johnson, Car No. 48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
2.  Kyle Busch, Car No. 5, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
3.  Kurt Bush, Car No. 97, Roush Racing, Ford
4.  Jeff Gordon, Car No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
5.  Kevin Harvick, Car No 29, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
6.  Greg Biffle, Car No. 16, Roush Racing, Ford
7.  Casey Mears, Car No. 41, Chip Ganassi Racing, Dodge
8.  Matt Kenseth, Car No. 17, Roush Racing, Ford
9.  Tony Stewart, Car No. 20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Chevrolet
10. Ryan Newman, Car No. 12, Penske Racing, Dodge

Chevrolet takes five in top 10
Ford takes three in top 10
Dodge takes two in top 10

Saturday, March 12, 2005

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - PREVIEW / March 18th - 20th 2005

This year will be the seventh time Formula One has raced at the Sepang circuit. This modern, expansive complex, designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, is located about half an hour’s drive south of the city of Kuala Lumpur. 

Sepang, Malaysia, 2005-03-12 (WDB). … The second round of the season takes Formula One to the Far East and the colourful Sepang region of Malaysia, just south of the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. Following mixed fortunes for the team at the season opener in Melbourne last weekend, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team is looking ahead to the Malaysian Grand Prix, at which they hope to achieve a more rewarding result on Sunday 20th March.

The Sepang circuit is a state of the art, purpose-built facility, one which guarantees drama both on and off the track. With its wide straights, overtaking opportunities are at an optimum at Sepang which should provide some thrilling racing action. The track’s technically challenging nature, combined with the region’s unpredictable, and extreme, weather conditions, will test both man and machine to the limit. In addition, Malaysia will be a severe trial for race engines, which will, for the first time, be tested over a second consecutive GP weekend. In ambient temperatures expected to be 36��C, the race will provide a stern reliability test.

Mark Webber:
I have both good and bad memories of Malaysia. Obviously, qualifying on the front row last year was great, but then I had a very poor start. The race is a tremendous challenge for the drivers and the teams because of the high temperatures, and the impact this has on car cooling, braking and tyre performance. Despite all of this, I think Sepang is a very, very good circuit. The weather can be quite unpredictable though, it’s always one thing or the other, and when it rains, it really rains. I think we’ll get a true reflection of people’s pace at Sepang because the results from qualifying one in Melbourne were affected by heavy rain. If we get a consistent weekend in Malaysia, we will get an idea of where everyone stands. Because of all these variables, I’m looking forward to the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Nick Heidfeld:
The Malaysian Grand Prix is an exceptional race, particularly because of the area’s high temperatures and high humidity. It is for this reason I will not fly home between the first two races and spend some time in the southern region of Malaysia in order to get used to the climate. During the years with Sauber, I spent a bit of time in Malaysia so I know my way around pretty well. I am also looking forward to racing at the Sepang circuit as it’s one of my favourite tracks and one I hope to handle well.

Sam Michael (Technical Director, WilliamsF1):
Malaysia will have ambient temperatures perhaps reaching as high as 40��C, as well as the normal daily tropical thunderstorms that are so common here. In fact, at 2400mm, the average annual rainfall in Malaysia is higher than any other circuit that we race at. Such high temperatures have an influence on tyre degradation and the cooling exits that we will have to fit to the FW27 to ensure the engine does not overheat.

Sepang is a challenging, high downforce circuit for the drivers with plenty of direction changes through medium to high speed corners. There are also three slow speed corners to deal with and four straight sections which reward engine power. Overtaking is also possible in a couple of places around the track.

We have some development parts for the FW27 to improve its performance following Melbourne. Our tyre partner, Michelin, will bring two tested tyre choices to Malaysia, if they work as well as they did in Melbourne, there will not be any problems with them. Pitstop strategy will also be interesting if both qualifying sessions are dry. Heading into Malaysia, we are looking to build on our position in the Constructors’ Championship with a solid result.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):
In Australia, we had no problems at all with the BMW P84/5 engines. In Malaysia, we will be competing for the first time with an engine that has already completed a race weekend and, moreover, will have to run in the season’s hottest race. In Sepang, there are two major challenges for the engine - twice the running distance and extreme thermal loads.

In an attempt to counteract the tropical temperatures in Malaysia, all teams will again feature additional, or larger, cooling air intakes at the front of the side pods, as well as apertures in the shape of holes, slits, flues or exhaust vents. Cooling will also continue while the car is stationary. As soon as the car enters the pits, mechanics will hook up fans fed with dry ice into the side pod inlets.

This cannot be done immediately before the start, when the cars come to a halt after the formation lap. This situation, with no air stream and in the scorching sun on hot asphalt, can get critical and the water temperature can rise rapidly. To prevent the use of costly high-pressure systems, the FIA has prescribed a valve in the water cooling system that opens under a pressure of 4.5 bar. However, if that happens while waiting on the grid for the race to start, water evaporates that cannot be subsequently replaced. One thing’s for sure - the BMW P84/5 will face a tough test of endurance in Malaysia.

Stats and facts:

Circuit/Date:
Sepang International Circuit / 20th March 2005

Start time (local/GMT):
15:00 hrs / 07:00 hrs

Lap/Race distance:
5.543 km / 310.408 km (56 laps)

Winner 2004:
Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro)

Pole 2004:
Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro), 1:33.074 min

Lap record:
Juan Pablo Montoya (BMW WilliamsF1 Team, 2004)1:34.223 min

F1 statistics:
BMW WilliamsF1 Team 86 starts, 10 wins, 16 poles

WilliamsF1 before 2000 361 starts, 103 wins, 108 poles

BMW before 2000 97 starts, 9 wins, 15 poles

History and background:

This year will be the seventh time Formula One has raced at the Sepang circuit. This modern, expansive complex, designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, is located about half an hour’s drive south of the city of Kuala Lumpur.

KL is the capital of Malaysia and also the country’s largest city. The thriving Asian culture sits alongside British colonial architecture and famous high-tech structures such as the 452 metre high Petronas Towers.

In 2002, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team celebrated its first one-two win at the Malaysian Grand Prix when Ralf Schumacher crossed the line ahead of team mate, Juan Pablo Montoya.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

NHRA NAMES WILKINGS GENERAL MANAGER OF ATLANTA DRAGWAY

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States.

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GLENDORA, Calif., March 9, 2005 (WDB). … - Ray Wilkings, who has extensive experience in motorsports, including management, operations and competition, has been named general manager of Atlanta Dragway, a facility owned and operated by NHRA.

������

��gRay has a tremendous amount of experience in all disciplines necessary to effectively manage a motorsports facility,�h said Don Robertson, executive general manager of Gainesville Raceway and Atlanta Dragway.� �gWe are excited about bringing these talents to bear on behalf of all the NHRA racers in Division 2.�h

Prior to joining NHRA, Wilkings was president and chief operating officer of Scraleon Design & Manufacturing, a manufacturer of OEM disc brakes and brake-related products for ATV and utility vehicles.�� He has held numerous positions in the automotive manufacturing industry and has been involved in track operations at Irwindale Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Saugus Speedway.

A graduate of California State University, Long Beach, Wilkings has lived in Northern Georgia for more than five years and is an avid fan of motorsports.

�gI am enthusiastic about the opportunities to make Atlanta Dragway a great place to race for the NHRA racing community,�h said Wilkings.� �gA return to the field of race track operations and management is very exciting.�h

AMERIQUEST MORTGAGE NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF

NHRA POWERADE SERIES EVENT AT CHICAGO�fS ROUTE 66 RACEWAY

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States.

GLENDORA, Calif., March 9, 2005 (WDB). … - NHRA officials announced today that Ameriquest Mortgage Company, a leading national mortgage lender and official marketing partner with NHRA, has been named title sponsor of an NHRA POWERade Series event at spectacular Route 66 Raceway near Chicago.

The Ameriquest Mortgage NHRA Nationals will be held Sept. 29-Oct. 2 at the Joliet, Ill.-based quarter-mile dragstrip. The $1.8 million race, which will be televised on ESPN2, is the 21st of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

It is the first NHRA national event title sponsorship for Ameriquest Mortgage, which last month was named an official marketing partner of the NHRA, the world�fs largest motorsports sanctioning organization.

�gWe are excited to become the host of the Ameriquest Mortgage NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, which is sure to be a pivotal race for NHRA drivers chasing world championship points in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series,�h said Brian Woods, chief marketing officer, Ameriquest Mortgage Company. �gWe are certainly impressed with NHRA�fs accessibility for the fans to not only the drivers, but the multiple opportunities for sponsors on-site to reach this loyal, passionate, and growing fan base.�h

As one of the final three events of the 2005 season, the Ameriquest Mortgage NHRA Nationals will feature competition in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock categories and a high level of intensity as teams battle for POWERade Series world championships and try to position for a coveted POWERade Top 10 points finish.

�gWe are thrilled to welcome Ameriquest Mortgage into our family of national event title sponsors,�h said John Covarrubias, vice president of sales and business development, NHRA. �gWe are extremely pleased that Ameriquest Mortgage has selected the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series as a venue to conduct its business. We look forward to growing Ameriquest�fs client portfolio and providing our fans with direct access to one of the largest and most reputable mortgage companies in the country to serve their mortgage needs.�h

The race is one of two NHRA POWERade Series national events in 2005 to be held at state-of-the-art Route 66 Raceway. On June 9-12 the performance record-producing track also will host the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.

�gAmeriquest Mortgage Company is dedicated to providing their customers quality service and quality products,�h said Matthew Alexander, vice president and general manager of Route 66 Raceway.� �gRoute 66 Raceway is also dedicated to providing our race fans quality service, as well as a state-of-the-art facility.� We look forward to working with Ameriquest and having another season of some of the country�fs most exciting NHRA POWERade Drag Racing.�h

Ameriquest Mortgage Company is a national mortgage lender committed to helping people achieve their home ownership dreams and financial freedom. To fulfill that mission, Ameriquest originates and services home mortgage loans. For more information about Ameriquest Mortgage Company, visit http://www.ameriquest.com.

Route 66 Raceway, which provides world-class entertainment for all types of racing fans, is a multimillion-dollar complex that includes a 1/4-mile, stadium-style drag strip and 1/2-mile dirt oval track. Since opening its doors in 1998, Route 66 Raceway has continued to host a wide variety of events. Route 66 Raceway�fs 1/2-mile dirt oval track annually hosts Team Demolition Derbies, AMA Flat Track Championship racing, World of Outlaws and Monster Truck shows.� Route 66 Raceway�fs 1/4-mile drag strip annually hosts two NHRA POWERade Drag Racing National events, Jr. Dragsters, car shows, bracket racing, test n�f tunes and much more.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

HILL NAMED MANAGER, NHRA NATIONAL EVENT PLANNING

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States.

GLENDORA, Calif., March 7, 2005 (WDB). … - Chris Hill, long-time member of NHRA�fs certification and technical inspection team, has been named manager of NHRA national event planning.��

Hill, who served the last two seasons as an assistant event coordinator on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, will take over the position, effective immediately, and in time for the 36th running of the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals, March 17-20, in Gainesville, Fla.�� He will report directly to Glen Cromwell, vice president, national event marketing.��

�gChris has extensive experience on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series tour having served in a variety of capacities since 1988,�h said Cromwell. �gHis position as assistant event coordinator the last two seasons will make for a smooth transition for our racers and sponsors beginning with the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals.�h

����������� Hill, who has a strong background in event planning, served 14 years on NHRA�fs certification and technical inspection team, before becoming assistant national event coordinator prior to the 2003 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing season.�

NEILSON NAMED MANAGER, NHRA CONTINGENCY PROGRAM

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States.

GLENDORA, Calif., March 7, 2005 (WDB). … - NHRA announced today that Charlie Neilson, formerly the NHRA Division 7 Director, has accepted a position as manager of the NHRA contingency program, effective immediately.

�In his new position, Neilson will manage all aspects of the NHRA contingency program and report directly to Glen Cromwell, vice president of national event marketing services.� Prior to becoming NHRA Division 7 Director, Neilson served as a marketing services manager. Prior to joining NHRA in 1997, Neilson worked as a crew member for Kenny Bernstein�fs Budweiser King Top Fuel dragster.

�gNeilson�fs experience, both as a division director and marketing services manager, make him well suited to handle the needs of NHRA�fs contingency program,�h Cromwell said.

NHRA is currently searching to fill the Division 7 Director position.

Monday, March 07, 2005

BMW TEAM PTG SALVAGES A SEVENTH PLACE FINISH IN GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI

Homestead, Fla. - March 5, 2005. (WDB) … .. The No. 21 M3 of Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand salvaged a seventh place finish at today’s Grand Prix of Miami as BMW Team PTG experienced possibly it’s most frustrating race ever. The duo covered 103 laps in the two-hour-and-forty-five-minute contest, finishing two laps behind the winner. As the most experienced M3 drivers on the team, Auberlen and Hand made the most of a bad day. They raced within the top-five for most of the day, but throttle problems in the closing laps of the race made a try for the podium by Auberlen impossible.

While Auberlen and Hand battled, the opening laps of the Grand Prix of Miami were extremely disappointing for the other three BMW Team PTG M3s. Within the first hour of the race the No. 22 M3 retired with mechanical problems and the No. 16 and the No. 17 F1 Air M3s were many laps down after having to stop to repair collision damage.

After reporting problems on lap eight, the No. 22 M3 of Chris Gleason and Ian James was taken to the garage for repairs. Gleason returned to the track for three more laps, but was forced to retire the car on lap 11 with a suspected master cylinder failure. The No. 16 M3 of Justin Marks and Tom Milner was the next to the garage on lap 17 after Marks was hit by a competitor. The resulting repairs of left front suspension damage cost the duo some 16 laps. Milner finished the race in the 18th position. RJ Valentine pitted the No. 17 M3 on lap 23 to turn the car over to Kelly Collins. Only 11 laps later Collins was hit by two Daytona Prototypes and was forced to the garage for repairs. He rejoined the race many laps in arrears. Valentine re-entered the car on lap 57, but ultimately was forced to retire with mechanical problems on lap 71.

At the end of the first hour, only the No. 21 M3 was still on the lead lap. Hand pitted for fuel on lap 22 from the third spot, but a spin on lap 29 dropped him back to 12th. Leading for a short time, he had the No. 21M3 to a solid fourth by lap 57. A caution period on lap 64 and a quick call from the pits brought Hand in for fuel and tires.

He turned the car over to Auberlen who retu