Press Release -  Drag Racing

Lagana & Team to Sport New Colors & Theme at Martin MI.

At the upcoming Northern Nationals in Martin MI. Bobby Lagana Jr. and team are looking forward to building on their career year and also sporting some new colors for the race. “Our entire racing life, this goes for my father and my brother and I we have always had blue racecars, well here we go again, for Martin MI. we will be sporting a brand new body painted by Olson body and paint. The body will be painted with a blue angel wing theme. It is by far the prettiest racecar we have ever had. We will also be adorning the new paint with some new decals, seeing as how we are so close to home for Evan Knoll and his family business, we are going to be supporting the family Knoll Gas and Propane business. We are looking forward to having a lot of Evan’s family at the race and I want nothing more than to make them feel as comfortable as possible.”

After six round wins in the last three races Lagana finds himself in an interesting position in the year long points battle. “I don’t want to say we have a legitimate shot at a top three spot because I do not want to jinx ourselves, but I will say we are having a whole lot of fun battling the rest of the top fuel class week in and week out, these guys are all so good and so much fun to race with. This has got to be a career year for IHRA in the Top Fuel class. We are mainly focused on just qualifying for Martin, once we can secure a spot in the show we will focus on the next round. I will say it sure would be neat to win at Torco Race Fuels home track. Besides being Torco’s home track US 131 Motorsports park is our favorite track, it is a beautiful facility and holds many special memories for our team, I hope this weekend we can make a few more good memories.”
 

BROWN FINISHES THIRD IN MATCO TOOLS CAR AT SEATTLE

KENT, Wash. (July 19, 2008) - Antron Brown drove his David Powers-owned Matco Tools dragster to the No. 3 qualifying position Saturday afternoon at Pacific Raceways. The 18-time NHRA winner used a qualifying-best elapsed time of 3.831-seconds to finish third in the 16-car order at the Seattle NHRA race.

Brown, who is making his first career start at Pacific Raceways, posted his best qualifying time on Friday evening at the Seattle track when he used a Lee Beard tune-up to power the bright blue Matco Tools rail to a run of 3.831 seconds at 312.06 mph. It is Brown's quickest and fastest run under the new 1,000-foot racing rule. The Matco dragster overpowered the Pacific Raceways strip on Saturday's first attempt, and Brown posted a run of 3.937 at 295.21 on his final qualifying run. It is the first time he will start from the No. 3 position this season. Brown has now qualified for 159 consecutive races.

"This Matco team did well again this weekend," Brown said. "Lee (Beard) and the guys continue to give me a good race car. I'm having fun up here at Seattle for the first time. We were pushing it on the first run today and it was just too aggressive. I'm confident that we'll have a good race car for Sunday and go some rounds."

He will match-up against No. 14 qualifier Bob Vandergriff, Jr. in the first round of eliminations at 11 a.m. (PT) on Sunday at Pacific Raceways. Brown is 3-0 against the 12-time Top Fuel finalist this season.

Headquartered in Houston with race operations located in Brownsburg, Ind., David Powers Motorsports fields the two-car Top Fuel operation of drivers Rod Fuller and Antron Brown. DPM proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Caterpillar, Forward Sports Marketing, Valvoline, Toyota, Ringer?s Gloves, Go Fast Sports, Goodyear, FRAM, and Autolite.

Q1 3.865 ET, 310.27 MPH No. 4

Q2 3.831 ET, 312.06 MPH No. 3

Q3 5.205 ET, 129.24 MPH No. 3

Q4 3.937 ET, 295.21 MPH No. 3
 

FULLER FINISHES FOURTH AT SEATTLE FOR N C MACHINERY

KENT, Wash. (July 19, 2008) - Rod Fuller raced his David Powers-owned N C Machinery-backed dragster to the No. 4 qualifying position Saturday afternoon at Pacific Raceways. Fuller's best qualifying elapsed time was 3.841-seconds.

Fuller, who has seven career Top Fuel poles, including the Norwalk, Ohio race in late June, clocked his best qualifying effort on Friday evening at Pacific Raceways when the Las Vegas driver used a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to power the N C Machinery car to a run of 3.841 seconds at 313.73 mph. On Saturday's first qualifying attempt, the Caterpillar car suffered an ignition problem and did not make a run. Fuller then posted a time of 4.902 at 142.42 on his final qualifying pass. The N C Machinery car dropped a cylinder on Saturday's second pass. It is the eighth time that Fuller has qualified in the top half of the field this season and first time he'll start from the No. 4 position in 2008.

"We made a good run on Friday night and that put us solidly in the show," Fuller said. "We had an issue on the first run today and those things happen. We're fortunate it happened during qualifying and not on race day. That might be our lucky break. We'll get his NC Machinery car tuned-up and go some rounds on race day."

The seven-time Top Fuel winner will face off against No. 13 qualifier Steve Torrence in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations at 11 a.m. (PT) on Sunday. They have never met during eliminations.

Headquartered in Houston with race operations located in Brownsburg, Ind., David Powers Motorsports fields the two-car Top Fuel operation of drivers Rod Fuller and Antron Brown. DPM proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Caterpillar, Forward Sports Marketing, Valvoline, Toyota, Ringer's Gloves, Go Fast Sports, Goodyear, FRAM, and Autolite.

Q1 3.950 ET, 293.47 MPH No. 10

Q2 3.841 ET, 313.73 MPH No. 4

Q3 Shut off at starting line

Q4 4.902 ET, 142.42 MPH No. 4
 

ANTRON BROWN 2008 NHRA MIDSEASON RECAP

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (July 4, 2008) - Four wheels or two, no problem for Antron Brown. After a decade as one of the elite riders in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category, Brown was tabbed to drive the David Powers-owned Matco Tools dragster. Making an unprecedented move, Brown earned the pole at the 2008 season-opener at Pomona, Calif. and won in just his fourth Top Fuel start by edging two-time series champion Larry Dixon in the final round at Houston Raceway Park on March 30. Brown didn't look back, advancing to three consecutive final rounds where the Matco Tools driver earned the trip to the winner's circle twice. After 12 of 24 races on the 2008 NHRA racing schedule, Brown finds himself trailing only five-time champion Tony Schumacher in the Top Fuel standings. In this Q&A, the former college track star discusses his move to Top Fuel, what it's like working with his crew chief, Lee Beard, and teammate, Hot Rod Fuller, and the second half of the '08 NHRA racing season.

Q: You've made the transition from Pro Stock Motorcycle to Top Fuel appear seamless. Has it been that easy?

BROWN: No, it hasn't been that easy. What made things so smooth was the great chemistry our Matco team has. Starting at the top with Lee Beard and all my team, the way we jelled, made the transition very smooth. We took things one step at a time and tried to minimize common rookie mistakes. I didn't have to learn to race, I just had to learn to drive the car and that helped make us more competitive early on.

Q: What's been your biggest challenge in driving the Matco Tools dragster?

BROWN: I would say getting used to the rate of acceleration. There's nothing that can compare you to the rate of acceleration in a Top Fuel car. Even though I went to Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School and drove an alcohol car, it's still a second slower. The hardest part is getting in the car and trying to slow everything down. When the car goes out of the groove or drops a cylinder, you need to be able to react quickly and not think about it.

Q: How have Lee Beard and Rod Fuller helped with your progression in Top Fuel?

BROWN: Lee Beard has been a tremendous help. He's driven cars and been a successful crew chief for more than 30 years. He's a great coach and I think he's one of the best tuners in the business. Working with Hot Rod (Fuller) has been instrumental because he's been driving the Top Fuel car for four years now and he's had a lot of success. When I ask questions, it's still fresh in his mind where other drivers that have been driving longer can't remember way back to when they were a rookie. Both Lee and Hot Rod have given me invaluable information that I can use to be a better driver. Plus the way we work with Rob Flynn, Hot Rod's crew chief, our entire team works so well together. We have an awesome group here at DPM.

Q: Are you surprised that you're ranked second in the Top Fuel standings after 12 races?

BROWN: That's a tough question. I wouldn't say I'm surprised because of the team we have assembled. I figured we'd be in the top five with Lee and my guys, but after working with them during the off season, it's really not a surprise. We have a lot of talent and the success shows from their talent and hard work. They give me the confidence to win races and be successful. I really feel we have the chance to win each Sunday.

Q: Can you compete for the Top Fuel championship this year?

BROWN: I think we're very capable of competing for the championship and we've shown that. When the Countdown (to the Championship) starts, I think you're going to see a lot of teams really gunning for it whereas we've been in test-mode leading up to the Countdown. I think that we can compete with the U.S. Army car. Between them, the Caterpillar car and our Matco car, I think those are the top three cars right now. We just have to keep working hard and have some luck fall our way, and to create luck, you have to perform well to get some of that luck. I think we have a great shot to compete for the championship this season.

Q: You and your teammate are currently ranked second and fourth in the Top Fuel standings. Talk about the two David Powers Motorsports cars.

BROWN: I think that our two-car team is the team to beat. I think that we feed off of each other and we're going to give the other teams some havoc. If you look over the first half of this season, I think both of our cars have been getting stronger. Hot Rod's car is running really well right now. We want to peak during the Countdown and hopefully that's where both of these DPM cars are the strongest.

Q: What are your thoughts on the new 1,000-foot rule?

BROWN: We support NHRA's decision. They're working to come up with the best rules to make our classes safer. Honestly, I can't wait until we go back to racing a quarter mile. What makes our nitro classes unique is running 320-330 mph, but until they find out a way to make things safer, we support the decision, but we want to be racing a quarter mile.

Antron Brown 2008 Midseason Stats

2nd place in NHRA POWERade Top Fuel standings
20-10 (.667) in 30 eliminations rounds
2-1 (.667) in 3 final rounds
2 wins (Houston, Atlanta)
2 poles (Pomona 1, Englishtown, N.J.)
4.83 average qualifying position
2.67 average race finish
1 low E.T. of the meet (Englishtown, N.J.)
2 top speed of the meet (Atlanta, Madison, Ill.)

HOT ROD FULLER 2008 NHRA MIDSEASON RECAP

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (July 3, 2008) - A season ago, Hot Rod Fuller was playing the lead part in what turned out to be a dramatic finish to the 2007 NHRA racing season. Now the fiery Las Vegas racer has a new role, that of the hunter. Through the first 12 races of the 2008 NHRA racing season, Fuller and his David Powers-owned Caterpillar Top Fuel team rank fourth in the arduous Top Fuel division. With the bulls-eye no longer on his back, Fuller and his Rob Flynn-led Caterpillar team overcame a slow start to the 2008 NHRA season and have moved within striking distance of the second and third place drivers, Antron Brown and Larry Dixon. The former Super Comp and Gas stalwart has one win and one pole this year along with recording low E.T. and top speed honors multiple times. In this Q&A, Fuller talks about his first-half performance and his outlook on year two of NHRA's Countdown to the Championship.

Q: Asses the first half of the 2008 NHRA racing season for Rod Fuller and the Caterpillar team.

FULLER: We're right on par with where I thought we'd be. I like where we're sitting. There were some rule changes and we have a few new crew members. I felt if we could be top five going into the Western Swing, we'd be happy with that. That's right where we are. We started slow, but we have a race win, a final round, a pole and the car is starting to be a lot more consistent. That's important to not give races away.

Q: What's your outlook going into Western Swing?

FULLER: My goal is to get our team into second or third position in the standings. I think that's a feasible goal. I don't think it's great to be No. 1, but you don't want to be farther down in the top 10 either going into the Countdown. I believe our two David Powers teams should be second and third going into the Countdown at Charlotte.

Q: How do you feel about the second year of the Countdown to the Championship?

FULLER: I like how NHRA changed the points system. NHRA and the fans felt it needed some tweaking. They're now rewarding the No. 1 drivers and it's a six race shootout, not two races to determine the champion. It's better.

Q: Grade your first half performance for the Caterpillar team.

FULLER: I don't think I've been driving as good as I did last year. My knee surgery didn't go as well as I thought and there were some complications. I've also been trying to lose weight, which I thought would help the car, but it hasn't. Their car was built for me at 185-pounds, not 170. I feel like the last three races I've been driving better and we've been performing better. I would give us "B" so far.

Q: What's it like working alongside Antron Brown?

FULLER: It's been great. He's a really cool teammate. We've been working together and their success makes both of our teams stronger. The DPM organization is very strong between our two cars. We've been to five finals, won three races, and have three poles; that's not bad. We're excited to build on that and hopefully get these two David Powers cars into a few more final rounds.

Q: What are your feelings on the new 1,000-foot rule?

FULLER: I'm not that political, but I'm not for this. In my eyes, it's a knee-jerk reaction. There are better ways to slow these cars down. It will confuse the fans to see us running in the three-second range. My favorite years of watching Top Fuel racing was when they ran in the high fours at around 300 mph. Everything in the history of drag racing is based on the quarter mile. Look at every magazine from Car & Driver to Motor Trend and they measure performance in the quarter mile, not 1,000 feet. There are a lot of smart people in our sport, get them together and figure out a way to slow these cars down and make them safer.

Q: Do you enjoy "the Dark Side" rivalry with Tony Schumacher and the DSR teams?

FULLER: It's been pretty fun. I really believe it is a rivalry. He may not think so, but I do. It's not like we're best friends, but you have to respect them. They have won a lot of races and championships and we want what they have. I was trying to have fun and he took a personal stab at me. The important thing is that the fans are enjoying it. Last weekend at Norwalk, I think more people were excited about us racing in the second round than anything else. We're 2-2 against the Army team and I think it's good for the sport to have good matches and rivalries. People pay attention to the Red Sox and Yankees or the Cowboys and Redskins and NHRA needs more of that.

Rod Fuller 2008 Midseason Stats

4th place in NHRA POWERade Top Fuel standings
17-11 (.607) in 28 eliminations rounds
1-1 (.500) in 2 final rounds
1 win (Madison, Ill).
1 pole (Norwalk, Ohio)
6.92 average qualifying position
2.42 average race finish
3 low E.T. of the meet (Pomona 1, Phoenix, Norwalk)
2 top speed of the meet (Englishtown, Norwalk)
 

FULLER DRIVES H.O. PENN DRAGSTER TO SEMIFINALS AT ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 22, 2008) - Rod Fuller powered his David Powers-owned H.O. Penn CAT dragster to a semifinal finish Sunday afternoon at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Fuller moved to fourth place in the NHRA POWERade Top Fuel standings to equal his highest ranking in the points race this season.

After starting from the No. 6 spot for the sixth time in his professional career with a 4.551-second qualifying elapsed time, Fuller defeated Morgan Lucas and veteran racer Doug Herbert before falling to Brandon Bernstein in the semifinals.

Facing off against Lucas for the third time this season, Fuller labored to his 100th career round win. The Las Vegas racer powered the H.O. Penn CAT dragster to a performance of 4.963 seconds at 245.23 mph after suffering a malfunction with the fuel system. Lucas' red and white rail dropped cylinders and carded a pass of 5.245 at 209.49. Fuller earned his 100th round win in his 76th Top Fuel start.

Matched up against Herbert for the 14th time during eliminations, Fuller used a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to notch the wire-to-wire win. The 13-time NHRA sportsmen winner (Super Comp/Gas), carded the quickest and fastest pass of the round, 4.594 at 319.75, to earn the trip to the semifinals. Herbert raced his red and white dragster to a run of 4.691 at 309.84. Fuller is now 11-3 versus Herbert during eliminations.

Competing in the semifinals for the fifth time this season, Fuller raced the Caterpillar/Matco Tools rail to a pass of 4.813 at 256.84. The H.O. Penn dragster dropped a cylinder causing the slower elapsed time. Bernstein clocked a run of 4.616 at 319.22 in his bright red dragster to advance to his second final round of the season.

"All things considered, it was a good weekend for our team," Fuller said. "We raced with heavy hearts today. We were pitted directly across from Scott (Kalitta) and the RFC church service in our pit was a somber one. Our CAT team did a great job this weekend. We were consistent and qualified well. Rob Flynn always says if you go to the semis at each race, you'll win the championship. We've been the final round and semis at our last two races and now we're going to Norwalk where we hold the track record and went the final round last year."

The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the Second annual Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, June 26-29, at Summit Racing Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Fuller raced to a runner-up finish at the inaugural Norwalk NHRA race last June. He holds the track E.T. record at 4.533-seconds.

Headquartered in Houston with race operations located in Brownsburg, Ind., David Powers Motorsports fields the two-car Top Fuel operation of drivers Rod Fuller and Antron Brown. DPM proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Caterpillar, Forward Sports Marketing, Valvoline, Toyota, Ringer's Gloves, Go Fast Sports, iLocate GPS, Goodyear, FRAM, and Autolite.

R1 FULLER (.076) 4.963 ET, 245.23 MPH def. Lucas (.064) 5.245 ET, 209.49 MPH

R2 FULLER (.070) 4.594 ET, 319.75 MPH def. Herbert (.092) 4.691 ET, 309.84 MPH

R3 Bernstein (.065) 4.616 ET, 319.22 MPH def. FULLER (.087) 4.813 ET, 256.84 MPH
 

BROWN RACES MATCO TOOLS RAIL TO QUARTERFINALS
IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD AT NEW JERSEY

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 22, 2008) - Antron Brown and his David Powers-owned Matco Tools team put on an impressive show at the New Jersey native's hometown track. The two-time Top Fuel winner powered his Matco Tools rail to a quarterfinal finish Sunday afternoon at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

One day after earning his 13th career pole and second No. 1 qualifying award in Top Fuel with a pass of 4.502-seconds on Friday evening at Raceway Park, Brown edged five-time Top Fuel winner J.R. Todd in the first round of eliminations before narrowly falling to five-time series champion Tony Schumacher in the second round.

Squaring off against Todd for the first time this season, Brown used a Lee Beard tune-up to clock the quickest pass of the opening round of eliminations. Todd got the jump at the start in his blue and white dragster, but Beard gave Brown the horsepower he needed to drive around and score the win in the Matco Tools/iLocate GPS rail. Brown earned a run of 4.567 seconds at 322.73 mph to advance beyond the opening round for the 10th time in 11 races this season.

Paired up against the Alan Johnson-tuned U.S. Army dragster for the fourth time this season, the drivers used solid reaction times as Brown blasted the Matco Tools/Go Fast car to a performance of 4.621 at 316.75. Schumacher was slightly quicker at 4.618 at 319.07 to earn the trip to the semifinals. Brown now has a round-record of 19-9 this season in the Matco/Valvoline dragster.

"We're disappointed to lose to Tony (Schumacher), but he's the man to beat for the championship," Brown said. "Overall, we had a phenomenal weekend with the consistency of our car and how fast it was. We were the car to beat here at Englishtown. Alan Johnson just stepped up to the plate. We?re going to come out at Norwalk (Ohio) swinging hard."

The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the Second annual Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, June 26-29, at Summit Racing Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Brown was a three-time finalist at National Trail Raceway near Columbus, winning in 1999.

Headquartered in Houston with race operations located in Brownsburg, Ind., David Powers Motorsports fields the two-car Top Fuel operation of drivers Rod Fuller and Antron Brown. DPM proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Caterpillar, Forward Sports Marketing, Valvoline, Toyota, Ringer's Gloves, Go Fast Sports, iLocate GPS, Goodyear, FRAM, and Autolite.

R1 BROWN (.090) 4.567 ET, 322.73 MPH def. Todd (.042) 4.639 ET, 310.05 MPH

R2 Schumacher (.061) 4.618 ET, 319.07 MPH def. BROWN (.075) 4.621 ET, 316.75 MPH
 

Courtesy of Bruce Litton Motor Sports

Litton Right on Track
Defending Top Fuel World Champion heads to Budds Creek riding a wave of momentum

(Indianapolis, Ind.; June 5, 2008) – The first two races of the 2008 season did not go as Bruce Litton would have liked. The Motor City Nationals in Milan, however, put Litton and his Indianapolis-based Top Fuel team right on track.

Litton defeated #1 qualifier Scott Palmer in the final round at Milan Dragway to claim his 13th career Ironman and move to within one round (19 points) of Spencer Massey atop the 2008 IHRA Top Fuel points standings.

“We’re right where we want to be,” Litton said. “We’re in striking distance of the lead with plenty of racing left on the schedule. (Crew Chief) Richard (Hartmann) seems to have a handle on the car, our performance has been strong and consistent and we look forward to getting out there in Maryland. We’re getting into the heart of the season and it’s time to work hard.”

Massey, the NHRA fuel-altered hot-shot driving for Mitch King on the IHRA schedule, topped Litton in the first round at the quarter-mile season opener in San Antonio. He defeated Litton again in Rockingham, this time in the final round with the Ironman on the line. Litton is not concerned with just one racer, however.

“At this point we can’t worry about Spencer, we just have to run our race and worry about what’s going on in our lane,” Litton said. “We have to worry about all seven other drivers who qualify for the field. Come Sunday anyone who qualifies for this deal can win.”

Litton has not enjoyed a strong recent history at Maryland International Raceway. In the last six seasons he has advanced to just one final round at MIR, losing to Clay Millican in the final round during the 2003 season. During that time he has also lost in the first round twice (2002 and 2005), lost in the semifinals twice (2004 and 2007) and did not compete during the 2007 season while recovering from injuries sustained in his crash in New England.

“We haven’t had the best luck at MIR, but I love the race track and love the facility,” Litton said. “Royce Miller and his family do a tremendous job of getting that place in great shape for the President’s Cup Nationals. The track is less than 100-feet above sea level so the air is always unbelievable…we make really big power there. It would not surprise me to see some records fall this year.”

Millican holds both ends of the track record at MIR with an ET of 4.568 and a speed of 328.14. That speed also stands as the current IHRA world record. Millican also holds the ET world record at 4.484 set at Rockingham Dragway at the 2005 World Finals.

“With the level of competition and the strength of the cars coming to race with IHRA this year it would not surprise me at all to see records fall,” Litton said. “We’re used to coming to MIR in September, where the cool air sometimes made the conditions too good. I’m looking forward to watching everyone take shots at the track in the early June heat.”

Litton and crew will have a short turnaround. After the President’s Cup Nationals the team will have two weeks to get the rig and equipment 2,400 miles to Edmonton for the Rocky Mountain Nationals July 3-5. Litton wants to thank Forest and Charlotte Lucas from Lucas Oil for their continued support of his racing operation. Litton also thanks United Trailer Sales and IHRA Nitro Jam series sponsor Knoll Gas.

“These companies and people are so important to our sport,” Litton said. “They are the ones who allow us to pursue out passion and I could never thank them enough…especially Forest and Charlotte Lucas… for everything they’ve done for me over the years.”
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

FULLER RACES TO NO. 2 SPOT FRIDAY AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY

COMMERCE, Ga. (April 25, 2008) - One year after earning the pole at Atlanta Dragway, six-time NHRA Top Fuel winner Rod Fuller powered his David Powers-owned Caterpillar dragster to the provisional No. 2 qualifying position Friday at Atlanta Dragway. Fuller clocked a run of 4.572 seconds on Friday evening to open qualifying at the 28th annual Summit Racing Southern Nationals.

The six-time NHRA Top Fuel winner opened qualifying at the Commerce track by powering to the eighth quickest run of the session. Fuller drove his Rob Flynn-tuned Caterpillar/Matco Tools rail to a pass of 5.024 seconds at 211.23 mph. The Las Vegas racer clocked the third quickest half-track elapsed time of the session. Under the lights, the Caterpillar-backed rail used Flynn's "Canadian Horsepower" to record the second quickest pass of the day. Fuller raced to a run of 4.572 seconds at 320.73 mph in the left lane Atlanta Dragway. The highest Fuller has qualified this season is third (4.555 seconds) at the Gainesville, Fla. event in March.

"We were glad to see most of the cars run well, that showed the track was stout," Fuller said. "We've had no problem making horsepower this season, the problem was applying the power to the track. We put the power in the car and it performed like it had in the past. When we got back from the run and looked at the computer we found it has more left it in. We're happy to be second. We don't know how Saturday will play out, but it feels good to leave the track on Friday after making a really good pass."

Professional nitro qualifying resumes Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Dragway with sessions scheduled for 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. (ET). Fuller earned the pole at the Atlanta race last spring (4.506 seconds). He has six career poles.

Headquartered in Houston with race operations located in Brownsburg, Ind., David Powers Motorsports fields the two-car Top Fuel operation of drivers Rod Fuller and Antron Brown. DPM proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Caterpillar, Forward Sports Marketing, Valvoline, Toyota, Ringer's Gloves, Go Fast Sports, iLocate GPS, Goodyear, FRAM, and Autolite.

Q1 5.024 ET, 211.23 MPH No. 8

Q2 4.572 ET, 320.73 MPH No. 2
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

BROWN EARNS PROVISIONAL NO. 11 SPOT FRIDAY AT ATLANTA

COMMERCE, Ga. (April 25, 2008) - Antron Brown raced his David Powers-owned Matco Tools dragster to the provisional No. 11 qualifying position Friday evening at Atlanta Dragway at the 28th annual Summit Racing Southern Nationals.

Brown, who enters the Atlanta race ranked third in the Top Fuel standings, opened qualifying on an overcast afternoon in North Georgia by racing his Matco Tools/iLocate dragster to a pass of 4.753 seconds at 298.87 mph. That placed the bright blue Matco-backed rail fifth in the qualifying order. The Matco dragster lost traction on Friday's second attempt and slowed to a pass of 11.320-seconds moving Brown to 11th in the Top Fuel order. The 17-time NHRA winner has advanced to the final round at the last two NHRA events, Houston and Las Vegas. He won his first career Top Fuel race at Houston in late March in just his fourth career start in drag racing's premier division.

"We had some gremlins that bit us today, but we're upbeat," Brown said. "We're No. 11 and in the show and we know we can make it happen on race day like we did at Houston. We have one more day of qualifying left and we'll get this Matco dragster fixed and ready for Sunday."

Professional nitro qualifying resumes Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Dragway with sessions scheduled for 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. (ET). Brown, a two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle winner at the Atlanta race, earned the pole at the Commerce track in 2006.

Headquartered in Houston with race operations located in Brownsburg, Ind., David Powers Motorsports fields the two-car Top Fuel operation of drivers Rod Fuller and Antron Brown. DPM proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Caterpillar, Forward Sports Marketing, Valvoline, Toyota, Ringer's Gloves, Go Fast Sports, iLocate GPS, Goodyear, FRAM, and Autolite.

Q1 4.753 ET, 298.87 MPH No. 5

Q2 11.320 ET, 73.99 MPH No. 11
 

The Fuller Times
The prerace release of six-time NHRA Top Fuel winner
Rod Fuller and the Caterpillar Top Fuel team

Contact: Ted Yerzyk

48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals
Feb. 7-10, 2008
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, Calif.

Rod Fuller on Pomona 1
“It’s a track I’ve done well at in the sportsmen ranks, but a nemesis in Top Fuel. I have a bad taste in my mouth from the Finals last fall, so I want to go in and win this race. I feel very confident going in. We had the quickest time in testing. We have a fast car and that’s exciting.”

Rob Flynn (crew chief) on Pomona 1
“Based on testing with both cars, we’re pretty confident heading into Pomona. It is a different race track, so you have to start over again. The last time, at the Finals, we had some misfires, but overall we’ve done well there in the past. We’re confident going into the season.”

Fuller Pomona 1 Notebook
Fuller qualified second at the Winternationals last February with a run of 4.481 seconds at 327.27 mph. It then was the quickest pass of his career. He advanced to the semifinals before falling to Brandon Bernstein. It is the farthest he has advanced in seven tries at the historic Southern California drag strip.

Fuller drove his Rob Flynn-tuned rail to a career-best second place finish last season. He collected three wins in six final rounds, four poles, four low E.T. of the race, one top speed of the race, and won the $100,000 Technicoat Shootout at the fall Las Vegas race. He also won a category-best 40 rounds of eliminations, three more than Bernstein.

Fuller clocked the quickest pass of 2008 preseason testing on Jan. 29 with a run of 4.468 seconds at 331.36 mph at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix.

Fuller has qualified for 62 consecutive NHRA Top Fuel events. He hasn’t missed the cut since driving Top Fuel part time in 1996 (Houston). It is the second longest streak in Top Fuel (Tony Schumacher).

Fuller had an average qualifying position of 4.13 last season. He only qualified in the bottom half of the 16-car order twice (Seattle and Pomona 2).

Fuller has scored two NHRA sportsmen victories at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. He won Pomona 3 (Super Comp) in 2001 and claimed the Super Gas title at the Auto Club Finals (Pomona 2) in 2003. He has 19 career NHRA national event victories (six Top Fuel and 13 sportsmen).

2007 Final NHRA Top Fuel Standings
1. Tony Schumacher 3,186 - - - -
2. ROD FULLER 3,167 -19
3. Brandon Bernstein 3,149 -37
4. Larry Dixon 3,135 -51
5. Bob Vandergriff, Jr. 2,358
6. Doug Herbert 2,292
7. J.R. Todd 2,273
8. Whit Bazemore 2,182
9. Melanie Troxel 1,173
10. Doug Kalitta 1,045

Rod Fuller’s Career Results at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Year Qualified Finish & Winning Driver
1996 No. DNQ
2005 No. 15 First round—David Grubnic
2005 No. 5 First round—David Grubnic
2006 No. 5 Second round—Morgan Lucas
2006 No. 7 Second round—Tony Schumacher
2007 No. 2 Semifinals—Brandon Bernstein
2007 No. 11 First round—Bob Vandergriff, Jr.

Fuller’s Winternationals Schedule
Date & Time Event and Location
Thur., Feb. 7, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 8, 9 a.m. Y.E.S. Program, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 8, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 2, Auto Club Raceway
Sat., Feb. 9, 12:30/3:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Auto Club Raceway
Sun., Feb. 10, 11 a.m. Final Eliminations, Auto Club Raceway

Fuller’s Career-Best Performances
E.T.—4.464 seconds Joliet, Ill. June 2007
MPH—331.61 mph Chandler, Ariz. Feb. 2007

Fuller’s Career-Best at Pomona
E.T.—4.481 seconds Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2007
MPH—329.75 mph Pomona, Calif. Feb. 2007

CARQUEST Auto Parts WinternationalsTV Schedule (ESPN2)
Date & Time (ET) Coverage
Sat., Feb. 9, 8-10 p.m. Qualifying Highlights
Sun., Feb. 10, 7:30-11 p.m. Final Eliminations Coverage

www.cat.com/dealercareers
www.davidpowersmotorsports.com 

The Brown Bulletin
The prerace release of 16-time NHRA winner
Antron Brown and the Matco Tools Top Fuel team

Contact: Ted Yerzyk

48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals
Feb. 7-10, 2008
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, Calif.

Antron Brown on Pomona 1

"I'm very excited to participate in my first Top Fuel race. To carry the Matco Tools banner for all the distributors is very cool. We look forward to giving them a great

showing this season. We have a great team and I think we're going to surprise some people."

Lee Beard (crew chief) on Pomona 1

"I think we have a very competitive race car. The first full run on our '08 car was a 4.48 and we shut off early. The car is going to be able to run with the top three or four guys. Antron has a good number of runs under his belt from our test sessions and I feel as confident going into the race as I would with a seasoned veteran in the seat."


Brown Pomona 1 Notebook

Brown has never competed at the Winternationals. The Pro Stock Motorcycle category, which does not compete at each NHRA POWERade Series event, begins its schedule at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway in March.

Brown has one victory in three final-round appearances at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. He defeated popular rider Craig Treble at the NHRA Finals in 1998 to earn his third career PSM victory.

Last season, Brown raced his U.S. Army Suzuki to a 10th place finish in the PSM standings. It was his 10th consecutive finish in the top 10. He had two semifinals appearances, including Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in November.

Brown was named driver of the Matco Tools dragster during the Auto Club Finals last November.

Brown made the necessary runs required to earn his crossover Top Fuel license on Jan. 26 at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix. He made his first 300-mph lap on Jan. 29 (327.66 mph) and his first 4.4-second pass on Jan. 30 (4.486 seconds) at F.I.R.

Brown has qualified for 145 consecutive NHRA events. He hasn?t missed the cut since the Gainesville race in 1998 after being disqualified for bad fuel at his first career event. It is the second longest qualifying streak in the professional ranks (Angelle Sampey?166).


2007 Final NHRA Top Fuel Standings

1. Tony Schumacher 3,186 - - - -
2. ROD FULLER 3,167 -19
3. Brandon Bernstein 3,149 -37
4. Larry Dixon 3,135 -51
5. Bob Vandergriff, Jr. 2,358
6. Doug Herbert 2,292
7. J.R. Todd 2,273
8. Whit Bazemore 2,182
9. Melanie Troxel 1,173
10. Doug Kalitta 1,045

Antron Brown's Career Results at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona

Year Qualified Finish & Winning Driver

1998 No. 5 Semifinals-Ron Ayers
1999 No. 2 WINNER-def. Craig Treble
2000 No. 2 Semifinals-Matt Hines
2001 No. 2 Runner-up-Angelle Sampey (foul)
2001 No. 3 First round-Joe DeSantis
2002 No. 10 First round-Michael Phillips
2003 No. 13 First round-Andrew Hines
2004 No. 3 Runner-up-Angelle Sampey
2005 No. 2 Second round-Andrew Hines (foul)
2006 No. 10 Second round-Craig Treble
2007 No. 8 Semifinals-Matt Smith (foul)

Brown's Winternationals Schedule

Date & Time Event and Location

Wed., Feb. 6, Noon NHRA Media Luncheon - The Derby
Thur., Feb. 7, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 1, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 8, 8:45 a.m. Y.E.S. Program, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 8, 2:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 2, Auto Club Raceway
Fri., Feb. 8, 6 p.m. NHRA Autograph Session - NHRA Motorsports Museum
Sat., Feb. 9, 12:30/3:30 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Auto Club Raceway
Sun., Feb. 10, 11 a.m. Final Eliminations, Auto Club Raceway

Brown's Career-Best Performances

E.T. - 6.930 seconds Gainesville, Fla. March 2007
MPH - 193.24 mph Englishtown, N.J. May 2002

CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals TV Schedule (ESPN2)

Date & Time (ET) Coverage
Sat., Feb. 9, 8-10 p.m. Qualifying Highlights
Sun., Feb. 10, 7:30-11 p.m. Final Eliminations Coverage

www.matcotools.com
www.davidpowersmotorsports.com
 

Bobby Lagana Jr. Joins Forces with Evan Knoll
Veteran Top Fuel pilot will take seat of Knoll’s Seelye Wright rail in 2008

Evan Knoll knows passion for drag racing. The Michigan-based fuel and natural gas magnate, owner of Knoll Gas, Torco Racing Fuels and a number of other broad-based companies headquartered in Decatur, Mich., has sponsored a number of drag racing teams and drivers over the years…doing his part to strengthen the sport he loves by making financial commitments to teams, facilities and sanctioning bodies at every level. Knoll’s passion for the sport is legendary which is why, when he was looking for a driver to take the seat of his personal Seelye Wright Automotive Group Top Fuel Dragster, Knoll looked for a driver who’s passion stood out.

Bobby Lagana Jr. has been racing in the Top Fuel class for over a decade. He is one of the most recognizable faces in the IHRA Top Fuel ranks due to his history, accessibility and perseverance. Lagana followed in the footsteps of his father, Bobby Lagana Sr., by approaching his racing career with a “whatever it takes” attitude. He has always signed every autograph, made every effort to connect with the fans while, at the same time, enjoying a measure of success on the track. Knoll notices Lagana’s commitment years back, and when Scotty Cannon decided to join forces with his son to form a two-car Pro Modified team for the 2008 schedule…leaving the seat in Knoll’s Top Fueler open…he did not look far to fill that seat.

Lagana Jr. will pilot Knoll’s Seelye Wright rail in 2008 while his brother, newly-licensed Dominick, will step into the seat of the Twilight Zone entry he vacated…becoming the first-ever two-car Top Fuel team with brothers at the helm in IHRA history.

“I have been racing for a long time and I have seen a lot of crazy things and met plenty of interesting people,” Knoll said. “There is something special about a guy who wants to race so badly he will carry his dragster on an open bed ramp truck. And he not only would race against the heavily-sponsored teams, sometimes he would beat them. I am so excited for 2008, not just because we have assembled a strong team but because we have assembled a group of racers who love Top Fuel cars for the sheer power and history that comes along with them. My goals for 2008 are to keep spreading the Seelye Wright, Torco Racing Fuels and Knoll Gas named throughout the country and brings smiles to the faces of people who need them. Look for big things from these teams on and off the track!”

Lagana Jr. is thrilled with his new Top Fuel ride.

“An opportunity for some history making runs and a season of non-stop excitement…that is exactly what 2008 has in store for this group of racers, the sponsors, IHRA and, most importantly, the fans,” Lagana said. “I am just so excited, nervous, happy and eager to start the 2008 season. I want Evan to enjoy every moment of this incredible situation. I am a little upset at not having the opportunity to avenge the 0-4 record our team amassed against Scotty Cannon last year, but on the other hand we are all going to be working together. A father-son, brother-brother team. Wow. Evan’s excitement and competitive nature is very contagious. I’m so excited to try to make our live-long dreams merge with Evan’s dreams as well.”

Dominick Lagana was raised at the race track and he knows the ups and downs of the 8,000 horsepower Top Fuel monsters.

“I am very happy,” he said. “I am really looking forward to racing with my brother and appreciate the opportunity Evan and everyone who supports this car is giving me. I hope everyone knows how amazing this is. I’m speechless.”

The brothers tested in Gainesville last week and carded some very respectable results. Bobby posted three career-best times in a row, running a 4.63, 4.62 and finishing with a 4.59. Dominick also topped his career best twice, ultimately running a 4.85. Bobby pointed out his brother may not have as many laps as he does physically down the quarter-mile, but has just as many mentally.

“I really believe with this complete team backing each other we will see Dom rise quickly from rookie to a threat, to all teams…even the Seelye Wright Car,” he said. “There are certain tricks to grooming a driver and, believe me, for the last four years we have exercised every one of those with Dom. I think this late-season testing has only made the Nitro bug even bigger for this whole team and we have plans for some more early-season testing, even some NHRA races before San Antonio. We just want to make sure all our ducks are in a row because IHRA Top Fuel is going to be very competitive next year and we want to be ready for it. I just want to reiterate one point, yes we want to make a run at the coveted IHRA Top Fuel championship, but most important I want Evan and everybody that will help make this train roll say when they leave our pit, ‘THAT WAS A WHOLE LOTTA FUN!’”
 

DAVID POWERS MOTORSPORTS RELOCATES TO NEW FACILITY
IN BROWNSBURG, IND.

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Nov. 29, 2007) - NHRA Top Fuel team David Powers Motorsports has relocated to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Brownsburg, Ind. The 40,000 square-foot race shop is located on Southpoint Circle in the Indianapolis suburb.

The shop will house both the Matco Tools and Caterpillar Top Fuels teams and allows for future expansion. The building features a modern look and offers a fan-friendly viewing area for race fans. The building was constructed by ACME Buildings, Inc. and is owned by Tim Buckley, President of Vintage Design Inc. and financial partner of David Powers Motorsports. The team had previously worked out of a facility in Pittsboro, Ind.

"We are thrilled to be fully moved into our new shop in Brownsburg," Powers said. "I want to thank Lee Beard and our entire race team for making such a smooth transition. We wanted to design a race shop with a unique look that is comfortable to our employees, sponsors and race fans and we feel we have accomplished that. It's exciting to have our shop in Brownsburg, which has quickly become the capitol of NHRA drag racing."

Last season the two Powers-owned dragsters finished second (Rod Fuller) and eighth (Whit Bazemore) in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship standings. In its first full season with multiple cars, Fuller drove his Caterpillar dragster to three wins in six final rounds appearances. The team also collected five No.1 qualifying awards. The Powers team was the only multi-car Top Fuel team with two cars to make the Countdown to 4. In November, the team announced that 16-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Antron Brown will pilot the Matco Tools dragster in 2008.

Headquartered in Houston with race operations located in Brownsburg, Ind., David Powers Motorsports fields the two-car Top Fuel operation of drivers Rod Fuller and Antron Brown. DPM proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Caterpillar, Valvoline, LP Corporation, Toyota, Vintage Design Inc., Goodyear, FRAM, Autolite, Ringers Gloves, and Forward Sports Marketing.

www.matcotools.com 
www.davidpowersmotorsports.com
 

LAGANA SET FOR INDY DEBUT WITH FAMILY CAR

2007 has been somewhat of a roller coaster year for Bobby Lagana Jr. The team started the year off with an aluminum-sacrificing run that ultimately got them qualified for the first race. Following that was a runner-up performance and a few more parts eating races and then ultimately another ironman at the last stop on the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam series. Now the team finds themselves in a very different position then ever, the team will be heading to Indy for the U.S. Nationals. Lagana is not new to the Indy mystique, but never has he ventured there in his family and friends owned Top Fuel Car. “My Dad raced at Indy in 1966 but that was with an A-gas car called the American Challenge, this will be the first time a Twilight Zone nitro car will be run at Indy.”

You might wonder why would Lagana venture to NHRA for the toughest race of the year, in the middle of the closest IHRA points battle in his career. “It’s pretty simple Evan Knoll and Torco Race Fuels have asked us to go, to be honest with you just the phone call was one of the biggest honors in my racing career. I know qualifying will be tough, but we have some new parts and a renewed feeling of confidence. Our goal for the weekend is to make sure we look professional for Evan and also for representing the IHRA, then to go out and run to the best of our ability. For one of the first times in my racing career we have the parts to back up our goals. And lastly I want all my family, crew, sponsors, and all who help make this car go put a smile on their face because we are at INDY!!! I really want to thank Evan and the entire Torco gang for supporting us, and also to all my long time supporters you know who you are, THANK YOU!!!”

Indy will be the second stop for Lagana on the NHRA series, the team also is planning on running the Torco Race Fuels sponsored race in Dinwiddie, VA, and potentially one more NHRA race. Other than that Lagana will be concentrating on bringing home another Ironman on the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam Series.

About Bobby Lagana Racing
Bobby Lagana Jr. is in his ninth year of competition in the International Hot Rod Association’s Top Fuel class. Following in the footsteps of his father, noted Funny Car pilot Bob Lagana, he began driving professionally at the age of 19 and enjoyed his most successful season last year. In 2006 Lagana Jr. won two of the 11 IHRA national events, in Grand Bend, Ontario and Epping, New Hampshire, eventually finishing third in world championship points standings. Following the season he was awarded IHRA’s most prestigious award, the IHRA Sportsman of the Year, at the season-ending champion’s banquet in Greensboro , N.C. His Crew Chief, Jay Lewis, also was honored at the champion’s banquet, being selected as IHRA Professional Crew Chief of the Year. Lagana’s primary sponsors are Torco Racing Fuels, Pelham Lumber and Skull Shine, an industrial-strength cleaning product that is part of Michigan-based fuel magnate Evan Knoll’s line of racing and automobile-related products. For more information about Skull Shine or Torco Racing Fuels, visit the company’s website at www.torco.com.   Lagana also has associate sponsorship from Tom Stephens racing, Eric “Lippy,” Bryant Neville Racing, Lichenstein Motorsports, RMI Titanium, Innovative Machine and Powertech Generators. Product sponsors of Lagana include Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Howards Cams, Lucas Oil, Storm Crankshaft, Beechwood Autobody, TJ & Rich, Coastal Utilities, Mr. Sign, and Walter Hasselman. For more information about Bobby Lagana Jr. and his Twilight Zone Top Fuel team, visit www.bobbylagana.com.
 

TOMMY JOHNSON JR. POSTS FIRST ROUND FINISH
- Sets Sights At Skoal Showdown -

READING, Penn. (Aug. 23, 2007) – In what has been the NHRA’s longest delayed event, Skoal Racing’s Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. made one final push on Monday morning for the Countdown to the Championship, but ultimately completed the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals with a first round finish.

Johnson weathered some challenges with his Skoal Racing Chevy Impala throughout qualifying into Sunday’s eliminators. On Friday, the car had a blower explosion and oiled the track after Johnson’s second run. After entering Saturday in a non-qualifying spot, Johnson sped up the ranks with a 4.859-second elapsed time at 318 mph. By the end of the day, Johnson and Skoal Racing sat in the no. 8 position facing no. 9 Tony Bartone on Sunday.

The NHRA was able to complete the Top Fuel rounds and three sets of Funny Car rounds. Unfortunately Johnson and his Skoal Racing crew were not part of that group—their run was re-scheduled for Monday morning. Even though their confidence was still running high, the Impala lost traction on the way to the finish line and Johnson was defeated by Bartone with a pass of 4.965.

“It’s definitely disappointing to not have made it in the Top 8, but what could you do about it now,” said Johnson. “It’s actually pretty relieving. There was an enormous amount of pressure in the last few races and I definitely was not having fun. That’s not saying I did not want to be the best out there, but now I can relax, play spoiler, and maybe win a few races. I’m kind of excited about it.”

The Skoal Racing team will now head to the home-base of both Johnson and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme—Indianapolis, IN. He will not only compete in the Mac Tools US Nationals, but also take his no. 4 qualifying position in the Skoal Showdown and vie for the $100,000 purse to the winner of a field of eight Funny Car drivers.
 

SKOAL RACING BATTLES TOUGH IN CLOSE SEMIFINAL FINISH

Sonoma, CA (July 30, 2007) – Tommy Johnson Jr. pushed his SKOAL Racing Chevrolet Impala to an incredible semi-final finish at the Infineon Raceway, finishing behind the eventual Funny Car Division winner, John Force, by .001 of a second.

Earlier this week Johnson said, "We made some radical changes so that we can improve our performance for that final push." Johnson and SKOAL Racing started the weekend well by qualifying third with an early run of 4.762 at 320.97 mph on Friday. He maintained that position with a pass of 4.927—the fifth quickest of Saturday’s final session.

Looking to gain points for the Countdown to the Championship, Johnson ran 4.913 with a better reaction time than first round opponent Jim Head (4.884), and then pushed the SKOAL Racing Impala to the quickest run of the second round (4.881) and a win over Gary Densham. Johnson matched up with Force seeking entry into a race final for the second time in six events. They battled to the very end as Force bested Johnson with a pass of 4.910 versus Johnson’s 4.911.

Johnson currently sits 12th in the POWERade points standings and is inching his way to the top eight in the NHRA Funny Car Division with two more races left before the SKOAL Showdown U. S. Nationals in Indianapolis beginning August 29. Next up for Johnson Jr. is the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, MN (August 9-12) where Johnson is the defending Funny Car champion.
 

TOMMY JOHNSON JR. CROWNED ENGLISHTOWN CHAMPION
Skoal Racing Overcomes First Round Car Fire with Win #2 for Don Prudhomme

Englishtown, NJ (June 25, 2007) – In week two of a grueling six-week racing stretch, Tommy Johnson Jr. and SKOAL Racing captured the Funny Car Division trophy in the 38th Annual ProCare Rx NHRA Supernationals at the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Johnson had his best weekend of the season by far, setting a track record in the first day of qualifiers, and heading into Sunday in the top qualifying position. He was victorious in defeating (in order) Gary Densham, Jack Beckman, Jeff Arend and Tony Pedregon. This is Johnson’s first track victory as the number one qualifier heading to the elimination rounds.

“What an unbelievable day—this is a great feeling,” said Johnson. “We’ve taken our lumps this season, so this win is even sweeter for all of us. It got a little scary in the first run, but our crew doesn’t know the word quit. They came back ready after the fire and worked real hard to get the Impala up and running. I’m very honored to be driving for SKOAL Racing and for Don Prudhomme. Englishtown is a great track, and we’re glad we could bring the trophy home for Snake.”

Johnson and the SKOAL Racing Chevrolet had a chilling moment in their showdown against Densham, as the Impala caught fire towards the end of the run. Johnson escaped with no injuries—the same could not be said for the car’s engine and body. However, both were quickly replaced and Johnson came back strong for his win over Beckman with the low E-Time of the elimination rounds with a 4.914.

The dramatics didn’t end there. After capturing a clean victory over Arend, Johnson battled Pedregon in the Finals. Pedregon took the early lead at 60 feet, but Johnson claimed position and the trophy at the 330 marker, winning with a pass of 4.994 at 305.84 mph. This was Johnson’s second finals win over Pedregon.

His impressive weekend began on Friday with a 2nd qualifying run of 4.729 seconds at 321.96 mph—a track record. He left Saturday still in the #1 slot with a run of 4.864 seconds at 315 mph.

Johnson now currently sits in 8th place in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Championship Point Standings, sitting right on the cut-off line for the Championship playoff format. Larry Dixon, Top Fuel dragster for Don Prudhomme/Snake Racing, took the victory in that division and currently sits second on the Top Fuel all-time wins list. This is Dixon’s second Top Fuel victory in a row.
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

FULLER EXTENDS POINTS LEAD SUNDAY AT ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 24, 2007) - Rod Fuller extended his points lead Sunday afternoon at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park after driving to a quarterfinal effort. After qualifying his David Powers-owned plain white dragster second (4.479 seconds) for the fifth time this season, Fuller edged local racer Rit Pustari, before bowing out to Top Fuel starlet Hillary Will in the quarterfinals.

Competing in his 24th round of competition this season, Fuller used a come-from-behind effort to score the opening-round victory against the Connecticut racer. Pustari used the best reaction time of the round (.045 of-a-second) to race to the early lead, but the Top Fuel points leader used crew chief Rob Flynn's "Canadian Horsepower" to roar to a top-end charge and the round win. Fuller clocked the third quickest elapsed time of the round with a pass of 4.624 seconds at 323.81 mph to outdistance Pustari's pass of 4.873 at 253.42.

Facing off against Will in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive race, the Las Vegas racer powered his all-white rail to a run of 4.748 at 318.77, but Will drove to the second quickest pass of the round to advance to the semifinals with a run of 4.679 at 319.60. It is the first time that Fuller has been defeated in the second round of eliminations this season and the first time he has lost to Will in four career matches.

"We had an ignition malfunction in the second round," Fuller said. "That's the first time we've had something like that happened all season long. The car just won't run on one magneto. We were lucky to run that quick. Sure, we wanted to defend our championship and win here again and extend out points lead, but you'll have races like this. We'll keep our heads up and head to Norwalk (Ohio)."

The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, June 28-July 1, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

R1 FULLER (.106) 4.624 ET, 323.81 MPH def. Pustari (.045) 4.873 ET, 253.42 MPH
R2 Will (.095) 4.679 ET, 319.60 MPH def. FULLER (.108) 4.748 ET, 318.77 MPH

Winners
Top Fuel - Larry Dixon def. Doug Herbert
Funny Car - Tommy Johnson, Jr. def. Tony Pedregon
Pro Stock - Greg Anderson def. Jeg Coughlin
Pro Stock Motorcycle - Craig Treble def. Andrew Hines
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

BAZEMORE LOSES CLOSE RACE AT ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 24, 2007) - Whit Bazemore and his Matco Tools Top Fuel team rebounded this weekend at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. After missing the cut two weeks ago at Joliet, Ill., the 20-time NHRA winner set a track speed record (332.51 mph) and remained 10th in the NHRA Top Fuel standings.

The 2003 Englishtown winner qualified his Lee Beard-tuned dragster sixth with a solid pass of 4.521 at a blistering 332.51 mph. That pitted Bazemore against two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon in the opening round of eliminations. The veteran nitro racers used excellent reaction times before the Matco Tools rail hazed the tires slowing to a run of 4.997 seconds at 272.78 mph. Dixon's bright orange rail also lost traction, but further down track. He earned the round win with a run of 4.947 at 280.66.

"The thing went out there and spun the tires before the end of the (concrete) pad pretty hard," Bazemore said. "It recovered for a brief moment and spun again. We finally got it to recover but (Larry) Dixon had his nose out in front and stayed there. It's very frustrating."

The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, June 28-July 1, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

R1 Dixon (.050) 4.947 ET, 280.66 MPH def. BAZEMORE (.067) 4.997 ET, 272.78 MPH

Winners

Top Fuel - Larry Dixon def. Doug Herbert

Funny Car - Tommy Johnson, Jr. def. Tony Pedregon

Pro Stock - Greg Anderson def. Jeg Coughlin

Pro Stock Motorcycle - Craig Treble def. Andrew Hines
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

BAZEMORE RACES TO NO. 6 SPOT AT ENGLISHTOWN,
SETS TRACK SPEED RECORD AT MORE THAN 332 MPH

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 23, 2007) - Whit Bazemore looks to earn his second career win at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park when he will start from the No. 6 qualifying position. The veteran nitro pilot raced his Matco Tools rail to the No. 6 qualifying position Saturday afternoon with a run of 4.521 seconds at a track-record speed, 332.51 mph.

Bazemore drove the Matco Tools rail to 4.5-second passes in three of the four qualifying sessions this weekend. His best lap came Friday evening when he used a Lee Beard tune-up to clock a run of 4.521 seconds at 332.51 mph to claim the sixth quickest run of the weekend. Bazemore clocked the third quickest run of Saturday's first qualifying session with an elapsed time of 4.582 at 310.77. It is the second time that he has qualified sixth this season. Beard called the shots one year ago when Bazemore's teammate Rod Fuller claimed the title at the Englishtown event.

"We feel confident," Bazemore said. "We went down three of four runs. We have a tough opponent in Larry Dixon, but we'll be ready to race. We're working hard to turn our season around. We're excited to be in the show and excited about the opportunity."

"We got down the track three out of the four sessions," Beard added. "Anytime you can go to Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J. and set the track record for speed, that's pretty awesome performance. We're focused on our consistency under hot conditions because that's what we'll be faced with during eliminations and the next few months."

Bazemore will battle No. 11 qualifier Larry Dixon in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday. He is 0-1 in his brief Top Fuel career against the two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion. ESPN2 will televise three hours of final eliminations coverage at 10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday evening.

Q1 4.577 ET, 326.00 MPH No. 2
Q2 4.521 ET, 332.51 MPH No. 6
Q3 4.582 ET, 310.77 MPH No. 6
Q4 5.957 ET, 144.00 MPH No. 6

No. 1 Qualifiers
Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher
Funny Car - Tommy Johnson, Jr.
Pro Stock - Greg Anderson
Pro Stock Motorcycle - Angelle Sampey
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

FULLER FLIES TO NO. 2 SPOT AT ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 23, 2007) - Rod Fuller, the current NHRA Top Fuel points leader, remained hot in qualifying Saturday at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The rising Top Fuel star qualified his plain white David Powers-owned dragster second Saturday afternoon at Raceway Park with a qualifying-best 4.479-second effort.

Fuller qualified second for the fifth time this season when he used a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to race his all-white rail to a blistering run of 4.479 seconds at 330.30 mph on Friday evening. The pass positioned him behind Tony Schumacher, who earned the pole with a run of 4.450-seconds. Fuller's tires broke loose on Saturday's first qualifying attempt. The four-time NHRA Top Fuel winner and defending Raceway Park champ then clocked the second quickest pass of the final qualifying session when he used Flynn power to card a run of 4.624 at 320.20. Fuller has not qualified lower than fourth this season.

"We would have liked to have gone down the track a few more times, but that last run gives us a lot of confidence," Flynn said. "We were the quickest car to half track on that last run. We'll have to be really careful to not spin the tires. It gives us a close idea of what to do to the car."

Fuller will match up against No. 15 qualifier Rit Pustari in the first round of eliminations at 11 a.m. (ET) on Sunday. The Las Vegas racer has never met Pustari in eliminations. ESPN2 will televise three hours of final eliminations coverage at 10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday evening.

Q1 5.968 ET, 135.70 MPH No. 12
Q2 4.479 ET, 330.39 MPH No. 2
Q3 8.584 ET, 80.38 MPH No. 2
Q4 4.624 ET, 320.20 MPH No. 2

No. 1 Qualifiers
Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher
Funny Car - Tommy Johnson, Jr.
Pro Stock - Greg Anderson
Pro Stock Motorcycle - Angelle Sampey
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

FULLER ROARS TO NO. 2 SPOT FRIDAY AT ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 22, 2007) - Rod Fuller took a solid step towards continuing his trend of qualifying his David Powers-owned rail fourth or better in the Top Fuel order Friday evening at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The Las Vegas racer clocked the second quickest pass of the day at 4.479 seconds to earn the provisional No. 2 starting position.

Fuller's all-white dragster overpowered the Raceway Park quarter mile on his first qualifying attempt of the weekend slowing to a pass of just 5.968-seconds. Under the lights on Friday evening at the historic New Jersey drag strip, the four-time NHRA Top Fuel winner used a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to clock a stout run of 4.479 seconds at 330.39 mph to finish second in the 16-car order. It was Fuller's 10th 4.4-second elapsed time of the season. Through the first nine races of the season, only Fuller, Pro Stock's Greg Anderson and Pro Stock Motorcycle's Angelle Sampey have qualified fourth or better at each event.

"We know the weather conditions will be good on Saturday," Fuller said. "We were a little more conservative than we wanted to be. We wanted to get solidly in the show. We were shooting for a 4.48 to 4.51. We thought we could run 4.45, which we felt Brandon (Bernstein) and (Tony) Schumacher could run as well. I'll never be disappointed with being second when you have guys like my teammate and Brandon and (Doug) Kalitta not making the field at some races. The plan for Saturday is to make sure we have consistent car for race day."

Top Fuel qualifying resumes on Saturday afternoon with sessions scheduled for 1 and 3:30 p.m. (CT) at the New Jersey facility. ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11 p.m. (ET) on Saturday evening.

Q1 5.968 ET, 135.70 MPH No. 12
Q2 4.479 ET, 330.39 MPH No. 2
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

BAZEMORE CLOCKS TRACK-RECORD SPEED FRIDAY AT ENGLISHTOWN

JOLIET, Ill. (June 22, 2007) - Whit Bazemore and his David Powers-owned Matco Tools Top Fuel team rebounded like true champions Friday evening at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The veteran nitro pilot powered his Matco Tools rail to a track-record speed of 332.51 mph Friday evening under the lights at the historic New Jersey track.

The 2003 Englishtown Funny Car winner opened qualifying for the 37th annual Super Nationals with the second quickest pass of the session. Bazemore used a tune-up from champion crew chief Lee Beard to power the Matco Tools rail to a pass of 4.577 seconds at 326.00 mph. On Friday's second qualifying effort, Bazemore blistered the Raceway Park quarter mile in 4.521 seconds at 332.51 mph to finish sixth in the 16-car order. It was the fastest Top Fuel pass of Bazemore's career and his first 330-mph speed behind the wheel of the Matco Tools rail. He went 333.25 mph in his Matco Tools Funny Car at Joliet, Ill. in 2004.

"We're making baby steps and it's good," Bazemore said. "We're in a good position. Our first run we ran 4.57 and left a lot on the table. Tonight, we expected a little more E.T. out of the car. We were a little conservative. We're looking forward to Saturday when we'll see more race day conditions. If we can squeeze out a 4.54 or 4.55, it'll have been an excellent qualifying weekend."

Top Fuel qualifying resumes on Saturday afternoon with sessions scheduled for 1 and 3:30 p.m. (CT) at the New Jersey facility. ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11 p.m. (ET) on Saturday evening.

Q1 4.577 ET, 326.00 MPH No. 2
Q2 4.521 ET, 332.51 MPH No. 6
 

FULLER SUFFERS RARE FIRST-ROUND LOSS SUNDAY AT TOPEKA

TOPEKA, Kan. (June 3, 2007) ' For just the third time this season, Rod Fuller and his David Powers Motorsports team were defeated in the opening round of eliminations following the completion of 19th running of the O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka on Sunday. He qualified fourth this weekend with a 4.566-second elapsed time. Fuller now sits second in the NHRA Top Fuel standings.

Facing off against perennial Top Fuel title contender Doug Kalitta for the ninth time, the two elite drivers used solid reaction times as Fuller utilized a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to power his all-white David Powers-owned dragster to a run of 4.581 seconds at 323.19 mph. Kalitta drove his bright red rail to the quickest and fastest lap of the round, 4.549 at 325.85, to score the win light in the left lane at Heartland Park. Fuller clocked his fastest pass of the weekend in the opening round loss. The Topeka track remains just one of two (Bandimere Speedway) on the 21-track circuit where Fuller has yet to win a round.

"I'm not disappointed about the weekend," Fuller said. "We raced smart all weekend long. That's gotten us to the top, but it will get you sometimes. If you average our reaction time in, we had the second fastest package of the round other than Doug (Kalitta). It just wasn't meant to be. We're going to a track that we do really well at and it's notorious for being fast. Today was just a matter of circumstances. It's just part of racing."

The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 10th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 Nationals, June 8-10, at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. Fuller advanced to the final round of the Joliet race in 2005. There are 15 races remaining on the 2007 NHRA schedule.

R1 Kalitta (.047) 4.549 ET, 325.85 MPH def. FULLER (.057) 4.581 ET, 323.19 MPH
 

BAZEMORE DRIVES TO QUARTERFINALS AT TOPEKA

TOPEKA, Kan. (June 3, 2007) - Whit Bazemore didn't capture his third career victory at Heartland Park Topeka on Sunday afternoon, but the veteran nitro pilot gained more confidence behind the wheel of his David Powers-owned Matco Tools dragster during the 19th running of the O'Reilly Summer Nationals.

After racing his Matco Tools rail to the No. 3 qualifying position, Bazemore bested Melanie Troxel before bowing out to No. 6 qualifier and current NHRA points leader Brandon Bernstein in round two. The 20-time NHRA winner now ranks eighth in the NHRA Top Fuel standings.

As the fifth pair of dragsters to battle the sunny Heartland Park quarter mile on Sunday morning, the drivers used nearly identical reaction times as Bazemore used a tune-up from championship crew chief Lee Beard to race his Matco Tools rail to a solid pass at 4.572 seconds at 320.20 to earn the win light in the right lane. Bazemore edged Troxel's pass of 4.622 at 313.73.

In the quarterfinals, Bazemore used the best reaction time of the round (.055 of-a-second) to race the Matco dragster to the early lead and pressed on to a performance of 4.806 at 258.81 after losing traction. Bernstein posted an outstanding pass of 4.555 at 319.01 to earn the trip to the semifinals. His 4.555 elapsed time was the quickest of the round.

"We didn't get the result that we wanted which was a victory, but we're coming away from Topeka with a lot more confidence as a driver," Bazemore said. "In that respect, it was a very positive weekend. As far as the car goes, we learned a few things and we're taking the steps to make ourselves competitive during the hot summer months.

"The Budweiser car ran its best number of the weekend against us on a hot race track. You give them credit for a job well done. That was a great pass. Again, we improved as a team. I've got my confidence and I feel we can be very competitive, and I think the Matco team is going to enjoy bigger success as the season goes on."

The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 10th annual Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 Nationals, June 8-10, at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. He is a three-time winner of the Joliet race the Matco Tools Funny Car (1998, 2001, ?03).

R1 BAZEMORE (.074) 4.572 ET, 320.20 MPH def. Troxel (.083) 4.622 ET, 313.73 MPH
R2 Bernstein (.067) 4.555 ET, 319.01 MPH def. BAZEMORE (.055) 4.806 ET, 258.81 MPH
 

ASHLEY BLOWS AWAY THE COMPETITION AND WINS IN TOPEKA!

TOPEKA, Kan. (June 3) - Mortgage banker Mike Ashley scored his very first NHRA national event win and drove the Torco Race Fuels Dodge Charger nitro Funny Car all the way to the winner's circle at the O'Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

Dispatching Del Worsham, Ashley Force, Jack Beckman and Jim Head en route to the event championship, Ashley said the day was 'practically perfect.'

"I knew it would happen if we just kept doing what we were doing and didn’t try to force anything," an ecstatic and emotional Ashley said. "I'm so proud of this team, Brian Corradi, Mark Oswald, Steve Boggs -- everyone, and everything they have done to get here - they are true champions."

On hand to watch Ashley receive his first Wally event trophy was team sponsor Evan Knoll, owner of Torco Race Fuels. Ashley said, "This has been such a journey and it all started a few years ago when Evan came to me and said, 'Let's do it.' We've been working towards this goal since then and Evan stuck with us through it all. This win is for all the dreamers out there. This is proof you can do anything you set your mind to."

Ashley and his Gotham City Racing crew displayed marksman-like consistency as they worked through their opponents, with only .154-seconds variance between his elapsed times of each round. In round one, Ashley beat former teammate Del Worsham, 4.793/321.88 to 4.894/316.45. In the quarterfinals, it was a ‘battle of the Ashleys’ - Mike Ashley versus Ashley Force, and Mike used a .036 reaction time to take the win against the quicker Ashley Force, 4.926/263.20 to Mike's 4.947/292.84.

Semifinal action saw the battle of the fastest Funny Cars on the planet, Ashley having recorded the fastest speed ever at 334.11, and 'Fast' Jack Beckman holding the NHRA official record at 333.66 mph. Ashley defeated Beckman with a stellar run, 4.882/310.41 to 4.949/304.12.

In the final round, the third of his Funny Car career, Ashley left the line first against Jim Head with a .052 reaction time, and never trailed, taking the stripe with 4.896/310.70 to Head's 4.928/303.09.

"It's all so emotional for me, really. This has been my dream for so long, and we finally accomplished it. It's a testament to the power of positive thinking, and working together as a team. We've all had the same vision and are working toward the same goal - and that's to win a championship, and this is a huge step toward that goal," he said.

The win put Ashley solidly in third place in POWERade points with 502, just 100 points behind second place Robert Hight and 153 behind leader Ron Capps. Ashley also jumped into second place in the Skoal Showdown points, a $100,000 race within a race for Funny Car drivers held at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and reserved for the racers who qualify the best at the NHRA POWERade Series events completed since the previous year's Showdown.

"For my family, everyone at Lend America, all my Pro Mod guys - we did it! This is the most amazing feeling. I've won a lot of races and two championships in Pro Mod, but this is the most awesome feeling ever," Ashley said. Ashley is vice president of Lend America, the Official Mortgage Source of NHRA.

Team Gotham will have just a few short days to enjoy their win, as racing continues next weekend at the Torco Race Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., June 7-10.

LAGANA HEADING TO TOPEKA FOR THE NHRA O’REILLY SUMMER NATIONALS
Will prepare for Tulsa showdown with competitive testing in Kansas

TULSA, OKLAHOMA (MAY 30, 2007) – As a critical showdown with T.J. Zizzo looms, Bobby Lagana Jr. and his Twilight Zone top fuel team will head to Hartland Park Topeka in Kansas’ capital city to compete in the NHRA O’Reilly Summer Nationals. Lagana put the Skull Shine dragster seventh on the qualifying sheet at the Sooner Nationals in Tulsa before rain delayed the event. Instead of towing back to the team’s headquarters in Dinwiddie , Virginia Lagana and his crew decided to make the five-hour trip to Topeka for the NHRA event. The Sooner Nationals will resume June 26th.

“We want to get more exposure for Skull Shine and our sponsors,” Lagana said. “Plus, we have an absolutely huge round coming up against T.J. in Tulsa and we wanted to get ready for it in a competitive situation. T.J. is the points leader on the IHRA side and we are fourth; if we want to be a player in the championship points race we have to do everything we can to knock him off in the first round. He got us in the final at Rockingham so we can’t afford to fall too many rounds behind him.”

Lagana is heading back into NHRA competition for the first time this season and is looking forward to catching up with some old friends.

“Clay Millican and his crew chief Mike Kloeber and the entire Knoll Gas Team have always been great friends to our entire team,” Lagana said. “We haven’t seen as much of them this season as they are running on the NHRA side full-time, so it will be great to spend some time with them and catch up a little bit.”

Lagana has modest goals for the Twilight Zone team in Topeka .

“We always expect to qualify every race we enter,” he said. “But the important thing for this team is to keep building on the momentum we gained by advancing to the finals in Rockingham. Our primary goal is running for a top three spot in the final IHRA standings, so the points in Topeka really will not mean a whole lot to this team. Sure we want to qualify well and are going to throw everything at the track, but we have our goals set and everything we do is with these goals in mind.”

About Bobby Lagana Racing
Bobby Lagana Jr. is in his ninth year of competition as a professional Top Fuel driver. Following in the footsteps of his father, noted Funny Car pilot Bob Lagana, he began driving professionally at the age of 19 and enjoyed his most successful season last year. In 2006 he won two of the 11 IHRA national events, in Grand Bend, Ontario and Epping , New Hampshire , eventually finishing third in world championship points standings. Following the season he was awarded IHRA’s most prestigious award, the IHRA Sportsman of the Year, at the season-ending champion’s banquet in Greensboro , N.C. His Crew Chief, Jay Lewis, also was honored at the champion’s banquet, being selected as IHRA Professional Crew Chief of the Year. Lagana’s primary sponsors are Torco Racing Fuels, Pelham Lumber and Skull Shine, an industrial-strength cleaning product that is part of Michigan-based fuel magnate Evan Knoll’s line of racing and automobile-related products. For more information about Skull Shine or Torco Racing Fuels, visit the company’s website at www.torco.com. Lagana also has associate sponsorship from Tom Stephens racing, Eric “Lippy,” Bryant Neville Racing, Lichenstein Motorsports, RMI Titanium, innovative Machine and Powertech Generators. For more information about Bobby Lagana Jr. and his Twilight Zone Top Fuel team, visit www.bobbylagana.com.
 

SILVER LINING FOR JOHNSON IN SECOND ROUND LOSS TO FORCE

Madison, IL (May 7, 2007) – Despite a second round loss to Ashley Force in the NHRA O’Reilly Midwest Nationals, Tommy Johnson Jr. was able to climb out of his SKOAL Racing Chevrolet Impala on Sunday and crack a smile. A frustrating 2007 season for the Indiana native, took a sudden turn for the better this past weekend in Madison, IL.

Johnson, seeded sixth, began Sunday by running a 5.102 second lap to defeat Tony Bartone in the opening round to claim his first round win of the season. He then squared off against Ashley Force in the second round, but his pass of 5.26 wasn't enough as Force ran 4.86 seconds, advancing to the semi-finals. Johnson’s win catapulted him seven positions to 11th in the POWERade Championship Point Standings, his highest ranking of the season.

“After our run the previous weekend in Atlanta, it was nice to come out here, grab a win in the opening round and provide a solid showing, ” said Johnson Jr.. “Our team worked very hard on the Skoal Racing Chevrolet Impala and as a result, we jumped seven positions in the points standings. Now we’ll take this momentum into Bristol in two weeks and look to continue to move up to the top where we belong.”

The finals of the Funny Car division saw Ron Capps narrowly defeat Del Worsham to earn his third race win of the season and extending his overall points lead over Robert Hight to 121.

Johnson’s wife Melanie Troxel captured the Top Fuel Division, defeating Cory McClenathan in the final round to become just the second female winner in track history. With her win, Troxel jumped from ninth to fifth in the points standings.
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

DAVID POWERS MOTORSPORTS AND FABICK CAT
PARTNER FOR ST. LOUIS NHRA RACE

MADISON, Ill. (May 1, 2007) - Four-time NHRA Top Fuel winner Rod Fuller will compete behind the wheel of the yellow-and-black Caterpillar dragster for the second time this season. David Powers Motorsports and Fenton, Mo.-based Fabick Cat have partnered to back the Fuller-driven rail during the 11th annual O'Reilly Midwest Nationals, May 4-6, at Gateway International Raceway, team owner David Powers announced today. Linn State Technical College, located in Linn, Mo., also will be involved during the weekend.

The relationship between David Powers Motorsports and the Cat dealer groups is designed as a pilot program to increase technician recruiting. Caterpillar dealers are experiencing a shortage of technicians, and NHRA drag racing offers a technician-rich recruiting environment to find qualified candidates with experienced mechanical backgrounds. Fabick Cat is the authorized dealer for Caterpillar equipment, prime and stand-by power systems, parts and service, compact construction, and rental equipment for 99 counties in southern Missouri and Illinois. David Powers Motorsports partnered with Caterpillar and Houston-based Mustang Cat during the Houston NHRA event in late March.

"After the great success with the Caterpillar program in Houston, we're now to do our second venue, this time in St. Louis," Powers said. "For all the parties involved, Caterpillar and Fabick Cat, our hopes are to create the same result that we experienced for Mustang Cat. We learned from the Houston event and we have a few new ideas for this program."

Fuller enters the St. Louis race ranked second in the NHRA Top Fuel standings. He trails points leader Brandon Bernstein by just 19 points. Fuller earned his fourth career Top Fuel victory at the Phoenix race in late February and led the Top Fuel standings following four races. He also set career-best performance marks at the Phoenix race, 4.466 seconds at 331.61 mph. Last weekend at Atlanta Dragway, the Las Vegas racer earned his third career No. 1 qualifying award.

"I'm so excited to have Fabick Cat on the car," Fuller said. "Cat is such a recognizable company around the globe. To represent them is such an honor. Hopefully, we can have more success on the track and help them reach their recruiting goals again. It would be neat to give Cat its first win in NHRA drag racing in their home state of Illinois."

In just its second full season on the NHRA circuit, David Powers Motorsports features Fuller and the Matco Tools dragster of 20-time NHRA winner Whit Bazemore. The Powers cars currently rank second and fifth in the Top Fuel division. Both Fuller and Bazemore have earned pole awards this season. Champion tuner Lee Beard and Rob Flynn lead Powers' tuning braintrust as both Fuller and Bazemore eye spots in the Countdown to the Championship.

"Fabick CAT is thrilled to sponsor the team of David Powers Motorsports and Rod Fuller," Fabick CAT Marketing Supervisor Renee Famula said. "Mixing a successful race team with Fabick CAT and Linn State Technical College is the perfect way to capture the attention of many skilled technicians. We will have applications available in Rod Fuller's pit for anyone interested in a career in the construction and truck engine fields."

Fabick Cat will offer an impressive display of Caterpillar equipment at the NHRA event in St. Louis. They will have a location in the popular Manufacturer?s Midway area of the pits where fans can acquire information on the construction equipment, meet Fuller, and inquire about a career as a Caterpillar dealer technician.

ESPN2 will feature two hours of qualifying highlights from the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals from 5-7 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, May 5, and three hours of final eliminations coverage from 7-10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 6.
 

LAGANA VERY PLEASED WITH RUNNER-UP FINISH IN ROCKINGHAM
New York-based Top Fuel driver sees progress in North Carolina

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (April 26, 2007) – Bobby Lagana Jr. came up just short at the IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham, N.C., but the loss left him optimistic with 10 of 12 IHRA national events remaining on the 2007 national event schedule.

The Scarsdale , N.Y. resident and his Dinwiddie, Virginia-based Twilight Zone Top Fuel team overcame the early-season struggle in San Antonio , where he fell in the first round, to advance to the final at Rockingham Dragway. Though T.J. Zizzo walked away with the Ironman, Lagana and crew chief Jay Lewis walked away with the knowledge that they may have figured out the new IHRA-mandated Goodyear tire.

“We struggled a little bit on the new tire because we didn’t have a lot of runs on it,” Lagana said. “We were kind of feeling our way along until we could build up enough information for Jay Lewis to know which way to go with it. Jay did a great job this weekend and I think he figured a few things out. We should be in good shape for the next race in Tulsa .”

Lagana qualified in the #6 position at the Spring Nationals before defeating Bruce Litton, the winner in San Antonio , in the first round. Lagana’s first round 4.698 at 308.92 mph was a season-best and easily outdistanced Litton’s 5.672 at 164.69.

In the semifinal he squared off with Michael Gunderson. Gunderson lit the red-light with a -.192 reaction time, giving the round victory to Lagana who, with the win in hand, idled down the track.

“The left lane was not nearly as good as the right lane, and looking back maybe we should have went after lane choice in the semifinals,” Jay Lewis said. “But we were saving parts and thought we would be okay in the left lane. It was the right decision at the time and in the end it kind of cost us.”

In the final Zizzo had a slight .006 advantage at the tree, but Lagana caught up to him by half track and had a slim lead at the 1,000 foot mark. But the motor of his ’06 McKinney Dragster put two holes out in the last half of the track, allowing Zizzo to nip him at the finish line. Zizzo posted a 4.772/297.16 pass to Lagana’s 4.916/266.85.

“We didn’t get the win, but we had a great weekend,” Lagana said. “My father was able to come down for the race, our good friend Al LaManna was here and Jay’s father Sam was here. It was great getting to the final, it was even better with so much family here. Plus we left in fourth place in the points. It’s really early in the season and we think we have figured things out. This year should be exciting.”

Lagana and the Twilight Zone Top Fuel team will be back in action May 25-27 at the Skull Shine Sooner Nationals at Tulsa Raceway Park.

About Bobby Lagana Racing
Bobby Lagana Jr. is in his ninth year of competition in the International Hot Rod Association’s Top Fuel class. Following in the footsteps of his father, noted Funny Car pilot Bob Lagana, he began driving professionally at the age of 19 and enjoyed his most successful season last year. In 2006 he won two of the 11 IHRA national events, in Grand Bend, Ontario and Epping , New Hampshire , eventually finishing third in world championship points standings. Following the season he was awarded IHRA’s most prestigious award, the IHRA Sportsman of the Year, at the season-ending champion’s banquet in Greensboro , N.C. His Crew Chief, Jay Lewis, also was honored at the champion’s banquet, being selected as IHRA Professional Crew Chief of the Year. Lagana’s primary sponsor is Skull Shine, an industrial-strength cleaning product that is part of Michigan-based fuel magnate Evan Knoll’s line of racing and automobile-related products. Lagana also has a primary sponsorship agreement with Pelham Lumber. For more information about Skull Shine or Torco Racing Fuels, visit the company’s website at www.torco.com  Lagana also has associate sponsorship from Tom Stephens Racing, Eric “Lippy,” Bryant Neville Racing, Lichenstein Motorsports, RMI Titanium, Innovative Machine and Powertech Generators. The team has product sponshrship from Fram, Autolite, Prestone, Lucas Oil Products, Coastal Utilities, Howards Cams, Goodyear Tires, Storm Crankshaft, Ed Milano & DSI Cleaners, Beechwood Auto Body and Mr. Sign. For more information about Bobby Lagana Jr. and his Twilight Zone Top Fuel team, visit www.bobbylagana.com.

About IHRA
Headquartered in Norwalk , Ohio , the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), a division of Live Nation, promotes professional, semi-professional and local level racing opportunities for drivers at all levels. The $19.5 million Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series is a 12-event North American professional drag racing circuit. In 2007, the series will be comprised of nine events in major cities throughout the United States and three in Canada . The Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Championship presented by Mr. Gasket consists of competition at national events and 40 events in six regional divisions, while IHRA’s Summit SuperSeries is conducted nearly every weekend at over 70 IHRA-sanctioned tracks. Providing a safe environment to develop future stars, IHRA offers the Junior Dragster Racing Series for youths ages 8-17. Stand-alone events include Live Nation’s entertainment-filled “Thunder Jam” shows and the street legal racing and lifestyle event series Kumho Street Warriorz presented by Hooters. More information can be found at www.ihra.com.

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

FULLER SUFFERS RARE FIRST-ROUND LOSS AT ATLANTA

COMMERCE, Ga. (April 29, 2007) - Rod Fuller experienced the highs and lows of NHRA drag racing this weekend at Atlanta Dragway. On Saturday afternoon, the four-time NHRA Top Fuel winner claimed his third career No. 1 qualifying award. A day later, the rising Top Fuel star was defeated in the opening round of eliminations of the 27th annual Southern Nationals.

Fuller powered his all-white, un-sponsored dragster to the top of the pack with a 4.506-second elapsed time on Friday evening at Atlanta Dragway to earn his third career pole. That pitted the Las Vegas racer against an unlikely No. 16 qualifier, 29-time NHRA winner and perennial title-contender Doug Kalitta. Competing in his 100th career round of Top Fuel competition, Fuller and Kalitta used nearly identical reaction times, but Fuller's white dragster lost traction early and slowed to a run of 7.103 seconds at 107.26 mph after dropping a cylinder. Kalitta cruised to a pass of 4.606 at 317.19 to earn the win light and trip to round two. Fuller has yet to win a round when starting from the No. 1 spot.

"I'm disappointed, but we're fortunate that the other contenders are going out early too," Fuller said. "On the other hand, we could have put some distance between us and them. It's just drag racing. You'll have good days and bad days. We'll learn from what happened. I don't regret being No. 1 (qualifier). We were running the car that was No. 2 in the world last year and one of the best drivers in the class. The field is so tight. There is no easy opponent. You just have to go out and win."

Fuller now sits second in the NHRA Top Fuel standings, trailing points leader Brandon Bernstein by 19 points. The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 11th annual O'Reilly Midwest Nationals, May 4-6, at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. Fuller earned his first career Top Fuel pole last June at the Madison race.

R1 Kalitta (.077) 4.606 ET, 317.19 MPH def. FULLER (.084) 7.103 ET, 107.26 MPH

www.davidpowersmotorsports.com

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

BAZEMORE FALLS EARLY AT ATLANTA,
STILL FIFTH IN NHRA TOP FUEL POINTS

COMMERCE, Ga. (April 29, 2007) - Whit Bazemore and the David Powers-owned Matco Tools Top Fuel team held their ground in the NHRA standings Sunday at Atlanta Dragway. The longtime Georgia native qualified his Matco Tools dragster well, but fell in the opening round of eliminations during the 27th running of the popular Southern Nationals.

After powering his Lee Beard-tuned Matco Tools rail to the No. 4 qualifying position on the strength of a 4.524-second effort on Friday afternoon, the 20-time NHRA winner was matched-up against 29-time NHRA winner Cory McClenathan for the fourth time in six races. All four meetings between the two veteran nitro racers have come in the opening round. McClenathan got the jump at the start in his colorful orange and black rail as Bazemore blistered the Atlanta Dragway quarter mile in 4.527 seconds at 319.22 mph, however Cory Mac earned the win light after carding a 4.569-second lap. It was Bazemore's first holeshot defeat since making the switch from Funny Car to Top Fuel. Bazemore's elapsed time was the quickest of the first round of eliminations.

"I'm extremely disappointed," Bazemore said. "We have a great race car. I let the team down today. I'm determined to not let this happen again."

"We're pleased with the performance of the car," Beard added. "We've been good out of the trailer all season long. We ran low E.T. of the first session on Friday with that 4.52. We've qualified in the top four at the last four races. We had low E.T. of the first round, so we're pleased with the way the car is running. You'll have days when the driver gets beat on a holeshot and you'll have days when the driver wins on a holeshot. It's a team effort. You win and lose as a team."

With 17 races remaining on the 2007 NHRA schedule, Bazemore ranks fifth in the Top Fuel standings. The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 11th annual O?Reilly Midwest Nationals, May 4-6, at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.

R1 McClenathan (.063) 4.569 ET, 317.99 MPH def. BAZEMORE (.114) 4.527 ET, 319.22 MPH

www.matcotools.com

www.davidpowersmotorsports.com 
 

Get To Know - Rod Fuller

Date of birth: April 20, 1971

Age: 36

Birthplace: Chicago

Residence: Las Vegas

High school: Rogers (AR) High School

First car: 1978 Corvette

Current car: 2006 Viper

First race car: Super Comp dragster

Dream car: Ferrari F40

Favorite race track: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Least favorite race track: Gateway International Raceway

Most knowledgeable fans: Gainesville

Best part of being a Top Fuel driver: Not having to drive the rig

Worst part of being a Top Fuel driver: The pressure

If you weren't a Top Fuel driver, you'd be: Valet parking cars

Racing heroes: Aryton Senna, Blaine Johnson

Biggest racing influence: My dad (Bob Fuller)

Greatest win: Winning Super Comp at the 50th Anniversary Nationals at Pomona in 2001

Biggest racing moment: My first win at Columbus, I won the Jeg's All Stars and the race

Favorite opponent: Tony Schumacher

Least favorite opponent: Scotty Richardson

Favorite sport (non-racing): Football

Favorite athlete: Jeff Garcia

Favorite sports team: Arkansas Razorbacks

Favorite food: Sushi

Least favorite food: Indian

Favorite restaurant: Asia de Cuba in West Hollywood, Calif.

Favorite type of music: 80s

Least favorite type of music: Country

Favorite musician: Elton John

Favorite TV show: Survivor

Favorite TV station: ESPN2

Favorite movie: Gladiator

Favorite actor: Dennis Quaid

Favorite actress: Charlize Theron

Favorite book: Made in America: Sam Walton

Favorite author: Tom Clancy

Favorite magazines: Details, Men's Fitness

Favorite websites: Ebay, DragRaceCentral.com, NHRA.com, Hogwired.com

Pet peeves: People bothering me before I race

If you could have dinner with three other people, who would they be: Donald Trump, Carmen Electra, Tommy Lee

Person you'd most like to meet: Gwen Stefani
 

SKOAL RACING DEFEATED BY VEGAS WINNER

Steve Arocho - Pyramid PR

Las Vegas, NV (Apr. 19, 2007) – Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Skoal Racing team did not leave Las Vegas with a trophy, as their Funny Car Chevy Impala was bested by the SummitRacing.com Nationals’ victor Robert Hight, on Sunday’s first official run.

After finishing in the top 10 in the first day of qualifiers with a pass of 4.822 at 323 mph, the Skoal Racing vehicle lost traction and experienced mechanical problems the following day. Heading into Sunday, Johnson was to face Hight.

“It’s been a rough start to the season so far for our team, but I believe we are making progress on figuring out the problems plaguing our car,” said Johnson. “Robert Hight and Jimmy Prock are always tough draws, and unfortunately, we came up short against them. I never thought I would say this, but I am looking forward to racing Atlanta. It has always been a tough track for me, but I think we are ready to turn the corner with our performance. ”

Johnson participated in the NHRA Funny Car Driver Thunder Roadster Match Race with Cruz Pedregon, Gary Scelzi, and Ron Capps. He was the number one qualifier, but they inverted the field and he had to start towards the end. Johnson ended up finishing a close second behind Capps in the eight-lap race.
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

POINTS-LEADER FULLER FINISHES THIRD IN TOP FUEL ORDER AT THE STRIP

LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2007) - Rod Fuller and his David Powers-owned Top Fuel team put on a great show for his hometown fans and friends. The current NHRA points leader drove his all-white dragster to the No. 3 qualifying position with a 4.498-second pass Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Fuller, who won the Phoenix race in February, made his quickest run of the weekend on Friday's second attempt when he stopped the LVMS clocks in 4.498 seconds at 328.94 mph. After striking the tires on Saturday's first qualifying run, Fuller powered his Rob Flynn-tuned rail to a stout 4.533 at 324.67 lap. It was the third quickest run of the round and marks the second straight race that Fuller has qualified third.

"We made a good solid run on Saturday afternoon," Fuller said. "We went in test mode today to figure out how to get down hot race tracks. We have a lot more horsepower this year with that Canadian Horsepower from Rob (Flynn). Last year we were dominate on hot, greasy tracks, but this year we don't have those tracks figured out. We do well on cool tracks. Rob (Flynn) is trying to figure out how to get down hot tracks. We felt good for that. The weather is supposed to cool off and that plays into our hands. I'll never complain about qualifying third, and our teammate (Whit Bazemore) qualified fourth and we're on opposite sides of the ladder."

"The last run was to make sure we could go down the track," Flynn added. "We should have been trying to push harder. We wanted a confident-boosting run. We've been spinning the tires when it's hot out. We did what the car told us to do. Other than Whit (Bazemore), nobody really improved. I told David (Powers) if it ran a 4.55 to be happy. I feel good about tomorrow. We'll see what the conditions are and adjust accordingly."

Fuller will face off against No. 14 qualifier Mike Strasburg in the first round of Top Fuel eliminations at 11 a.m. (PT) on Sunday. ESPN2 will air three hours of final eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday evening.

Q1 4.755 ET, 274.22 MPH No. 7

Q2 4.498 ET, 328.94 MPH No. 3

Q3 5.128 ET, 195.85 MPH No. 3

Q4 4.533 ET, 324.67 MPH No. 3
 

News From
David Powers Motorsports
Ted Yerzyk, David Powers Motorsports

BAZEMORE RACES TO CAREER-BEST E.T. EN ROUTE TO
NO. 4 SPOT AT VEGAS

LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2007) - Two weeks after earning his 30th career pole, 20-time NHRA winner Whit Bazemore clocked a career-best elapsed time Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The veteran nitro pilot blasted his Matco Tools dragster to a run of 4.498-seconds to qualify fourth at the spring Las Vegas race.

One day after racing his Lee Beard-tuned Matco Tools rail to a career-best 4.501-second elapsed time, the first-year To