Hodgson, Allen chosen to run Spokane track

According to Ron Hodgson, Cindy Gibbs Arias will be their Operations Manager at the Spokane track. Cindy is the daughter of NHRA veteran race director Steve Gibbs. (Darr Hawthorne photo)

A pair of veteran speedway operators got the green flag Tuesday, Feb. 23, to take over operation of Spokane County Raceway Park. County commissioners unanimously accepted the recommendation of a selection committee to begin negotiations with Ronald Hodgson and Charlie Allen for a 10-year contract.

The committee weeded out two of four applications earlier this month and chose Hodgson and Allen’s offer Monday after interviewing them and representatives of J-Mar Racing Inc., which operates the Woodburn Dragstrip in Woodburn, Ore., the Statesman-Review reports.

Hodgson operates Castrol Raceway at Edmonton, Alberta, while Allen runs Firebird International Raceway at Chandler, Ariz. [2/24/2010]

Burk’s take on the wheel deal and a couple of suggestions

Editor Jeff Burk has some ideas about what to do about the problems brought to light at the Phoenix NHRA race – and a new problem you may not know about. See Burk’s Blast. [2/24/2010]

DRAW golf tourney looking for players, sponsors

In 2010, DRAW will be celebrating their 25th anniversary as drag racing’s charity with a few special events. The first will be the Annual Florida Golf Tournament on Wednesday, March 10, prior to the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

The 4-scramble style golf tournament will take place at Ironwood Golf Course located close to Gainesville Raceway. The tee time for the tournament is 1 p.m. EST.

Gofer Registration and Sponsorship Opportunities information forms are on the DRAW web site www.drawonline.org. Forms should be submitted by March 1, 2010.

If you have any questions, please contact one of the committee members: Rosalee Noble at rnoble@consolidated.net, Beth Hyatt at teh454@aol.com or Tracy Winters at tracyw@racewithjw.com. [2/24/2010]

AHRA adds Junior Dragsters

The AHRA Jr. Dragster Championships will be held October 2 at Desert Thunder Raceway in Midland, Texas.

The Jr. Dragster Championships will feature a limited open-entry, pre- registration format in multiple classes. Participation details will be released in the near future according to AHRA CEO Troy Moe.

"Jr. Dragsters are the seed of all drag racing and the life-blood of our Sportsman programs," Moe said. "Our program is focused on developing safe racing habits for the drivers as well as providing a safe, wholesome, family-friendly environment for the participants.”

Rules and car specifications can be found on the AHRA website at www.AHRAdragracing.com. Additional classes are being added to accommodate as many racers as possible, Moe said. [2/24/2010]