NEWS NUGGESTS
FORCE FAMILY MAKES STOP AT GIANTS STADIUM: On the list of ways to spend Father’s Day, John and Ashley Force’s plans had to rank No.1. The first father-daughter pair to compete against each other in American motorsports made cameos at New York's Giants Stadium for the venue’s Celebration of Speed. The Forces represented Crest Whitestrips Daily Multicare, which transformed the parking lot into a custom raceway where fans were given five-minute rides in luxury cars such as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Lamborghini and Aston Martin Vanquish S.
HELMET RAFFLE TO BENEFIT SOLDIERS: Fans at the ProCare Rx NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park will have the chance to win a race helmet with 44 signatures on it—including those of Melanie Troxel, Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon, John Force, Greg Anderson, Robert Hight and Warren Johnson. It will be raffled off by The Army Special Forces Association, Randall Shughart Chapter 64, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Proceeds benefit soldiers at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
TOBLER AND LUCAS SPLIT WAYS: Crew chief Rahn Tobler, who left as tuner on Doug Kalitta’s Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster earlier this season, has now parted from Morgan Lucas’ Lucas Oil dragster team. Richard Hogan, who earned one win with Lucas’ teammate Melanie Troxel so far this season, will now crew Lucas’ ride, with John Stewart and Lance Larsen at the helm.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
PROCARE RX NHRA SUPERNATIONALS, ENGLISHTOWN, NEW JERSEY, OLD BRIDGE TOWNSHIP RACEWAY PARK, JUNE 21–24: The legendary dragstrip will host its 38th NHRA POWERade Series race and this one will carry more meaning than ever as the first-ever Countdown to the Championship nears the final stages of the regular season and drivers on the bubble scurry for every last point needed to secure a spot in the Top eight.
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS, NORWALK, OHIO, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT MOTORSPORTS PARK, JUNE 28–JULY 1: The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will make its first appearance at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. Catch all your favorite Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle drivers as they battle it out at this inaugural event.
O’REILLY NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS, BRISTOL, TENNESSEE, BRISTOL DRAGWAY, JULY 6–8: Rescheduled from its original mandate due to track surface conditions, this favorite stop for drivers never fails to produce an exciting weekend for racing. Defending event winners include Doug Kalitta, Ron Capps and Jason Line.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
8: Just eight races remain before the first playoff-style cut in the Countdown to the Championship, and teams are already scrambling for valuable points.
DRIVERS TELL ALL
JEG COUGHLIN, on the upcoming back-to-back schedule: "We're certainly on a high right now," said Coughlin, who will celebrate his 37th birthday Saturday at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. "(Team owner) Victor Cagnazzi had a vision to put together a race team that would contend for the championship year after year, and he's arrived at that point after an incredible amount of hard work and determination. Dave (Connolly, teammate) and I are just the lucky guys who get to drive the cars.”