NHRA courting IHRA Top Fuel racers?

Agent 1320 hears that the NHRA management has been working behind the scenes to deal with the very real possibility that the short Top Fuel fields they had at some races in 2008 could be a lot worse in 2009. The Agent’s operatives report that NHRA has been in contact over the winter with some of the IHRA’s teams about them racing at NHRA events in 2009.

It would make sense with the IHRA’s Top Fuel program currently without a sponsor for the Top Fuel class or its points fund that IHRA racers such as Terry McMillen (shown), Bruce Litton, Mitch King, Bobby Lagana and Doug Foley (all of whom have raced with the NHRA in the past) are probably looking at NHRA as an alternative should the IHRA Top Fuel program falter. Only a handful of IHRA Top Fuel teams had funding to attend eight to ten races in 2008.
 
One thing that hasn’t changed for 2009 is the fact that NHRA Top Fuel qualifying and racing is much more expensive than IHRA and many of the teams that had funding issues in 2008 aren’t likely to find it easier to get money in 2009.

As the new season draws nearer it looks as if the NHRA Top Fuel class could end up like the WoO Sprint Car series where there are a core group of heavily sponsored teams that attend each event and compete for the Championship and the rest of the field is filled with local and part-time racers. (Ron Lewis photo) [1/5/2009]

New TF dragster teams in the news

The Agent hears that IHRA F/C champ Terry Haddock will be moving over to the NHRA circuit with a Top Fuel car. He also hears that Paul Lee, who recently bought high-performance clutch companies McLeod Industries and Weber Clutches, will drive a Top Fuel car owned by former IHRA Funny Car owner Paul Richards. Could McLeod and Weber be the major sponsors for that team? Lee has been a driver but never a car owner.

Agent 1320’s nitro sources believe that the Hartley family Top Fuel team based out of Omaha, Neb., will announce a major sponsor very soon that would allow them to run the entire 24-race NHRA series in 2009. [1/5/2009]

Some NHRA nitro regulars rumored to begin 2009 SEASON at Gainesville

Agent 1320’s nitro sources say some prominent nitro teams that are un-sponsored are at least considering not racing at the NHRA season opener Feb. 5-8 at Pomona or the Phoenix race two weeks later and instead will opt to pick up the tour at Gainesville on March 12-15. One of those could be Doug Kalitta whose team spokesman has confirmed that their Top fuel team will compete on a race-to-race basis. According to what the Agent’s operatives are reporting, the teams feel they can skip two or three races just as Pro Stock driver Dave Connolly did last year and, like him, have no real problem being in the Top Eight points after the U.S. Nationals in September. [1/5/2009]