HALLADAY RENEWS LICENSE

Doc Halladay made a test run over the weekend at Codrova Dragway Park in his “Telstar” Funny Car. Though a broken rocker arm cut his day short, he did make a nice eighth-mile shakedown run of 4.56 at 162 mph.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve driven and I’m working on getting my sea legs back,” said the 68-year-old Halladay. “Our goal for now is to go from A to B and make nice clean runs.”

Once Doc completes updating his license he plans to race various events around the Midwest including the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Affiliate Event the “ACDelco NostalgisFest” presented by RM Distributing at Cordova Dragway June 20-21. (Mike Garland photos) [5/27/2008]

STREET WARRIORZ HEAD FOR ATLANTA

We got a bit of PR from the Street Warriorz branch of the Live Nation/IHRA promotional empire. The “King of the Street” competition will take place Friday, May 30, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“The Street Warriorz series is the most hardcore street racing series in the nation.  The parties are based around fans as participants in the event as opposed to spectators.  Non-elimination grudge racing gives the opportunity for anyone in the venue to street race their street-legal cars without tickets or cops. United States Auto Sound Competition has been involved with the series from its inception in 2005 and is the draw for the show car scene, involving some of the most respected clubs in the country and involves local organizations in up-to 29 category shows with trophies for the top three in each.  The Outlaw SPL portion of the show is one of the most explosive new creations in the show circuit.  This car stereo competition is the basis of all bragging rights in car audio and proves the hardcore reputation as the organization that’s ‘breaking glass and taking names.’

“The party will take over 21 cities in the 2008 season including some of the hottest dragstrips and venues.  With live DJ’s, sponsor midway, burnout contests, and stage shows including the Barely Legal Bikini Contest all added into the mix, the underground of car culture has finally been given a venue for hardcore competition.”

The Agent may be getting a bit long in the tooth, but has to say that they not only can’t spell, but they’re not drag racers either. Harrump. [5/27/2008]

WAY OFF THE TRACKS

Bristol Dragway’s Night of Fire on Friday, May 30, will host a rather unusual match race between two “jet trains,” the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and the Cannonball Express.

K.C. Jones will send his Chattanooga Choo-Choo jet dragster down the quarter-mile at Bristol Dragway with the same courage and gusto as his heroic railroading counterpart, the legendary Casey Jones, who hailed from Tennessee.

“My father’s nickname was R.R., which looked like railroad,” explained Jones. “When my parents named me, they wanted a Casey Jones. They named me Kenneth Charles so that my initials would be K.C.”

Jones pilots the Choo-Choo, while Paul Kelley sits in the cockpit of the Express.

“Jet dragsters are entertaining,” said Jones, “and I like to entertain. We wanted something unique. With my name, it was only natural to theme our dragsters after famous trains. The smoke from the jet reminds people of the steam from a train. We have bells, whistles and even a working smokestack to complete the look on our jet trains.” [5/27/2008]

MADDOX, THOMAS, HARSTAD ARE BRACKET NATS WINNERS AT THE ROCK

Joel Maddox of Piedmont, S.C., claimed the biggest portion of the cash purse posted for the annual Ironman Memorial Day Bracket Nationals by driving his dragster to the Top Eliminator championship in the Monday wrap-up to the holiday event at Steve Earwood’s Rockingham Dragway.

Maddox claimed $5,000 for his Monday win and $2,000 for his runner-up finish on Saturday. He missed doubling-up by just .001 of a second, the amount by which he was under his targeted time in Saturday’s final round against veteran Tim Thomas of Lumberton.

Thomas and Sunday winner Mike Harstad of North Charleston, S.C., both took home $5,000-plus and, like Maddox, each walked away with a trophy replicating the Ironman awarded to pro winners on the IHRA Nitro Jam tour.

Almost 400 of the Southeast’s top bracket racers participated in the three-day event, which also awarded points toward Rockingham Dragway track championships and participation as a track representative in the IHRA Summit Team Finals this fall.

Champions also were crowned each day in Sportsman and Jr. Dragster categories. The Sportsman winners were William Roberts of Benson on Saturday, Joe Lewis of Elizabethtown on Sunday and former Rockingham track champion Eric Aman of Mt. Olive on Monday. Each won $2,000.  Roberts and Aman are team members on the Robco RRR Racing Team.
     
J.P. Britt of Lumberton was the only driver able to double-up over the weekend, winning the Jr. Dragster title on Saturday and Monday.  Cameron Hoffman of Jacksonville was the other winner.  [5/27/2008]