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Nov. 18, 2003 Complete Lucas Oil Divisional schedule: Div.1 NORTHEAST
DIVISION U.S. 13 Dragway Numidia Raceway Old Bridge Township Raceway Park Cecil County Dragway Atco Raceway
Div. 2 SOUTHEAST
DIVISION Montgomery Motorsports Park South Georgia Motorsports Park Bristol Dragway Silver Dollar Raceway Darlington Int'l Dragway Div. 3 NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION Route 66 Raceway Edgewater Sports Park Beech Bend Raceway Park National Trail Raceway Div. 4 SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION Memphis Motorsports Park State Capitol Dragway Cherokee County Motorsports Park Thunder Valley Raceway Park No Problem Raceway Thunder Valley Raceway Park
Div. 5 WEST CENTRAL DIVISION Bandimere Speedway Nebraska Motorplex Heartland Park Topeka Tri-State Raceway Div. 6 NORTHWEST DIVISION Woodburn Dragstrip Pacific Raceways Woodburn Dragstrip Intermountain Motor Sports Park Southern Oregon Dragway Div. 7 PACIFIC DIVISION Sacramento Raceway Park Famoso Raceway Infineon Raceway The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Oct.31, 2003 CompuLink Timing would like to announce a new option
to the start line Christmas tree system. Oct. 30, 2003 Force Hurt , Won't race at Pomona. John Force, drag racing's biggest winner and owner of the Castrol SYNTEC Ford in which Tony Pedregon last week clinched the 2003 NHRA POWERade Funny Car Championship, suffered injuries Wednesday night that will preclude him from driving next week in the season-ending Automobile Club of Southern California World Finals at Pomona, Calif. Force, 54, was moving a crystal trophy he was presented for winning an NHRA Winston Invitational bonus race when it shattered as he set it down. The 109-time tour winner suffered serious injuries to both hands including lacerations that required 40 stitches to close. The 12-time NHRA Funny Car Champion was treated at Placentia Linda Hospital Wednesday night and released. "The doctor said no way I can drive," Force said, "and he doesn't know how long it'll be before I can sign an autograph." Ironically, this is the worst injury suffered by the 11-time Auto Racing All-America selection in his 30-year racing career and the only one that will cause him to miss an event. "I've burned my eyebrows off a couple times," Force said. "Burned my hands a little, crawled out of a lot of fires. The worst thing that happened before was when we had a car we were going to cut up on TV. It was on a moving stage thing and I was doing my act and got hit in the elbow by my own car. I thought I was going to miss a race then, but we got through it." In fact, Force has made a record 322 consecutive starts in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series dating back to the 1987 World Finals for which he failed to qualify. A determination on whether the team will park the national record-holding Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang for the season finale or compete with another driver won't be made until next week, after Force has an opportunity to discuss the situation with his sponsors and crew chiefs. Oct. 29, 2003 GM's Pontiac brand is pulling out of Nascar. Is NHRA next? DETROIT (AP) -- Pontiac is pulling out of NASCAR. The manufacturer that won two of the last three Winston Cup championships announced Tuesday it won't return in 2004 -- leaving Chevrolet as the only General Motors brand on the stock car circuit. Five full-time teams currently use Pontiacs, with Ricky Craven providing the only victory in 2003. In the manufacturer standings, Pontiac is a distant fourth, trailing leader Chevrolet by 127 points. Ford and Dodge also race in Winston Cup. "The decision to withdraw from NASCAR was not an easy one," Lynn Myers, general manager of Pontiac-GMC, said in statement. "Consistent with GM efforts to focus its racing programs, Chevrolet will carry the NASCAR banner while Pontiac can now devote resources to developing future racing and marketing programs." Pontiac won two of the past three Winston Cup championships, including Tony Stewart last season. Bobby Labonte did the trick in 2000. But both of those Joe Gibbs Racing drivers switched to Chevrolet for 2003, and Stewart's run to the title was marred by his repeated complaints that Pontiac was aerodynamically inferior to the other three makes. This year, Ford driver Matt Kenseth leads the standings by 258 points over Chevy driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Craven, Johnny Benson, Joe Nemechek, Kevin Lepage and Ward Burton drove Pontiacs in the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which finished Monday because of rain during the weekend. With the release above, the question to be asked, is the NHRA far behind. With the success of many drivers in Pro Stock, namely Greg Anderson and Warren Johnson, the Pontiac brand would probably be foolish to drop NHRA. Pontiac has struggled big time in Nascar and they should look to spend there money in a sport that has given them success in recent years.
Oct. 28, 2003 (new chassis rules are after release below) Three Finalists Chosen in Herbert's 'Win This Car' Contest
The year long Win This Car contest put on by Herbert Performance part and Top Fuel Racer Doug Herbert announced the trhee finalist for the coolest contest in motorsports. Doug and his company will give away his fully operational Top Fuel Dragster. Here are the finalists: Will Greg Scott, John Herring or Emil Dusek be an NHRA Top Fuel rookie of the year candidate in the near future? That's uncertain. What is a fact is one of them will soon own a ready-to-run Top Fuel dragster, thanks to Doug Herbert's season-long "Win This Car" promotion that has him giving away his Snap-on racecar Nov. 9 at Pomona, Calif. Scott, El Cajon, Calif.; Herring, Elizabeth City, N.C.; and Dusek, Katy, Texas, are the finalists named Sunday by Herbert, and one will win the car Nov. 9. "We had thousands of entrants in the contest and we thank all of them for participating," said Herbert, from Cherryville, N.C. "The three finalists will receive expense-paid trips to Pomona and will be guests in Snap-on's VIP hospitality area at the track for the race. "The car will be race-ready," he continued. "We plan to start the car for the winner. We will deliver it to his house or he can take it home himself." The dragster is 25 feet long and weighs 2175 pounds. It's built for
one and costs approximately $200,000 new. Bradenton Motorsports Park media relations Oct 24, 2003 NHRA Chassis Certification rules Effective Jan. 2004 Oct. 24, 2003 Chassis Rules in depth, including the new changes in effect Jan. 1, 2004. Courtesy Dave Shaffel Div. 6 tech director
2004 NHRA Rule Book Chassis Specs Changes: Other 2004 NHRA Rule Book Changes: " "For E.T. Motorcycle, an OEM ignition shutoff is permitted in place of a lanyard." This refers to the OEM switch on late model fuel injected motorcycles that automatically shuts off the engine when the motorcycle is tipped over. It does not refer to the on/off switch located on the handlebar controls.
Any vehicle that runs 180 mph or faster must be equipped with a roll cage meeting SFI Spec 25.1E, 25.2, 25.4, 25.5, or 10.1D. Any vehicle that runs 190 mph or faster must be equipped with a roll cage meeting SFI Spec 2.4B, 2.5A, 25.1E, 25.2, 25.4, 25.5, or 10.1D. Effective Jan. 1, 2004, all first-time certifications and all scheduled chassis recertifications must meet SFI Specs 25.1E and 25.2. Effective Jan. 1, 2005, all certifications must meet SFI Specs 25.4 and 25.5. Huge Sportsman change for NHRA national events. (updated Oct. 21, 2003) The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series categories of Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp and Super Gas will compete at 19 national events per season beginning in 2004, it has been announced by NHRA. While the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series sportsman categories will be represented at all 23 events, each category will not compete at a national event every fifth year. The move was made to enhance the experience for sportsman teams attending national events, allowing for more participants in competing categories, in many cases more qualifying runs, in some cases lower grading requirements, and an improved schedule for run times. "NHRA is experiencing tremendous growth in sportsman participation at all levels, including at NHRA national events," said Graham Light, senior vice president of racing operations, NHRA. "We must manage this growth and continue to make it work for all participants. "We have made this decision, after talking with sponsors, race teams and tracks, to minimize the challenges we currently face with the intent of providing an improved experience for the sportsman racer." An effort was made to minimize the impact on any given NHRA division. All categories will continue to compete in: the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Seattle, the only event in Division 6; the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the most prestigious event in drag racing; the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Chicago, home of the Jeg's All-Star event; and the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. NHRA also announced that Super Street will compete at eight national events per year, one per division plus the Jeg's All-Star event. Within the 19 national events that the Super Stock and Stock will compete at yearly, each category will also be offered class racing at six of those events. The entry process has been improved as well. In 2004, all entries will be electronic only, via nhra.com. Entry deadline dates will be eliminated, resulting in categories closing when the posted quota for the event is reached regardless of date. NHRA also will reduce the grading requirements for many categories at some events. Entry fees for all sportsman racers will increase in 2004 by $50 per entry to cover escalating operating costs. This marks the first national event entry fee increase for sportsman racers since 1996. "Sportsman racing is, and always will be, a crucial component of our national event structure. Today's announcement provides an opportunity, given the constraints of time and space at national events, to ensure a better sportsman racing experience at national events in the future," said Light. "We are confident that these changes will enhance the overall experience for sportsman racers by allowing in many cases more qualifying runs at national events, improved schedule run times and more participants in competing categories at many events." Non-Competing Events (through 2008) Competition Eliminator Super Stock Stock Super Comp Super Gas Super Street WILL be
contested at the following events: CLASS ELIMINATIONS SCHEDULE, 2004-2008 Super Stock (Class Eliminations) Stock (Class Eliminations)
Oct 16, 2003 Official rule change for TAD NHRA announces changes for A/Fuel Dragster -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The NHRA Competition Committee has evaluated various options available to bring the performance of A/Fuel Dragster more in line with that of Blown Alcohol Dragster, and has established the following rule changes for the 2004 racing season: 1. Increase the pounds-per-cubic-inch weight break for injected nitro cars from 4.80 or more pounds to 5.00 or more pounds. 2. Create a minimum and maximum engine displacement that includes nearly all engines in competition. Minimum displacement: 410 cubic inches; maximum displacement: 456 cubic inches. 3. Increase the minimum weight for injected nitro cars by 75 pounds to 2,100 pounds. In reaching its decision, the Committee noted the increased interest in the Top Alcohol Dragster category over the last three years, due primarily to rules stability and an influx of injected nitro cars. The presence of new race teams is viewed as a sign of healthy competition in the category, and NHRA anticipates that this trend will continue in 2004. In the interest of maintaining rules stability, NHRA has no plans to make further performance-related adjustments, or to consider any such changes until the 2005 season.
Oct.09, 2003 (recall notice after preview) Dennis Radford and Kirk Kuhns preview for Dallas The Poison Viper team of Dennis and Judy Radford make their 2003 AMS
Pro Mod debut this weekend at Ennis Texas, for the O'Reilly Nationals.
If you happen to see double, don't look twice, as you are in fact seeing
double. This fall, Dennis and Judy introduced the "Evil" twin
viper, a BAE blown hemi version, driven and tuned by Pro Mod veteran
Kirk Kuhns. With the same paint job as the nitrous version that Dennis
drives, it is easy from a distance to get the two mixed up until you
see a big scoop in one and a huge blower and hat on the other. With
the controversy and parity differences between the nitrous and blower
cars, Dennis thought, "why not have both types of cars". In
some conditions the blown alcohol version should be stronger, and in
other conditions, the nitrous one has the advantage.
Oct. 09, 2003 Tracy Winters - VP of Sales/Marketing, JW Performance
Transmissions Inc. October 3, 2003
Dear Customer, The purpose of this letter is to inform you of a recall on part number 93010-C, (8 bolt Chrysler to GM transmission flywheel.) The recall is being issued due to a few incidents where a portion of the ring gear detached from the flywheel. In specific the ring gear has detached in a location next to a torque converter bolthole. The specific cause may be due to the movement of shims between the converter and flywheel. The current incidents represent less than 3% of the products manufactured. It our recommendation that you send the flywheel to JW Performance Transmissions for inspection to: 1808-1826 Baldwin Street; Rockledge, FL. 32955. We will inspect the product and if needed repair or replace and return to you freight prepaid via UPS Ground. Secondly, we suggest that you do not use shims between the flywheel and torque converter. If you should have any questions please feel free to contact me @ 321-632-6205 Ext. 13 or the direct sales staff at Ext. 3. Respectfully Yours, Tracy Winters
Oct. 2, 2003
KISS members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons to return to The Strip at LVMS; The rock legends are grand marshals for NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals
LAS VEGAS - Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, principal members To commemorate the band's appearance, two KISS-themed cars "We had a blast with the KISS crew last year and I know Gene and
Paul With more than 80 million albums sold -- supported by sold-out tours
and Tickets are on sale for the third annual NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Oct. 1, 2003 Bucky Austin Chicago Wrap up One chance is all that is left for the "Northwest
Hitter" Bucky Austin. This past weekend was a case of, "good
news, bad news". The good news was that he won the Jeg's Allstar
race on Saturday. The bad news was that he was upset in round one of
Sunday eliminations, putting a huge damper into his championship aspirations.
He certainly would like to reverse his results from last weekend, but
was happy to win the Allstar event. He defeated Cy Chesterman in the
final round on Saturday, but lost to Jeff Craig for the second race
in a row during Sunday's first round of eliminations. The two cars were
side by side until 1100 feet when Bucky broke and Jeff drove around
him. Bucky slowed from his 5.50-5.60 performance earlier on the weekend
to a 5.77. Craig ran his usual consistent 5.74.
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