A lot of the times, we in the motor sports media tend to focus on the big time professionals. You know, the John Forces and Larry Dixon’s of the racing world. But there are exceptions to that rule when it comes to Courtney and Brittany Force. Both race in the Top Alcohol Dragster category within the NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. (The Lucas Oil series is considered “non-professional” in that there is prize money awarded but it is on a smaller scale compared to the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.)

While out in Pomona, Calif. for the 50th running of the Winternationals, I had a chance to speak with both Courtney Force and Brittany Force regarding their plans for racing beyond A-Fuel dragsters, unsolicited advice from their father, John Force, and what the upcoming 2010 season has in store.

The NHRA 2010 Full Throttle Drag Racing series opened for business on Thursday with qualifying. Back on the track in a Nitro Funny Car was Melanie Troxel, the only female driver to win races in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. This time she is backed by none other than In-N-Out Burger, the same sponsor that was on her Alcohol Dragster in the late 1990’s prior to her turning professional. I caught up with Melanie at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. and was able to ask her a few questions.

Angelle Sampey, the winningest female in professional motorsports history, is hanging up her helmet and leathers and announced her retirement from professional drag racing today. Sampey, who totaled 41 victories during a 13-year NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle career, is planning to pursue other career opportunities while looking to start a family with her fiance, Seth Drago.

“I’m ready for a new challenge, including opening Coral Fever, a store specializing in fish, coral and aquariums,” said the 39-year-old Sampey. “I made the ultimate sacrifice to postpone starting a family when I began racing. Now, I’m going to make the ultimate sacrifice to stop racing to get married (in June) and then try and start a family.”

While racing, Sampey also went by the names Angelle Seeling and Angelle Savoie but changed her name back to her maiden name of Sampey. The Louisiana native made her NHRA debut in 1996 at Bandimere Speedway outside of Denver. There she immediately raised eyebrows by advancing to the semifinals. She recorded her first win in her first final round later that season at Reading, Pa. in the fourth event of her career.

“I will take away so many great memories from racing,” she said. “I’m certainly going to miss being around my fellow racers and, of course, the fans. I really enjoyed meeting the fans at every race. They were always there for me through the good times and the bad times.”

Sampey’s most prolific string of wins came in the 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons when she won three world championships and collected 18 wins.

“Obviously, that was an extraordinarily exciting time period,” Sampey said. “I never imagined I could have that kind of success. I was very fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of talented people including George Bryce (her crew chief during each championship season).”

It was in 2001 when Sampey became the winningest female in NHRA history, moving past Shirley Muldowney on the list. Coincidentally, Sampey’s record breaking win came at bandimere Speedway, the same race track where she made her professional debut. She went on to record seven wins that season which remains the most wins ever recorded in a single season by a female competitor in NHRA history.

“To be honest, it was tough to comprehend what I had done after I surpassed Shirley’s win total (18),” Sampey said. “After all, Shirley is one of the sport’s legends. I look up to her.”

Among Sampey’s final stats will be 364 round wins out of 506 total rounds of competition. Sampey notched a winning percentage of roughly 72 percent while competing in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

“Again, I want to emphasize that I had a bunch of people help me along the way,” Sampey said. “I could spend a day or more thanking each and every one. I’ll never forget any of them.”

Perhaps, the one mark Sampey wishes she could have broken before exiting the sport was the most wins in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. That mark of 45 wins was established by the late Dave Schultz.

“That’s probably true,” Sampey said. “I clearly could’ve hung around just to try and break that record. But, as I stated, it’s time for a change.”

It seems the NHRA and the powers within are up to their same old tricks. Just when you think they may be showing signs of sensibility with their efforts to get nitro cars back to 1320 foot racing, something I feel is integral to the heritage of our sport, and with their continued efforts to offer their loyal spectator base discounted tickets, they go and kick the guys in the groin who make the whole deal go round, the racers.

The restrictions on testing implemented by the NHRA for the 2009 season were made clear to the teams well before the first event of the season in Pomona, CA. This was done as a way to level the playing field between the “haves”, like Schumacher, Force and Bernstein and the “have not’s” like Gary Densham, Joe Hartley and Terry Haddock during tough economic times.

In a statement issued to all the teams from NHRA VP of Racing Operations Graham Light, it was made clear that no driver or individual team could exceed four test sessions over the duration of the 2009 season, once the Winternationals had begun. That included Monday testing after NHRA sanctioned events, competing in International Hot Rod Association events and independent test sessions. This quote comes directly from the issued statement; “In an ongoing effort to assist in curtailing escalating costs associated with the operation of Professional nitromethane-category vehicles (Top Fuel and Funny Car), NHRA has implemented the following testing limitations for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season. Unlimited testing for Top Fuel and Funny Car teams will be permitted until the 2009 season opener at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Feb. 5. At that point, and during the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season (Feb. 5 to Nov. 15), Professional nitromethane teams will be limited to a maximum of four one-day test sessions. This policy applies to both the team and driver.” And until this past Monday that policy seemed to be enforced as it was introduced in the off-season.

Enter John Force Racing.

With the very real threat that one of his heavily sponsored teams, the AAA Auto Club of California Mustang driven by his son-in-law Robert Hight, may not make the Countdown to the Championship, the patriarch of JFR made the decision that he would put Hight in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford for the next two events leading up to the countdown. Now that move in and of itself is completely within the boundaries of what a team owner can do. However, when that driver switches vehicles, which Force made perfectly clear was happening directly following the conclusion of the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, MN, that means the driver points earned that season transfer to the new team essentially making that team the one associated with Robert Hight.

This is where the head scratching begins. On Monday following the Brainerd event Hight tested with his “new” team behind the wheel of Force’s Castrol sponsored Funny Car. The only problem being that Hight had already used his maximum of four test sessions for the season which, given the original guidelines provided to the teams for the testing restrictions, would mean that no matter what vehicle he was driving, he no longer had any test sessions available in 2009. On the other hand Force’s “former” team had only used two of their potential four test days to that point in the season. The NHRA states that they granted JFR permission to conduct the test, claiming that the Castrol GTX High Mileage team that Hight tested for, still had two test days remaining, regardless of who was driving the car…BUT WAIT A SECOND…wasn’t this the final line in the statement issued in January; “This policy applies to both the team and driver.”?

So was this a case of flagrant disregard for the rules on a part of John Force Racing? Not at all. He asked the permission of the NHRA before making the move. What this is is another perfect example of the NHRA’s blatant disregard for the handling of relationships with their professional competitors. Sure, John Force is happy because he got to put Hight in the seat to get a feel for his new ride, but what about the other teams who have been using qualifying sessions as testing in order to ensure they stay ahead of the curve?

Well the answer is obvious only three days after the incident took place. Ron Capps, who drives the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher Racing, couldn’t believe that the NHRA allowed this to take place given the way it was laid out to everyone from the start. And how about Terry Haddock who had prior commitments, made before the restrictions were made public, for the 2009 season? He even went so far as to notify the NHRA once he found out about the restrictions in order to let them know that he had already made other commitments. But did the NHRA grant him an exemption for those non-NHRA sanctioned events? Not a chance. Instead they stuck to the ruling that, no matter where the driver is competing it counts towards their allotment of testing days.

So, now you have Terry Haddock, the ultimate salt of the earth independent trying to make a living racing with no major sponsorship, sitting in 12th position in the points, might I point out the same position as Hight currently sits, who was penalized by not being able to earn points at one of the NHRA events he competed in because of his participation in other previously committed to events. Here is a guy who has helped the NHRA at several events this season by filling out some very thin Top Fuel fields and that finishing in the top ten in points would be a huge boost to. And let’s be honest, he poses no real threat to win the championship this year, so why penalize him and allow the guy who has finished as runner-up for the championship and has more money than Terry Haddock can dream about to break the rules?

Your guess is as good as mine, but I’ve got a few!

When will the sporting world wise up and realize that Danica Patrick is no more than a has-been that never was and start paying attention to the “real” number one female competitor in motorsports in the world, Ashley Force Hood.

Is there any other woman on the planet that can claim she has gone over 300 miles per hour on land and won the most prestigious race that her sport has to offer? Granted, she has been blessed with a father who has the resources necessary to make those things happen, but it still takes a tremendous amount of guts to get behind the wheel of an 8000 horsepower Funny Car, not to mention the skills necessary to have consistent reaction times and a knowledge base extensive enough to convey important and accurate information to your crew chief.

As much as most of us are sick of the John Force Racing show that basically is the NHRA broadcasts on ESPN, the PR team at NHRA could stand to take the Ashley Force Hood angle to the media in a more aggressive manner, outside of their own broadcasts.

When I listen to Danica talk I hear a self-centred, childish person who doesn’t appreciate how much exposure she gets for really never having accomplished anything significant in her career other than winning a race where the three drivers in front of her ran out of fuel in the final laps. Ashley is exactly the opposite. Such a good role model for young girls aspiring to be all they can be when they grow up, no matter what they choose to do. It’s never pointed out anymore that she is a woman, and that’s part of what makes NHRA so great, but it’s also the drawback that has relegated Ashley to the background as far as women in motorsports goes.

Here we’ve got the daughter of the 14 time class champion who paid her dues in the sportsman ranks before being handed the keys to one of the baddest hot rods on the planet. And she’s struggled with the steep learning curve when making the transition to the professional ranks, which makes for an even better story when you realize that she has a legitimate chance at becoming the first female NHRA Funny Car champion in the history of drag racing this year and on top of that she just won the most prestigious race our sport has to offer, the U.S. Nationals.

So I say let’s cut the crap within the NHRA broadcasts, we know that most of the people watching are quite aware of John Force and his four car dynasty anyways. Let’s use that time to promote the guys like, Clay Millican, Tim Wilkerson, Rickie Jones and Doug Horne, who all bring great stories and in some cases great sponsors to the sport. Let’s put the NHRA’s media team and the PR firms they have working for them to work and get a real push going behind the fact that Ashley Force Hood is the number one female in professional racing…period!

There is no escaping the wide reaching effects of the economic recession we are currently in. Industries once thought to be “recession-proof” have been hit hard forcing layoffs or wage decreases. The NHRA was not immune to this and just two weeks ago issued pink slips to a number of its employees, some of whom had worked for the NHRA for over 40 years. These layoffs might have been prevented had the NHRA chosen to give away tickets to their races rather than charging for them.

CNBC.com: League Gives Away Tickets, Sees Big Growth by Darren Rovell

The NHRA is currently racing in Las Vegas this weekend and ticket prices are not cheap. An adult reserved seat costs $65.00. If you wanted to bring your family of four, assuming you had two children between the ages of 6-12, it would run you $182 just to get reserved seats. That does not include parking fees, concessions or a trip through the souvenir Nitro Mall or driver T-shirt trailers. Not cheap at all in today’s climate of job losses and reduced hours and wages. So how is the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) turning a profit across the board by giving away its tickets for free? Corporate sponsorships are picking up the slack.

The article by Darren Rovell outlines how the fledgling ADRL is now bringing in crowds that would make it appear that Larry Dixon and John Force were on the marquee. Much lesser known names are in those cars yet the attendance figures are swelling due to thousands of free tickets being given away. The sponsors love the fact their logos and products can be marketed to a captive and targeted demographic. The ADRL offsets the loss in ticket revenue with an increase in sponsorship dollars. And it souds like everyone is happy with the results.

Although I haven’t worked for the NHRA since 2003 and can not speak on their behalf on what business decisions they would or would not make, I find it impossible to believe they would ever consider following the ADRL on this. The main reasons being that once you let the genie out of the bottle, there is no putting her back in. You can’t just fling open the gates and let everyone in for free and then a few years from now when the economy has recovered, jack the prices back up. There would be a riot that would rival some Saturday nights in the infield “Zoo” at Brainerd International Raveway.

But maybe it is time to go unorthodox and think outside the box. Afterall, I am sure those now former NHRA employees would be open to some new ideas that might have had a chance of saving their jobs.

It may be a crazy idea that the NHRA would never adopt but it is crazy enough to be working elsewhere. Desperate times calls for desperate measures and this might be one of those times. Maybe this is the time the NHRA thinks outside the “ticket” box.

Prior to moving the finish line to 1,000 feet in the wake of Scott Kalitta’s death, the NHRA awarded bonus points for setting a national record for elapsed time. Once the finish line was moved, E.T. records were obsolete and no longer applied to the new finishing distance. Now with over a full year racing to the new, shorter distance, the NHRA will recognize national records in Top Fuel and Funny Car and create a new bonus point system for pro qualifying sessions.

The start of the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. will begin the of recognizing national records and the new bonus point structure. NHRA will recognize official national elapsed time and speed records to 1,000 feet for both Top Fuel and Funny Car. Teams that set a national record for elapsed time (E.T.) will be awarded 20 points.  Speed records are not eligible for bonus points. The starting point for the national record will be established using the quickest times and fastest speeds to 1,000-feet that were backed up by another performance within 1 percent during the course of a single event weekend, occurring since 1,000-foot racing started at the midway point of 2008.  Those drivers who currently hold the national records in each category will not retroactively receive the 20 point bonus.

In order for performances to be certified as NHRA national records, the eligible performance must be backed up by another performance within 1 percent during the course of a single event weekend. Only one 20 point bonus will be awarded in each category per event.

The current 1,000-foot E.T. and speed records in Top Fuel and Funny Car are as follows:

Top Fuel
E.T. — Tony Schumacher, 3.771 sec., Richmond, Va. (Oct. 2008)
Speed — Tony Schumacher, 318.92 mph, Las Vegas (Nov. 2008)

Funny Car
E.T. — Ron Capps, 4.023 sec., Phoenix (Feb. 2009)
Speed — Ashley Force Hood, 312.13 mph, Atlanta (April 2009)

In addition, NHRA announced a new bonus points structure that will offer teams opportunities to score critical points during qualifying sessions in all four professional categories: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.   The team in each category with the quickest elapsed time during each qualifying session will receive three bonus points.   In all, a team that records the lowest E.T. in all four sessions could receive a total of 12 bonus points during qualifying.  Teams with the second and third quickest elapsed times during each qualifying session will receive 2 and 1 bonus points, respectively.

These changes are designed to enhance the qualifying sessions by encouraging more side-by-side racing and providing an opportunity for all competitors to earn additional points toward their standing in the top 10, as well as their pursuit of NHRA Full Throttle Series world championship titles.

Although records will be recorded to 1,000 feet in the two nitromethane categories, NHRA continues to evaluate and test combinations to reduce power in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories.  Only after testing and analysis is concluded will a decision be made on whether to remain at 1,000 feet or return to quarter-mile racing in the two classes.

If you haven’t heard by now either via other internet racing websites, social networking websites or saw it reported on ESPN, a female spectator was killed after being struck by the left rear wheel of Antron Brown’s dragster after it lost control Sunday. The woman was pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital after suffering fatal injuries at Firebird international raceway outside of Phoenix. Naturally, all within the racing community are saddened by the news of her passing.

This marks the first time in my memory that an NHRA fan has died as a result of the racing on the track. Other racing series have had fans killed or injured as a result of crashes on the track. In 1999 during an IRL race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a wheel flew into the grandstands as a result of a crash, killing three people. After the accident, the track’s catch fence was raised an additional six feet.

Whenever a major catastrophic event occurs, tracks and sanctioning bodies tend to react swiftly and unilaterally in the wake of the event. They want to show “good faith” in that they are fixing the problem. The NHRA is particularly adept at making these knee jerk reactions in the wake of tragedy.

In 1999, Doug Herbert suffered a massive engine explosion at the starting line that sprayed debris 200 feet away into the crowd and photographers near the starting line. (Image at left) The NHRA announced the first limitation on the percentage of nitromethane, allowing a maximum of 90%.

In 2004 Top Fuel driver Darrell Russell dies as a result of flying debris from an exploding tire that entered the driver’s cockpit. Numerous rule changes were handed down within weeks including tire changes and requirements and another reduction in the percentage of nitro used in the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes.

In 2008 following the death of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, the NHRA shortened the racing distance from a quarter-mile to 1,000 feet. That rule change remains in effect this season. Many believe the days of Top Fuel dragsters and nitro Funny Cars traversing a quarter-mile course are never coming back.

The pattern is clear that the NHRA reacts quickly whenever tragedy strikes. I would not be surprised if the NHRA announces prior to the start of the next race in Gainesville, Fla. that all tracks need to install catch fences much like the ones you see at Nascar or open wheel race tracks. Although that may be “the right thing to do” it may not be needed.

The recent death of the spectator in Phoenix, although tragic, was a freak accident. Because drag racing is a linear sport in that the two competitors are competing in a straight line, the major impact zone is down track where fans are not seated. In oval racing like Nascar or Indy Car, because the cars are making turns, debris from a crash or a crashed car itself could be propelled towards spectators. Catch fences in these forms of racing are needed to protect the fans. Catch fences in NHRA, in my opinion, are not needed.

Again, the death of the female spectator in Phoenix is a tragedy. Could her death been prevented by a catch fence in place? No one knows for sure. Comparing catch fence success rates at Nascar or Indy Car races and applying that data to NHRA is like comparing apples to oranges. The speeds are different, the equipment is different and the trajectory of debris is even different. It would be merely speculation as to if a fence would have prevented this accident from injuring and killing the spectator.

In a recently article published by ESPN, NHRA fans don’t want safety changes. A number of fans interviewed in the story believe that they all know the inherent risks they take when attending a drag race. Many fans choose to stand as close to the starting line as possible in order to feel the vibrations of the race cars as they launch. So if the fans are unconcerned and say they will continue to attend, why should the NHRA make a sweeping change? They shouldn’t

This was a freak accident. I know those words do not come as any comfort to the friends and family currently mourning the death of the spectator but this was a very rare occurrence. Unfortunately, in today’s overly litigious society, the NHRA will have to make some changes in preparation for an impending lawsuit you know is coming down the pike. So to all of you that want to experience and enjoy the NHRA “without a net”, you better do it soon. I am willing to bet the next time you go to a drag race, you’ll be watching it though the holes of a fence.

I had a reader comment on my last article about Ashley Force Hood and the lack of respect she garners as a world class race car driver. The reader proceeded to provide his opinion on a number of topics including the events that took place at the recently completed U.S. Nationals revolving around John Force Racing.

The first point, which is well taken, was that the NHRA needs to revisit the rule of allowing teams to field more than two cars in any one professional division. I have to say that I agree to some degree with the reader about NHRA needing to limit the number of cars per team, per division and I think that would make sense from the standpoint of allowing other, lower budget teams an opportunity to compete for more race wins and potentially the championship. However, what that does in turn is take away a number of sponsored teams that would not be in the sport if it weren’t for the multi-car opportunities that exist. John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing can offer those companies exposure across six or more teams making that partnership far more valuable than it would be where they looking at single or two car teams. By minimizing those multi-car teams you then face a crossroads of either not having enough competitors to fill the existing 16 car fields, or filling those 16 spots with inferior teams which will in turn cause increased oil down delays and unhappy spectators. Drag racing fans are some of the most educated in all of motorsports and they know if they are getting what they paid for as far as entertainment value goes and won’t stand for a subpar product very long.

The second point the reader made was in regards to John Force intentionally throwing his semi-final matchup against teammate Robert Hight at the U.S. Nationals. And although we all know Force threw the race in order to get his fourth team car into the Countdown to the Championship, you can’t blame him for playing within the rules that the NHRA has laid out. In all fairness to John he only did what several other teams would have done were they put in the same position. Don Schumacher would most certainly have done that given his savvy with sponsorship relations and the opportunity to move up in the standings in an effort to earn more, albeit not very much, championship money. And I believe that given the same circumstances the Pedregon brothers Tony and Cruz would have opted for the same scenario as Force where dollar signs and long term sustainability far out ruled winning or losing one round of competition. The NHRA rules clearly indicate that if the drivers performance or the tune-up of the car do not directly relate to an obvious attempt on the teams part to fix a race then there is nothing they can do to penalize the team. Yes, John cut a .209 reaction time and Hight made his slowest pass of the weekend, but those two elements combined are not enough to prove that the race was fixed. The NHRA even went so far as to analyze the tune-up data from Force’s pass, which it turns out would have been conducive to a representative run for that team. So how can you hate them or penalize them for playing within the rules?

Yes, the spirit of our sport is competition, and that’s what the fans pay to see, but they also pay to be entertained and there’s no arguing that the drama which ensued directly following that run and which has continued to feed the fire this week is just as exciting for the fans as seeing John and Robert duke it out during the semi-finals at the U.S. Nationals, if not more exciting.

I say stay tuned, this will make for some great sound bites and intriguing matchups for the duration of the championship battle.

The NHRA released the schedule for the 2010 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series earlier this week and I will have to admit that some changes I like, others I disagree with. Because most people enjoy controversy I’ll start with the dislikes. What is up with the addition of a second race date at zMax Dragway in Charlotte? I get that Charlotte is rapidly approaching the same level of status as Indianapolis in regards to being a motorsports Mecca but I thought the NHRA was out of the game of awarding new tracks with multiple dates. History has proven time and time again that double dates outside of Los Angeles rarely work.

NHRA.com: 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule released

Years ago the NHRA raced twice a year at Heartland Park Topeka. Now they race there once a year. Same goes for the Texas Motorplex outside Dallas and Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas. Now both only enjoy one race date a year. The NHRA even rewarded super track Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill with its horseshoe shaped stadium with a second race date per year. That now has gone by the wayside. The only two locations that have proven they can host two race dates in a season are Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif.

Las Vegas gets a second date because it is a vacation destination with many fans using it as an excuse to travel. The fact that LVMS is a Bruton Smith owned track doesn’t hurt. Pomona is a no brainer because Southern California is the birthplace of drag racing and the fans there can’t get enough of it. Call me skeptical but don’t be surprised if the second Charlotte date goes away after a few years and the luster has worn off. Then again, it is a Bruton Smith owned facility. Las Vegas has held on to their second NHRA race date so you never know.

In 2010, gone is the Richmond, Va. race. That was expected and despite taking Richmond off the schedule a few years ago to only have it return, this was no surprise to many. Other changes include Atlanta moving from April to May, Bristol moves from May to June and the Western Swing will now start in Seattle and end in Denver. In years prior it started in Denver, stopped in Sonoma, Calif. and ended in Seattle. Not sure why the NHRA wanted to shake things up a bit but I am sure they have their reasons.

Another change includes making the Memphis race the final opportunity for race teams to get into the Countdown to 1. Think of it as the end to the regular season before the playoffs start which just happen to be the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. (I actually like that change and anything you can do to make the U.S. Nationals even more important is alright with me.)

Another good move on the schedule was shifting the Reading, Pa. Keystone Nationals to October. This year the event was held in late August and that time of year in eastern Pennsylvania you are just asking for rain. In October, the cooler fall temperatures coupled with mineshaft conditions should produce some serious performance records. The only problem with that time of year is if inclement weather does wash out the race, moving the date further back into the schedule and Goodyear will be looking into manufacturing snow tires.

All in all, the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle schedule is not bad. Some minor tweaks here and there but overall, most race tracks are hosting their races on their traditional weekends. The major omission (outside of Richmond losing their race weekend) would be there still is no drag racing in the South Florida, Detroit or Boston areas. Of course there needs to be a quality drag strip in order to host a race but hopefully in a few years that will happen in order to bring NHRA drag racing to those under served markets.

2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Schedule

*PSM indicates races where Pro Stock Motorcycle competes

1. 50th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals, Feb. 11-14, Pomona, Calif.

2. 26th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals,  Feb. 26-28, Phoenix

3. 41st annual NHRA Gatornationals, March 11-14, Gainesville, Fla. (PSM)

4. Inaugural NHRA Nationals,  March 25-28, Concord, N.C.

5. 11th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, April 9-11, Las Vegas

6. 23rd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, April 16-18, Houston (PSM)

7. 14th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals April 30 – May 2, St. Louis (PSM)

8. 30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 14-16, Commerce, Ga. (PSM)

9. 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals May 21-23, Topeka, Kan.

10. 13th annual United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals, June 3-6 Chicago (PSM)

11. 41st annual United Association NHRA SuperNationals, June 10-13, Englishtown, N.J. (PSM)

12. 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, June 18-20, Bristol, Tenn.

13. Fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, June 24-27, Norwalk, Ohio (PSM)

14. 23rd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 9-11, Seattle

15. 23rd annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals, July 16-18, Sonoma, Calif. (PSM)

16. 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals, July 23-25, Denver (PSM)

17. 29th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Aug. 12-15, Brainerd, Minn. (PSM)

18. 23rd annual O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals, Aug. 20-22, Memphis, Tenn. (PSM)

Countdown to 1

19. 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Sept. 1–6, Indianapolis (PSM)

20. Third annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals, Sept. 16-19, Concord, N.C. (PSM)

21. 25th annual O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals, Sept. 23-26, Dallas (PSM)

22. 26th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Oct. 7-10, Reading, Pa. (PSM)

23. 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 28-31, Las Vegas (PSM)

24. 46th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Nov.11-14, Pomona, Calif. (PSM)

There have been Super Chevy Shows for almost as long as there has been Super Chevy magazine, and those shows have amassed a huge following over the decades. In that time, the promoters did a fine job growing the series in concert with Super Chevy magazine. For 2010, however, the Super Chevy Shows are under new management-a consortium of some of the biggest and best drag racing venues across the country. Among them are The Strip at Las Vegas, Virginia Motorsports Park, Texas Motorplex, Summit Motorsports Park, Maple Grove Raceway, Houston Raceway Park, Bandimere Speedway, Heartland Park, Bristol Dragway, and Firebird International Raceway. These guys really know how to put on a show because they're in the people-pleasing business. We discovered firsthand just how good the "new and improved" Super Chevy Show was when we caravanned up to the year's first event in Las Vegas this past March 19-21.

This time around, performance may prevail after all. Not too long ago, Pro Touring seemed destined to suffer the same inglorious fate as Pro Street. The big 'n' littles craze dates way back to the mid '70s, when Gary Kollofski's '55 Chevy set the benchmark for a future generation of pre-pubescent hot rodders. His infamous Tri-Five Chevy was the real deal, packin' a blown and sprayed big-block, ladder bars, 18-inch meats, and mid 10-second timeslips, all in full street trim. Unfortunately, as Pro Street caught on, the posers soon outnumbered the true players, and the fad fizzled out like last year's American Idol reject. Similarly, undermining the good work of pioneers like Mark Stielow and R.J. Gottlieb, the Pro Touring trend has been largely defined by 99-way adjustable shocks that have never once been adjusted, and $450-a-pop Z-rated tires that get flat-spotted from languishing year-round in climate-controlled garages. Although Pro Street never recovered from its decline, Pro Touring is witnessing a resurgence as of late, as racers are taking back their turf from the wannabes. Credit events like the Midwest Musclecar Challenge-which was held on May 29-30-for advancing the war effort.

When we found out last year that the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association was adding another event for the 2010 schedule, and that event was going to be the season opener, and that is was on our back porch one state over, we were stoked. Scottsdale, Arizona, not only has a great climate in March, it's also a true hot bed of hot rodding activity, so we marked it on the calendar in permanent ink. For us-meaning myself and photographer Robert McGaffin-the 1st Spring Nationals on March 12-14 would mean we got to take Project Laguna out for an early season stroll that would span some 800 miles, most of it through some of the most beautiful desert stretches on the planet. And we weren't alone in our pilgrimage; we tagged along with other rodders making the trek from California to the Phoenix area, and had a great time doing it.

Have you ever seen a beautifully built or restored classic for sale with scant few miles on the clock and wondered to yourself: “How could anyone put so much time and effort into a car and never drive it?” We know where it comes from; blood, sweat, tears, time, and money are all shed in varying doses on every project, and when it’s finally the car you’ve always wanted it’s hard to subject it to the abuses and wear and tear of the open road. But we’re here to tell ya, you’re missing out.

If you could revisit a typical street rod show 20 years ago, you'd be greeted by vastly different sights and sounds than what we see at a Goodguys show in 2010. Cabbage Patch Kids cleverly mounted to grilles, over-the-hill gals in poodle dresses, old men loafing in folding chairs, and doo-wop songs pouring syrup-like from loudspeakers were the stock and trade of rodding events until just a few years ago. If you were lucky, some octogenarian might pour some high-octane juice into his fairgrounds motor and get his blown, chromed-out highboy to do a burnout on his way out the gate-provided he remembered to take his Geritol that morning. Yes, for many years, performance slept quietly, living only in faded vintage magazines sold in the swap meet area.

In the January 2012 issues we brought the story of the biggest shake-down road trip Project X has ever undertaken, but there were so many photos that we just didn't have space to print! One of our favorite stops, and the destination for the Popular Hot Rodding/Real Deal Steel Tri-Five Cruise sponsored by Woody's Hot Rodz was the Shades Of The Past car show in Pigeon Forge, TN. Thanks to the show's patriarch Bobby Alloway, X had a space of honor near the corral for the winners- and this gallery shows the judges picks for 2011.

Quarter-miles are a lot of fun, but if you really want to see fast cars-those that run flat-out for top-speed supremacy-it might be time to attend some events that traverse a bit more geography. It takes a long, wide-open space to see how fast your car really is, and if you want to find out legally and safely, there is a growing list of options. One thing's for sure, there's nothing like going WTFO and letting it eat! You know you want it.

For decades, autocrossing was the domain of geeky car nerds with underpowered imports. Real men drag raced, or sometimes road raced—if they had that kind of money. Then something funny happened: as production car handling got better, a gap emerged between muscle cars of yore and even the most pedestrian of commuters. Inevitably, that gap became so enormous it begged the question: Are muscle cars damned to the same fate as prewar restorations, coming out into the light of day only for the occasional Shriner’s parade?

The Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale plays host to the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association twice each year for a reason: It’s one of the hottest hubs in the hot rodding scene. The combination of great weather all year round, and its proximity to Southern California and Las Vegas also make it a great crossroads, but there is something unique about the Phoenix area itself that produces some of the coolest muscle cars to ever hit the asphalt. It is a city on the move, and its occupants have a great love of the American automobile that we seldom see elsewhere. From a car-building perspective, Phoenix is close enough to other major influential markets that it can partake in prevailing design and building trends, yet it’s isolated enough to have a distinct set of styles all its own—and that’s one of the reasons that keeps Popular Hot Rodding coming back for more every year.

Just when you think classic cars are “old,” something changes your perspective. After all, the ’32 Ford—that stalwart staple of hot rodding—is something like 79 years ancient. Similarly, the ’55 Chevy has 56 trips around the sun under its belt, and the ’69 Camaro has a relatively scant 42 years on the clock. By some yardstick, you can make the argument that our favorite cars are genuinely old, but you’d be hard-pressed to say they’re over the hill. Please take that into consideration while you ponder that when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909, the ’32 Ford was 23 distant years in the future, and Oklahoma had only been a state for two years.

It's that time of year again, that's right, SEMA 2010 has arrived. No need to fret if you didn't make it to the show, because we have you covered. Here are the latest photos that you will only see find right here at Popular Hot Rodding Magazine.

Single-brand events are nothing new in the world of hot rodding entertainment; Chevy-, Ford-, Mopar-, and even Buick-only gatherings are commonplace in today’s ever splintering Internet-driven hobby. There seems to be no end to the niches and subniches that are supported by message boards and cottage single-mark industries. Looking for a “Nationals” event dedicated solely to purple Yugos? We’re sure there’s one somewhere. The Holley LS Fest, however, moves into even rarer territory because it presupposes an alternate universe in which all cars and all brands are motivated by just one kind of powerplant: the General Motors corporate LS V-8 engine.

Fifteen years ago, word of a completely new pushrod V-8 engine from General Motors had lips flapping all over. As word of the nascent LS1 spread prior to the introduction of the '97 Corvette, the motoring press and many manufacturers-secretly and not so secretly-snickered at the antiquated cam-in-block two-valve-per-cylinder layout. Fans of BMW and Honda powerplants outright scorned the Gen III small-block for its simplicity and declared the new GM powerplant dead on arrival.

The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association brought their traveling road show to the Chicagoland Speedway this past September 17-19, and we were there to capture all the action. The Midwest is one of our favorite places to hang out because it's a hotbed of muscle machines; these guys don't have the luxury of driving their cars hard all year round, so during the summer months they make up for it in spades. The sprawling Chicagoland Speedway complex is an ideal place to let it all hang out, and that's exactly what Goodguys did.

Automotive museums are repositories of history and caretakers of dream cars. They’re places every hot rodder and gearhead should visit occasionally to remind themselves of how far the hobby has come in such a short time, and how all the different genres of the hobby are really just bits of fabric in the same cloth. Plus, they’re just plain fun to wander through.

Way back when the polyspheric-headed small-block Dodges gave way to the “modern” LA engine in the ’67 Valiant, the Pentastar populous could not have known that their little creation was capable of making over 1.4 hp per cubic inch on plain old pump gas. A team of engine builders from SKMFX Racing Engines in Ontario, Canada, recently did that using cylinder heads designed when the LA was only a couple years old. Though much of the rodding community has moved to the cookie-cutter late-model EFI swap, the guys at SKMFX built this LA engine from old-school parts using new-era thinking. Lead engine builder Jesse Robinson ain’t no newbie when it comes to making power to go. As a two-time competitor in the AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge, he’s done his share of research into what it takes to make power.

If you want to inject a serious amount of corner-carving performance into your muscle car, you’d better do your homework to figure out how to get it done. Don’t be fooled into thinking that adding a set of tires and a lower stance will get you there, because while you might look cool, you’ll be left in the dust by someone who’s brought all the right parts to the party. Bill Jelinek and his team at Rt. 66 Motorsports in New Lenox, Illinois, have a reputation of infusing just the right combination of horsepower and handling into vintage Detroit steel. For their latest build, a ’67 Nova, code-named Pro Ride, they teamed up with Heidts Hot Rod and Muscle Car Parts to showcase a brand-new cutting-edge Pro-G front subframe and suspension package for ’62-67 Chevy Novas. The car will act as a testbed for the new Heidts Pro-G components by being driven hard at events all over the country, showcasing autocross, and SCCA-style road racing, as well as regular day-to-day driving. Oh, and the Nova will be stuffed full of LS3 power generating 650 hp, as well as a 4L70 trans by Gearstar, so razor-sharp handling isn’t an option, it’s a necessity.

EFI conversions have been available from the aftermarket almost from the time EFI systems became universal as OEM equipment. Over those years, the systems and their software have undergone continual refinement, with better components and more capable electronics, as well as improved software. The goals in this development process are qualities that anyone can appreciate—reliability, tunability, and flexibility over a broad range of applications. The sophistication of today’s stand-alone engine management systems has reached a very high level.

Our original plan for our smog-legal E-Rod swap into the EcoNova was to use the stock front-drive assembly for a ’10-current Camaro, since it’s available separately and cheaply straight from GMPP. The problem with that arrangement, however, is the standard LS engine layout isn’t a drop-in fit for most muscle cars if you want to retain all of the accessories, especially A/C, which is a must for this project since we’re picturing it as a comfortable daily driver

The guru of all gurus in carburetor function was without a doubt an obscure Dutch-Swiss dude named Danny. OK, his full name was Daniel Bernoulli and it’s possible you may have heard of him. Besides being an uber-smart mathematician/statistician/physicist/author, he put into words the theory of why carburetors work. Of course, unless you are also an über-smart physicist, you might not get all the little details and decipher the squiggly lines in his writing. That means that when it’s time to bolt a brand-new, shiny fuel mixer on your bitchin 383 with double hump heads and three-quarter race cam, you’re better off talking with the tech guys at the company you bought it from in order to get it running to the best of its ability. PHR recently spoke with the top techies at Holley, Quick Fuel Technology, and Edelbrock in order to glean their most helpful hints and help you avoid the most common mistakes. In no particular order are the most common problems and suggested solutions.

So you’re sold on doing an EFI conversion, perhaps one of the easy self-learning systems profiled elsewhere in this issue. Pretty much any company marketing conversions will have you taken care of with everything needed from the engine to the fuel system upgrades, but what about the fuel tank?

Big pipes and a throaty rumble are what street machines are all about, but it’s not just about the sound; an exhaust system has to perform up to the engine’s full capability, too. Compounding the issue is the expense involved of chasing down headers, mufflers, pipes, and, in some cases, the right tools. You’ll have a lot invested in your system—even if it’s really basic, like the one on our ’68 Nova. Bottom line: It pays to get it right the first time.

If you read most enthusiast magazines, and especially the Chevy-only ones, you’d think that there isn’t a single person building a pre-’97 small-block Chevy anymore. With the advent of the LS series of engines, you might believe the hype that everyone has abandoned their old-style engine in favor of retrofitting the newer generation of powerplants. Camshaft makers have chucked those cores on the back lot along with flathead Ford and Buick nailhead components. Block makers have smashed those casts and Gen I small-block heads are little more than bulky doorstops.

There are many approaches to building engines, but a theme that resonates with practically anyone is maximizing value in terms of power per dollar. Donny and Andy Key of D&A Machine Shop, in Canton, Georgia, quickly concluded that achieving that goal requires a well-thought-out approach. Here the GM LQ4 makes an outstanding starting point. Simply by design, these engines feature loads of inherent power potential. They come through from the factory with ample displacement, and the parts support from the aftermarket means these engines are ripe for modification. The LQ4 version of GM’s LS series of engines has the added advantage of a deep production run in a variety of late-model truck applications. The upshot here is that engine cores are readily available in plentiful numbers, generally at affordable prices.

In the world of engine hop-up components, headers are truly a win-win-win deal. They can deliver measurably better torque, horsepower, and mileage. When swapping out factory iron manifolds for headers, a typical peak-to-peak gain (even for a smog-laden motor) is about 25 hp, and roughly the same for lb-ft of torque. Having said that, the low-speed torque can go up as much as 40 lb-ft with headers that are optimized for the engine. For the average hot rodder there is no downside, and for the racer they are essential. What they are not, though, is foolproof. Headers can deliver a great deal in terms of return on investment—if the headers are spec’d out properly. When it comes to the right spec, it’s all about dimensions.

Same is lame. At least that’s the vibe we get at muscle car gatherings from both big-name shops and at-home car builders alike. Retro ’60s sheetmetal might be enough to stand out from a horde of minivans and SUVs, but when your project car is surrounded by dozens of its contemporaries on cruise night or in the staging lanes, factory body lines just aren’t going to cut it. If you want to distance the caliber of your car from the average street machine, it takes some extra effort to be different. Few cars demonstrate this better than the Roadster Shop’s latest creation, the Innovator Nova. Both the quantity and quality of its custom touches are so diverse, that it would make a college admissions administrator proud. So much of the Innovator’s skin has been tweaked that a standard six-page feature story just isn’t enough space to cover it. As such, we’re taking a closer look at the key design and fabrication elements that went into this impressive machine.

NASCAR technology for the street sounds counterintuitive, but in reality the realm of ultimate pushrod race engines holds the secret to rejuvenating one of the best head designs ever created for the small-block Ford: the Cleveland. That’s because prior to the release of Ford Racing’s magnificent clean-sheet FR9 race engine in 2009, Ford’s NASCAR program had overt muscle car roots. For the three decades preceding the FR9, the engines powering every Blue Oval racer were essentially 351 Windsor blocks topped with 351 Cleveland-derived heads.

When things evolve slowly it’s easy to overlook the distance that’s been covered. For example, you might not notice the changes in the mirror every morning, but your high school friends at your reunion will. In the same respect, sometimes to be able to appreciate just how amazingly advanced hot rodding has become in the past several years it requires taking a step back and looking with fresh eyes.

When we asked hot rodders what they thought about the GM Performance Parts E-Rod, we were surprised by how many people said they loved the idea, but were afraid it would be too difficult. The main concern we heard is that the very specific requirements for CARB emission legality would be too challenging for a guy in his garage to handle. We’re here to tell you that it’s not, and that’s where the EcoNova project is a bit different from others we take on.

When it comes to making power, there is little need for convincing when the subject of GM LS-Series engines enters the conversation. Right from the jump, these are some of the most powerful OEM engines ever delivered by the Motor City, and that’s just the start. The healthy aftermarket support means the sky is the limit when looking to breathe even more horsepower into these already stout powerplants. Since its inception as an all-aluminum 346-cube unit in 1997, the LS-series has been produced in a wide range of OEM configurations, using both aluminum and cast-iron blocks. OEM displacements range from 4.8-liter (290 cid) using a 3.78-inch bore, to the substantial 4.125-inch bore, 7.0L configuration of the LS7. Any of these LS-family engines can swallow a meaty stroker crank, however the bigger bore engines are naturally better endowed when outright power, torque, and displacement are the goal.

In a perfect world, headers would always fit, and a lot of times they do. But building a hot rod means by definition that you’re changing or modifying the stock parts with stuff that doesn’t always occupy the same space as the original equipment. Header manufacturers try their best to anticipate typical hot rod moves—like big oil pans, cylinder heads with elevated exhaust ports, better steering boxes, high-torque starters, or custom steering shafts—but there are just too many possibilities that must be covered. We found ourselves in a similar situation with our 1968 Chevy Nova project car, and decided to deal with the problem head-on.

Rumors have flying around freely the past few months as to what Ford's answer would be to the ZL1 Camaro, and now we have it; a blown 5.8 liter (351ci) that delivers an unheard of 650hp and 600 lb-ft of torque! Yes, hot rodders, that does make the '13 Ford Shelby GT500 officially the most powerful production V8 engine in the world. And somehow Ford managed to keep it exempt from the gas-guzzler tax. Looks like 13 is going to be a lucky number for Ford Fans!

This month, we examine the current trends that have made the most impact on the hot rodding hobby, as well as the emerging ones that we think will gain steam in the coming years. You can read the entire story by Tech Editor Christopher Campbell starting on p. 32. The funny thing about the word trend is that it’s a buzzword, and you have to be careful that you don’t overuse or misuse it. A trend is not a vision of the future, it’s a snapshot of the present. You often hear the phrase future trend thrown out, and it’s nonsensical. It’s impossible to see the future, but it is possible to bend it in the right direction.

Got a car you want the world to see?

I’m embarrassed. As many years as I’ve been sitting in this chair, everything I really know about cams could fit in a few paragraphs. When I say “really know,” I’m not counting time-honored myths or threadbare anecdotes—just the cold, hard, dyno-proven facts. Some stuff I’ve learned along the way: a roller beats a flat lifter every time, bigger isn’t always better, beehive springs work, great cylinder heads fix everything, and there’s big power lurking in narrower-than-catalog lobe separation angles. That’s not a lot to show for 19 years behind an editor’s desk, but compared to what our grandparents knew about cams, it’s indistinguishable from magic.

Got a car you want the world to see?
Send specs and pix to johnnyhunkins@yahoo.com

Got a car you want the world to see? Send specs and pix to johnnyhunkins@yahoo.com

It’s not very often that political issues are brought up in car magazines beyond the Editor’s Page. We’ve reached such a significant point in time, however, when the gloves have come off and we as hot rodders and Americans have no choice but to look Washington in the eye and not blink.

As the last engine is crated up at the University of Northwestern Ohio, and the DTS/SuperFlow dyno carts are stowed away until next year, my thoughts turn to next year’s AMSOIL Engine Masters Challenge. By the time you read this, we will have decided the rules for next year’s competition, but right now things are very much up in the air. Will we hold over the same successful format as 2011, or will we change it up to keep readers excited, and competitors inventive? It’s a win-win either way, but irrespective of that, I’m more stoked about who might submit an application, and what they might bring.

New Products

With great sadness we report the passing of hot rod builder and fabricator Ryan Butler, 32, who was tragically killed in a hydroplane boat racing accident in Olympia, Washington, on Saturday, July 9, 2011.

1967 Ford Custom 500

While the big-name builders and shops on the scene often get credit for being the most influential sources of innovation, some of the most creative thinking in the hot rodding community is born out of the garages of everyday enthusiasts like you.

Flaming River ’60-65 Ford Falcon Rack

I’m at the point in our ’68 Nova project where I can finally see the light at the other end of the tunnel. While you’re just now seeing our story on CPP’s power brake vacuum pump kit in this issue, (see p. 54), we’re actually several stories ahead of that, wrapping up the exhaust work at Automotive Excellence, a great little shop out of Huntington Beach, California. If you live in SoCal, you owe it to yourself to check these guys out.

This month’s issue celebrates the average guy who builds his hot rod at home—which is the way the vast majority of you get your projects on the road. Most of the cars in our “26 Readers’ Rides” story were partially or entirely constructed at home, which means you will see a lot of familiar stuff. There is a time and a place to be inspired by high-end cars built with the highest skill and the best parts, but it’s also instructive to see how our gearhead brothers cope with the challenges imposed by a limited skill set, a restricted budget, or a little amount of time.

Power Brokers: Cleveland Crate Motor While the original Ford Cleveland has been known to be a high-output, high-rpm, small-block Ford, the McKeown Motorsport Engineering (MME) Cleveland crate engine (available carbed or EFI) produces vibrant airflow without having to turn high rpm, hence they are completely streetable and suited to pump fuel. With recent advances in engine electronics, in-house CNC-machining, and MME’s experience in camshaft design, the MME Cleveland generates excellent driveability from cruise to redline. Operating from 1,500 to 6,500 rpm and using an 850-cfm carburetor or port fuel injection and 10.75-11.0:1 compression ratio, it produces 640-650 hp at the crankshaft with a broad torque curve. The MME Cleveland is offered in street or race configuration, as a complete running engine or as individual parts. In addition, MME supplies the engine with intake and cylinder head configurations to suit the hood clearance requirements of most body styles and performance needs.