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02.28.01

Yes we checked, and despite the 6.8 quake, we understand the grandstands at S.I.R. are still standing...

Another update on the Vancouver Motorsport Show Page HERE.

Only days away, this show is so misunderstood.

Bigger is always better right? So it was more than a dozen years ago that a trio of old friends got together and took control of the best known indoor car show in western Canada. From day one the 'new' proprietors laid down the ground rules as to what they wanted. Today, their vision has proven to be a lasting one. A legacy at last intact.

For years the call of "ISCA" and "big-time-feature-cars" was ignored as the show brought in local features, leaving most of the high-dollar, high-profile cars, trucks and guests south of the border. Though some famous people have been spotted here over the years. Mark Furman (pre-OJ), Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear to name a few.

For in a time when more-and-more, the local pioneers were ignored, or barely recognized, the Vancouver Motorsport Show has taken the lead in showcasing local nostalgia hot rods and drag racing...along with the latest in what's hot in motorsport.

If a few years ago ISCA had come in large, I doubt there would be a Bill Phillips display at this year's show. The 50th Anniversary Season of B.C.C.C.A. could well be a turning point in the club's history. An ISCA competition is the wrong atmosphere for what this show should really mean to these club members and their many associates.

Heard Chris Blair may be around, up here in the home of our new junior hockey team. The building that was Towel Power. The Spring I moved to the lower mainland. I was at both cup games in this building. Saw the Isles skate around with The Cup....Bossy...Potvin...Smith...Tiger in his prime. Don't tell me this place has no character.

....all the whiners would have had out-of-town judges to complain to, and many of the locals with decent vehicles would have been shut out due to the influx of big-dollar 'circuit' cars coming in to town. Strange how car yocals have no problem if some 'Murican' comes up and takes away their cash, but watch 'em go beserk if a neighbour tries to make a buck ofin' em.

Motorsport is notorious for fractured groupings of very different human beings. Many hot rod guys hate lowriders. The import crowd could often give a shit about the 'street legal' drags. Don't even bring up road racing and motorcycles...let alone on a local level.

Even though, since their 2001 promo campaign began, and when very soon after many of us learned that there really was a show or two before 1951, it shouldn't really matter. This is a show for the ages. A show that this year especially will honor some very noteworthy local pioneers.

This is not a Boise or Portland Roadster Show. It's not meant to be. Our region boasts some amazing people and vehicles. You simply will not see this many of them together at any one time indoors maybe ever again. Really.

It's car show time. 50th Anniversary car show time. C'mon down, have some fun, see some neat stuff, meet the actual people, and take some time to appreciate how damn good many of them really are.

Reminds me, it's great to see the CPSA ladies and gentlemen all getting along so much better.

Our short posting on Header Flames last evening has brought in all kinds of replies. A warm hello from legendary northwest drag racer Dick Kalivoda

(waiting for son Brady to get his T/F license, as he writes NHRA stuff over on moto1.net...),

and an invite to stop by their pit from the WWII AA/FD team of Jim & Judi Murphy.

Thanks to Goodguy John Drummond who turned us onto a DSL lead.

.

Back in NHRAland, a great email just came in:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -

26 Feb 2001 - Summit Racing Equipment and FastNews have worked out the details to once again provide timely "almost live" coverage via the Internet for all six NHRA Division Six Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Events in 2001. The results will be available at Drag Race Central on Summit's website, located at http://www.summitracing.com/stories just like the National Events are carried now.

"It's like getting to come home and hang out with all your best friends!" said an excited Mike Jex, who will be providing the coverage. "I really enjoyed working with all the racers and the Division Six officials, and have missed going to the races in the Northwest. It's nice to have the support of someone like SUMMIT who see's the value of providing the coverage for the sportsman categories. Steve Wong and I have already spoken about some new and exciting things we can do together to make the events even more exciting. FastNews will start out in Boise, and finish things up in September in Medford, I can't wait to get going." continued Jex.

If you have race news, sponsorship information or press releases for your team and would like them included in Mike's reports, you can email them to him at mike@fastnews.net.

Michael L. Jex
SUMMIT FastNews
PO Box 282
Bloomington, Idaho 83223
(208) 945-3124 Fax (781) 846-8915
mike@fastnews.net

Mike also told HH: "We will be at BOTH MISSION races this year!" Perfect. Mike is back where he does the best job in the biz. Beside the announcer, laptop humming, zipping it out like only he can. His coverage is perfect for what we do...the fun stuff. With Jex back, Division Six online coverage takes a backseat to no other. Welcome home Mike! This is gonna be a good year in the Northwest.

LP

You'll find the answer to yesterday's 'first car on Mission Raceway' photo quiz in tonight's latest update on the Vancouver Motorsport Show site HERE.

Our first posting for our upcoming trip to Bakersfield is now available HERE.

HENTGES...WooooHoooo! Winner today in Gainsville!"The points are just racking up!!! (Are we still having fun???)
YES...and that's my final answer!" emailed Airtime Aviation Team Manager Lezlee Hentges earlier this evening.

Here's a photograph that will shock Mission Raceway addicts.

This is the first car ever at the sight of Mission Raceway. Who was it? When was it? For a very cool prize.

News of the day includes Division Six teams at three different Federal Mogul Events. Leading the Northwest charge to the south includes the Airtime Aviation team in Gainsville, Florida. Mark Hentges took the early lead in qualifying and held on to take home the Sealed Power Low Qualifier $1,000 with a run of 5.532 seconds at 256.04 mph. Michael Gunderson, defending event
champion, is in the number two spot with a mark of 5.621, 264.39. Almost a tenth separates the #1 and #2 qualifiers. And how about Chuck Smithfield in his BB/A Chevy having the bye in round two of Comp!

In Tuscon Pat Austin has advanced to round number two after qualifying the the five spot where a number of Div. 6 drivers are competing.

We received a lot of positive feedback on Chris Blair's Earnhardt posting, here's one from Jamie Clerf:

Hi Larry,

I really appreciated Chris's story. I'm really sad about this one. I pulled together a few thoughts in a little story below:

Dale Earnhardt. The Intimidator. He was what every person who ever stepped behind the wheel of a race car wanted to be. It didn’t matter if you drove an 11 second drag car, an open wheel midget, or a full fledged NASCAR Winston Cup car. You wanted to be like Dale Earnhardt. A confident, daring, tough, take-no-prisoners kind of race car driver who would do just about anything to win a race.
This was a race car driver (at nearly 50 years of age) still at the very top of his game. He wasn’t just hanging on, a past-his-prime boxer clinging to name recognition in hopes of landing one last title shot. This was a man who had finished 2nd in the 2000 NASCAR points standings and was half a lap from finishing 3rd in the Daytona 500. He might have even won a record 8th Winston Championship this year. We’ll never know.
And now, the one guy I truly cared about in NASCAR is gone. I miss him already.
JC

Also a nice response from the King family:

Hello Larry, could you post this thank you note to everyone.
"Brittany really enjoys reading e-mail. Thanks for taking time to send
her a little notes. We have been trying to keep up with every one we get, so
we are helping her out. She is doing real well and her spirit is high. She
has her good days and bad. She is looking forward to getting out and
traveling to the races with us. She is being taken care of by great staff at
Mary Bridge Childrens Hospital. We thank everyone who is writing. She has
been trying to reply to all the e-mail. Thank for caring and giving her big
smiles."
Thanks
Brittany,Leeland, Kim and Michael King

Finally THE HH Guy comes BACK to Famoso Road.....Last, but certainly not least HH thanks Eldoren Racing and GlenBraid.com for sponsoring us on a road trip of epic proportions. Thanks to their support HH is traveling to Bakersfield California for the opening event of the Good Guys Drag Racing Series March 9, 10, 11. The 42nd annual March Meet will feature a massive filed of nitro cars including their first ever 16 car qualified field. My trip will be with the Romeo Palamedes AA/FD that was recently restored by Dave Strell. This will be the car's first appearance anywhere, so what better a place than Famoso? Also thanks to Dean Murdoch as we will also be covering the race for Speedzone Magazine. Our Powerbook will be going along for the ride so if we can hook upto the web look for as many updates as we can fit in. Regardless it's our first major journey of a year that may well see us attend more out-of-town races than ever before.

A major update on the Vancouver Motorsport Show site is well worth checking out, and we have info that there's much more to come on the site Monday. Check it out HERE.

Please remember we have openings for many more ads here on HH. If you have any questions as to how well they are working don't ask us, goto the sites and ask them. Response has been very good and along with some new plans to take care of too many banners plugging up this page we urge you to contact HH so you can become a part of the most viewed drag racing web page in the entire Northwest. LP

Coming Soon: a major HH 'road trip' announcement

Chassis inspections and ETI for Summit Racing Series vehicles will be held at Southern Oregon Dragway Medford, Oregon on Saturday April14, 10am-2pm.
Please call the track office for an appointment. (541) 826-3477.

Oh, I'm sure they'll have it fixed soon, but had to giggle when the link to a story at nhra.com regarding their new internet partner resulted in one of the dreaded 'Error 404 File Not Found' messages... LP

Frank Jones is keeping us posted on the condition of Dave Wren. He sent this today:
"I saw Dave this afternoon and he seems to be doing fine, but he is very tired and wants to sleep a lot." His mailing address is for get well cards and messages is:

Dave Wren
9073 Weidkamp Rd.
Lynden, Wa. 98264.

So long for now. Frank Jones

With the entire motorsport world still reeling over the loss of Dale Earnhardt, This came in today. It's a wonderful few paragraphs from a person many of us have come to know quite well. A person who comes from the heart of stock car country. A person who can put into words how huge this all is. I post this unedited, as I received it:

A few weeks ago while sitting in the stands at a Vancouver Canucks game, a friend asked me about the greatest race I ever saw (this was, by the way, a scoreless hockey game). At that time I tried to sort through the thousands of events that I have witnessed through the years and tried to come up with just one moment.

Would it be one of the 120 races I saw during the Summer of 1991 when I barnstormed the Midwest in a 1987 Nissan Sentra with no air conditioning that also doubled as a hotel room? That Summer I watched the greatest Sprint Car driver in the world, Steve Kinser, smoke Sammy Swindell week in and week out (Including four last lap passes in just over two months)?

Would it be the 1982 Southwest Oil 250 ASA race at Coeburn where I saw a rookie win his first ever ASA race against such legends as Bob Senneker, Darrell Waltrip, Morgan Shepherd, Dick Trickle and Rusty Wallace? The rookie, by the way, was an unsponsored guy by the name of Alan Kulwicki.

Or was it the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That historic day marked the last race for a guy by the name of King Richard and the first Winston Cup race for a kid named Jeff Gordon. Also on that day I sat in turn four and watched Davey Allison, Bill Elliott and that guy I watched 10 years earlier (AK) in a three way shootout for the Winston Cup championship. On that incredible day, I got to see a true classic.

In the days since I was asked that question, I had been doing a lot of thinking and kicking it all around. However, with the tragedy that occurred this weekend, I now know the greatest moment I have witnessed in racing. It was my first live Winston Cup event.

It was April 1987 and the race was the Valleydale Meats 500 at Bristol. I loaded up with a group of friends and took off to the races with no tickets and only $50 in my pocket (which was to take car of my share of gas, parking, food and a ticket). On top of the lack of funding, there was also the issue of the weather...it was a typical Bristol Spring event. Rain, sleet, wind and cold temperatures.

One of my best friends and I set out on our quest to find our ticket to what was, at that time, the biggest spectacle we had ever seen. The scalpers were out in force that day and our chances kept getting dimmer and slimmer as it got closer to race time.

Just at the point that we were trying to figure out how we were going to sneak our way into the stands, we found a nice older lady holding two tickets very quietly (unlike the scalpers who were shouting at the top of their lungs). She had been watching as my friend Todd and I tried to negotiate with the scalpers and apparently felt sorry for us. Our pitifulness turned to fortune when she offered up two tickets to the next-to-last row of the Winston Tower (the premiere grandstand in the facility). The price? An astronomical face value figure of $36 each. The deal seemed too good to be true and I kept waiting for "the catch" to arrive. It was, in fact, the answer to my prayers.

From high atop that lofty perch I got to witness one of the greatest eras in the history of NASCAR and never realized I was watching history in the making. On that day I was one of 35,000 people who filled Bristol (which now holds 150,000) watching a truly incredible race. On that day I got to watch Darrell Waltrip (driving the Tide car), Bobby Allison, Neil Bonnet, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons and so many more racers who will long live in NASCAR history.

Midway through the race we were soaked by a major lightning storm (suddenly the next to the last row of the Winston Tower was the last place I wanted to be). In order to stay dry, we borrowed some garbage bags from some people sitting behind us in an effort to keep dry during the rain delay.

When the race re-started, it turned into an event that will always remain in my heart. On that day I got to witness my childhood hero, Dale Earnhardt, in one of the defining events of his career. Although I had never watched him race other than on TV, I joined the Dale Earnhardt fan club way back in 1982 (when he was driving a Ford) and kept track of him through the pages of the monthly newsletter, the local racing papers and through the pages of Stock Car Racing magazine.

In classic Dale Earnhardt style, he charged from the back and didn't make a single friend along the way. The yellow and blue #3 rubbed doors and fenders with what seemed like every car on the track. He gave Elliott a love tap or two, got Geoff Bodine (before he was Geoffrey) a little squirrelly and had the fans either screaming for him or trying to climb the fence to get at him.

That race also holds one of the defining moments of the Earnhardt mystique for a simple "rubbing is racing tap." On that day Dale, in his charge to the front, made a dive move through some lapped cars and tapped the Piedmont Airlines #44 of a relative unknown by the name of Sterling Marlin -who was leading for the first time in his career.

Dale's tap going into turn one (which was directly below my seat) sent Marlin into a spin that has been replayed over and over and over again on ESPN. To say the crowd went wild was an understatement! The NASCAR Officials had to throw a yellow flag to clear all of the aluminum cans and chicken legs that were tossed over the frontstretch wall.

Once Earnhardt's badly beaten car was out in front, no one was going to stop him. When he came up on lapped traffic they had approximately the blink of an eye to get out of the way or get run over. When the checkered flag fell (nearly 6 hours after the race began), Dale had nearly a half lap lead over the second place finisher... Richard Petty.

That was my first taste of big time racing and it reaffirmed what I had known from the time I was five years old... real race car drivers are my heroes.

From that day I made a vow that I wanted racing to be my life. The following Spring I started covering racing for my local paper and was able to convince the PR department at Bristol that I was a legitimate reporter who needed pit road access. Throughout the next several years I was able to score press credentials for a variety of magazines and somehow found myself in the midst of some of the greatest drivers in history. I managed to get interviews, snap photos and become a part of the greatest sport in the world (along the way I also collected a few autographs that will be passed on to my son).

I also got the chance to ask questions and pretended like I actually belonged there. And, despite the fact that I was Chris Blair and not Chris Economaki, Mr. Earnhardt actually took the time to answer my questions whenever I was lucky enough to come face-to-face with him.

Just a few weeks ago I was telling Larry Pfister of HorsepowerHeaven.com how NASCAR was going through a change and only a handful of today's drivers are true racers. I told him about the Late Model Stock race at Myrtle Beach in 1996 when I met Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and watched him turn the wrenches and wrestle the wheel on an average, middle of the pack car. Dale, Sr. was making sure that his boy knew what it was like to work hard at being a racer. He was not going to let his boy ride his way to the top strictly on name recognition.

I made the comment that if you were to give each driver an unassembled race car and told them to put it together and run 500 laps. The only people out there would be Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliot and both Earnhardts. (My parting shot was that Dale would probably have a 250 lap advantage on the next guy).

Today when I returned to my office I had a very difficult time getting back to the job of racing. Despite the fact that we deal with quarter mile dragstrips, each phone call I received mentioned something about Dale. Looking around my office, I had to put away my pictures of the number 3 car that have followed me everywhere since I was a kid. The picture that hung on the wall of the bedroom in my parent's house, made its way to my dorm in college and has been on the desk of my work at dirt tracks, my office in Chicago and now at the NHRA, had to be put away for the first time in nearly 19 years.

I can't believe that there will be a race this weekend without Dale, and don't know when, and if, I will ever be able to pull the picture out of the drawer - let alone watch a race at Bristol.

He is, was and always will be racing's greatest driver - and my only hero.

Thanks,
Chris Blair
NHRA Northwest Division Director

This loss has touched the entire motorsport community. I have even spoken to people who are suffering through nightmares about it. If writing your thoughts down helps, please feel free. The HH mailbox is wide open. I can repost if you like, or if you just want to write smoothing down and send it to me alone, again feel free. And thank you Chris. Thank you for taking the time to send me this.

I have also refrained from posting any of the banner ads with today's posting. I'm sure you guys will understand. LP

NHRA Div. 6 Chassis Seminars NEW Western Canada locations:

Saturday March 24th- Calgary AB.; Guyon Racing- call 403-277-6020

Sunday March 25th- Medicine Hat AB.; call Jim Burden @ 403-526- 1044

Saturday April 7th- Edmonton AB.; Devonian Motors- call Cam @ 780-484-3311

A collection of Dale Earnhardt tributes HERE.

7:30pm Veteran Northwest drag racer Dave Wren underwent open heart surgery this morning. He had been suffering ongoing heart problems for a number of years and recently everything came together for the operation to go ahead. He"is now resting as comfortably as can be expected" according to friend Frank Jones. We hope to have another update on Dave tomorrow evening along contact info for sending get well messages.

After the sheer drama of yesterday the reality of today makes most everything else seem unimportant. It is with that thought in mind we continue with our own little thing here.

I beleive the photos from this past Saturday night are ok now, please report if you have problems. Thanks to all those who sent in your info. CLICK HERE for photo coverage

With Bob Wilson now in OZ until April, he looks to be back in tune with updating Northern Thunder

Happy belated birthday to Rod Allen (S/St, S/Pro MRP) for his 40th Birthday on Saturday (Feb 17th).

Go to TeamMission.Com - Summit Racing Series lots of pictures, courtesy of Mike Poirier.

Atta-boy for this Marvin Wiebe!!!..This guy is from not knowing who he is, to MOWING people down...good job!!! pass on the props!!
-Sprcomp61@aol.com

Larry:
Boy, was I impressed. Seven something in the morning(after) and you already have news of the Eagle eat out. Wish I could have been there, but circumstances etc., etc.,
So NOW you go to the pro tree.
Anyways, congrates to you, Ralph, and who ever else that is responsible for throwing such a great yearly get together. That sorta thing is not only great for the track, but for great for racers to get to know each other AWAY from racing.
Next year. Terry McHardy

LP

An emotional rollercoaster such as this sport has never taken us on before. A day no motorsport person will ever forget.

3:00pm We are aware that some cannot view last night's photos. We need to know if anybody can see them. Will give it a few hours before we redo them.

CONGRATULATIONS Pat Austin Federal Mogul Funny Car winner today in Phoenix. It was a great weekend for the Pro Max Pontiac from Tacoma.

HENTGES runner-up to Santos. Not the finish they wanted, but a big HH cheer for our champ and the entire Airtime Aviation crew!

Al Hampton 2001 HH Practice Tree Nats Champion.
- Langley, B.C.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

'Lil' Al Hampton met Dean Murdoch in the final round of the 2001 Horsepower Heaven Practice Tree Nationals in tonight's third running of this prestigious event. In a decent test of reaction times Hampton's .420 was enough for Murdoch's .438. Run on the traditional HH 4/10ths full tree it came after three competitors had a run off for the bye into the final. Damien Giddens lost to Murdoch in the one semi race.

An estimated crowd of between 100-120 made this the best turnout ever for the annual affair at Cruisers Restaurant in Langley, B.C. Somebody guessed the track made about $3000.

CLICK HERE for photo coverage

02.17.01

10:00 p.m.

Phoenix Today:

Congratulations to Ray Carlson. The mayor turned 65 today, and prompty asked Sharon to marry him. Of course she accepted!

Today's other birthday boy is Rick Henkelman. Would you believe 52?

Andy Manna took that old yellow and black DeFrank Camaro and put a V6 in it. That Super Stocker will never work in Comp eh? Stood it straight up today. Pictures maybe...

So did Don Thomas. Up on one slick in a first round tri-standing loss today.

What Alberta S/G Corvette left three pistons in the water of the burnout box???

Rich is all over Robert Pond trying to get him to Boise AND Mission. "He asked me if I got that run today" laughed Rich as he told me of the sky-high stick Ford. We hope to have photos in our hands Tuesday evening. "I really got his attention when I told him Joe will be there".

Next Phoenix report Sunday night

6:00 p.m.

A big HH THUMBS UP for a tough job well done by U.S. and British military people today in the Middle East. A Lot of service personel (especially U.S.) visit this site. Thanks for doing what you do so damn good!

Hey, it's the weekend and proof positive the season is here NOW. A bunch of Div .6 racers in Phoenix and the party of the pre-season tomorrow night in Langley B.C. Since many are driving in from out-of-town, stay tuned here as we will be able to give you a weather or road report at your request by clicking HERE. Currently it has stopped snowing and the roads are clear. It should be much warmer and wetter this time tomorrow. Up to that point is not clear as of yet.

Easily the biggest drag news of the year so far is the posting of an update on Bob Wilson's Northern Thunder site!

Our HH 'stuff' for tomorrow is really coming together. HH teamed up with Div. 6 photog Rich Carlson for a framed 11x14 inkjet image of the Funny Car winner at the Inaugural NHRA National Event at THE STRIP in Las Vegas. The former drag hydro pilot strikes a pose as Kane... Remember ? Thanks Rich!

The Top Eliminator and Runner-Up awards for the 3rd HH Practice Tree Nats are ready.

Please note: These are our first photos from Fireworks 4. If you have any comments on how good...or bad they look or load, please feel free to comment. LP

Another guy who really stepped up was Glen Braid who donated a 14K gold dragster pendant!

And this is only the stuff I know about now. Telling ya...this is gonna be some deal.

Get ready for the one-time showing of rare Eagle Motorplex videos:
The Burnaby Cable 4 production of the first ever race at the track will be shown. Many people have never seen this ultra rare footage!
Plus some Pro Mod hilights, old-time drags and much more, it'll be an ALL ASHCROFT drag racing video experience. Remember, this near two hour tape will only ever be shown this night...probably more than once.

9:00 a.m. Happy 38th birthday to Glen Braid! Send the old fart an e-mail , then have a boo at the awesome new artwork now on site at www.glenbraid.com.

It's T minus one day and counting for tomorrow's gigungus Eagle Motorplex Fund Raiser at Cruisers Pit Stop Diner in Langley (604-533-7223). HH International Raceway owners (it's their practice tree) the Barton Family have assured us the reaction time system is set up so Don Barton can repeat his final round appearance of 2000. The defending champ Jimmy Behnke is scheduled to appear as will two wheel kingpin Glenn Miller, 2000 Div. 6 Bracket Driver of the Year Chris Brandt, Beach City Corvette funny car shoe Leon Aines from Vancouver Island, future Top Comp driver John Evans, a bunch of 'street illegal' racers and many, many more. The grudge races we have lined up will be worth the price of admission alone!

The Mission Raceway Park Racer Meeting goes at noon Saturday, after the chassis tech session from 9am till12pm all at the west end of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds on the corner of 176th St. and 60th Ave. in Surrey.

The Cruisers bash starts at 6pm with the $25 per person dinner at 7pm. Remember this is all in support of the Eagle Motorplex, so c'mon out and have some fun. Don't forget there's a Travelodge right next door for you full-tilt alky drivers.

You may think those end-of-year parties are fun, but if you've never been to this one, you've never seen true Eagle spirit. Nobody does it better! BE THERE!

LP

Since our last update I have managed to run into more roadblocks than any other five day period in a long time. None of the things that have gone wrong have yet been fixed, so figured I had better update this deal before something else flops.

We'll begin with some new chassis inspection dates:

Montana Racer Meeting.
Date: Saturday Feb. 24/01
Place: Billings, Mt.
Location: American Auto Body
Contact: Racers must book appointments with Syl Schied @ 406-252-5724 or 652-4347

Boise Roadster show
Boise Idaho
March 9 & 10
Call Scott New (208) 938-8986

In new car/team news all this has come in:

Should be quite the year for the guys over at www.67ss396.com New site to come.

Hi Larry...Say No To Drugs Racing has a few new changes for the year 2001. We have a new team of teenagers that will be driving our cars this season. They will be getting driver's licences during the season. We have added a rear-engine dragster and another junior dragster to the funny car,mustang stocker and the Chevy II. We have also added ICBC to our list of sponsors. It will be a busy year with all the races at mission as well as Sechelt,Kelowna, and Ashcroft, good thing I retired when I did.
Dave Wilson

Hey Larry Here is the 2001 Jaguar XKR of London, Ontario's Mike Mahon. It is near completion and will be running IHRA Top Sportsman this season. Power will come from an 814 inch Ford. It is also posted at www.dragracecanada.com and www.ihra.com so if you want you can check them out for any more info.
CLICK FOR FULL SIZE IMAGE

Stu Wotypka Intelligent Development 250.260.5976 http://www.justpinit.com

Our man in Phoenix, Rich Carlson will be sending in reports all weekend. A neat related place to check out is alky flopper racer Lyle Greenberg. HERE.

While you're at it see http://www.draglist.com/notes.htm

LP

You people are so cool. I request you do something and blamo!! It's done. Greg Henderson is "getting lots of feedback now" on his BCR Products site. Thanks again, we make such a good team eh?

With that in mind, and in the tradition of drag racers everywhere, it's time to ask for just a bit more...The deal is, HH has an opportunity to go to the Goodguys March Meet one week after the Vancouver Motorsport Show March 9-11. We currently have credentials and all travel taken care of, but we need funds to cover expenses. With this being our first ever visit to Famoso with a trackside pass for both photo and video we don't have to tell you that our coverage will be like nothing the web has ever seen from a nostalgia drag race. Major coverage will also be featured on our Horsepower Heaven 2001 video. It's an extremely exciting opportunity for any potential sponsors to become involved in a project that will attract tremendous attention. The sponsorship cost is minimal with you receiving exclusive exposure on every web page we post as well as on our video. Considering one of this site's all-time most hit on pages are those from our 1998 trip to the CHRR (all RealVideo & RealAudio files here are now working) this is a deal that will provide you with the kind of exposure you simply cannot find anywhere else at this price level. Bottom line is, if we don't get a sponsor we cannot afford to go. It's still that tight around here.

And now...the news:

Over on Header Flames we hear Russ Parker is going to work full time with Chuck Etchells. At the same time we have also learned of the passing of Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Dave Shultz last night from cancer

Click for larger image
We are proud to announce another new NEWSTALGIA bodied funny car has arrived in the IBAA. Many of you 'coasters already know of the transplanted, Marshall, Saskatchewan, Bruce Oliver, of Bruce Oliver Racing. Bruce has been a member of our group for 4 years now, and his old Daytona bodied funny car has been a consistent runner at all the track we go to.

Seems old Bruce is about to stir things up a bit. This new 1955 Ford Thunderbird bodied car has just been unveiled to the public, and man is it WILD! Bruce tells me that it is the only one like it in the world. Bruce, being a top down kinda guy, and crew, spent hundreds of hours on this car, and to top the cool 'bird off, they made her a RAG!

Mr. Oliver is looking forward to running this neat little car across Western Canada, and the north west United States, with his buddies in the IBAA, and says he is particularly looking forward to running against a certain orange '57 Chevy bel air ( that is near and dear to my heart) at Missions Loafers race in August. To see more about this new 'Bird, go to www.awesomeburnouts.com

The Mission site now includes a detailed explanation of all their 2001 race program

Hi Larry, how are you doing?

I have been busy working on my trailer down at Husky Camper everyday. I tell you Larry I just cannot thank John Evans and his guy Gord at G&M Trailers enough for the super job they did on all the steel work that had to be done on my trailer to convert it to an enclosed model. I also have to thank Tom & all the guys at Husky Camper in Port Coquitlam for the all the tin work that they are performing. I would encourage all racers to frequent these two business for any trailer problems they might have.

As far as the Behnke Racing Family here is where we are at for 2001. Jim is busy building a back up 440 for his Barracuda and will not be making any big changes to the car. Or as he said befor,e why mess with a combination that works? As for the Buick... well Jim says dad loves to create little nightmares for him. We installed a 300 Turbine transmission (Buick Pontiac 2 speed) with a C02 actuated brake that was built for me by Willie Earp and all the Guys at Village Transmission in Edmonds Washington. Any one needing a transmission should talk with these guys. They know what there doing and how to build racing transmissions as well as any other transmission work you may need. I believe the 1.76 1st gear will settle the Buick down and make it a more consistent car. We are also in the process of finishing a new motor for the Buick with more compression and a bigger cam. I am hoping that this will allow me to race Super Street this year if I can afford it and the combination works. If not both Jim and I plan to run Pro in brackets for 2001 as BCCCA has not changed there payout policy in Super-Pro that I am aware of at this time. It just don't make any sense to Race Super-Pro at Mission. I think this is going backwards and I know several other Super-Pro racers feel the same way and plan to drop back into Pro as well.

Anyway Larry that's what is happening around here see you at the Cruisers on the 17th. Bob Behnke

Thanks for the update Bobby. HH invites any racer to send in similar reports. Hey, if nuthin' else, you get to plug your sponsors...SEND HERE.

News from Texas tells us none of the 'EH' Stockers were even close to the nine second zone. That leaves the weekend of Feb. 23-25 with races at Ennis (Div. 4) and Gainsville (Div. 2), and possibly Memphis (Div. 4) March 30/Apr. 1 as the only real possibilities before Boise and Mission for drag racing history to happen.

NHRA Div. 6 Chassis Seminars

Sunday March 4 - Seattle International Raceway
Contact Mike Rice (253) 841-4691
or SIR (253) 631-1550

Saturday Mrch 17 10am - 3pm - Spokane Comm. College
Contact Mike Rice (253) 841-4691

Saturday March 24 Chassis and ETI - Woodburn Dragstrip
Jay Livingston (503) 982-4461

Saturday March 31 10am - 2pm - Renegade Raceway, Yakima
Contact Mike Rice (253) 841-4691

Alberta dates:
Saturday March 24 - Calgary
Sunday March 25 - Medicine Hat
Saturday April 7 - Edmonton
Contact Dave Schaffel (306) 373-8148

Jerry Valentine

PDF file of a MAJOR new two day race at Bremerton THE NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN CLASSIC May 12 & 13
CLICK HERE for complete info in Acrobat format

or Click HERE to download free Acrobat Reader

Biggest rumor of 2001...so far: Rick Santos may claim Div 6, which could cause some locals to head east to claim points...LP

Glen Braid. Wuuuuuuuzup? Guess you better check the MAJOR update to GB's site.....cansoeh?

A guy you will come to know as simply 'the kid' is doin Glen's lil space oh digitally...He's a rookie...I think this is his first site. Send him your requests. Glen wants to do this right.

Thank you.

So who is the Cup driver who simply cannot play PS2 without being himself...No way?...Waaay.

John Evans over at G&M Trailer : "I guess I have you to blame?" For the dozen quotes in his email box since his return from Pomona.

This c'mn weekend.....oh wow. TipDcan?..fireitup?mmmmmmmmmaybe Crossyurfingers

Hey, send our sponsors some email...if nuthin' else tell 'em you appreciate their support of HH!

I know I do.

LP

EAGLE MOTORPLEX NITE UPDATE: If you haven't marked down Saturday night Feb. 17 on your 'must be there' list, do it now....then immediately after call Cruisers Restaurant in Langley, B.C. (604-533-7223) and tell them how many people are in your group. This is so that owner Ralph Peake knows how much food and drink to bring in. You don't have to pay until you show up there, they just need to know how many may show up. HH has confirmed some heavy hitters will be in attendance including Glenn Miller, and the 2000 Div. 6 Bracket Driver of the Year Chris Brandt. The third HH Practice Tree Nationals promises to be the biggest one ever! As the race/social director I will be making sure everyone is suitably 'tuned-up' and legal to compete...hehehehehe. Just make those plans NOW! The MRP meeting is the same afternoon, and there is a Travel Lodge right next door to Cruisers. Their number is 604-533-4431. Don't let Sunday morning's HH posting make you regret NOT being at Cruisers on Saturday night February 17th!!!

LP

Our promotional campaign is coming right along and tonight we introduce you to our newest sponsor. Gordon Currie lives "way the hell up in Dawson Creek" and has created a pair of unrelated but wonderful sites. Another one is coming soon too. He's teaming up with that amazing turbo Chevy/Regal team of Dale Pederson and Darren Black. Check out this link to see how far up there Dawson Creek really is! We' very happy to have them on board, and we urge you to send your requests in asap as once this navigation pages starts to fill up... Email HERE for info

We've posted Calgary's finalized schedule HERE. We are not certain if the RaceCity.com site has this one or not at this point. Thank you Lynn Church!

A new link came in today FASTMotorsports.com that features the official web sites of two west coast Pro Mod stars, Kirk Kuhns and John Scalpi. HH is trying to determine how many times we'll get a chance to see them run in our area in 2001 so we can let you know.

Speaking of new official drag websites, we've all waited far too long for a Joint Venture one!

"The Reporter came out to our MotorHome on Sunday Morning and interviewed three of us, we did not make the cut. The guys that were on were demo drivers and they blew it way out of shape." - One of the many people HH has heard from who were at B.C. Place Saturday night. Most said it was bad, but not as bad as BCTV would want you to believe.

If you cruise the streets of Langley, B.C. You'll like this site.

Got to talk at length with an old buddy for the first time in a long time this evening.

I can vividly recall traveling all around the Northwest with this guy in the mid 70s. Those trips to Mission with Neil Lachelt, John Fleury, Stan Sipos and many others are times never to be repeated. One day I'll take out the photos I have of a bunch of Van Isle crazies using the roof at a certain Kent WA. motel for a diving board...

A prominent member of Vancouver Island drag racing ever since those days is Ray Grossmith who is entering his third consecutive year as president of the British Columbia Custom Car Association. He has survived through some tough times, and kept his head on straight dealing in a system where no one person has much overall power. An often trying position for a club 'president'. My old buddy is ready for another year at the head of this group of men saddled with management of a major racing facility.

We went through the schedule and he gave me the bottom line that those Friday night street drags are a go. "They're on the schedule", he replied to my 'done deal' question. "I know it will be hard, but hopefully this is the start of something that might really help the street racing situation". He said this is what most people wanted.

The Friday night races total 18....Eighteen new races at MRP. Eighteen new days and nights. The logistics of this are awesome. Ray is very confident it will work.

The feeling around most MRP folks these days is pretty good. The schedule is as fresh as it was last year, so we will defiantly see some growing pains in the new stuff for a bit.

We talked about the MRP NHRA races, we talked about the CPSA situation. Ray pointed out the Super Series races each weekend before the two Federal Moguls. Three races in a week for those people. Cool. He is also confident the CPSA will iron out their current 'rule dispute'.

We discussed import drags...briefly.

We discussed feature cars. He gave me his reason why he can't say, I gave him my reason why he should. He didn't.

We talked Top Comp. I think I made some points on that one. Buuuuuuut it's already on the schedule, and they are in print mode, and it's not that much of a big deal........

We talked about all kinds of stuff from helicopters to families. We must have these kinda talks more often.

Geez, I should call Rockstad and do this...

Ray and his wife Lynn are great friends, they work their butts off and I love 'em both to death. I, better than many, know the job they face each and every day. It's a job I would not want for anything. The fact the couple lives in Victoria makes their efforts even more impressive. I treasure our long friendship and wish them both nothing but the best always.

We had the best talk we've had in at least three or four years. Next time will be at the Vancouver Motorsport Show March 2,3,4. BCCCA has such a rich car show tradition, and will be front-and-center at this year's 50th anniversary celebration.

A couple of Island boys, Ray and I have been doing this together for a very long time. I don't think too many of you ever realized that. With the Quarter Milers reunion right around the corner and much more exciting stuff on tap for 2001 and beyond, trust me when I say....oh this is gonna hurt: "The best motorsport guys in B.C. have always come from the Island EH!!!!"

Somebody told me the Northwest needs a decent dirt track site badly. Anyone interested in assisting, email me with what you can bring to the table to make it happen. I have retained a number of great contacts in the sport, so let me know if you're serious.

LINE OF THE WEEKEND: "I don't write for everybody...I write this stuff to have fun and to attempt to extricate the meaning out of man's innate desire to burn fossil fuels (nitromethane, most specifically), a ritual that I consider to be an extreme and glorious act of utter absurdity." - Cole Coonce on Header Flames.

One of the coolest videos I have EVER seen! Tomcat hammering through the sound barrier during a LOW carrier flyby! Dedicated to those recently single, Tom Cruise especially.

LP

CONGRATULATIONS to Bucky Austin Federal Mogul Funny Car Champion and Mark Hentges, Federal Mogul Dragster Runner-Up at 2001 NHRA Winternationals!!!

Today's race in sunny Southern California sounded nearly as exciting as the Monster Truck show inside Vancouver's seldom crowded B.C. Place stadium last night. BCTV lead off the news at six today with a feature-length report on the 'riot'. You can probably catch it again at 11:30 tonight or check their site HERE. Much like the WWF riot of a few years ago, it appears to be a group of about 100 people were among the big crowd that showed up. BCTV said about 10,000 more than expected were on hand. I read that as the stadium lacking a few 'ushers'. It's another black-eye on motorsports to many, just another fun night for a few.

Down in Pomona I never did hear if Tony Pedregon got his helmet back. Big Mac put out a plea to have it returned "with no questions asked", right before McLelland spoke of his golf cart that 'disappeared' for a while this afternoon before being 'found'.

Best part of the webcast was the CackleFest '2000' that Mac kept getting wrong. Regardless, you could hear this far better than most of the racing, and the big guy's announcing was classic. You had to know his old buddy was up there smiling down on him...

LP

EXCLUSIVE Pomona Report
Courtesy Dean Murdoch, Speedzone Magazine

The first of twenty four NHRA National Events is now in the books and Division Six had a fine presence, much like at the Finals, three months ago.

Very strong rumors indicate world champ Rick Santos will be at Mission this year. Let's hope.

Federal Mogul Dragster qualifying was unbelievable! This year's bump was an astonishing 5.54 with no less than 20 cars quicker than the former mark of 5.67. As many as nine of those cars could well show at Mission in 2001. Number two qualifier Santos, number three Duane Shields, five Mark Hentges, along with Brian Hough, Dale Carlson, Steve Federlin, Paul Jones, Brandon Bernstein, and possibly Brandon Henkleman. The only neg. is that the local guys will be hard pressed to qualify.

It was Hentges and Santos in the final, with Santos' 5.40 over the 2000 Div. Six champ's 5.50.

Federal Mogul Funny Car saw 'Uncle Buck' against surprise finalist Brett Williamson. Bucky Austin took the Winternationals win with a 5.81. His interview at the top end said they hopped it up a bunch looking to run a low 70 or high 60, but it shook real hard and a 80 was all he could muster.

The new rules appeared to slow down the floppers by about 1/2 tenth, but there was also a lot of carnage. Was that not the idea behind the recent rule changes?

Biggest news in the FM classes was the 5.22 shot heard around the world by David Baca. According to reports he had one or two limp holes on the car too! Unfortunately, he could not back up the run for a record.

Comp Eliminator news saw Kirk Kuhns blasting the AA/PM index by two tenths on his first pass in eliminations. A 1.1 reaction saw him play a successful game of catch-up. Unfortunately, his 6.34 pass was 7/10ths under, you are allowed 5/10ths. Ouch! He still went to the quarters though, and had a great .519 light. But he could only run a 6.41 when he needed a .39.

California Super Stock driver, and last year's Div. 6 Super Stock champ, Steve Wann lost in the semis.

Oh ya, the Pro classes... In Top Fuel, It was a Cinderella story. Darrell Russell, the hired gun in the Joe Amato camp, stunned the field by running consistent 4.60-70's all weekend and taking out the Yankee's in the final inning... er sorry, Top Fuel Final. Steinbrener's hired shoe Mike Dunn smoked the tires in the final. Wonder what George will have to say...

Funny Car, probably the most competitive class this year, had Bruce Sarver getting the win over Team Castrol Tony Pedregon. It was close; a 4.88 for Sarver got by a quicker leaving Tony, who went 4.95.

After today's victory in Pro Stock, I'm picking Kurt Johnson to win the championship. He drove around the last Dodge Boy Darrell Alderman in the final today. A top end header fire in KJ's car caused no damage "Just a build-up of fuel in the carbs" the announcers said over the Yahoo Internet broadcast.

Slow Stock Truck had Randy Daniels winning over Greg Stansfield.

That's it, I certainly can't wait for Mission's first FMDRS. A 5.50 bump in FMD or maybe a 5.40 bump . Who knows!!!! Be There!!!Courtesy Dean Murdoch, Speedzone Magazine

_______________________________________

Is this fan report from last night's XFL debut in Las Vegas the future of attending a live sports even? "The energy in the crowd is like a rock concert. The fans are going wild -- there are fights, people are screaming and having a good time, girls are lifting up their shirts. It would've been better if the other team was a bit better but the bottom line is that they're playing good football."
Sounds like a report from an early 70's race at Seattle...hmmmm.

With the webcast about to begin from Pomona HERE we hope to be able to bring you a Div. 6 report of sorts later in the day. As out hit count continues to grow (up 10% from Jan. already) I would like to once again invite anyone with a drag racing related business anywhere in Division 6 to drop us line HERE to inquire about our new advertising packages. We have the ability to handle anything from a small shop to a regional chain. Also, as we near the time when editing of the HH2000 tape is to begin, we remind you that major promotional vehicle is also available for your marketing plan. This website and our videos offer you a truly unique way to get your message out to your target market.

Larry: You may have already snuck over to see some of the color photography from Classic VII, but in case you didn't get a chance, just stop over for a visit to -

http://www.firebirdonline.com/Classic/2000_classic/classic_1.htm

http://www.firebirdonline.com/Classic/2000_classic/2000.htm

http://www.firebirdonline.com/Classic/2000_classic/20001.htm

There's a couple of dandy's...with much thanks to both Rich Carlson and Brian Losness for scoring several outstanding images and special thanks to Tomi Schaefer for putting them out on our site for all to enjoy. All the best from your friends down in snowy Idaho,

The New Crew

No question where the best online Pomona pics are. Joel Gelfand has 'em HERE.

Broken News: ESPN2 MHRA Coverage delayed due to college roundball OT. Like always when stuff like this happens, Header Flames is the place to read about it.

For everyone unable to get to Los Angeles for the drag races, here are a couple of interesting links from the L.A. Times courtesy of JC once again:

32 Arrested, 72 Vehicles Seized in Street Racing Sweep

New Regime Fuels NHRA Rise

NHRA Pushing the Pedal to the Metal

Interesting that the new Comp rules have attracted (so far) two blown Pro Mods (AA/PM) and a pair of nitrous pieces (A/PM) at Pomona. I did not see any of the import classes represented. Since this is a hotbed of such cars, I wonder why? Later in the day the NHRA site pulled ahead of the Summit site in reporting times. Get a life eh? LP

The revised 2001 Mission schedule is now posted on their website HERE.

Talk about kissing the car goodnight and locking the wife in the garage...

Pomona is happening and in early returns Summit's online reporting is hours ahead of the mother corp.