- Hagan Captures 50th NHRA Career Win in TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Funny Car at NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte
- Ashley, Hagan, Anderson and Herrera take Wins at Charlotte Four-Wide
- TOUGH FINAL ROUND PUTS DAMPER ON WEEKEND FOR JOHN FORCE IN CHARLOTTE NHRA 4-WIDE NATIONALS
- BO BUTNER WINS JHG MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK SEASON OPENER
- AARON STANFIELD RUNNER-UP AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
- JUSTIN ASHLEY WINS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
- Tony Schumacher Out Early After Jam-Packed Four-Wide Weekend in Charlotte
Hunter Capping Off TAD Rookie Season in Pomona
Courtesy of Kenny Gilmour Motorsports
POMONA, CA – Even after a full season of racing in the fastest “Sportsman” category in the NHRA, Top Alcohol Dragster driver Greg 
Hunter enters the NHRA Finals just as enthusiastic as ever. He’s going into the race with his ExactAir car running at its best. Racing in the area where the American hot rodding scene started just adds to the excitement.
“We’re excited about racing in Southern California. SoCal is where hot rodding and drag racing itself began. This is also where I went to watch my first race, the 1994 World Finals. Going to that race changed my life. Now we’re going into 2012 World Finals with a car capable of qualifying well and winning rounds. Looking at the entry list, we’ll be racing with a lot of great cars, but we’re up for the challenge,” said Hunter, a TAD rookie who formerly drove a family-owned Alcohol Funny Car.
Johnson wins very first Junior World Championship
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – There is nothing more exciting than being the first to do something. Just ask Pearisburg, Virginia’s Austin Johnson.
When 14-year-old Johnson began racing in the IHRA Junior Dragster program in 2009 Johnson never dreamed he would one day have an opportunity to be a World Champion, at least not until he moved up to a big car. But when the IHRA announced in early 2012 that it would be adding Junior Dragster to the highly popular and extremely successful Summit SuperSeries program beginning this year, it opened up doors for the IHRA’s youngest competitors to have an opportunity to chase a championship and share the stage with some of drag racing’s biggest stars.
Still, having the opportunity and actually winning are two very different things and Johnson proved himself to be one of the best Junior racers in the country when he won the inaugural IHRA Summit SuperSeries Junior Dragster World Championship presented by AMSOIL and Moser Engineering at the Summit World Finals at Memphis International Raceway in October.
Auto Club Finals Preview! Jack Beckman, Don Schumacher, Courtney Force, Bob Vandergriff, Bobby Bennett, and Alan Reinhart on WFO Radio
Courtesy of WFO
HOLLYWOOD, FL – “Fast” Jack Beckman, Don Schumacher, Courtney Force, Bob Vandergriff, and Bobby Bennett all join Joe Castello, 
along with the NHRA’s Alan Reinhart, on WFO Radio NHRA Nitro. To listen now, go to http://www.wforadio.com/
Funny Car championship points leader, Jack Beckman, joins WFO Radio to discuss the final battle for the 2012 Full Throttle Series championship. Beckman discusses his past experience as a Super Comp champion, the dynamic between the DSR teams, and the possibility of becoming a Nitro Funny Car champion.
There’s no place like Pomona for JEGS.com pro Coughlin
Courtesy of Jegs
POMONA, CA – It surprised many when Jeg Coughlin Jr. returned from a year’s sabbatical and promptly raced his brand-new 
JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger to a runner-up finish at the season-opening race in Pomona earlier this year. Not only had Coughlin been away from the professional ranks for a year, but he’d elected to start a new racing program from the ground-up.
“It’s been a wild ride this year, starting right here in Pomona with that runner-up finish,” Coughlin said as he prepared for this weekend’s season finale. “We certainly had high hopes for 2012 and the start we had really got the blood pumping.
“For a new team, I think we did well. We’re not fighting for the championship this time through, which is a bit of a disappointment, but to make the Countdown field and have a respectable finish in the points in our first year is pretty darn good.”
Demke and Maddern Racing look to repeat Pomona success
Courtesy of Maddern Racing
Pomona, CA – Chris Demke and his Maddern Racing Teammates started the year with a win at the Winternationals. Now they are back 
home and look to put a bookend on a very busy season. Having just completed Regional action in Las Vegas, the Peen Rite / OSI / 801 Racing Team is battle tested and ready to finish strong.
“The Vegas Regional was interesting because we recorded a team best of 5.314/269.24, qualified number two, and brushed the wall in round one and lost,” said Demke. “The car went into some tire shake early on and blurred my vision slightly. As I came out of the shake and my vision returned, I could see that I was headed towards the wall. I nudged it to the right a bit but the rear of the car swung to the left and made contact. The rim is a bit scratched up but other than that everything is fine.”
Ahten Looking Forward To Pomona After Vegas Outing
Courtesy of Ahten Family Racing
Pomona, CA – Strong performance at the Vegas Regional has Johnny Ahten looking forward to the World Finals in Pomona. Ahten 
went to the Las Vegas race with questions, and left with answers. The pain of a first round loss might disparage some, but the Ahten Racing Team is upbeat. Getting a grip on the tune-up has been frustrating, but now they have something to work with in Pomona. The previous weekend’s Big O Tire Nationals provided the team with a solid base to tune from. During Regional action they refined that data and it resulted in a number five qualifying position.
“The Team is a bit upset about going out first round, but we are very excited about what we learned,” said Ahten. “In the first round of qualifying we put up a 5.536/248.43. We made some adjustments and Saturday’s session really wowed us. Our 5.402/252.24 is what we have been working for. It was truly an accomplishment to qualify fifth with such a stout field. “
Thompson uses experience to trump field at Memphis International Raceway
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – Mike Thompson knows a thing or two about winning.
At 64 years of age, Thompson has won some big races and managed to do some incredible things in a career that spans over 30 years behind the wheel. But at 64 years of age, Thompson also knows that his opportunities to keep winning are slowly dwindling.
And that is why his win at the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Tournament of Champions in Memphis means more than usual as Thompson collected the biggest prize in the sport all while sharing in the moment with all his friends and peers on a cool evening in October.
“I am 64 and the reality is I might not have a chance to do this again,” Thompson said. “That is what makes this win mean so much to me. Certainly it means a lot to the boys that own this car, but for me, who knows how long I will keep doing this. That makes this win really special.”
NEW MICKEY THOMPSON ET STREET RADIAL PRO EARNS 2012 SEMA NEW PRODUCT RUNNER-UP AWARD
Courtesy of Mickey Thompson
STOW, OH – The new ET Street Radial Pro race tire is runner-up in this year’s New Product Showcase competition at the 2012 SEMA 
Show in the Best New Tire and Related Product category. The awards are presented in 16 categories, and the criteria for selection included quality, craftsmanship, technical achievement and consumer appeal. More than 2,000 products were submitted for consideration.
The ET Street Radial Pro P275/60R15, introduced in March 2012 and designed specifically for racing, uses next-generation tire technology and a lower tread profile for fast, consistent, reliable launches and responsive handling on the strip.
After losing on day one, Washington battles back to take Top Dragster championship
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – When you are as superstitious as Wesley Washington Jr., sometimes even the little things can get in your way.
Black cats, broken mirrors, cracks in the pavement, all are potential hazards for the superstitious, but none is as powerful as the dreaded number 13.
Often the most diabolical day of the month for those that fear the number, when you combine the 13th with a day at the races, the results are often less than pleasing. And that was the fear for Washington who wasn’t actually supposed to race on Saturday, October 13, but with a storm on its way and a potential washout on Sunday, the IHRA was left with no choice but to finish the remainder of the Summit Racing Equipment World Finals, including the Tournament of Champions, all on the 13th.
Whiteley Completes Perfect Season in TAFC, Martin wins TAD
Written by Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Las Vegas, NV – At the 24th and final regional event of the year, the husband-and-wife team of Jim and Annie Whiteley locked up West 
Region championships at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Jim in Top Alcohol Dragster and rookie Annie in Top Alcohol Funny Car. Jim clinched the title when yearlong rival Chris Demke hit the wall in the first round, and Annie completed a perfect five-win regional season, putting away Tony Bartone in the final just as she had at this same track eight months ago for her first win anywhere. Ray Martin of Anchorage persevered in Top Alcohol Dragster, where there were a lot more good runs in qualifying than in eliminations, for his third final-round appearance of the year and first win.
It was a huge upset when Whiteley beat Bartone here this spring in just her fourth start in a Funny Car, and Bartone again was the favorite after qualifying No. 1, but Whiteley left first with a .048 light and made her best run of the weekend, 5.57. “The car didn’t shake at all,” she said. “Absolutely no issues. He shook, and that was it.” Bartone slowed to a 5.76, almost the same e.t. he ran against her in their first head-to-head final.
