If you've been off the web, you can go back into the Under Cover Brother Archives 2004

9-24-2005

In a letter to one of our readers which was forwarded to Black Dragracers.com's Under Cover Brother, Ms. Gillian Zucker president of California Speedway explained, saying, "No one here feels the track isn't 'appealing.' It was completely disassembled for the Labor Day NASCAR weekend to make room for parking which is in short supply here on our NASCAR weekends. However, we reassembled it in a week to be ready for our drag strip event this past weekend. It is certainly not an insurmountable task. Clearly, this market is underserved for drag racing and it is a viable motorsports product. Our plan is to continue to do anything we can to preserve and grow this asset."

Black Dragracers.com and our readers are happy that the importance of the drag strip is appreciated.

9-19-2005

Under Cover Brother has heard from a number of his sources that the newly installed management of California Speedway doesn't feel a dragstrip is the first thing that NASCAR visitors should see when they enter the immense facility. Apparently the rumor going around is that the multi-use facility may lose the California Dragway quarter mile when the board of directors votes in an upcoming meeting.

So Cal sports editor Louis Brewster spoke with California Speedway president Gillian Zucker and found there are "enhancements planned" for the speedway that would involve the property where the Dragway currently sits. No 2006 schedule for the dragstrip will be announced until the decision is made about those enhancements.

Speculation is for a museum and gift shop to replace the quarter-mile facility or a multi-level parking structure.

Since this is still in the planning stages, Under Cover Brother think this would be the best time for the drag racing community and the NHRA management to step forward to explain the importance of the dragstrip to the local area.
Link: www.californiaspeedway.com

7-15-2005

Ron Weems Brand New Grand Am Set To Debut In Pro Street Or Outlaw Street?? @ The PSCA Labor Day National @ The Strip Las Vegas, Nevada Labor Day Weekend!!

6-22-2005

One of the Under Cover Brother's sources reports that Don Schumacher's driver Antron Brown (pictured) could be driving something other than a motorcycle in 2006. Under Cover Brother received an e-mail that Brown already has taken possession of a new fire suit to replace his leathers.

Whether the suit is legal for driving a Pro Stock, Funny Car or Top Fuel car isn't known since Schumacher has all three in his stable.

5-2-2005

The NHRA Pacific Division office in Glendora has heard nothing, but the rumors are rumbling around SoCal about the resurrection of Terminal Island Raceway in the Harbor area of Los Angeles. According to one source the lease on the property is now available since the coal import/export company utilizing the former TI Raceway land has moved their operation.

There's yet another rumor going that the new TI Raceway will begin as an eighth mile. Another source swears that the LA Mayor's office has gotten involved, but with a tight political fight for his job, Under Cover Brother doubts if a drag strip is up very high on the list. Stay tuned.

3-14-2005

Under Cover Brother has been told that the NHRA Tech Dept. is asking Top Fuel and Funny Car teams to NOT USE tires with serial numbers 3886 through 4080. Beginning at the Gatornationals, the tires will be replaced by Goodyear.

2-3-2005

In a government report released yesterday, nitromethane is listed among dozens of questionable carcinogens. This report, which can be found at the National Toxolgy Program website, never comes out and says it is - it only lists it as reasonably anticipated.

The uses of nitromethane outside of drag racing are known to include medical, women's make up and agricultural. This study suggests that problems have occurred in lab animals but no studies have been published to suggest the same problems exist in human exposure.

1-24-2005

The National Street Car Association has announced that they will be running Stock and Super Stock Eliminator all NSCA events this season.

If there are over 32 cars total, there will be 2 eliminators, fewer than 32 there will be a combo (32 total means total count of both eliminators).

The rules will follow the NHRA rule book and the IHRA rules will apply to only those IHRA classes that are not run in NHRA (SS/production & Stock Crate classes). All runs will be run off of a dial in, dial in must be the index or below the index (no heads-up in same class runs). You will be scaled after every run and will be laddered for Round 1 of eliminations. Entry fee is $100 for car & driver.

Pay outs will be as follows:
Winner $1,500 + contingency
Runner-up $750 + contingency
$50 per round won

Any questions regarding this eliminator or if you can help sponsor this program, contact “Nitrous” Joe 419-994-4993 or Tony DePillo at 937-293-1188 (regular business hours for Tony)

March 12 – 13, No Problem Raceway, Belle Rose, Louisiana
April 30 - May 1, Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, Georgia
June 11 – 12, Cecil County Dragway, Rising Sun, Maryland
June 25 – 26, Milan Dragway, Milan, Michigan
July 23 – 24, Quaker City Raceway, Salem, Ohio
August 20 – 21, Numidia Dragway Numidia, Pennsylvania
September 10 – 11, Mid-Michigan Motorplex, Stanton, Michigan
September 30 - October 2, National Trail Raceway, Hebron, Ohio

1-20-2005

The debut of competition in Mike's Transmission Top Comp will hit the Strip at Las Vegas this weekend (Jan. 22-23). Mike Stewart is proud to back the series and is quickly putting the finishing touches on an entry of his own. The series will alternate eight races between Vegas and California Dragway in Fontana.

According to SoCal Top Comp Association President Gregg Suyenaga, the list may top 60 cars by the start of qualifying on Saturday morning. Entries are from all over the area including California, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

1-10-2005

Macon National Dragway announced it is beginning the new year with a new management team, as Chris Phillips and Anthony Oehler have taken over the helm of the mid-Georgia facility. The two are also partners at Montgomery Motorsport Park in Montgomery, AL. The former outlaw track has also taken on NHRA sanctioning for 2005, and Phillips and Oehler met Jan. 8, with NHRA Division 2 Director Bill Holt.

The first order of business is to clean and prep Macon National's 1/8 mile of concrete for its first test-and-tune on Feb. 6. The track will host a test-and-tune every Sunday in February and plans to release its '05 schedule shortly. Phillips and Oehler also stress that all race purses this season at Macon are guaranteed.

1-8-2005

Popular Hot Rodding has joined up with the PRO-Edelbrock Drag Racing Series to become the official presenting sponsor of the MSD True Street class. Beginning with the 2005 season, the category will be officially re-named MSD True Street presented by Popular Hot Rodding. In addition to the presenting sponsorship, Popular Hot Rodding will be providing coverage of the MSD True Street class in the pages of PHR.

The concept behind MSD True Street was developed in a large part by Johnny Hunkins, today the Editor of Popular Hot Rodding, who in 1993 while working for Muscle Mustang & Fast Ford’s magazine with and Evan Smith, helped develop this innovative class designed for real, street-driven muscle cars. Popular Hot Rodding magazine’s editorial staff will be coming out in force to four MSD True Street events, Bradenton (April 1-3), Bowling Green (June 3-5), Maple Grove (August 26-28), and Memphis (October 6-9). At each of these races, they will be searching the pits and staging lanes looking for a car worthy of the Popular Hot Rodding Editor Choice award, which will receive a full color car feature, and will be covering the True Street class in depth. In addition, the other MSD True Street racers will receive coverage as well in PHR.

In 2005, MSD True Street competition will be held at all eight NMCA events, and these street-legal competitors will be asked to complete a 30-mile drive on city and highway streets before racing. All entrants are required to have fully street-legal vehicles, including registration, license, insurance, and state i.d. sticker. MSD True Street, presented by Popular Hot Rodding magazine, is a class for everyone, from new enthusiasts to hardcore street race veterans. As long as your car is street-legal, this is the class for you, as True Street awards not only the quickest car, but also features 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15-second winners. A complete PRO-Edelbrock Drag Racing Series 2005 Schedule, featuring MSD True Street presented by Popular Hot Rodding Magazine, can be found at www.fasteststreetcar.com

1-05-2005

Under the direction of track manager Stan Adams and former NHRA facilities expert Wayne McMurtry, construction has begun to re-lay the concrete on the first 100 feet of the starting line at the historic Pomona quarter mile. The critical part of the construction is from the back tires of a staged top fuel car to 75 feet down track in both lanes - addressing the starting line concerns that arose last fall at the World Finals.

The Fairplex is also putting storm drains in the top-end shut down area at the sand box. This should alleviate some of the flooding in the Fairgrounds parking lots during heavy winter rains and will really help the dragstrip on those nasty rainy weekends, instead of leaving big puddles of standing water on the track so racing can resume much quicker than in past years.

In addition to the Winternationals and World Finals, the Pomona strip will host a Super Chevy Show April 28-May 1, the Goodguys Nitro Nationals on Aug. 5-7 and the NHRA Sport Compact Finals on Oct. 22-23.