NHRA NEWSMAKERS

NHRA Newsmakers
Your inside glimpse at the world's fastest motorsport

NEWS NUGGETS
*	FORCE, HINES SLIP INTO LEAD IN STICKY SOUTH: Thirteen-time NHRA
Funny Car world champion John Force is quick to talk about his bid to
regain the POWERade Series title he lost to friendly rival Gary Scelzi
last year. It took nine months to do it, but Force moved into first
place in the POWERade Series point standings when he drove to the
winner's circle in Memphis. He now holds a 17-point edge on No.2 Ron
Capps entering the prestigious 52nd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in
Indianapolis. Defending NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Andrew
Hines' hold on the two-wheel category is even more tenuous - he leads
current No. 2 rider Antron Brown by only three points after defeating
the Don Schumacher-owned Suzuki at Memphis Motorsports Park.

*	KALITTA DOWNS WILL IN TEAMMATE FACE-OFF: After rookie J.R. Todd
rocketed to two wins over three-time and defending world champion Tony
Schumacher during the Western Swing, speculation claimed Hillary Will
would have to earn at least one victory of her own to have a shot at the
coveted Auto Club "Road to the Future" award for the season's hottest
newbie. She took a shot during the rain-delayed O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South
Nationals in Memphis, where she earned her first runner-up finish to
Kalitta Racing teammate Doug Kalitta. Kalitta, one of the most talented
nitro drivers to have never won a POWERade Series world championship
title, made headlines mid-season when he nabbed the point lead from
then-dominant Melanie Troxel. Kalitta holds a 136-point edge over the
charging Tony Schumacher after defeating the U.S. Army dragster in the
second round in Memphis.

*	FORCE, KURT JOHNSON AND HINES MAKE WINNER'S CIRCLE IN MARATHON
EVENT: Hot temperatures and spectacular thunderstorms pushed back three
rounds of eliminations to Monday morning at the O'Reilly Mid-South NHRA
Nationals, but that did little to slow the momentum of John Force, Kurt
Johnson and Andrew Hines. Force defeated former employee Tony Pedregon,
while Johnson earned his third event title this season with a hole-shot
win over point leader Jason Line. Hines coasted to victory after Antron
Brown, who won last weekend in Brainerd, Minn., fouled out at the
starting line.

*	TROXEL UP FOR 'SPORTSWOMAN OF YEAR:' Melanie Troxel has been
nominated by the Women's Sports Foundation as a finalist for its
Sportswoman of the Year award. Troxel will join nine other finalists
that include Chellsie Memmel (gymnastics) and Hannah Teter (snowboarder)
at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City on Oct. 16 for the award
ceremony. The Women's Sports Foundation, founded in 1974 by legendary
tennis ace Billie Jean King, is dedicated to advancing the lives of
girls and young women through sports and physical activity. This is just
the latest in a string of award nominations for Troxel, who beat out
NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson and IRL's Helio Castroneves to become the first
woman to win the prestigious Driver of the Year first-quarter award, and
also was nominated for two ESPYs.

*	VIEWERS SIT SHOTGUN IN 'DRIVING FORCE': Action with the Force
family on A&E's real life television show continues at 9 p.m. ET
tonight. Follow 13-time Funny Car world champion John Force as he tries
to relate to his daughters in the only way he knows how - NHRA drag
racing. Press releases and family photos ready for publication can be
found at A&E Networks Press Site <http://www.aetvpress.com/index.jsp> .

*	FAN DEFENDS TITLE IN MEMPHIS: Nick Tapp, 25, of Luka, Miss.,
became the second repeat winner of the POWERade Fan Nationals series
when he won the Fan Nationals title at the O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South
Nationals. Tapp, a sales representative for BTE, defeated hundreds of
area fans to claim the victory by driving realistic Funny Car
simulators. With the win, Tapp will race for the ultimate title of 2006
POWERade Fan Nationals Series champion in November at the 42nd annual
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
*	MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS PRO TESTING, INDIANAPOLIS, AUG. 22-23:
Some of the biggest names in NHRA drag racing will arrive in
Indianapolis a bit early for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Pro Testing
sessions, open to any professional competitor in the POWERade Series.
The sessions are closed to the public, but open to media. For more
information, contact O'Reilly Raceway Park Media Manager Scott Smith at
(317) 387-7343.
*	MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS, INDIANAPOLIS, AUG. 30-SEPT. 4: The
world's most prestigious, richest and longest running drag race is a
Labor Day weekend tradition at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
Every driver wants to win the super bowl of drag racing and join
eight-time winner "Big Daddy" Don Garlits in the NHRA record book.
*	TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS, READING, PA., SEPT. 14-17: Top Fuel
driver Tony Schumacher looks to continue his winning streak, consecutive
wins in the last three years, in the beautiful Amish countryside of
Pennsylvania.
*	O'REILLY NHRA FALL NATIONALS presented by Castrol Syntec, ENNIS,
TEXAS, SEPT. 21-24: Top Fuel drivers and crew will fight to earn
valuable bonus points as the race to qualify for the 22nd annual
Budweiser Shootout, a lucrative all-star race-within-a-race held during
the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway, heats up. 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
*	$25,000: The new payout for the winner of the $61,000 Ringers
Gloves Pro Bike Battle, a lucrative event for the category's best
performing riders held during the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in
Indianapolis. The winner's purse was increased from last year's $15,000
share. 

WHO'S HOT!
*	NHRA DRAG RACING, according to RACER Magazine. America's leading
motorsports monthly will once again put the hottest drivers of the
POWERade Series in the spotlight with its second annual RACER Nitro
special that features four special covers and insider takes on the
world's fastest motorsport. The magazine hits bookstores Sept. 5.

DRIVERS TELL ALL
*	TROXEL ON TROUBLED TIMES: Second-generation drag racer Melanie
Troxel took the world she grew up in by surprise when she went from out
of work to the top of the POWERade Series' fastest class in less than a
year - but the fastest woman in motorsports has fallen to a tough-luck
fourth in the point standings after leading the category for much of the
season. In fact, she's only won two rounds in the last seven races -
most recently falling victim to the Memphis heat and Hillary Will in the
first round of the O'Reilly Mid-South NHRA Nationals. "It was a bad
weekend," Troxel said. "And you're going to have those weekends. It was
an important weekend because now we have fallen to (fourth) in points.
We've got testing in Indy next week. We'll go out and work on things.
All we can hope is that it will turn around for us. It seems like in the
beginning of the year we could do no wrong and now we can do no right.
Eventually that's got to turn around, so we'll just keep at it."

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