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Glen Ferguson came out of the gates flying in 2009 with divisional and national event victories as he secured his spot in the Tournament of Champions rather early in the year. Ferguson’s tournament-clinching victory came in the second national event of the year in Rockingham, N.C. with a win over Doug Ramsey at the IHRA Spring Nationals.

With a ticket to the tournament already in hand Ferguson was on cruise control the remainder of the season, picking up a few more divisional wins here and there. He came close to picking up a second tournament qualifier in the Patriots divisional points race, but was edged out of the top three by Keith Mayers. Ferguson finished in fourth. Ferguson will now look to add to his four world championships when the Tournament of Champions gets underway at the Rockingham Nitro Jam in April of 2010.

NAME: Glen Ferguson Jr.

DOB: March 31, 1970

HOMETOWN: Greensboro, NC

CLASS: Hot Rod, Super Rod, Quick Rod

DIVISION: Patriots, Raiders

CAREER: Three-time Hot Rod World Champion (1994, 2000, 2008), 2000 Super Rod World Champion

2009: Won 2009 Spring Nationals in HR; Finished 4th in Patriots Division in HR; Finished 14th in Raiders Division in Super Rod

To find out MORE about Glen Ferguson Jr., please read the FULL article from IHRA at:
http://www.ihra.com/article/5361.html

John Montecalvo currently sits number two in the IHRA Nitro Jam Points Standings. He’s just 41 points behind leader Frank Gugliotta, but he’s looking to narrow that gap this weekend at the Amalie Motor Oil North American Nationals at New England Dragway.

This isn’t just another track on the tour for Montecalvo. This is his home stop and the place where he captured his first Pro Stock Ironman.

“I always love going up to Epping,” tells Monte. “It’s our closest national event track which always makes this race more special, as well as the place where I got my first IHRA win. The area is beautiful. Anytime we get a chance, Lois Anne and I like to go down to the Seafood Festival in Hampton Beach. It’s a great place to visit, and I’m looking forward to going back again this year, not only for the attractions, but mainly because this is a great opportunity to make some serious moves in the points battle.”

The Championship is mathematically down to three competitors: Frank Gugliotta, Montecalvo, and Pete Berner. With just three races left, every point is crucial.

What a weekend for Ontario native Ike Maier.

A regular competitor on the PMRA tour, Maier came out of nowhere during last month’s IHRA Northern Nationals presented by Dart, making it all the way to the finals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park by eliminating many of the best in the business today.

Maier took down former points leader Ed Hoover and new world record holder Tony Pontieri before his dream weekend finally came to an end at the hands of defending world champion Kenny Lang.

Maier had a better light than Lang, but Lang was on his game in recording a 6.012 second pass over Maier’s 6.108 second shot.
Read more…

Packing the stands as tightly as possible to make room for three straight sold out crowds, race fans watched Bruce Litton (Top Fuel), Ed Hoover (Pro Modified), Roger Bateman (Alcohol Funny Car), Jason Arkinstall (Nitro Bikes), Gary Christopher (Pro Mod Bike) and Rod Elliott (Pro Nostalgia) take home Ironman trophies during Parts Source Championship Sunday at Castrol Raceway.

The IHRA also saw its record of four straight events without a repeat winner among its regular touring pros come to an end Sunday thanks to the win by Litton.

IHRA and Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits have a special ticket offer to experience the championship finals of the IHRA Spring Nationals at Rockingham Dragway April 24-26.

Participating Bojangles’ restaurants have special “Nitro Fast Pass” tray liners with a discount coupon allowing drag racing fans to purchase an adult Sunday ticket for a “family friendly” price of only $15.

“Successful. Popular. Those are only two words that describe Rockingham Dragway’s Bojangles’ Nitro Fast Pass. Sunday’s April 26 Spring Nationals final marks the fourth consecutive year of this part of a 10-year relationship between Bojangles’ and Rockingham Dragway,” said Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood. “Bojangles’ is a valued and important teammate in what Rockingham Dragway offers: fast fun, good competition and great Bojangles’ food.”

Anyone who shows their Bojangles’ “Nitro Fast Pass” tray liner at the gate during championship Sunday will receive $20 off a regular adult ticket to see the world’s quickest and fastest drivers at one of the most prestigious events on the IHRA Nitro Jam circuit.

On top of the Bojangles’ discount, tickets for children 12 and under to attend 38th Spring Nationals are just $5 all weekend long.

All tickets also include free parking and a unique behind the scenes look into the “locker room” of the IHRA with free pit access.

A recently revised IHRA Spring Nationals event schedule has been posted and is available at: www.ihra.com

In an effort to continue the IHRA tradition of addressing the current economic issues facing competitors, sportsman competitors in Hot Rod, Stock, Super Rod, Super Stock and Quick Rod should note that a Saturday morning qualifying session has been added to the schedule.

“Rockingham has a lot of competitors within a close distance and we hope that the addition of the Saturday morning run will aid those struggling to get time off work to still compete” said IHRA Vice President Of Racing Operations Skooter Peaco. “Now that we have three professional classes and have Top Dragster and Top Sportsman running at set times with the professional rounds, we have a better handle on the schedule for these five classes. We’ve had a chance to try out our new format at State Capitol during the Summit Racing Mardi Gras Nationals and will apply what we’ve learned at Rockingham. Additionally, we had to postpone the Rockingham Summit Pro Am event due to weather, so we want to give competitors this extra chance early in the season to get dialed-in.”

Fans who head to State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge for the 2009 Nitro Jam season opener, even if they have attended IHRA national events in the past, have no idea what they’re in store for. It will be a race, true, but IHRA president Aaron Polburn wants people to know this event will have a unique attitude.

“We’re throwing our own Mardi Gras at the track, and everyone is invited,” he said. “This is the inaugural event at this facility and we are going to throw one heck of a party. Bring your beads!”

The IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals will feature a full slate of professional and sportsman drag racing and will be hosted by a track with a lot of history. State Capitol Raceway is the third-longest continually running quarter-mile strip in the nation and was even used in the filming of the recent “Dukes of Hazzard” movie. There will be plenty to see at the IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals, including Saturday evening’s IHRA “Night of Fire.”

Kevin Martin and his “Ballistic Eagle” jet bike will be entertaining fans at the upcoming IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway March 6-8.

Martin, the current IHRA jet bike world record holder (7.93 seconds and 191 mph) will join Bob Motz’s Jet Kenworth at the Mardi Gras Nationals and make runs at the end of the professional qualifying sessions. The Ballistic Eagle will run both Friday night and both pro sessions on Saturday.

In 1995, Kevin was involved in an accident that both fractured his leg and crushed it at the knee. He also sustained head injuries, and nerve damage to his arms. After two years and seven surgeries, he was able to walk again due to a team of skilled surgeons that wouldn’t give up.

In 2003 he made the first pass on the Ballistic eagle and hasn’t looked back since.

Looking for a last-minute holiday gift idea for YOUR favorite race fan? Tickets are NOW on sale for the 2009 Inaugural Nitro Jam:

March 6-8 is a heavily anticipated date for drag racing fans everywhere for a number of reasons. Not only will the 2009 IHRA Nitro Jam season get underway that weekend at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge, La., the biggest showman in motor sports, Bob Motz, the “King of Quake” will be making his long-awaited return to the strip after his catastrophic accident two seasons ago.

Tickets for the 2009 Inaugural Nitro Jam race at State Capitol Raceway are now available at www.nitrojam.com.

For fans of IHRA - it will be awesome to see this racing legend return in 2009. Best of luck to Michael and his team!

In 2005 Michael Dakin brought his A-Fuel dragster to the IHRA World Finals, looking to break into the qualifying field despite long odds. He was unable to do so, but his trip to “The Rock” left a very good impression on him. Now, four years later, he will return to IHRA competition.

Dakin will campaign a 2009 Murf McKinney Top Fuel entry at select ’09 IHRA Nitro Jam events, bringing former Frank Pedragon and Melanie Troxel tuner Scott Graham along with him. Now the question will not be if Dakin will make the show…chances are with the best equipment in his pits and one of the top tuners in the world in his corner the only question will be where he will end up on the ladder.

“I’m 65-years-old and life is too short so we decided we were going to get a car ready and run a limited schedule this year,” Dakin said. “We already had some really nice equipment so it wasn’t a huge financial commitment, and with the nice equipment we have and Scotty tuning the car we think we can run really well this season.”