NHRA News: Newsmakers, Jan. 22, 2007

NHRA Newsmakers

Your inside glimpse at the world's fastest motorsport

 

Access to the latest NHRA releases, driver photos, credential requests,
satellite coordinates and more available at http://media.nhra.com

 

NEWS NUGGETS

 

*	HAPPY BIRTHDAY WALLY PARKS: Wally Parks, NHRA founder and
Chairman of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsport Museum presented by
Automobile Club of Southern California, celebrates his 94th birthday
today (January 22, 2007).   "When you're 94 and thinking like you're
still 34, you have to credit it to something," Parks said. "In my case,
I'm sure it has been my addiction to cars and all the things people can
do to appreciate them. That and the fantastic following we have
cultivated with our concentration on NHRA drag racing as a major player
in world motorsports."  Parks, who founded NHRA in 1951, remains very
active in NHRA affairs today.  To view the current exhibits at the
museum visit http://museum.nhra.com <http://museum.nhra.com/> . 

 

*	ASHLEY FORCE DEALING WITH CELEBRITY: Last Tuesday's announcement
of Ashley Force's move to the pro ranks in Funny Car this season already
is earning the second-generation driver huge amounts of ink in high
places. The story was on the Yahoo! home page Thursday morning (direct
story link
<http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-jimlitke-011707&prov=ap&type=l
gns> ) and also was featured on AOL's top news
<http://sports.aol.com/news/articles/_a/racing-stars-daughter-will-drive
-funny/20070116214009990001> .  Ashley was yahoo.com's No. 1 searched
subject on Friday ahead of Britney Spears and Beyonce Knowles.  On
Friday, USA Today ran a full-page ad featuring Force in the sports
section.  Force is dealing with the media crush well, as she told
National DRAGSTER in an exclusive interview for the current issue,
"Doing the reality show [Driving Force on the A&E Network] last year
took me into a whole new realm. As much as it drove me crazy at times,
it really helped prepare me. It threw me into a lot of stuff I'd never
been through before. There were so many more fans at the ropes, more
events and interviews during the week, more photo shoots, and all kinds
of stuff that I hadn't experienced before. I'm glad I did it last year
and didn't try to bring it on this year with everything else that's
going on. I know it's going to be a little hectic, especially in the
beginning."
	
	
*	NITRO BLAST OFF: Several NHRA drivers and riders participated in
the first test sessions at the Nitro Blast Off at The Strip at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway this past weekend.  Kenny Bernstein climbed into a car
for the first time in a few years.  He drove his Monster Energy/Lucas
Oil Dodge Charger through a few launches to become familiar with the
car.  The weekend's best runs were posted by Dave Grubnic, Hillary Will,
and John Force.  Grubnic, driving his Zantrex-3 dragster, led the way
with a 4.483 at 322.27 followed closely by Hillary Will in her KB Racing
dragster.  She drove to two consistent runs of 4.492 seconds at 323.89
mph and 319.67 mph.  In Funny Car, John Force in his Castrol GTX High
Mileage Ford Mustang out drove teammate Eric Medlen with a time 4.783
seconds at 286.80 mph.  Medlen in his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang drove
to time of 4.862 seconds at 260.49 mph.  Two Funny Car newcomers, Ashley
Force in her Castrol GTX/Auto Club Ford Mustang and Jeff Arend in his
Checker Schuck's Kragen Chevy Impala SS, made partial runs.  In Pro
Stock Motorcycle, Mike Berry on his MB Precision Machine Suzuki made
some passes to re-familiarize himself with his bike and the track.  His
best time of the weekend came on Saturday with a 7.215 at 183.17.

*        EDWARDS ENJOYS HELPING KIDS: Mike Edwards with his sponsor
Young Life has helped out kids through the "A Team on A Mission"
program. During the second year of "A Team on a Mission," Edwards with
the support of fellow racers, business executives, and team owners was
able to send more than 175 kids to a Young Life camp after raising in
excess of $70,000 for the program in 2006. To date the program has sent
more than 300 kids to a Young Life camp. "This is what the racing family
is all about," Edwards said. "We are out battling each other on the
track, but when it came to helping the kids, we all came together as one
team."  For 2007, Edwards is hoping to reach even loftier heights by
sending double the number of kids to camp as the program did in 2006.
"The idea for the 'A Team on a Mission' is to have drivers from all
levels of NHRA competition make the pledge to send a kid to camp," he
said.  "The key is getting everyone involved. As a racing family, the
sky is the limit on how many lives can be impacted through such a
program and I just hope my fellow racers, car owners, and the racing
business world can join forces to achieve what this program can
accomplish."  As part of "A Team on a Mission," an individual can make a
single donation, a set amount per event, or for every round of
competition that each individual driver wins during the NHRA POWERade
Series schedule donate in the amount needed to send a kid to a Young
Life camp, or match what Edwards accomplishes on the track.  For more
information go to www.younglife.org/NHRA.

*	WHAT IS THE COUNTDOWN?: It is NHRA's new and improved system for
determining its four POWERade Series world champions and it officially
gets underway a month from now at the season-opening CARQUEST Auto Parts
NHRA Winternationals (Feb. 8-11 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona), the
first of 17 regular-season events in the 23-event schedule. The top
eight drivers from each class after the 17-event regular season will
advance to the playoffs and remain in contention for the 2007 POWERade
Series world championship. Media will be kept abreast of the Countdown
throughout the inaugural season via a Countdown-specific post-event
wrap-up, identifying the most significant moves up and down in the
POWERade Series standings, who's in and who's out, and what to look for
as we move through the regular season, playoffs and championship rounds.
Look for these updates via e-mail and on the Media Web site, which will
be re-launched in February with a page dedicated to educating media
about the Countdown and answering any and all questions related to the
Countdown.


COMING ATTRACTIONS


*         NATIONAL TIME TRIALS, PHOENIX, FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY,
JAN. 26-28: Pre-season action moves from Nevada to Arizona as the
professional teams continue to tweak off-season changes at this second
of three optional test sessions. Open to media. Please contact NHRA
Media Relations at (626) 914-4761 for more information.

*         LAST CHANCE TEST SESSION AND PONTIAC PRO STOCK SHOWDOWN, LAS
VEGAS, THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, FEB. 2-4: This aptly named
test session is the final of three optional events that allow
professional drivers the chance to test their rides before the 2007 NHRA
POWERade Series Countdown to the Championship gets underway. The 200 mph
NHRA Pro Stock cars also will race for bragging rights in the annual
Pontiac Pro Stock Showdown. Open to media. Please contact NHRA Media
Relations at (626) 914-4761 for more information.

*         CARQUEST AUTO PARTS NHRA WINTERNATIONALS, POMONA, CALIF., AUTO
CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA, FEB. 8-11: Get a front seat as Tony Schumacher
(Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Andrew
Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) begin the march to defend their POWERade
Series world championship titles.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

*	4: The number of pro categories (Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock,
and Pro Stock Motorcycle) that will have women competing after Ashley
Force announced her plans to drive in the Funny Car category for 2007.
This is the first time in drag racing history that all four pro
categories will have women racing during the same season.  As NHRA
President Tom Compton said, "No one else in Motorsports can say that."

 

DRIVERS TELL ALL

*	THE TOUGHEST THING ABOUT DRAG RACING: In the January 19 edition
of National DRAGSTER Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon tells the fans what he
believes is the toughest thing about being a drag racer.  "No doubt,
it's the finality of every single run.  You work all day and - boom! -
what's going to happen happens in an instant, and that scoreboard is
going to tell you whether you're worthy or not.  Your whole day - maybe
your year or your whole life - might be judged on that one instant.
It's the most cutthroat thing I can think of in life."

 

For more information, contact NHRA Media Relations at (626) 914-4761 or
visit the NHRA MEDIA CENTER online at http://media.nhra.com
<http://media.nhra.com/> .