Josh Speck Saturday Ten Grand Winner

Day #1 of the American Race Cars Ten Grand Nationals unleashed some of the most intense racing action of the season.  Round one alone yielded nine perfect reaction times (0.000).  As the rounds went on it was not uncommon to see races decided by margins of victory of less than nine thousandths of a second (.009).  Then it happened!  “Mother Nature” and the backlash from hurricane Earl teamed up to a strike a final blow on the 24 race cars left in competition.  

Day #2 started out similar to Friday with a rain delay.  The rain in combination with the blustery wind made an 1/8 mile event the only sensible decision.  

As a result, the racing became closer and the top end strategy changed.  “Dead On” runs became the rule rather the exception.  When the smoke cleared the air and the finals were called to the water box the dragster/door car count was even.  

The “door car” fans were gathered in awe as Scotty Batyik went RED and Josh Speck carried the banner and the “Happy Gilmore Big Check”, redeemable for 10,000 pictures of George Washington, back to his pit area as the team prepared for a chance to double up on the final day.

The final day started with Mother Nature becoming a fan of the American Race Cars Ten Grand Nationals and providing us with a beautiful Midwest autumn day.  

With Rob Moser and the Moser Engineering family on hand to participate, it was apparent that they would have to take the calculator out of their trailer to keep track of the Moser Mega Money being given away, and an EZ Pass for the toll roads to make it back home to Indiana.

As the day built to a crescendo and the staccato of the two steps began to fade into the night, the final curtain rose for the last act presenting a pair of dragsters driven by Sam Kolbl and Steve Schmidt.  The Christmas tree dropped and the win light flashed in the Summit lane where Steve Schmidt claimed victory.

As the crowd headed toward home with thoughts of American Race Cars, the driving force in the sportsman dragster world, fresh in the minds of everyone present, Steve Schmidt and his American Race Cars dragster would begin the preparation ritual for his next championship effort.  

Anticipation fills the air for an even bigger and better event for the American Race Cars Ten Grand Nationals for 2011.  

The Largest Sportsman Drag Race in the World is just 50 Days Away!

Information will be released in the coming days regarding the K&N Halloween Classic so stay tuned to the website for updates. The Halloween Classic brochure and registration information is scheduled to hit the mail the week of September 13th... Let the fun begin!

Be part of our week long Halloween Party... October 24-31, 2010!

Calvin Rice in 1955. Photo by NHRA.com

Austin vs. Manzo at '86 Indy. Photo by Auto Imagery, Inc.

Szafranski, Yours Truly and O'Donnell at '67 Indy.

With the 56th running of the MAC Tools U.S. Nationals upon us and the "Countdown" beginning, each race will take on a little more meaning, especially for those drivers and teams that made the top ten. Of course the race itself is very special, and you don't have to take my word for it. If you read the "Reader's Choice" issue of National DRAGSTER you saw what Ed "The Ace" McCulloch said about the race. "I never won an NHRA championship and to this day that bothers me. But I've got six Indy wins and I'll always be proud of that, and I think it would bother me a lot more if I had won six championships but never won Indy." If you want to argue with "The Ace" go ahead and let me know how that works out for you!! And Larry Dixon, when asked about being the top seed in the playoffs responded, "I'm not thinking about the 'Countdown' right now, I'm thinking about Indy." It was also Larry who said that "losing Indy feels like someone ran over your dog." You get the idea, Indy is special and it has been since 1961. From Great Bend, Kansas (1955) to Kansas City (1956) to Oklahoma City (1957 - 1958) to Detroit (1959 - 1960) and finally to Indy, this is the race everyone wants to win. From Calvin Rice in 1955 to Tony Schumacher last year, winning Indy makes your year a success. Of course when Calvin won it was the only race of the year, or at least the only NHRA national event. Did you know the initial "Nationals" was rained out and was actually completed in Arizona two months later? I digress a bit here, but if you're ever lucky enough to get to spend some time with Fritz Voight, the runner-up at that 1955 Nationals, ask him about it, believe me, it's something you'll remember forever.  He does.

I imagine that if anyone other than Tony Schumacher or Larry Dixon wins the race this week it will be a surprise, that's because the two of them have monopolized the TF winner's circle for the past ten years. During that time Tony has run off a staggering eight wins and one runner-up while Larry has been to five finals and won twice. Throw in the win in his rookie season of 1995 and Larry has a trio of Indy trophies on his mantle. Tony, who tied "Big Daddy" Don Garlits with his eighth win last year, has put together some unbelievable numbers at Indy, numbers that put him in a class of his own. Did you know that the "Sarge" is 41-5 in his Top Fuel career at Indy? For those who took French instead of math in school let me figure it out for you. That computes to a dizzy 89% winning total. Unbelievable....In addition to his great winning record and all the victories he has at Indy, Tony also has another little bit of drag racing history to his credit at the "Big Go." Did you know that in the entire history of Top Fuel at Indy Tony is the only driver to have ever swept the race? In 2007 he qualified number one, set low elapsed time and top speed while winning the race and he's the only fuel dragster driver to ever do that? Garlits didn't do it, Joe Amato didn't, and neither did Gary Beck, Don Prudhomme or anyone else. When you think of all the great Top Fuel champs at Indy it's amazing that none of them, other than Tony, ever won the race and dominated all of the statistical categories, too....After looking at Tony's remarkable won - loss record at the "Nationals," I thought I needed to see what "Big Daddy" did over the course of his Indy career. Now remember, there were years when Don had to run in class eliminations in order to get a shot at the championship. Taking that into consideration, and giving him a round win for class just like a round win in the eliminator bracket, Don put up a total of 60 - 12 at the "Nationals," and that computes to a very impressive winning total of 83%. And what about the "King of Pro Stock" at Indy, Bob Glidden? Well, the "Great One" won Indy nine times and was runner-up another six times, and of course his record of thirteen consecutive finals is a record that will never be broken, believe me. So for his time at Indy Bob went 61 -14 for an 81% winning number. And let's not forget Frank Manzo who will be going for his record-setting tenth Indy title. "Uncle" Frank, who has been to eleven finals at the "Big Go," is 61-19 for his efforts in Indiana and that computes to a lofty 76%. Let me tell you, when you've run as many races as Tony, Don, Bob and Frank have and you've won the amount of rounds and races that they have, you've had a very successful career, and you have given the fans a lot of great moments to remember....There are some others who have won more than 70% of their races at Indy and the list won't have any surprises. Ed McCulloch (76%), Pat Austin, 74%, including TAFC and TF, Jeg Coughlin (74%) and Don Prudhomme (70%). I'm sure there are more, but these are drivers who have all competed in at least twenty-five rounds and who have won a lot of races on the sport's biggest stage....Some of the great Pro Stock Motorcycle riders did very well at Indy, too. Did you know that Dave Schultz was 37 - 9 at Indy for an 80% winning average? John Myers wasn't far behind with his record of 22 - 6 which computes to 79%, and Angelle Sampey, who will officially retire at Indy this year, went 27 -11 for a 71% winning total. Not bad, huh?
When I come to Indy each year invariably I get asked about the first time I came to the "Nationals" and I always say the same thing, it was 1967 and I remember it like it was yesterday. Along with two of my best friends, Ray Szafranski and Mike O'Donnell, we decided on Friday afternoon that we wanted to go to Indy. Ray and I were in the Air Force at the time and we had some time off so we took advantage of that, and along with Mike we set out on our long weekend. Twelve hours later we were in Indiana, and as we got closer to the track we saw more and more rigs parked at the motels heading into town. Remember, back then nobody stayed at the track and all the teams used the hotel parking lots, and sometimes the hotel rooms, to work on their cars. I don't know if this part is true or not, but it's the way I remember it. The more money a team had the closer to the track they were, so after seeing a bunch of stockers parked miles away from the actual race track, as we got closer we saw all the "bigs," like Don Nicholson, Tommy Ivo, Garlits and the other superstars of the day. It was so cool and unlike anything you experience today, and for me it was one of the best parts of the trip. Once we got to the track we grabbed a spot in the stands (there were no reserved seats back then) and we stayed there for most of the day, through the pros and the sportsman racers and we loved every minute of it. By the time the weekend was over we had seen Ben Wenzel win in Stock Eliminator (yes, that Ben Wenzel), Doug Thorley stun the Funny Cars and Don Cain pull off one of the biggest upsets in history when his single-engine Top Gas car beat the feared "Freight Train" in the semi-finals and then finished off the weekend with a win yes, the three of us did rush the starting line to watch "Big Daddy" shave his beard after making that historic 6.77 run in the finals against James Warren. It was all spectacular and we never stopped talking about it for the entire twelve hour ride home.....Did you know that Don won that race after qualifying 23rd in the field, just ahead of Fred Welchman and some guy by the name of Jim Dunn? Speaking of Don's big win I have to mention this. I was at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing earlier this year and I was treated to a tour of the "inner sanctum." And when we went upstairs to where Don has hundreds, literally, of classic jackets stored away I saw it, the most beautiful jacket I had ever seen. Believe it or not Don still has the jacket that he was awarded for winning Indy in 1967. It has his name on it and the winning time (they were big on putting times or speeds on jackets back then) and it was perfectly preserved, as most of his jackets are. As we took it off the rack and I held it up, for one, brief, fleeting moment I was back on the starting line with Don and thousands of fans as they celebrated what is still regarded as one of the great moments in Indy history. And I was there. So now you know about my first Indy experience, and at the risk of getting abused, I've attached a photo of me with Ray and Mike at that '67 Indy race. Thanks to Father Ed Aigner for that little bit of photographic history. I think!!!

The rumor that I'm hearing is that Bob Glidden may be driving this week at Indy. Word has it that he was testing today and that he may be behind the wheel of Jim Cunningham's Ford, which would make it Bob's first appearance at Indy since 1998 and his first stint behind the wheel of any Pro Stock car since the 2003 season. Did you know that Bob competed at Indy twenty-six times and that included every year from 1973 through 1996? He was, for the better part of a quarter of a century, one of the real fixtures at Indy, and as I mentioned, his record of thirteen consecutive final rounds is the stuff that legends are made of. I would love to see him race and I'd really like to see him qualify for the race. Did you know that Bob has 597 round wins to his credit? And did you know that there are only three drivers in the history of the sport John Force (1068), Warren Johnson (866) and Kenny Bernstein (681) with 600 or more round wins in their careers? Now I know that if you talk to Bob he will say that numbers like that don't mean anything to him, but they do to me. For all he has done in the sport, and for all the great moments he has given us, I would like to see him get those three round wins. I don't know if he will race at Indy and I don't know if he'll qualify if he does show up, but I do know this. If and when Bob Glidden comes to the starting line you'll hear one of the biggest and loudest ovations that we've heard at Indy in a long time. Kind of makes me wish Ray and Mike were coming to Indy this year. Did you know that Ford, which was Bob's car of choice for most of his career, has won Indy ten times and that Bob accounts for eight of those wins? Wayne Gapp in 1975 and Don Nicholson in 1977 won the other two. And did you know that the last time a Ford, any Ford won Indy was when Bob beat Warren Johnson in the final round in 1988? Those ten wins tie Ford with Pontiac for the most wins by a manufacturer at Indy in Pro Stock.

In addition to all the excitement that goes with Indy, this year the teams will begin their championship quest at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Larry Dixon, John Force, Mike Edwards and Andrew Hines all come in as the top ranked drivers in their classes and all have a thirty point edge on the field. A little more than half, twenty-one, of the forty drivers who qualified for the "Countdown" have won races so far this year. Larry's nine wins and Mike's eight are the best while John and Andrew each have won four times....A lot of the teams were busy testing in Indy last week and Cory McClenathan (3.790) and Bob Tasca (4.077) paced the fields in Top Fuel and Funny Car respectively. Of course testing is one thing and actually running well this week is another, but it's always nice to get a few good runs under your belt before the marathon that is Indy begins. The fuel teams have to test a lot of things, like the chassis, especially if it's new, the clutch disc, especially if they're new, and much more. It's a long, arduous process but it has to be done, or at least a lot of the teams think it has to be done.Cory, who has a great history at Indy, comes in as the number two guy in the points and he looks like he has a car and a team that can make a serious run for the championship. Did you know that this will be Cory's twenty-first trip to Indy and that includes two in the
Top Alcohol Dragster class? Cory ran TAD in 1989 and '90 and he made it to the final round in 1990 only to lose to Bill Barney who had a perfect reaction time in the final round. Cory has also been to the finals at the "Big Go" three times in Top Fuel and he has picked up a couple of wins..For his part, Bob Tasca, who is in only his third year in Funny Car, also has a final round appearance in the Lucas Oil series at Indy. In 2007 Bob had the best seat in the house to watch Frank Manzo win his ninth Indy title. Since both Cory and Bob ran in the sportsman ranks I thought I would point out that twelve of the drivers who have qualified for the "Countdown" in either Top Fuel or Funny Car all raced in the alky ranks at one time or another....One of the special unveiling's that will take place this weekend involves John Gaydosh and his Pro Stock car. John has his car all done up in patriotic colors as he honors the men and women who have served our country in all branches of the armed forces. It's a great looking car and John is involved in a program called Hot Rods for Heroes, a program you'll hear much more about in the coming weeks. Stop by his pit area this weekend especially if you are a current or former veteran of the armed forces.

If you're coming to Indy this week and you have some free time, which means that you're not a worker or racer at the "Nationals' this year, take in some of the activities that will surround the event. Morgan Lucas and his team will be heading up a big golf tournament on Thursday at the Eagle Creek Golf Club. A lot of the NHRA stars will be there, and even if you don't golf, it should be fun to watch them play and you can get some pictures and autographs before you even go to the track. I noticed that one of the features at the event is a "Hole-in-One" package, and I guess the fact that I got that hole-in-one last year is why I didn't get an invitation. Oh well, I'm working Thursday anyway.. The next day, Friday, there is a big open house at Don Schumacher Racing's palatial estate, and it is palatial, believe me. The 100,000 square foot shop will be open to visitors and they are going to have a good, old-fashioned Cacklefest as part of the festivities when five of the vintage Funny Cars will fire up and that sounds like a lot of fun. So see the cars, meet the drivers and bring your cameras because the open house at Don's place is always a treat..And when you're in Indy you should make sure to stop by Bruce Litton's shop. Located right across the street from the main gate, Bruce has a wonderful collection of cars and his shop has actually been made to look just like the main street of his home town and that includes a working soda fountain, movie theater and more. Bruce doesn't know that I'm inviting you, but just mention my name when you get to the doors. Once you've completed all of that, then head to the track for what should be another great running of the "Big Go." See you there!!

The 10-time champ says PINKS was an awesome event

PINKS All Out has become one of the most popular televised spectacles in all of motorsports.  Combine PINKS with the superior showmanship of Bill Bader and his Summit Motorsports Park, and fans are treated to a tremendously entertaining event.

Now throw the world’s quickest motorcycle into the mix, and fans are in for one of the year’s best shows.

Even the Spiderman himself was blown away with the quality of entertainment at this weekend’s, August 27-28, PINKS All Out from Norwalk, Ohio.

“It was one hell of a show.  Bill Bader knows how to put on an incredible event,” McBride said. “They had everything.  I even watched a woman blow herself up with dynamite (she was unharmed).”

The 10-time Top Fuel champ put on his own fireworks display by dazzling Norwalk’s huge crowd and PINKS creator, Rich Christensen, with a 6.05 at 219 mph.  The pass evoked a hearty round of cheers but was not one of McBride’s all-time best numbers. McBride smoked the tire off the line and shut off the throttle 5.6 seconds into the run, right at the 1,000 foot mark.

“I decided to play it safe. The shutdown area at Norwalk has always been a little difficult for me.  You can’t see over the hill, and it looks shorter than what it really is,” McBride said.  “I didn’t want to push it too hard and tear up a bunch of parts.  We weren’t racing. We just wanted to put on a good show.”

In McBride’s second and final exhibition pass, he recorded a 6.06 at 229 mph.  This time McBride held the throttle open past the 1,000 foot mark, eventually shutting off 5.8 seconds into the run.

“The track was very hot and we didn’t want to smoke the tire again, so we took some clutch out of it,” McBride said. “It was a fun run.”

McBride was happy to report his motorcycle ran strong on all four cylinders during both runs.  The Spiderman is hopeful that the team’s lingering mechanical issue is a problem of the past.

The team thanked; Pingel Enterprise, Drag Specialties-Parts Unlimited, Red Line Synthetic Oil Corporation, K&N Air Filters and Web-Cam as well as his other sponsors.

Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Vance & Hines Motorsports, PR Factory Store, Muzzys Performance, Ferrea Valves, Kibblewhite, Precision Machine, World Wide Bearings, Vanson Leathers, Performance Machine, Belt Drives Ltd, Street & Competition, Simpson Race Products, Nitrous Express, APE, EK Chain, Arias Pistons, R/D Spring Corp, Autolite, MSD, Protect ALL, Whipple Industries, Cometic Gaskets, B&J Transmission, Carolina Cycle, L.A. Sleeve, PJ1, Mickey Thompson Tires, Valco, Goodridge, Carlisle Belts and Gates Belts.

Congratulations to the winner of the 1974 Porsche Carrera -
Bob Randall, from Columbia Station, Ohio!

The 4 semi-finalists of the B'laster "Bust Loose" Sweepstakes had a magnificent race-off:

Robert Randall - Columbia Station, OH
Douglas Gunter - Snohomish, WA
Anthony Maxedon - Mattoon, IL
Valerie Simons - De Bary, FL

The 4 semi-finalists participated in a dramatic "race-off" at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH on Saturday, August 28th for the chance to win the restored 1974 Porsche Carrera. Participants raced new Pontiac G6 cars down the straightaway at Summit Motorsports Park - the 2 fastest racers that ran against each other were in the finals, and that winner determined who cruised off in the fabulous red Porsche, courtesy of B'laster. It was a close race until the end, and Bob Randall won by just .022 seconds - in just a blink of an eye!

Thanks to everyone who entered our sweepstakes!

GLENDORA, Calif. (Aug. 26, 2010) - NHRA announced its 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule today, featuring 22 national events. The most significant change to the schedule is the move of the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway to the fall where it will become one of the six-races that comprise the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship. The Phoenix event, which also will feature the Pro Stock Motorcycle class for the first time, will be held Oct. 14-16. 

NHRA also announced that New England Dragway will join the NHRA member track network in 2011.  NHRA is currently working with the track on facility improvements with the goal to bring an NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event to New England Dragway as soon as possible.  Given the location of the facility, and NHRA's well known desire to bring a national event to New England and near the metropolitan Boston market, it promises to be one of the most popular spots on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour.

NHRA will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2011, with a number of special events and activities planned throughout the season at all NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events. Plans for the celebration, which will be announced in greater detail in the coming weeks, will include showcasing many of the sport's greatest moments from the last seven decades.

NHRA's 60th anniversary campaign kicks-off with the 51st running of the Kragen O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., Feb. 24-27, followed by the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway two weeks later, March 10-13. After the East Coast opener in Gainesville, the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will head west for the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 1-3.    

The second annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, a spectacle unlike any other in motorsports, will take place at zMAX Dragway, April 14-17.  The 24th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals will take place April 29-May 1 at Royal Purple Raceway near Houston, followed by the 31st annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15 at Atlanta Dragway. The O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan. will be held May 20-22.    

The month of June will once again take the Full Throttle Series teams to three tradition-rich venues, beginning with the 42nd annual NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., June 2-5, followed by the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., June 17-19, and concluding with the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, June 23-26.

Another change to the schedule sees The United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago moving to July 7-10.   In 2011, the start of the Western Swing will begin with the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver, July 22-24, followed by the 24th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals, July 29-31 in Sonoma, Calif., and conclude with the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Aug. 5-7.

The other race scheduled during the month of August, celebrating its 30th anniversary, is the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 18-21.

If the stakes weren't already high for the most famous of all drag racing events - the traditional Labor Day weekend running of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil -   they will be increased ten-fold in 2011 as the prestigious event will represent the final chance for teams in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series to earn a top 10 position and qualify for the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.  The nearly week-long event will take place Aug. 31-Sept. 5 at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.  

The six-races that will make up the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship include the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Sept. 15-18 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte; O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas, Sept. 22-25; and the 27th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.

The season concludes with the last three events of the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, starting with the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix, Oct. 14-16, the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 27-30, and the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Nov. 10-13.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class will compete in a 16-race schedule, with six of those races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.
            
ESPN2 and ESPN2HD, a part of the ESPN network, the worldwide leader in sports, will once again provide exclusive television coverage, on a same-day basis, of all NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events featuring action from qualifying rounds on Saturday and Sunday's race.
            
Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., NHRA has 80,000 members and 140 member tracks worldwide.   As the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States, NHRA presents 23 national events featuring the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. Two NHRA-sanctioned bracket racing series provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels: the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA.  NHRA also offers the Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 8 to 17.   In addition, NHRA owns and operates five racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Atlanta Dragway in Georgia; National Trail Raceway in Ohio; O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

"Armstrong earned five NHRA World Championships"

DETROIT (Aug. 25, 2010) - Legendary NHRA crew chief and mechanical wizard Dale Armstrong was one of seven icons from the world of motorsports inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Wednesday evening during the organization's annual induction ceremony at the Fillmore Theatre.

Long recognized as one of the sport's greatest innovators, Armstrong was the first Funny Car crew chief to use wind-tunnel testing and data recorders. He also is credited with the development of the lockup-style clutch, dual-source fuel-delivery system, and dynamometer testing for nitromethane-burning racing engines.

As crew chief for Kenny Bernstein, Armstrong earned five NHRA world championship titles, including four in Funny Car and one in Top Fuel, and helped the team make history by posting the first 300 mph speed in NHRA history. Following his record-breaking run with Bernstein, Armstrong continued his successful career tuning Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's Top Fuel dragster. 

Armstrong, who also had an outstanding career as a driver with 12 NHRA national event victories including the prestigious U.S. Nationals, was inducted alongside famed daredevil Joie Chitwood, NASCAR champ Alan Kulwicki, AMA SuperCross champion Jeremy McGrath, television announcer Ken Squier, Trans Am champion Jerry Titus and USAC champ Rich Vogler. 

Marty Reid, former NHRA television announcer and current lead for ESPN's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series telecasts as well as the Indy 500, presented Armstrong for induction. 

Chip Ganassi served as Honorary Chairman for the evening's ceremonies. President Tom Compton and Senior Vice President of Racing Operations, Graham Light, attended the event on behalf of NHRA.

Armstrong is the 22nd inductee in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America from the world of NHRA drag racing. Others are Don Garlits (1989); Shirley Muldowney (1990); Don Prudhomme (1991); Connie Kalitta (1992); Wally Parks (1993); Bob Glidden (1994); Keith Black (1995); Bill Jenkins (1996); Art Chrisman (1997); Don Nicholson (1998); C. J. Hart (1999); Danny Ongais (2000); Tom McEwen (2001); Eddie Hill (2002); Ed Donovan (2003); Joe Amato (2004); Tommy Ivo (2005); Chris Karamesines (2006); Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin (2007); John Force (2008); and Kenny Bernstein (2009). 

The Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame is operated by the Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame of America Foundation Inc.  Currently housed in the Detroit Science Center in the Motor City's Museum District, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America features more than 30 racing and high performance vehicles.  The constantly changing collection features racing machines from the world of Indy Cars, Stock Cars, Sports Cars, Can-Am, Trans-Am, Sprint Cars, Powerboats, Truck Racing, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Air Racing and even Snowmobiles.  

NHRA Funny Car Champion Robert Hight

CLERMONT, Ind. – Antron Brown, Robert Hight and Andrew Hines were quickest in their respective categories Wednesday during the first of two days of open testing at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series teams are utilizing the two-day test session to prepare for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world’s most prestigious drag race, which will be held Sept. 1-6 at the historic multipurpose motorsports facility.  The event, which will be showcased during 10 hours of coverage by ESPN2 HD, is the first of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.

Brown, who finished fifth in the regular season point standings, powered his Matco Tools dragster to a Top Fuel best performance of 3.911 seconds at 300.20 mph.

“Bar none this is the biggest race of the year,” Brown said. “This is the racing capitol of the world and to be out here and have the Countdown start here you have to be ready because it is the super bowl of all of our races. It is going to be really key to get as many laps down the racetrack and try to be perfect on what we have going on and make our program better.  In Top Fuel there are 10 teams that are in the Countdown that can win the championship and we want to be there at the end to have a run for the championship in that final race. To do it you have to start here at the U. S. Nationals and give it all you’ve got.”

Rod Fuller was the only other Top Fuel driver that made a run and he posted a 4.027 at 233.60 in his Yas Marina Circuit dragster.

In Funny Car, defending world champion Hight turned in the best run of the day with a 4.092 at 303.23 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.  Hight has advanced to the last four final rounds at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, posting wins in 2006 and 2008.

“It is going pretty good,” Hight said. “We are just working on our clutch set up. So far so good.  The NHRA has done a great job on this race track and we can get out there and learn a whole lot, so we’re looking forward to the next two days.  This is the NHRA’s premier event and we have had great success here. It is always a hectic week, but I’m looking forward to it and all three of our Ford Mustangs are running well. “

Two other Funny Car drivers made laps as well, including Del Worsham (4.109, no speed) in the Al-Anabi Toyota and Melanie Troxel (4.270, 244.03) in the In-N-Out Dodge.

Countdown top seed Hines posted a 6.898 at 191.51 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to lead all four Pro Stock Motorcycle participants who attended the first day of the test.  Eddie Krawiec ran a 6.948 at 189.44 on his Harley-Davidson, while Chip Ellis finished in 7.016 at 187.83 on his motorcycle and two-time Indy winner Steve Johnson had a best run of 7.113 at 182.95 on a Suzuki.