Prudhomme Announces Retirement

Prudhomme Announces Retirement Competition Plus.com – January 7, 2010

Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, one of the most accomplished drivers and revered team owners in the history of motorsports, announced his retirement today, thus ending a career spanning five decades in the sport of drag racing.Prudhomme’s 47-year career saw him behind the wheel for 32 seasons before he retired from driving at the end of his 1994 “Final Strike” campaign.  He then transitioned to the role of team owner where he led his teams and drivers for the past 15 seasons.  Overall, Prudhomme has totaled an impressive combination of six National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) World Championships and 112 National Event victories.“I feel very fortunate to have been able to make a living in drag racing and to have enjoyed some success along the way,” said Prudhomme.  “I would like to thank all of the great sponsors we’ve worked with over the years, everyone at NHRA, the many track owners, operators and promoters, our past employees and team members, and all of the drag racing fans that have supported Snake Racing.”              

Prudhomme: I’m Gonna Miss The Sport – Competition Plus.com – 13 Jan 2010

NHRA article on Prudhomme NHRA.com – 7 Jan 2010

Spencer Massey: Facing The Harsh Reality – Competition Plus.com – 8 Jan 2010

Prudhomme Racing Site – Snake Racing

A Storied Rivalry Put Drag Racing on the Map – New York Times

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The loss of Don Prudhomme from racing will certainly impact our sport. What are your thoughts? – Roger Young, Edwards & Young Racing

Posted in Discussions | 2 Comments

Remembering Lee Shepherd

From Texas, Lee Shepherd earned notoriety in the Modified Production ranks and later teamed with Reher-Morrison to dominate the Pro Stock ranks.  Many small-block Chev record-holding MP cars used Shepherd heads!  Shepherd became a legend in his own time…

The Legend of Lee ShepherdCompetitionPlus.com – Jan 2007

Courtesy of NHRA

Posted in Links To Feature Stories | 3 Comments

Article on Butch Leal

Butch Leal: Racing Went By In A FlashCompetition Plus.com – December 30, 2009

Leal admits that he’s reached a point in his life where he can make a good spectator and the urge to drive doesn’t have the same hold on him that it used to.

“I guess I’ve done got too old to drive,” he said.

Posted in Links To Feature Stories | 1 Comment

Is drag racing tougher now than 10-20 years ago?

Hello, how about the question of whether drag racing is tougher now than 10-20 years ago?  This should be a great topic for discussion as some people can get quite animated about this. 

Paul Young – Edwards & Young Racing

Posted in Discussions | 4 Comments

What is your dream race car with unlimited budget?

Hi everyone, how about this topic?  What would your dream race car be if you had an unlimited budget?  Would it be a Pro Stock, Top Fueler, Funny Car, etc.? 

Paul Young – Edwards & Young Racing

Posted in Discussions | Tagged | 3 Comments

What would you do if you had $10K to spend on your race car?

I thought this would be a good subject to broach as we all know money is not always at your disposal to do things that you wish to do to your racecar.  So, the question is, what would you do if you had $10K to spend on your race car?

Paul Young – Edwards & Young Racing

Posted in Discussions | 12 Comments

NEWS FROM THE NHRA DIVISION 6 MEETINGS

NEWS FROM THE NHRA DIVISION 6 MEETINGS
[Posted 26 Dec 09]

Every December all the track operators who operate tracks in Division 6 get together for meetings prior to the Northwest Banquet in Seattle. Orchestrated by Division 6 Director Jonathan Adams and Tech Director Dave Schaffel, a wide variety of topics are discussed and voted on for everything from the Lucas Oil Drag Race Series to the Summit E.T. Finals.

We know many of you are already making plans for the approaching season, so we thought it was good timing to release the topics reviewed, discussed and voted on during the Operator’s Meetings.

There are a couple of new updates that you’ll want to take note of for the upcoming season. The Pro class will now specifically follow the national e.t. parameters of 9.00 to 13.99. The national championship run at Pomona in November follows these breaks and northwest tracks will implement this for the Pro division in 2010. Junior racers at this year’s Summit E.T. Finals in Mission will have an opportunity to participate in a Lightning and Thunder bonus race on Friday afternoon (9/3/10), which will parallel the Gambler race for Box and No Box during that same time frame. This will provide a second opportunity to race for all the Junior racers, which mirrors what is currently place for all other participants. Once again, the top two racers in Junior Lightning and Thunder points (total of 4 racers) leading up to the Finals will qualify to race at the Finals for Team Firebird in Mission.

Lastly and looking ahead one year down the road, racers with cars capable of running 9.99 or quicker or over 135 mph, will be required to run diapers (does not have to be SFI rated or dated) beginning on January 1, 2011. This provides a one (1) year time frame to come in compliance with this rule.

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Update 27 Dec 09:

Guys, you got me curious so as a NHRA member I downloaded the 2010 NHRA rulebook.

Under section 4.2 here are the E.T. brackets:

Super Pro: 7.00 to 11.99

Pro: 9.00 to 13.99

Sportsman: 12.00 to 19.99

Hope this helps!

Roger

 

Posted in News From Div 6 and/or Local Tracks | 4 Comments

2008 NHRA tax return

NHRA tax return for 2008 indicates a good year – 2009 numbers bound to be worse – By Jeff Burk – Posted 21 Dec 09

Posted in NHRA Increases Membership Fees | Comments Off on 2008 NHRA tax return

The Shrinking National Dragster

Despite the significant increase in NHRA membership fees this year, suddenly their publication, National Dragster, has shrunk in physical size and thickness.  This also impacts the ad space for those using the publication as a sales tool.

What does NHRA say?  Well, you have to really search for it!  Scroll down on this NHRA.com page you will see how excited they are about the “new look” at:

http://www.nhra.com/blog/dragster-insider/2009/10/13/the-new-national-dragster,-phase-1-in-living-color/
Posted in NHRA Increases Membership Fees | 5 Comments

Relating with our tools!

Those of you who use tools can certainly identify with these definitions

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL:  Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, ‘Oh sh –‘

SKILL SAW:  A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS:  Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER:  An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW:  One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle… It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS:  Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH:  Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW:  A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK:  Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW:  A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST:  A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER:  Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER:  A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

PRY BAR:  A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER:  A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER:  Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object you are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE:  Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts, especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

SON OF A B*TCH TOOL:  Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling ‘Son of a b*tch’ at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Posted in Humor | 2 Comments

Fallout from Indy

The Throwdown In The Indy Shutdown Torco Racing Fuel’s Competition Plus.com – September 8, 2009

Force: I’d Had Enough Of It Torco Racing Fuel’s Competition Plus.com – September 8, 2009

Personal Comment: Many people will blame Force or Tony for the comments that were made or think this is funny. I blame NHRA for allowing four-car teams in one Pro category and the concept of the Countdown which naturally led to this problem. And I believe NHRA is starting to love these rivalries as part of the “show” in the hopes of drawing more fans. Unless NHRA gets back to basics I believe we’re witnessing the decline of our sport – Roger Young.

 NHRA Levies Fine Against John ForceTorco Racing Fuel’s Competition Plus.com – September 10, 2009

 Baze: Hypocrisy AboundsTorco Racing Fuel’s Competition Plus.com – September 11, 2009

 T-Ped Addresses Allegations, RumorsTorco Racing Fuel’s Competition Plus.com – September 14, 2009

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Spokane Raceway

Spokane raceway operator vows to pay billsSpokesman-Review – Posted July 22, 2009

Update: Commissioners want racetrack operator outSpokesman-Review – September 2, 2009

“Facing a possible $1 million lawsuit from local builders, Spokane County told the operator of its West Plains racetrack Wednesday he has 60 days to pay the builders or lose the contract he won just nine months ago.

“County commissioners approved a formal notice of default to Bucky Austin, of Austin Motorsports Management LLC, contending he is breaching four areas of his contract, including not paying for some renovations earlier this year at the Spokane County Raceway. Four contractors have filed liens against the county totaling more than $1 million, and two other contractors reportedly have not been paid…”

 Update: 28 Dec 09

County boots raceway operator; debts remain – 30 Oct 2009

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment