MOTORSPORTS TEAM REPORTS
 © 2006-7 Dwight Drum      Photos by Dwight Drum

AOL Sports today announced that NHRA Driver Ashley Force has been named the winner of the First Annual “Hottest Athlete” Poll (http://sports.aol.com/photos/hottestathletes.) AOL Sports users voted on the best-looking sports guys and gals over the last several weeks and Force came out on top. Force, who is the daughter of NHRA racing legend John Force, beat out football hunk Tom Brady, as well as fellow motorsports sensation Danica Patrick, for the nod as the hottest athlete in sports.

Force spent two seasons in the entry-level Super Comp class and three more in Top Alcohol Dragster class before becoming the 10th woman in NHRA history to earn a license to compete in the Funny Car division. While competing in Top Alcohol, she won five NHRA national events including the biggest event in the sport, the 2004 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Ashley, and her father John Force, made racing history this past April when they became the first father and daughter to race against each other. Ashley won the race and advanced to the semifinals where she tied for the highest ever Funny Car event finish for a female.

Don Schumacher Clarifes Buzz that 19-year-old Drag Racer Leah Pruett Will Drive a DSR Funny Car

Team owner Don Schumacher today clarified some of the recent media buzz that 19-year-old Alcohol Altered and Nostalgia drag racer Leah Pruett, of Redlands, Calif., will test and/or drive a Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car in the future, including at next week's two-day NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series test session at O'Reilly Raceway Park outside of Indianapolis, Ind.

"Leah's got the desire, the drive and the determination to do it," said Schumacher, "and I'm looking to have her just make a couple of short little squirts, as we call them - 200- to 300-ft. passes at Indy during the test session - if we have time.

"The Indy test session is important to the whole DSR team for us to concentrate on trying to win championships and stay in the Countdown. So, that's our number-one goal. And, if we have some time, which I believe we'll have, depending on the weather, we'll put Leah in one of the Funny Cars just to see how she can handle it, and go from there.

"I really haven't made a determination for a driver for next year (to replace Gary Scelzi, who'll be taking a hiatus from the sport). We're getting closer to starting to think about that harder and who's going to be the person, and why. But there's been no determination at this point."

Schumacher campaigns seven NHRA teams: The U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster for Tony Schumacher, the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger Funny Car for Gary Scelzi, the Brut "Test Drive" Dodge Charger for Ron Capps, the Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger for Jack Beckman, the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus Pro Stock for Richie Stevens Jr., and two U.S. Army Pro Stock Motorcycles for Antron Brown and Angelle Sampey.

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Scelzi's Crew Chief To Follow Path Established by Medlen, Hight

A reluctant John Force confirmed Saturday what Internet message boards have been reporting for days and that is that Mike "Zippy" Neff, crew chief to 2005 NHRA Funny Car Champion Gary Scelzi, will drive a fourth John Force Racing Ford Mustang next season in pursuit of the 2008 POWERade Funny Car championship.

"We didn't plan to say anything because (Neff) and Scelzi are still racing for a title (this year), just like us," Force said, "But Don Schumacher (who owns the Neff-tuned Oakley Dodge) kind of announced it to the world.

"Our game plan was to wait until after the season (to make an announcement) so there wouldn't be any distractions," Force said, "because he has a job to do for Scelzi and Schumacher, just like I have a job to do for my team and my sponsors. Bottom line, Mike Neff will drive my fourth car next year and John Medlen will be the crew chief."

Force then briefly outlined the chronology of the negotiations that landed Neff a ride in one of the most powerful race cars on the planet.

"After Eric's accident (a testing crash last March that claimed the life of driver Eric Medlen), Mike Neff told me that if we were going to keep developing Next Generation drivers like Eric and Robert (Hight), that he might be interested," Force said.

"The next time we talked was Memorial Day weekend when he told me he had discussed with Schumacher the opportunity to drive for us in one of our Fords. I immediately called Schumacher and Scelzi to let them know that I was interested in him as a driver.

"Finally, at Seattle, he came by to ask if the job was still available," Force recalled. "I told him it was and we shook hands on a deal for 2008. Some of the rumors out there act like we stalked him, but we tried to be up front about everything from the very start."

Although Neff was not one of the names most prominently mentioned in speculation about a driver for the fourth JFR Mustang, his background is similar to that of both Hight and Medlen.

Neither Hight, who drives the Auto Club of Southern California Ford, nor Medlen, who won six races in the Castrol SYNTEC Ford including the 2006 FRAM/Autolite Nationals, had competitive driving experience before first climbing behind the wheel of a JFR Mustang.

Even though both later admitted that they secretly had harbored dreams of driving, both became race car mechanics because that job offered the best chance for long-term employment in drag racing.

Neff, too, became a mechanic because he saw little chance that he would be able to drive at the top levels. Starting with Bernie Fedderly at Larry Minor Racing, he later worked on the car in which Cruz Pedregon beat Force for the 1992 NHRA championship. He moved from Larry Minor to Joe Gibbs Racing and, finally, in 2001, to Schumacher Racing where he became Scelzi's crew chief in 2003.

"He gets along with John Medlen, that's one of the biggest things," Force said, "plus he has a history with Bernie. He used to race motorcycles and he went to work for Larry Minor when Bernie was still there. Bottom line, he just fits our system. He can stay with the car, test on Mondays, do all the appearances and, mainly, work with John Medlen.

"But I do want to thank all the other drivers I talked to and I plan to talk to each one individually (about the Neff hiring),," Force said. "They had a lot to offer but, bottom line, John Medlen made the final call. He said that I had given Eric a chance and I should do the same for another kid with a dream."

"John Force has a history of developing drivers who already understand the mechanical hardware in these vehicles," said Dan Davis, director of Ford Motor Sports. "Since they already understand the vehicle, once they begin to drive they're in position to actually put input back into the team to make the vehicles better. I talked with Mike and I got from him what I was looking for and that is the burning desire to win. He did it with Scelzi and I expect him to do it again with John Force Racing."

Ford Racing launches a new interactive display debuting this weekend at the NHRA event in Joliet, Ill. Race fans get to try and beat the times of John Force Racing drivers on interactive drag racing simulators. Part of a 12-race tour to run through November 2007. Fans have a chance to win prizes such as MP3 players, plasma screen televisions and a two-year lease on a new Ford Mustang.

Want to match drag racing skills with some of the NHRA’s best racers?

It can happen starting this weekend when Ford Racing launches a new interactive display for race fans at the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill.

“The purpose of our new interactive display is to educate Ford and Mustang do-it-yourself enthusiasts about Ford Racing Packs, their performance benefits, ease of installation and available factory warranty, “ said Jamie Allison, Performance Group Manager, Ford Racing Technology. “Our display provides an interactive way for consumers to engage with Ford and Motorcraft brands through NHRA drag racing events.”

The 2,400 square foot display has three components: the John Force Shootout, the Motorcraft Crew Chief Challenge, and a specially-modified Mustang with Ford Racing parts and Genuine Ford Accessories.

In the John Force Shootout, consumers race against each other on a virtual drag strip for times that are recorded for the day and measured against an earlier time established that weekend by a member of John Force Racing: either 14-time champion John Force, his daughter Ashley Force, or their teammate Robert Hight.

In the Motorcraft Crew Chief Challenge, consumers must correctly identify Motorcraft Parts and install them on replica engines.

The flagship of the display is a modified Ford Mustang with Ford Racing performance packs and Genuine Ford Accessories. This Mustang sits atop a tilt mechanism where the vehicle can be lifted and consumers can view the underbody and inspect where Ford Racing and Genuine Ford Accessory parts have been installed.

Consumers visiting the Ford Racing display are also invited to complete an entry form to win a two-year lease on a new 2008 Ford Mustang.

The Ford Racing Interactive Display will appear at 12 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series races in 2007. The tour includes:

Aug. 29-Sept. 3    Mac Tools U.S. Nationals – Indianapolis, IN
Sept. 14-16    O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals – Memphis, TN
Sept. 20-23    O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals – Dallas, TX
October 5-7    Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals – Richmond, VA
October 25-28    ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals – Las Vegas, NV

Top Fuel Dragster
1. $ Rod Fuller, 1157; 2. $ Brandon Bernstein, 1064; 3. $ Larry Dixon 1036; 4. $ Tony Schumacher, 1034; 5. $ J.R. Todd, 947; 6. $ Bob Vandergriff, 843; 7. Whit Bazemore, 786; 8. David Grubnic, 734; 9. Melanie Troxel, 732; 10. Cory McClenathan, 684.

Funny Car
1. $ Ron Capps, 1062; 2. $ Robert Hight, 987; 3. $ Mike Ashley, 874; 4. $ John Force, 861; 5. $ Jack Beckman, 854; 6. $ Tony Pedregon, 838 7. $ Gary Scelzi, 835; 8. Jim Head, 771; 9. Tommy Johnson Jr., 688; 10. Del Worsham, 687.

Pro Stock Car
1. $ Greg Anderson, 1346; 2. $ Jeg Coughlin Jr., 1196; 3. $ Dave Connolly, 1135; 4. $ Allen Johnson, 962; 5. $ Jason Line, 935; 6. Kurt Johnson, 808; 7. Warren Johnson, 759; 8. Larry Morgan, 734; 9. V. Gaines, 679; 10. Richie Stevens, 678

Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. $ Matt Smith, 901; 2. $ Andrew Hines, 718; 3. $ Angelle Sampey, 703; 4. Chip Ellis, 576; 5. Karen Stoffer, 576; 6. Craig Treble, 514; 7. Peggy Llewellyn , 513; 8. Eddie Krawiec, 501; 9. Steve Johnson , 476; 10. Chris Rivas, 465.

$ = clinched berth in Countdown to the Championship

An architectural icon of the Los Angeles city skyline, NHRA announced today that the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Awards Ceremony will be moved to the historic Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites and take place on Monday, Nov. 5, 2007.

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Awards Ceremony will feature a pre-event cocktail reception, a formal sit-down banquet, and an after party.

“After three years in the desert, we felt the move to downtown Los Angeles provides a convenient yet electrifying atmosphere for the year-end celebration to crown our NHRA POWERade World Champions,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. This is the inaugural year of the NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship, a playoff-style format to determine the POWERade World Champions in each of the four professional categories.

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, which has been featured in television shows and movies since its opening, encompasses an entire city block and is situated in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The hotel features a 15,000-square foot spa and 19 restaurants and lounges including the BonaVista revolving cocktail lounge located on the 34th floor. Because of its unique design every room has views of the sprawling Los Angeles metropolitan area. Often referred to as ‘a city within a city,’ the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites features rooms in five sleek glass towers and a six-story atrium with a myriad of specialty shops.

The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Drag Racing Series Awards presentation and party will take place prior to the night’s festivities at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites.

Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., the NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. It presents 23 national events through its NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The NHRA has 80,000 members nationwide and 140 member tracks. The NHRA-sanctioned sportsman and bracket racing series’ provide competition opportunities for drivers of all levels. The NHRA develops the stars of tomorrow by offering the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series, NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Street Legal Drags presented by AAA. The NHRA also offers the O’Reilly Auto Parts Jr. Drag Racing League for youths ages 8 to 17.