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NHRA - NEWSMAKERS


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TOBLER JOINS MORGAN LUCAS RACING AS CREW CHIEF: Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas announced recently that he has hired three-time champion tuner Rahn Tobler as crew chief of his Lucas Oil dragster. Tobler spent the last three years heading Doug Kalitta's operation and tuned the standout driver to 14 national event wins and two second-place finishes in the POWERade points. Tobler will replace Lucas’ former crew chief, John Stewart, who was released from the team last week. Previously, with legend Shirley Muldowney, Tobler captained teams that won three world titles and 18 NHRA victories.

* WORSHAM READY TO RACE THE IMPALA IN VEGAS: Worsham Racing's first two Chevy Impala Funny Car bodies are now in-house, with Del Worsham's red Checker, Schuck's, Kragen version out of the paint shop and ready for vinyl. Worsham’s new Impala will get its first taste of the quarter mile at this week's SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas. Jeff Arend's first Impala, the blue CSK rendition, is at the paint shop now, but the team will not have it ready for racing this week in Las Vegas. Team CSK has been racing the Chevy Monte Carlo since its debut in 2004, but will now make the switch to Impala for the rest of the 2007 season.

* MEET THE STARS OF THE NHRA AT LAS VEGAS AUTOGRAPH SESSION: A free NHRA driver autograph session at the ESPN Zone will kick off the April 12-15 SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The autograph session will be held at the ESPN Zone inside the New York New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 12, from 7-8 p.m. Racers planning to attend the event include: Jack Beckman, Jeff Arend, Del Worsham, Jon Capps, Rod Fuller, Hillary Will, Jason Line, Greg Anderson, J.R. Todd, Cory McClenathan, Clay Millican, Dave Connolly, Jeg Coughlin, Kenny Koretsky, Justin Humphrey, Jerry Toliver, Bill Windham, and this list is still growing.

* TEAM OWNER BLACK TO BE HONORED IN LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Speedway Children’s Charities will honor NHRA team owner Ken Black at the second annual Mel Larson Night of Champions on April 11 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. Black is the owner of KB Racing located in Las Vegas, which stables three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson, reigning Pro Stock champion Jason Line, and Top Fuel Dragster driver Hillary Will. All proceeds from the dinner will go to the Las Vegas chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities. 2005 Funny Car Champion Gary Scelzi will be the keynote speaker at the event.

* PRO STOCK HUMPHREYS, ENGINE BUILDER MASKIN TEAM UP: Pro Stock rookie driver Justin Humphreys and veteran engine builder Richard Maskin have teamed up to make a run at the series championship. Maskin, who ended an agreement with driver Tom Martin two weeks ago in Houston and was heading into retirement, decided to make the move to the Pro Stock driver’s team last week. “I was going to retire because I have plenty of other things I could do, but I’m going to give this a try,” said Maskin. “I think Justin can drive a race car.” Humphreys and Maskin will make their debut at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals this week in Las Vegas.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

* SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS, LAS VEGAS, THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, APRIL 12-15: Defending race winners Melanie Troxel, Cruz Pedregon and Kurt Johnson will try to repeat their victories when the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series makes its first of two annual stops at Bruton Smith’s spectacular Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

* VIRGINIA NHRA SPORT COMPACT NATIONALS, RICHMOND, VA., VIRGINIA MOTORSPORTS PARK, APRIL 21-22: The drivers of the NHRA Xplōd Sport Compact Racing Series are coming to Virginia Motorsports Park for the second year. Ed Bergenholtz will try to earn his second victory at this event in the competitive Pro FWD category.

* SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS, COMMERCE, GA., ATLANTA DRAGWAY, APRIL 26-29: Race No. 6 in the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship moves to scenic Atlanta Dragway, often the site of some thrilling side-by-side finishes at more than 300 mph. Defending winners include Doug Kalitta, Tony Pedregon, Dave Connolly and Antron Brown.

* O’REILLY NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS, MADISON, ILL., GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, MAY 4-6: The NHRA’s annual visit to St. Louis comes nearly two months earlier this season, as Tony Schuamcher, Tony Pedregon, Mike Edwards and Chip Ellis will try to defend their victories from ’06.

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS

· 29: The number of different drivers to win an NHRA national event held at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway since the track opened in 2000. Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon and Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson both have the most victories among drivers in Las Vegas with four each. Funny car driver Kenny Bernstein and Top Fuel driver Whit Bazemore could become the first drivers in the track’s history to win both a Top Fuel and Funny Car title.

DRIVERS TELL ALL

· BOB FREY ON HIS FIRST TIME ANNOUNCING A RACE: New Jersey native and ‘the voice” of the NHRA, track announcer Bob Frey reflects on his first time in front of the microphone in 1966 at New Jersey’s Atco Raceway. “I didn’t know what I was doing but I talked a lot. I went there to race a car with a couple of my friends. Out of the three of us, I had the worst elapsed times, so they told me to check the motor but I couldn’t get the hood open. Then they suggested the announcer’s contest. Do you think they were trying to get rid of me?”