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Thursday May 8, 2008

Las Vegas Nats PSCA wrap up

A fabulous Boise Lucas gallery by Blair Alderton here.

We loose another
Brief word has come in regarding the passing of local racer Mick Roberge. It's understood he suffered a heart attack last weekend, but that's about all we know at the moment.

Though we didn't know him well, his acceptance of the third place Super Pro award at the 2007 MRP banquet was a highlight as he was truly thrilled to finish the season so well, then be brought up to be recognized in front of his peers. It really was a touching moment and for many will remain a lasting memory.

The image here is a copy of the photo plaque he got that night, though the original did not have the image of Mick himself. That was added for this posting.

Our condolences to his family and friends. If we get any information regarding services we will post here.

Action in Las Vegas
We've been sent a couple of rather entertaining images by LVMS track photographer Doug Kranz. One shows our good buddy Mark Rapp at the recent PSCA show during Friday night testing. The former drag boat pilot has been working on his small tire Nova for a while and loves doing wheelies. This time however he kinda out did himself, but saved the car and raced that weekend.

We also have a video of this run and will post soon.

The other is a pic of the wild Funny Car final last weekend when Mindy Fry tagged the wall, ripping the body off the Future Flash Charger. Last time we checked, Fry was not on the list of drivers coming to Mission for the Open July 26/27, but with this group of racers you just never know.

Hey LP,
Way to go on the HH video sales at Freeway Trailer. That will be a great boost for you. I have known Mike a long time, and when he decided to sponsor the Division Six trailer in 1993, it turned into a very good relationship not only for him and the Division, but for the racers also.

It has been one of the most successful sponsorships in Division Six history. You can't beat the service that Mike, Russell, and the rest of the gang give to the N.W. Division Racers.

This is a case of two first class operations joining together for the benefit of a great group of people. Congratulations to all!
- Gordy Harthorn

Freeway Trailer now exclusive Washington State HH video dealer
It's been a long time coming, but Horsepower Heaven videos is proud to officially announce our first video dealer south of the 49th - Freeway Trailer in Milton (Tacoma) Washington.

Freeway is an institution among northwest drag racing circles, and supports the sport in so many ways. There could not be a better place to market our videos. They are now the exclusive WA dealer of the entire HH video line, product is in stock now (including the new Wicked Street of the West Vol. 1), with more on the way.

We've been a fan of Freeway President Mike Rendel (photo) since the days of the Lil Boss Truck Ranchero back in the 70s so it's too cool when we get an opportunity like this.

For Seattle area people who don't like to order online or wait for delivery, there is now a place close to home where you can just pop in an pick up whatever you need. There'll have a television playing the videos full time right in the showroom so you can even preview before you buy.

It's a big move for HH, and we could not be happier with the people we've partnered with. Mike, along with Russell Stevenson, will be doing some extra promo that we simply did not have the resources to do.

A big HH thank you to the entire Freeway team!

Freeway Trailer is located right alongside Interstate 5 at 7100 Pacific Hwy East, Milton, WA, 98354, 1-800-992-5644 or 1-253-922-0771. http://www.freewaytrailer.com/

More new Northwest hot rods
Brian Sells of Redline Race Cars in Longview WA (360-957-3109) has been very busy over the winter on both a Top Sportsman ride for Jim Hurlock and another Pro Mod. Long time NW racer Hurlock will have this beautiful '07 GTO running in Top Sportsman at the Mission Lucas while the Pro Mod '68 Camaro will be out later this year. These are just two more examples of some very nice pieces coming out of shops that are in our own back yard.

What will four Hoosiers and a bunch O boost give you? A Talon too quick for Super Street.

MRP Sunday results and final round Doorslammer video

Bremerton results

Nitro FLOPS...
Those Nostalgia Funny Car issues in Vegas this past weekend apparently have nothing to do with the scheduled appearance of the NFCA points race at MRP July 26/27 during the NHRA National Open. For a race surrounded in crazyness, the final round was somewhat fitting. DRO has the best coverage.

HH vid news
Look for some major HH video announcements later this week. Lots of neat stuff goin on behind the scenes, some of which we'll let you in on. And after a slow start, sales of both Wicked 1 and the four disc MRP Highlight pack are going well. Thank you all very, very much!! Your purchasing of these videos remain the only form of financial support for this site, so the more I sell the more I can post here.

The cool new door cars are just comin out of the woodwork as that Yakima Tamez family send word that this new Nova may be at Mission in '08. "Here is the exclusive sneak peak at the '67 Nova I put together to run the Outlaw Top Sportsman series at Renegade. 632 with a glide. I put Kurtis in it at Phoenix this spring before the paint job and it qualified 9th with a 7.26 at 2800 feet of air". We really hope Frank and Kurtis may well make it up here this year!

Bikers go wild at MRP
Yesterday saw a pair of nitro hogs out testing at Mission Raceway Park getting ready for the big CMDRA season opener at the Eagle Motorplex in just two weeks on the May 17/18 weekend. Langley rider Rob Smith had "a few new pieces" on his familiar flamed flyer. He made just one hit resulting in a very impressive 6.44/215.00 mph run that looked very smooth...almost easy.

Then on his first weekend atop one of the most powerful pieces alive, Victoria's Damian Cownden, on the former Ron Houneit ride, laid down an amazing 6.65/194.63 that had the crew out of Steve Drane Harley Davidson in Victoria more than ready for their sophomore season. "We were trying to step up, blew the tires off on two runs, and finally moved it back at bit" Cownden said of the big pass that came late Sunday. The 2007 CMDRA Rookie of the Year is obviously out to take on the big boyz for 2008...oh and by-the-way, Mr. Houneit has a new fueler that should be out soon.

Not so funny nostalgia flopper issues summed up by Cole Coonce

Hoerner is in the 12 spot and will kick KJ's butt tomorrow morning in round one...

Mission is rained out for today, but will try again tomorrow. Depending on a number of factors including the weather and the car count they may try for a double header on Sunday, but will make the final decision on that tomorrow morning.

Hoerner is 'only' number eight after three rounds in mine shaft conditions at St Louis with an awesome 6.634 207.75! Considering this was the simply quickest and fastest session in history, the dude from Deer Park is making his mark!

Rumor of the day
Something about an arm dropping and a guy named Rich (not Carlson)...at MRP
Currently that's all it is - a rumor.
But there may be more later. Stay tuned.

Those darn doorslammers...
...return to MRP this weekend, but we got to see a couple of 'em puttin on a show during the test session this afternoon. Terry Spargo laid down a pair of awesome passes, both very close to each other, the best being a 6.76/206.94 hit that showed some awesome potential. Then Chris Murphy launched his new blown Camaro into a series of crossed up, tire torturing, wheelstands of the three wheel variety. And we caught it all on video here.

GO TODD GO!
After two rounds of qualifying at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals in St Louis, Deer Park Washington's favorite son, Todd Hoerner is in the number 18 spot. Looking better at every outing, the entire northwest is rooting for one of the sport's true nice guys to make it big in the ultra competitive world of NHRA Pro Stock.

Plex sponsor announcements
Lucas Oil Canada and Big Rig from Abbotsford have consented to being the major sponsors of the 21st Annual Langley Loafers Old Time Drags at Ashcroft's Eagle Motorplex June 6, 7, 8.

Lucas has also taken over one of the track scoreboards, will sponsor the 1st Annual Nostalgia Race July 19/20, and sponsor the Junior Dragster trophies for the third year running.

Bremerton this weekend
The Handlers' Racing Association, Inc., dba Bremerton Raceway, plan another 3-day event this weekend.

The gates open Friday at 3 pm for Street Legals and a Test and Tune. Racing will begin at 4 pm. Tech cards are $25.00 for car and driver. Gate admission is $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for active duty military and children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult.

Saturday, May 3rd, is a Test and Tune for all vehicles, the Bremerton Car Club Challenge #1 and the National Hot Rod Diesel Association. The gates open at 8 am, racing starts at 9 am. Qualifying for Truck Town's Junior Dragster Series #3 will start at noon. Tech cards are $35.00, car and driver. Gate admission is $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for active duty military and children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult.

Sunday the gates open at 7 am for a Summit E. T. Bracket race sponsored by K & N Filters with a guaranteed $3,500 purse. Tech cards are $25.00, car and driver for High School bracket, $35.00 for Sportsman and Pro brackets. Super Pro and Motorcycle fees are $40.00 per car and driver. Gate admission is $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for Active Duty Military and children under 12 are admitted free if they are accompanied by an adult.

Team Evans takes Lucas sponsored mouse-motored dragsters to next level for 2008

Veteran drag racing brothers John and George Evans of Surrey B.C. will be stepping up in 2008 with an update to John's Top Dragster and an all new blown small-block Chevy powered piece for George (photo above) to run in Super Comp. Seen here in their sponsors big display at last weekend's B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show, look for them at the Mission Lucas event May 23, 24, 25.

Boise photos now posted here. Note: 2008 Feature Page now updated

Agent HH spots new Pro Mod in Mission

Eagle Motorplex results April 26, 27

TPR truck goes 222 at Pacific!
First time out this season for the TPR Indoor Garden, Tire Factory and Wired sponsored Pro Street Chevy Pickup driven by Tacoma's Garrett Richards saw the big blue rig ring up some impressive numbers.

Running this past weekend at Pacific Raceways with a new PSI screw blower, the team laid down runs of 6.77/217.11 and 6.80/222.14 - to the best of our knowledge the fastest speed ever recorded by a Northwest Pro Streeter.

In other NW Pro Street news HH has learned that Rash Dhaliwal will be making a move to alcohol and hopefully be out by mid year. We've also heard a rumor that Dal Sangha will return from that spectacular run at the 2007 Super Car event last Fall at LVMS with a newer style Mustang body. Meanwhile, Don Murray should be out testing his Corvette soon.

It's gonna be fun to watch when they all get together to hammer away at each other once the season gets really rolling here in the northwest.

What a difference two weeks (and the right people doing the job) can make...
In just two weeks the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway went from being a "one lane, left-lane only track" to the track that set records in both Pro Street and Drag Radial!

The LVMS track prep crew of Nick Heinrich, Jason Dubs, Bobby Lyons and Jeff Hollenbeck got their track back and restored it's reputation as "America's Greatest Drag Strip." During the PSCA K&N Filters Spring Sizzler on Sunday the records for both Pro Street and Drag Radial were shattered. The amazing 6.29 at 226 mph by Guisepe Gentile in Pro Street came in The Strip's right lane…the same lane that was under so much criticism two weeks ago during the NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals.

The Strip crew faced less than perfect conditions all weekend long. A severe wind and dust storm halted Saturday's racing and the crew encountered a track that was covered in dust on Sunday morning when prep began at 6 a.m. By 9:15 a.m. the track was back to perfect conditions. Both record runs, and their back-up runs, came with air temperatures between 78 and 83 degrees and track temperatures between 115 and 120 degrees. In addition, racers were running into a 12 mile-per-hour HEADWIND! These were far from "mineshaft" conditions.

"Our guys showed that even in hot conditions and facing a headwind, they can produce a quality racing surface that can handle even the most tempermental cars on the planet. Our crew is the best in the business," said Chris Blair. "In addition to the E.T. records we also produced a new track record for longest wheelstand by a race car - it measured nearly 520 feet!"

Vegas PSCA results include a new Pro Street mark of 6.297@226.05 by Gentile in round one.

Tuesday night at www.speedsceneracing.com Jimmy Biggs from the Your Way Network will be live and in studio on Speed Scene Live TV.

Boise Lucas results

Our wonderful weekend at the car show has resulted in our having to do today and tomorrow what we had planned for this past weekend. Look for a bunch of new updates about Wednesday.

PSCA Las Vegas Nats live video feed

Night Time Fuel & Fire at the B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show

Richard Smith in the Warhawk fires up part of the huge crowd here today, rumored to be the biggest single day attendance in the history of the Tradex!

Herm Peterson workin' his new 6-71.

Yes, that's Chip Foose in Bradford's Fiat AA/FA . He worked the floor the entire day, and he'll do it again tomorrow!

PSCA K & N Filters Las Vegas Nationals Final Qualifying Order (more)

Hughes Performance Pro Street

1. J Mihovetz 6.427@219.36
   
2. G. Gentile 6.446@223.91
   
3. R. Haggerty 6.570@213.70
   
4. K. Bluebaugh 6.602@212.73
   
5. B. Griffith 6.614@213.87
   
6. T. Henry 6.635@213.30
   
7. D. Bogt 6.667@210.90
   
8. C. Hairston 6.691@221.96
   
9. J. Deidrich 6.822@204.79
   
10. B. Towne 6.931@199.55
    
11. P. Thyr 7.182@205.32
    
12. L. Freeman 7.182@194.66
    
13. M. Bowman 7.279@205.47
    
14. W. Glasgow 7.382@185.33
    
15. R. Pearce 7.384@70.38
    
16. J. Syverson 7.622@138.00
    
17. B. Smith 7.894@177.81
    
18. E. Thornton 8.604@119.46
    
19. A. Bessant 17.829@41.30

Accufab Performance Outlaw Street

1. R. Zehring 7.212@197.94
   
2. R. Lummus 7.379@163.20
   
3. S. Zeinaty 7.504@186.38
   
4. D. Moznik 7.545@185.00
   
5. E. Soto 7.633@184.45
   
6. S. Slotten 8.000@180.74
   
7. N. Hill 8.773@157.21
   
8. G. Orr 9.321@106.16
   
9. R. Weems 16.879@63.63
   

31 NHRA National Records Tumble at Firebird

RACING UNDERWAY FOR ANNUAL IGNITOR (more)

Another mixed news day as we prepare for a big weekend. Street Legals at MRP tonight, the season opener at Ashcroft (where you'll be able to get all the new HH videos in the new souvenir stand), the PSCA Vegas race (where our SoCal connection Mark Rapp will be marketing the new Wicked video) while LP will be at B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show at the MRP display.

From the CMDRA forum
Early Thursday morning Brian "THE ROCKET SCIENTIST" Murray passed away peacefully with Elsa Edwards keeping Brian company all through the night.
Brian was suffering from terminal cancer and had weakend considerably in the last few months.

He will missed very much by his family and freinds and all the people that crossed paths with Brian.

Brian was fountain of knowlege in all facets of life.

One of Brian's request's was for Gord McMartin to get his bike in 7's, and know that will be done for him.

Peace be with you Brian

Early Boise Lucas results

NHRA goes Full Throttle

We loose a Northwest legend as R. Gaines Markley dies

Ronald Gaines Markley, beloved husband, father, brother and uncle passed peacefully away in Seattle on April 24, 2008.

“Gaines,” as everyone knew him, was born August 4, 1941, in Spokane and grew up in Seattle. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1959 and attended classes at the University of Washington. In 1971 he married Annie and they raised one daughter, Beth.

Gaines loved all creatures, large and small, but had a special rapport for his Scotties, Doc and Mac. Dogs are a good judge of character and there has never been a dog that met Gaines that didn’t love him. He set tails wagging wherever he went.

After his family (which included his dogs), Gaines’ love was auto racing. He was Top Fuel Drag Racing champion for 1979 and won numerous other awards and trophies for drag racing. With his brother Charlie and nephew John, he took up racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the 1990s, setting a world’s record for his class at 272 miles per hour. He also enjoyed driving his 1933 Ford and 1957 Chevy to cruise-ins and show and shines with his daughter in the Seattle area. Since 1978 he co-owned and operated Custom Machine Shop with Bob Gage, performing specialty machine work on high-performing engines.

Gaines was always a helper and a friend to all. There wasn’t a stalled car he couldn’t get started or a friend he ever turned down. He will be sorely missed by all and especially his survivors, wife Annie, daughter Beth, brother Charlie, cousin Chris Cannon, nieces Julia and Maria, nephew John, and sister in law Mary. We all pray for his peace and look forward to seeing him in Heaven.

A memorial service will be held April 28 at 11 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 22975 – 24th Avenue South, Des Moines, Washington. A reception will be held at Charlie’s house, 6051 SW Woods Court, Portland, Oregon on May 3 at 4 p.m.

Charles R. Markley
Greene & Markley, P.C.

VIDEO NOW POSTED - Donaldson, Harrison & Klohn wicked, WICKED hits at MRP last weekend!

HH special on 'Wicked' only at the B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show
Horsepower Heaven will be at the B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show as the official show videographer shooting all the fun and action all weekend long. We'll be based out of the Mission Raceway Park display where we'll be playing and selling our videos. Stop by, talk to LP, see the newest HH production 'Wicked Street of the West' and pick up a copy at the very special show only price of just $20 - that's $5 off!

We'll also be debuting the new custom case for the four disc 2007 MRP Season Highlight videos and even have some of our other titles there such as Hemi Heaven. And remember the first 1000 adults through the doors each day get a free pass to an MRP Friday night street legal race or regular bracket race, so get there early as big crowds are expected.

B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show Newsletter (download pdf)
Is now available here. Find out all what's going on this weekend at this fabulous show

BREAKING NEWS...from a forum
Leaded race fuel in Canada has been extended to January 1, 2010

Lucas Oil Series Set to 'Ignite' at Firebird Raceway

IGNITOR READY TO ROCK FIREBIRD!

MRP weekend results, photos & new HH photo/video order info.

Pro Mod stuff
Kenny Lang of Winnipeg won the IHRA Pro Mod Springnationals last weekend in Rockingham, and at the same event many time MRP runner Pat Stoken from Montana laid down the quickest nitrous Pro Mod quarter-mile pass of all time with a 6.066/233.44.

Great conditions at MRP last weekend results in a pair of wicked passes
Thanks to some great track prep by the regular guys along with assistance from NHRA D6 starter Mark Lyle and the new equipment, there were a number of great passes but two stand out.

Thanks also to the cool, dry weather conditions we saw one hit from Robbie Harrison's J/A Cavalier to the tune of 7.69/174 which crushes his own NHRA record of 7.81 171.88. "We were not ready for that" the North Vancouver driver said later. Look out Boise.

With some weather stations reading 700 ft below sea level for hours, not minutes both Saturday and Sunday, Victoria's Craig Donaldson was out testing his Steve Schmidt powered NHRA legal Pro Stock Pontiac. It was his first time in the driver seat in this config, and after missing his shift points, and getting out of the throttle quite early, the over weight (by about 20 lbs or so) Poncho rang up a shocking 6.88/189.83! Also of note was that the 60ft on this run was about a tenth slower than an earlier half pass.

We have both runs on video but are thrashing with a number of projects and if we can will post them.

While these conditions were not exactly normal, even for MRP, but if they can be repeated in May...OMG!!

West Coast Hemis
Which reminds me, I spoke on the phone with Michael Ogburn last week and the West Coast Hemi team will not be racing much in 2008, and will not be here in May for the divisional.

For Immediate Release
B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show Rolls Into Abbotsford This Weekend.

Vancouver, B.C., April 22, 2008 - It’s an annual rite of spring in the Lower Mainland, the beginning of all things people like to do with specialty vehicles. It’ll be Cars, Stars and Guitars at the 12th Annual B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show presented by Lucas Oil Products at Tradex in Abbotsford, and this weekend's show will be the biggest yet.

The Show will feature hundreds of hot rods, muscle cars, race cars and street machines, including the award-winning B.C.-built ‘R'Evolution,' 1955 Chrysler wagon and “ImpalHRR” 1965 Chevy Impala convertible, both making their Canadian debuts after garnering numerous awards at all the big winter shows in the U.S. Joining them will be several hot rods and customs from the U.S. not seen in Canada before.

This year, the Show welcomes not only the return of the one and only world-famous custom car builder, Mr. George Barris from Hollywood California, creator of the Batmobile and numerous other vehicles for the film and television industry, who will serve as Grand Marshall, but also the first appearance of Chip Foose (photo), star of the TV show “Overhaulin” and iconic custom car designer. Three of Foose's creations, owned by Don Voth of Abbotsford, will be displayed. Both legends will be on hand all weekend signing autographs and posing for photos with fans, courtesy of Killer Customs and Arc Audio.

A special attraction at the Show will be the return of Fuel & Fire, with five restored nitro-fuelled race cars firing up outside the Show. Headlining the group will be the legendary “Northwest Terror,” Herm Petersen from Washington, with his gorgeous, 1969 slingshot dragster. Added to Fuel & Fire this year is the lighting up of the Warhawk Jet Funny Car, and you have got to see this car shooting fire 50 feet out the back of it!

If you have never experienced the thunder of a nitro-fuelled hemi or a jet car running, this is a spectacle, and a photo op, not to be missed! The cars will be firing up at 2:00 and 8:30 pm on Saturday, and at 2:00 pm on Sunday. Just a little hint – in the Saturday night show at dusk, you should see the nitro flames dancing from the exhaust headers….and you might want to bring earplugs....

Back inside Tradex, you’ll find dozens of the top specialty automotive vendors in B.C., all ready to talk with you about your vehicle, and how their product or service can improve it.

Classic rock-and-roll groups Hamilton Harvey and Union Jack will be playing, and the Hot Rod Hotties girls will greet show-goers and pose for photos. Country singing star Karen-Lee Batten will appear in the Country 107.1 booth, while two of Vancouver's most famous radio personalities, Brother Jake from Rock 101 and radio legend Red Robinson from Clear FM, will be on hand as well, both broadcasting live from the show from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday April 26.

Admission is only $14 at the door, $7 for kids 6-12, and free for kids 5 and under. The Show runs from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm on Saturday April 26, and 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday April 27.

Get your motor revved up at the B.C. Classic & Custom Car Show. It’s not just a Car Show, it’s the Motorsport event of the year!

A look ahead at the 2008 season at the Eagle Motorplex
by Joe Sye

Opening day is almost upon us, and the ERA gang and friends have been working extremely hard to get the track ready. Our commitment to keeping this track a racers and family track is showing with the excitement and anticipation of the arrival of April 26th.

There are a lot of changes at Eagle this year, from schedule and rule changes, to a few new classes, new concession personal, some new equipment and general improvements and upgrades around the facility.
RJ Enterprises VP Fuels will be back at all races with a fuel depot at the track.

We have new people looking after the concession stand and are promising some outstanding meals from omelettes and pancakes for breakfast to steak sandwiches for dinner. They are going to try and talk you into leaving the cooking to them.

This year with the addition of The Blown Alky Series sponsored by RJ Enterprises VP Fuels and The Outlaw Door slammers sponsored by Cutting Edge Performance, should make racing and spectating at Eagle Motorplex very exciting at Eagle. Both series will be qualifying on Saturday with 3 passes and eliminations on Sunday. These are grass roots classes and must run quicker than 7.99 for The Blown Alky Series and 8.99 and quicker for the Outlaw Door slammers. The reaction from racers wanting to run this class is fabulous. We will be having cars from Alberta, B.C. and Washington running in these series. With the addition of these 2 classes, our program at Eagle should be well rounded and not intrusive to our main goal of being a bracket racers track. We have also added for the first time this year a hot rod class for people that generally run only at the nostalgia races to further enhance our bracket racer program.

The C.M.D.R.A. is back again with their season opener on our May long weekend. They are really excited about this year with some really quick mid 6 second times coming from their Top Fuel Class.

We will be running a "Pinks" style race again this year following our May 10th race. Back by popular demand, Ken Orser has consented to do the arm drop start again; he has only one request, no 37 ½ length handicap starts. We are going to change the format a little and will be choosing the 16 participants closest together in times from our Pro, Super Pro, Sportsman and Sports Compact classes. We will than run a single race with the winner to move on until the final round which will be a best of three. Each round will have negotiations for 1 minute via live microphone and then run. The cost to get in will be $15.00 and the final winner will take all.

A first for Eagle this year will be Wayne and Tami's wedding which will take place at the track Friday evening August 15th with the reception to follow at the Cache Creek hall. The wedding is open to everyone.

Another first this year is The Lucas Oil Nostalgia Race which will take place July 19th-20th. We have opened it up to all cars 1980 and older and running classes much like The Langley Loafers Old Time Drags. There is going to be a special dinner prepared at a minimal fee and the first ever outdoor concert which is included in your pit pass. We are going to have The March Hare Show band live at the track playing some good old rock and roll music for us. Check out their website and email us with some songs you would like to hear.

This year will be the 21st Annual Langley Loafers Race at Eagle. The excitement just keeps on coming, as the Nostalgia Funny Cars will be here for the first time ever. This will be a points race for them and will be here with a full complement of cars as well the Canada West Door Slammers will be back to provide some outstanding entertainment. Due to the popular demand on this race, spectator parking will be restricted to outside the gate. There will be free overnight camping to all people that wish to attend this event that are not racing in the spectator parking area.

August 16th and 17th will be the 6th Annual Zimmer Wheaton Thunder in the Desert weekend, featuring the Blown Alcohol Cars, the Outlaw Door Slammers along with some special guests that will get announced at a later date for the Saturday night race. There will be again double the Payout for the night race.

July 12th-13th weekend will feature The Aurora Electronics 12th Annual night race and again will be Christmas in July with prizes for the best decorated pit spots. There will be 1 ½ times the payouts again this year and Wally's for all classes. This year entertainment will be provided by the exciting Canada West Door Slammer Association and the wheel standing B.C. Super Shifters Association.

There will be 2 jacket races aging this year with Lucas Oil sponsoring the April 26th spring race and TCS Performance Products sponsoring the fall September 13th race.

Please give some thought as to whether you can make the trip to Boise Idaho for the NHRA ET Finals on the September long weekend. We will have to get started on fundraising very early this year to help cover some of the expenses for the trip down there. Last year we had just about a full team and did a great job at Woodburn and will be hard to match this year because of the location.

We look forward to another great year at Eagle

Sitko Family Racing to debut screw blower combo's in Mission
The top alcohol team of Sitko Family Racing is taking it to a new level this year. While they have always been a force on the match race circuit with their roots powered dragsters and funny cars, they had little hope of qualifying at points meets and national events. In May, Ken and Irene Sitko will debut their first efforts with a screw blower on both their Top Alcohol Funny Car, driven by their 23 year old son Nathan Sitko, and on their Top Alcohol Dragster, driven by 25 year old son Troy Sitko. The race will be the NHRA Lucas Oil Mission divisional, and will be attended by some of the quickest cars on the circuit, so the Sitko's will have to exceed their personal bests by a bunch just to qualify.

The power plants in each car are virtually identical, with the team opting to go with typical funny car engines (511 cubic inches) for both cars to standardize on parts. This will take the dragster in a different direction than most other TAD's, as it will have extra cubic inches but also extra weight. The team has been working on both cars since November, and with the help of patriarch George Sitko, major sponsors Paradise RV, Western Camp Services, Greg & Dawn Ettinger, and Shane & Wilma Reykdal, everyone is very excited about the coming season.

The team is especially confident with their decision to enlist Will Hanna as an expert technical advisor for both the dragster and funny car, and are delighted to announce that Mr. Hanna will be on hand in Mission to help Ken and Shane to bring the full potential out of both cars.

The drivers are excited, so are the crew and the family, so let's go racing!

PSCA Racers Set to Invade the Strip at LVMS for the K&N Filters Las Vegas Nationals
by Eric Lenore

Round two of the PSCA's 10th Anniversary Tour will hit the World Famous Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 25-27 for the "K&N Filters" Las Vegas Nationals. Having just hosted the NHRA National event last weekend, Chris Blair and the LVMS crew will have the track in fine form for the six second 220+ MPH PSCA Pro Streeters. With a full 16 car field at the season opener in Fontana, expectations are high that all the big hitters will make the trip to one of the Country's finest drag racing facility. The race will also mark the opening round of the "Sin City Shootout" which is the Las Vegas series Championship within the PSCA series. It represents the first of four races at the Strip for the PSCA that will culminate with SCSN IV at the end of the season...

Plenty of Media will be on hand for the PSCA's first visit to LVMS of 2008. Your Way Network will be airing a live-feed cam all weekend long, log onto www.yourwaynetwork.com during the race weekend and see all the racing action live!!! PowerHouse Video Workshop will have 5 camera's rolling at they record all the PSCA cars and get it all put on a exciting DVD... DragRacingOnline, YellowBullet.com, CompetitionPlus, ProModZone.com, RPM Magazine, FastDoorSlammers.com, HorsePowerHeaven.com and DragIllustrated.com will also be covering the event for Internet & Print....

In Hughes Performance Pro Street, both Team-Accufab cars will be there coming off their side-by-side 6.30s at Fontana during an exhibition run. Thornton and the black '57 team went back to their "small" 447 CI motor but added the larger 91mm turbos to record their first pass in the 30s. Mihovetz will be testing some new camshafts in his modular combination in an effort to enhance top end speed. The Hairston family GTO is currently third in points and the team intends to take some momentum away from team Accufab team with a strong showing in Vegas. The Griffith Racing Viper has added a new fuel system control that should put the car in the midst of the 6.30 performers. Giuseppe Gentile rounds out the top five in points and most expect 30s out of his phenomenal Turbo People tuned GT 500 Mustang. Gentile has been hard at work installing many new suspension parts to the potent Stang, and looks forward to the Vegas racing surface...

Bluebaugh Racing's Team AutoTrader will get tough on the competition at the PSCA Las Vegas Nationals teaming with Pro contenders Randy Haggerty and Tony Kane for a three nitrous-car entry strategy and showcase marketing partnership additions. The team will be joined at the race by employees from W.W. Williams, a national corporation specializing in large diesel engine and transmission, power generation, and industrial services. The company will provide promotional items to PSCA racers at the event. PSCA competition excerpts from Bluebaugh Racing will be aired on Speed Scene Racing the following Tuesday. Bluebaugh Racing is supported by AutoTrader Publishing, www.speedsceneracing.com, Mickey Thompson Tires who will be on hand at the race to support all racers with quality tires, www.loperspeed.com , W.W. Williams, Magna Fuel, and SI Valves. You can find Bluebaugh Racing in the PSCA and on the web at www.worldsfastestorganization.com

Outlaw 10.5 and both PSCA drag radial classes (XDR and Wild Street) were amazing at Fontana with high flying, bumper dragging action on nearly every pass. Look for former Champions Ron Weems, Matt Schmidt and George Raygoza (who were all winners at the opener in Fontana) to be challenged by a host of small tire racers hungry for a win. New names like Al Jimenez and David Schwarz have brought back a whole new excitement to the small tire classes. The action at the Strip will be nothing short of spectacular so make your plans now to be there on April 25-27 for the first round of the Sin City Shootout. For more info in the PSCA check out www.pscaracing.com.

Accufab Racing Team Looks To Continue Winning Ways In Las Vegas

The Accufab Pro Street Drag Racing Team is looking forward to this weekend’s Pacific Street Car Association K&N Filters Las Vegas Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. They are doing so with good reason; they are currently right where they want to be in the PSCA points standings with a win and a runner up finish at the season opening Spring Break Shootout in Fontana in March placing them in 1st and 2nd position which is also how they finished the 2007 Championship standings.

The team features two Pro Street Tube Chassis style drag race vehicles with twin turbochargers on their engines, but that is about where the similarities stop. A 2002 Mercury Cougar, driven by John Mihovetz has a 4.6L (283 cu in) DOHC Ford Cobra engine and weighs a scant 2600 lbs. The other team car is a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air replica driven by Ed Thornton with a 447 cu in (7.4L) Chevrolet engine and weighs a portly 2925 lbs. Despite the differences in the two combinations, the cars are remarkably similar when it comes to performance.

A few weeks back at a test session, the team was able to produce a 6.34 second elapsed time out of the 57 Chevy while the Cougar ran a 6.36 elapsed time in the other lane. This was one of the quicker side by side runs for this class of car ever. The team is hoping to parlay their success in testing into another 1st and 2nd place finish in Las Vegas.

Team driver Mihovetz had this to say; “we been working hard at sharing information between the two cars and applying the best characteristics of each car into the other car. And we are not stopping there. We also are making upgrades and enhancements to both cars to try and run quicker and faster more consistently. In my car (Cougar) this weekend we will be trying a new camshaft to try and make more top end power.”

“We are trying a different engine combination this weekend than we had in Fontana,” explained Thornton about the 57 Chevy. “Were trying to find the combination that will give us the best performance for each track.”

Both cars will begin running down the Las Vegas Motor Speedway quarter mile on Saturday April 26 when the first qualifying session begins at 11:00am

A memorial service for Noel Desrochers will be held on Monday April 28th at 2 p.m. at Hendersons Langley Funeral Home. There will also be a celebration of life and car cruise at a time to be announced later.

Man killed in Saturday night crash
By Natasha Jones - Langley Times - April 21, 2008

The eighth fatality on Langley's roads occurred on Saturday evening, but details of the hit-and-run cannot be released after a lawyer won a publication ban.

A two-vehicle crash occurred in the 21000 block of 48 Avenue at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Less than 12 hours later, police arrested a man in connection with the fatal crash, said Langley RCMP spokesman Cpl. Peter Thiessen.

Corey Michael Elliott, 33, was arrested at 8:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, and has been charged with criminal negligence causing death, dangerous driving causing death, and failure to remain at the scene of an accident.

Elliott was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in Provincial Court in Surrey on May 13.

Thiessen said a Justice of the Peace granted the ban on publication of details during a bail hearing.

The motorist who died has been identified as Noel Desrochers, 62, of Langley. Desrochers was the only occupant of a 1979 Ford Fairmont (photo below) involved in the two-car collision. (more)

Happy 6th birthday Garlits!!

Richy Carlson sent us a bunch of Vegas SummitNats pics GO HERE

Trucked again...
It's time for our semi-regular journey into big rig heaven as our ole pal from Florida Klaus Holze submits images of some of the most outrageous trucks on the road today.

Go here for more of Klaus' trick rig pics.

On a related note it's the end of the TV road from the Brothers Pickett as they finish a run with the hit show 'Trick My Truck' on the CMT network. Being in Canada where it was not broadcast, I only got to see a couple of early episodes on tape, but they were kool.

The best info I could find as to why they are no longer involved was because the show was moving away from it's big rig roots, and that's where the hearts of the Marysville WA team of Rod and Kevin Pickett remain. Now that the frantic world of showbiz is behind them, hopefully we may even see them back on the drag strip.

Mission to go tonight with first street legal
They say the wet stuff will stay away, but you can bet it'll be a bit chilly out the valley this eve when the streeters line up to test the MRP quarter mile. Due to a family affair, I won't be there, but rest assured we'll have the fabulous eye of the newest MRP credentialed shooter, Paul Grant out with his Nikon. As a result top ten results and and pics will be posed a day or two later than usual.

Check the MRP site out for coverage of their newest piece of equipment the aptly-named PowerBoss!

Vegas baby
It's the biggest race of the Spring/Summer at Da Strip this weekend when the NHRA pro tour comes to Sin Sity. Langley's Bob Marshall and the team from TCS are back in Vegas for the second time in less than a month, this time with the Bee altered automatic GTO. Check the usual sites for complete results.

Friday Run Schedule for the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

8:30am Stock C 1
Super Gas TT 4
Super Stock Q 4
Stock C 2
Super Stock E 1
Super Gas E 1
Stock C 3
12:30pm Competition Q 2
Stock C 4
1:00pm Pro Stock Q 1
1:30pm Funny Car Q 1
Top Fuel Q 1
2:30pm TAFC Q 1
TAD Q 1
4:00pm Pro Stock Q 2
4:30pm Funny Car Q 2
Top Fuel Q 2
5:30pm TAFC Q 2
TAD Q 2

6:30 Secure

Schedule Subject to Change

County buys Spokane Raceway and it appears at this time that the property will remain a race track

Agent HH says: "The county bought the parcel of land that the track is on and 3 more adjacent parcels so there will still be a race track in the inland part of Washinghton. They paid $3,533.625.00 for all of the property ".

Agent HH2 ads: "Have heard from two reliable sources that Spokane county has purchased the track all 510 acres for 4 million which is a very reasonable price so sounds like there will still be racing in Spokane...supposed plans are for some serious fixing up which it couldn't hurt if you've been there in the past two years...you know what I'm talking about...although will miss running with the top alcohol funny car guys there and making money for just making passes fast enough to make the bump...

Controversy surrounds the county's interest in this park, as they would need to use tax payers money to help in their auction bid.

more local news ---- more ---- Spokane County in the racing business

BREAKING NEWS comes in an unofficial, but what I consider reliable report, that Northwest nitro legend R. Gaines Markley is in hospital and can do with your thoughts and prayers.

I went back almost a month through all my unanswered and unposted e-mails for today's big update. Hope I didn't miss anything.

New MRP Equipment arrives
Check out a bunch of MRP pics and results from last Saturday's Mission race along with news that the latest piece of track equipment will be here the next day or so. The Power Boss Track Scrubber is an absolute state-of-the art piece that along with the other new track sweep truck makes Mission Raceway Park one of the best equipped facilities anywhere. Kudos to BCCCA who has spared no expense in their efforts to make their racing surface safe and quick. More proof of which was last weekend when they brought in NHRA D6 starter Mark Lyle, recognized as one of the best track prep guys we have in this area, to help out.

MRP opening weekend notes
Though results and photos are posted on the track site, there were a couple of notes we have to ad here. Too cool to see the wild, wheelstanding front motored dragster of Mike Peck and family on hand. Together with help from Brad Hanson and Jim Boyce (the former Super Street dude now running in Stock) they made a couple of test passes and "learned a lot" according to Peck. Look for them to be back in a couple of weeks in what has to be one of the slickest FMDs you'll find anywhere.

Also doing some testing was Langley's Layne Wooley in the former Terry Shuflita Camaro and a new driver from the Island Steve Thompson Jr. in a beautiful black third generation Camaro bracket car.

Also of note is that there was a bit of confusion as to if it was or if it wasn't a double header weekend. I must take some of the responsibility myself as in an effort to make the schedule clearer I decide to do away with the B1 B2 thing...sorry folks my bad. Track officials are currently going over the dates and I will be adding the B1 and B2 to the online schedule soon as I get the correct dates confirmed.

One last thing is a number of people have requested purchasing photos from me. Hang in there please as I'm working on a new system for both photo and video sales. Trust me, the second I've got it together, you'll hear about it. Hopefully by the next race weekend April 18-20 when the Supershifters, Doorslammers and Super Combo troops will run along with the brackets. In the meantime there's a bunch of other guys who shoot out there who can take care of ya.

Spokane Raceway Park goes on the block tomorrow
Many items to post today, none of which may have more potential impact than tomorrow's auction of Spokane Raceway Park. The rumors around this are many from who may bid to what may happen to it. I have no idea how the process will work, but if anybody out that way can attend, report, and maybe even send us a couple of pictures from the auction, many of us would be grateful.

Yes the rumors, and even the official coverage in the media has been all over the map. Yesterday's rebut from Doug Greenfield telling us he was misquoted and the management group is not contemplating moving the National Event just the latest in this long-running, and often zany saga of SRP. Then again a couple of racers then asked HH if management has the ability to move a Divisional."Isn't this up to NHRA, not track management?" I don't actually know, and without doing a full fledged interview with both Greenfield and NHRA, cannot say for certain. In defense of everything however is the fact nobody knows how this is even gonna go, so lets not concern ourselves too much with all that.

Bottom line is that it could all prove to be a non-issue if the land is purchased by somebody who wants to do something with it other than leave it as a motorsport complex - which could very well happen. Then there's the matter of somebody with no ties at all to Pacific's management who want to turn it into...heaven forbid - an IHRA facility. That could throw the local, and beyond, drag scene into an uproar of rumors and all kinds of crap.

Yes the rumors are many, facts are few, and regardless of who does what tomorrow, we probably won't know for a good while what will actually happen there. Should it stay a strip, it will be a huge positive thing, no matter who runs it or who sanctions it. That my friends, is the most important factor in all of this.

BREAKING NEWS Moe sues to stop raceway auction!!!

Pacific Raceways Opener
Speaking of Pacific Raceways, they managed to get some racing done this past weekend with brackets, the NW Pro Street Assc. and the Warhawk and Nighthawk Jet Funny Cars putting on a fine show.

The crew over at Freeway Trailers asked us to give a big thanks to Richard Smith for putting a Freeway decal on the side of the Derek Snelson driven Nighthawk Camaro.

We could not find any PR results online, but have put in a request for them, and if they come through, HH will be happy to post them.

And speaking of Snelson, he's very much involved helping to promote what could well be one of the biggest new events in Northwest drag racing Friday & Saturday July 4, 5 at Renegade Raceway in Yakima.

'Nitro Nights Under the Lights' at Yakima...
... will be the biggest race the track has staged in years and present a slew of cool features that'll make this a 'must see' drag race.

Qualifying goes 6:00 p.m. each night, racing at 9:00 p.m., a separate race each evening. Some of the features already confirmed include 1/8th mile Nitro Nostalgia Funny Cars (no names yet), Nasty Dave Benjamin's AA/FA, a Pro Mod Vs Pro Street match race with the awesome Silverado of Tacoma's Garrett Richards and the boyz from TPR Racing going up against an as yet unnamed Pro Mod car from Anchorage AK.

Running the full quarter mile will be 'Pro Comp' blown alky floppers, altereds & dragsters along with Outlaw Top Sportsman Doorslammers and big $$$ Pro and Super Pro bracket races both nights. If that's not enough to get your attention, they're also planning a longest burnout and wheelstand contest, and giving out a Best Engineered award. On top of all that 'The King' is coming back to Yakima after a long, looong absence. That's right, Jerry Ruth will be the Grand Marshall and there will be a Alaskan Salmon & Halibut feed for the racers Friday night. There is also a good chance the HH camcorder will be there too. We'll bring you more as we get it.

PSCA & LVMS To Reintroduce"Sin City Shoot-out"
The Pacific Street Car Association & The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are both proud to announce a revamped Championship Program that rewards racers with the prestige of winning a Points Championship and the possibility of padding their pockets with some added cash!!! The 2008 "Sin City Shootout" Championship kicks off at The K&N Filters Las Vegas Nationals April 25th-27th, and concludes at the much anticipated Dynoflo.com Street Car Super Nationals IV this November 20th - 23rd. Winners in all Classes will receive a Coveted, Custom Built Trophy and each Runner-up a specially designed Plaque and a chance to win up to $1,500.00 in each class....

When asked about an additional "Racer Championship" introduced to the series, PSCA President Mel Roth Stated "Having a points chase like the 2008 Sin City Shoot-out opens doors to all racers that follow the PSCA circuit, especially the Vegas area locals. Competing on a Championship level and awarding the racer’s for their effort is what makes this program so exciting!!!"

"Pro Street Drag Racing has evolved into one of the most fun and entertaining forms of motorsports and we're excited to expand our involvement in the program," said Chris Blair, LVMS - Vice President - Racing Operations. "This series is all about taking a stock-appearing race car, shoehorning a huge motor under the hood, feeding it with racing fuel and nitrous oxide and holding on as it makes a 220-mph trip down the quarter mile. The cars are entertaining because they are so scary to watch."

2008 Sin City Shoot-out (3 parts)

Part 1) Racers can compete and gather points at four (4) PSCA / Las Vegas Events, in all PSCA Points earning categories, with the Final Vegas Event (SCSN IV) a "Double Points Race" to be Held on Nov 21st - 23rd.... We will be crowning a Champion and Runner-up in each class… **See additional info below

Part 2) All 2008 Sin City Shoot-out Points Champions that also wins his/her class at the SCSN IV Event (Nov 21st-23rd), will be awarded an Extra $500.00 in Cash from the PSCA & LVMS!!!! Trophies and Cash to be handed out at the 2008 PSCA Awards Banquet (Date TBA)

Part 3) Any racer that wins all four (4) PSCA / Las Vegas Events "All in the same class" will also receive an additional $1000.00 in cash!!!!!!

The PSCA series consists of six (6) different heads-up categories designed for every type of car, racer skill level and car owner's budget. Participating cars range from project muscle cars to former NHRA Pro Stock and Pro Mod category racers. The PSCA also offer’s four (4) Bracket Classes (Open Comp, Bracket-1, Mustang Madness& Trophy) & three (3) Index (10.60, 9.60 & 8.60/7.60). Each PSCA event attracts approximately 300 cars from the western United States and also includes a large manufacturer's midway.

Additional information regarding the PSCA & Las Vegas Motor Speedway can be found at www.pscaracing.com & www.lvms.com

2008 Sin City Shoot-out Event Schedule:
Apr 25th -27th / K&N Filters Las Vegas Nationals
Aug 29th -31st / Chris Alston’s Chassis Works Labor Day Nationals
Oct 17th -19th / Mickey Thompson Tires Fall Nationals
Nov 20th -23rd / Dynoflo.com Street Car Super Nationals IV

Calgary Cackle and big buck Super Stock race coming Labor Day Weekend

Larry, greetings from sunny Alberta (haha).... Please find included with this e-mail a copy of the magazine ad for our event to be held at Race City Motorsport Park Aug 29,30,31 2008. This promises to be the coolest (and loudest) event of the summer!

This is our first (and hopefully) annual Racers Reunion and nitro gathering, and the first time in Western Canada for a push start cacklefest, with as many as ten big name 60's & 70's fuelers assembled here for the weekend.

At the same event...we will also be hosting what we hope will be the largest gathering of Stock/Super Stock cars in Western Canada this year, with $10,000 in prize money (based on minimum 50 cars). This will be what I call a nondenominational race, basically a run-what-you -brung as long as it is either NHRA or IHRA legal .

Warmest Regards
Dave Inglis, Organizer

Bus to Seattle NW Nats?
HH got an e-mail from a bus company rep who is interested in supplying a bus for a possible trip to Seattle this July. They won't organize it, just supply the bus, so if you're interested in doing the leg work you can e-mail Neil Loomer of Charter Bus Lines of BC. Would maybe make for a 'fun' gig as well as an easy way to get through the busy border.

Kinda old, but check all the cool March Meet pics at nwdragracing.com plus opening day images from Woodburn

UPDATE: Doug Greenfield has just notified HH that he was misquoted in this article. What he said was moving the Divisional NOT the National Event.

Doug Greenfield, general manager of the Pacific Raceways track, in Kent, Wash., says the operator of that track, Racetrack LLC, of Seattle, has told Spokane County that it wants to manage Spokane Raceway Park—and if it became the park’s manager, Pacific Raceways would move its National Hod Rod Association-sanctioned Schuck’s Northwest Nationals drag-racing event to Spokane. (more)

Weekend weather report

It will take until next week to have Wicked on our online order system, but if you want to mail a cheque or money order, the price is $25, address is on order page here.

WICKED STREET OF THE WEST
Volume One 1992-2000 IS DONE!

Ya so this was gonna be my 'real' April Fool a couple of days ago, as I'm sure nobody would have believed it, but it's true. The first volume of 'Wicked' is done, the first master is in the duplicator, and by morning I should have a few dozen ready to go.

Next week I'll be working on all the promo and sales stuff, but for now it's simply a HUGE sigh of relief that this freekin thing is sitting in front of me on my desk. It's already passed the first major test when I played most of it back to my wife Denise tonight. She, being very familiar with most of what took place 'back in the 90s', gave it a thumbs up. Whew...

Ya, there's a few technical glitches, but working with multiple types of cameras, formats, software and computers over the years it's no wonder. All-in-all I'm happy with the final product that covers street legal drag racing in the Northwest from 1992 to 2000. The real test will come when I see if anybody outside the northwest has any interest in what the video is all about.

With that exact thought in mind throughout the three years it took, I tried very hard to make a very detailed story of it, not just a bunch of clips edited together. This is not your typical online, message board, or Utoob drag video. Any way you look at it, there's not another region on Earth where street legal drag racing has a visual legacy like this, which is maybe the best thing about it.

Wicked 1 is as much about off track 'action' as it is about the bitchin' cars and trucks that made the antics between the guardrails so compelling. Yes, much of what you'll see revolves around two main characters - Don Murray and Glen Braid, but without them, this would have been just another crash n burn music video like so many others.

Unlike the classic 'documentary' style production, you won't see present day interviews with people speaking of how it was 'back in the day'. You'll see the characters interviewed at the time the video was shot, so let there be no confusion as to what it was 'really' like. In the immortal words of George Peppard; "I love it when a plan comes together".

I was very fortunate to have these two guys (and many others) give me and my camcorder a wealth of personal and unforgettable moments. The very thought that over a decade and a half later a production like this would end up being what it is simply boggles my mind, but this is just the beginning. There is so much more to follow.

In the coming weeks work on W2 will begin followed by (at least) two more, all of which I want to have completed by Xmas '08. W2 will go from 2001-2003, W3 2002-2006 and W4 2007 through to the end of 2008....and ya, I'm goin back to see my PSCA friends for the first time in over two years. All of the organization and planning that caused this project to take so long is sorted out, so everything from here will be a cakewalk compared to W1.

It's been such a long time coming, I'm kinda dazzled that I actually made it after wanting to quit so many times. Anyway...I still have a lot to do to market this thing, so c'mon back next week for a bunch of new online video clips and trailers.

That it comes on the opening weekend at the track where so many of these memories were made almost brings a...

So many people staying patient for three years...so many friends saying "jus git er dun dude!"...so much positive karma, so many fantastic people...

...ya, it's been a long haul, an it would never been done with you all.

Thank you.

LP

Thanks to the many who responded to the 'posting' from yesterday. I actually had another one that I'd been working on for a while, but it didn't come together, so what went up was kind of a last minute deal. More on that tomorrow. That could be why a few weren't too impressed, but wtf, it's all about putting smiles on faces, and that's what it did to quite a few....though I do understand a few wives are ready to smack me about the head after hearing Mr. Pitt is not coming after all. New this year were a few people who gave me some great ideas for future fools. Damn some of you are nasty buggers!

As I sit here putting the final touches on Wicked Vol. 1 (more tomorrow), I just have to shake my head at the weather we've had since Sunday, that's expected to last maybe to Friday...then, you guessed it...naw, I won't say it. It is typical though eh, but what the hell do ya do?

As for the Friday night crew, it's gonna be interesting too see if all this talk about a weakening economy will effect what are essentially the lowest buck racers out there. And on the Friday note, anybody think the TV show about high school drag racing will have any effect on the BCSSMA? One more Friday bit is word that at least one faster than fast ride will be out testing in two days - the new mountain motor Cavalier of Terry Spargo.

Another season opener goes this weekend at Pacific Raceways with Jet Funny Cars, Ed Jones Outlaw Wheelstander, Nostalgia Super Modified Cars, Northwest Pro Street Association, Sportsman Motorcycle, Bracket Classes & JR Dragsters.

So the racing season is finally upon us. Cabin fever be dammed! Hopefully you've gone thru your piece, checked all those nuts n bolts, re-read all those new rule changes, tuned up the tow rig, filled up the cooler and are ready to rock n roll again.

I'll have a bit more tomorrow along the line of video. I'm definitely getting back into the business of shooting for individual racers, have a new in-car setup to try out, and if all goes well the next 24 hours it may be a vewy wicked weekend...

Eagle Motorplex to close mid summer for shooting of major drag racing movie!
Will re-open Sept...Superstar actor/actress couple rumored for lead roles.
HH EXCLUSIVE!

In a major announcement today Eagle Motorplex officials issued a press release that Lions Bay Cinema Productions of Vancouver in conjunction with Paramount Pictures of Hollywood have rented the Eagle Motorplex in Ashcroft B.C. for approx 21 days in August to shoot on-track segments for an upcoming movie about the 1970s 'competitive relationship' between Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney.

Other than the basic announcement, nothing has come from Eagle officials in regards to what will happen to the already scheduled races. One person did however mention something about "making enough money to run this place for twenty years." We also bet they'll need just a few 'extras', so stay tuned for an upcoming casting call.

But that's not even the biggest part of all this. The main reason Eagle was chosen is because producers feel the remote location will offer ample privacy for the two stars said to be playing the lead roles. Get ready folks, cause lil ole Ashcroft is gonna be world famous once this is in the can as the rumor...and I state RUMOR at this time is that Brad Pitt will be playing Big Daddy and his lovely wife Angelina Jolie the part of a young Shirley!!!! And you have to guess that Big and Cha Cha may even be here as technical advisors.

We originally learned of this last week from a source who e-mailed HH after seeing a posting on a Hollywood gossip site that was removed the next day. Fortunately this person saved that page and you can see it here.

Somehow I don't think too many racers will be all that upset as this is easily the biggest thing that has ever come down on this sport in this country.

Click here for last month's posting from this page