- Ron Capps Highlights GearWrench Tools at NHRA Sonoma Nationals Thanks to New NAPA-Driven Initiative
- ELITE MOTORSPORTS LOOKS TO EXTEND WIN STREAK AT NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS
- STEVE JOHNSON MAKES 500TH NHRA START, GEARS UP FOR GETTRX NHRA PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE ALL-STAR CALLOUT AT SONOMA
- DANIEL WILKERSON AND SCAG MUSTANG ANXIOUS FOR VICTORY AT SONOMA NATIONALS
- JUSTIN ASHLEY AND SCAG TOYOTA TEAM LOOKING FOR REPEAT VICTORY AT SONOMA NATIONALS
- DAVE RICHARDS AND VERSATRAN / BLUEBIRD READY TO BOUNCE BACK FOR SONOMA NATIONALS
- FUNNY CAR’S J.R. TODD AIMS TO REPLICATE PAST SUCCESS AT DENSO NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS
Jon Kaase Racing Engines Debut’s Kaase Tuning Challenge at Maple Grove
Courtesy of ADRL
O’FALLON, MO – Jon Kaase Racing Engines is helping to bring even more excitement to Extreme Pro Stock 
qualifying sessions at each American Drag Racing League (ADRL) event.
The world’s premier eighth-mile drag racing league announced on Wednesday that Jon Kaase Racing Engines will be the sponsor of the Kaase Tuning Challenge in Extreme Pro Stock, which will pay out a $500 bonus to the crew chief and team who has the lowest combined E.T. of all four qualifying sessions.
“I think the guys in the class will like this a lot,” Jon Kaase Racing Engines Owner Jon Kaase said. “It’s really a crew chief’s award in a way. To be the quickest car over four runs, you can’t make any poor runs.
ADRL And RAM Clutches Continuing Partnership For 2011 Tour
Courtesy of ADRL
O’FALLON, MO – Continuing a close partnership that was first formed in 2009, the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) is pleased to announce that noted clutch manufacturer RAM Clutches has signed on as a Performance
Partners sponsor for the 2011 season.
Regarded as the future of clutch technology for its innovative designs, working with the world’s premier eighth-mile drag racing league has become an ideal relationship for RAM Clutches.
“We are excited to be involved with the ADRL again in 2011. The ADRL has a great vision for doorslammer racing and we want to do our part to see that it carries on into the future,” RAM Clutches’ Pat Norcia said.
NEOPMA Returns to MIR for 33rd Mountain Motor Nationals, Mat 13-14
Courtesy of NEOPMA
BUDDS CREEK, MD – The Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association season kicks off at MIR for the first of two 
appearances in 2011 for the world famous “Mountain Motor Nationals May 13th and 14th. This “Extreme Pro Mod Event“ featuring quarter mile drag racing with over 30 Pro Mod entries will consist of two classes, Blower/Turbo’s and Nitrous.
These Pro Mods can cover the 1/4 mile in the high 5 second range at speeds approaching 240 mph. Also as a bonus race, 8 Car Shootout with the next 8 quickest non qualifiers. That’s 24 qualified Pro Mods at one event.
Last year’s event proved to be a huge success with the fans, and is one of the teams favorite track’s with gracious track hospitality, excellent track conditions and great supporting fans, and this year will be even bigger and better.
Brian Roach on tap to battle in new Pro Bike & Sled Series
Courtesy of PBSS
ACTON, ON – After some seasons racing his snowmobile in sanctioned grass-surfaced drag racing, Brian Roach is 
preparing his sled for his first year of asphalt competition in the new Pro Bike & Sled Series presented by Wiseco Performance Products.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what happens,” he said. “It should be interesting.”
Roach will be racing in the Pro Sled division, which, along with the companion Po Bike division, will race against each other in their respective divisions, and the winner of each division will go against each other in the final to determine the event champion.
The racers will compete in ET-style, dial-in racing on a Sportsman ladder.
With a 1000-cc MRE 265-horsepower engine in his 400-pound Ski-Doo Mach Z, Roach is hoping for sub nine-second trips down the quarter-mile with his sled.
Sponsoring the Badboy Racing Team is Brian’s Truck and Trailer Repairs, with support from TGR.
Don Carter Motorsports makes changes after 2 ADRL events
Courtesy of Carter Motorsports
Sacramento, CA – The Don Carter Motorsports team is realizing exactly how tough the competition is in the top 
ADRL class, Pro Extreme. They have been welcomed by the ADRL staff and fellow competitors, but have yet to qualify for an event. Some team changes have been made to better their operation and they look forward to finishing out the season within the ADRL.
At the next ADRL event on May 6-7, the ADRL Penske Inaugural Northeast Drags at Maple Grove Raceway, fellow friend and long time racer Bret Williamson will once again be piloting the PX Camaro for Carter. Williamson drove for Carter at the most recent ADRL event at PBIR in Florida and looks forward to driving again in Pennsylvania.
Mike Coughlin opens 2011 with an Indy victory
Courtesy of Jegs
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Mike Coughlin took his first steps towards a third NHRA North Central Division Top Sportsman championship after guiding his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to victory Sunday in the season-opening event at Lucas Oil
Raceway in Indianapolis.
For Coughlin, the win was his fourth at the historic venue including his two Pro Stock Truck victories at the prestigious U.S. Nationals. He also won the Top Sportsman class at the 2008 Indy Lucas Oil Series event. More importantly, the victory was first since recovering from hip and knee surgery that kept him sidelined for most of the 2010 season.
“I didn’t get a chance to race much last year and I really missed it,” said Coughlin. “It is good to be back. I really enjoy racing and I’ve gotten a lot of support from my family and all my fellow racers. I didn’t feel any pain at all today. My knee has never been better and my hip is almost perfect. My wife, Kriss, and our sons, Jack and Clay, were here with me this weekend and it couldn’t have been any better.”
Coughlin’s driving was solid throughout all five rounds but he was especially impressive in the final where he had a nearly-perfect .001 reaction time and ran a 6.76 on his 6.75 dial-in to defeat opponent Billy Thoman, who broke out at the finish. Ironically, Coughlin also had a .001 reaction time when he defeated Scott Perin for his first U.S. Nationals Pro Stock Truck win in 1999.
BARTONE VICTORIOUS IN BAYTOWN!
Courtesy of Rick Jackson Racing
Baytown, TX – Tony Bartone, and the Rick Jackson Racing Centre Pointe Collision Center Top Alcohol Funny Car team captured their third consecutive National Hot Rod Association National Event victory and extended their 
National Points lead with an event victory at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals contested this weekend at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas. The victory was also the second straight win in Texas for the Centre Pointe team after capturing the Lucas Oil Divisional Series Event a few weeks earlier at the Texas Motor-Plex in Ennis.
Heading into final eliminations at RHP, Bartone entered the field in the final qualifying position (number 13) after problems plagued the Santa Clarita, Calif. team in qualifying. Bartone lined up against second generation driver John Lombardo Jr., who qualified solidly in the number two position. In his 20 plus years of racing, Bartone had captured victories in 79 percent of his round one races, but based on the qualifying problems and an even 1-1 record against Lombardo Jr. in previous match-ups, this was anybody’s race.
FIRST ROUND EXIT PROVIDES INSPIRATION FOR JON CAPPS
Courtesy of Paul Smith Racing
Baytown, TX – A first round loss to NHRA Full Throttle Series veteran Tim Wilkerson may have ended the weekend racing festivities for Jon Capps and the Biesenbach Inc. / Paul Smith Racing Monte Carlo Funny Car, but for Capps,
who made his first National Hot Rod Association Professional Category start this season at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals held at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, the weekend was nothing short of a winning effort.
The Las Vegas, Nev. resident and Admissions Councilor for WyoTech Automotive Transportation and Technical College (http://www.wyotech.edu), took the reins of legendary Independent Funny Car owner Paul Smith’s competitive Monte Carlo bodied Nitro Funny Car this weekend, with support from David Biesenbach and his company Biesenbach Inc. (http://www.biesenbach.com) and long-time friend Henry Gutierrez the owner of Bexar Waste. Capps entered eliminations qualified in the number 15 position and paired up against Springfield, Ill.’s Tim Wilkerson, the driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang.
Coughlin continues to progress in Pro Mod competition
Courtesy of Jegs
HOUSTON, TX – Although he’s running the smallest engine configuration in the Pro Mod class, JEGS.com racer Troy 
Coughlin successfully qualified for this weekend’s 24th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals and had a great chance of advancing out of Saturday evening’s opening round of eliminations. But this time it just wasn’t meant to be.
Coughlin qualified with a 6.097-second run at 245.58 mph Saturday morning, which pitted him against Danny Rowe in the first round of eliminations. When the money was on the line against Rowe, Coughlin pulled off his best pass of the weekend — a 6.060 at 246.39 mph — in arguably the worst conditions of the event, but Rowe was a tick better, sending Coughlin home by a few hundredths of a second.
JON CAPPS PLEASED WITH FIRST DAY EFFORT IN BAYTOWN
Courtesy Paul Smith
Baytown, Texas – After three year break from the highly competitive NHRA Nitro Funny Car contingent, versatile NHRA Nitro Pilot Jon Capps dusted off the cobwebs and ended the f
irst day of qualifying at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals provisionally qualified in the number 11 position, behind the wheel of Paul Smith’s owned and tuned Monte Carlo Funny Car.
For the Las Vegas, Nev. resident, the return to the NHRA Big Show was exactly what he expected and so much more.
“It was awesome to get back into Paul’s car today,” noted Capps, who returned to the NHRA Full Throttle Series and promptly laid down a solid 4.262 Elapsed Time in the first qualifying session of the day. “Heading into our first run, we planned to lay down a good base-line to prepare for the cooler conditions in Q-2. Before that pass I had not raced in the (new to me) 1,000’ format and to be honest, I kind of over thought what was going to happen.
