The action was heavy Friday at the K&N Spring Fling Million at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as door cars ran first and by the time they were done, the leader in the clubhouse was Matt Diamond carding a two-pack (.002 package) with David Beedy in second with a four-pack.

Rayce Kidd

The continuation of Thursday’s Racepak eliminations began half-way through the Brodix Run For The $100,000 time run with Rayce Kidd receiving the bye run, Gordon Boven and Troy Williams battling it out with Boven using a .004 package to move on. With that run, Boven also earned himself the bye run in the semifinals to move him right to the final round. Johnny Ezell and Sean Shaffer came to the line with Shaffer continuing on. Ironically, all three racers hail from Idaho so they should be familiar with one another.

For that semifinal round, Shaffer and Kidd matched wits and cars with Kidd taking the win to advance to the final to face Boven where Kidd scored the win on a double-breakout affair and the $20K which goes along with it.

“I have been dreaming of this moment since I was ten-years old,” said Kidd, who received probably his best birthday present when he turned 21 years old two days prior.

First up was the final for the Pro 32 racers after which that person would be seeded into the seventh round of the main event. Justin Lamb had another chance to improve on his runner-up finish on Wednesday as he faced off with Randy Biddle. In that race, Lamb’s hope ended with a red-light; actually there was a dual red-light with the Spring Fling TruSTART deciding the race with Biddle the less red of the two (if we can say it like that).

For the quarterfinal round, six cars remained: Val Torres Jr., Bobby Dye Jr., Lane Dicken, Luke Bogacki, Michael Pennington and Biddle seeded into that field. Biddle, Pennington and Bogacki advanced with Bogacki the lucky recipient of the bye run in the semis which put him right into the final round against either Biddle or Pennington. A true footbraker off the bottom bulb, Biddle’s “bid” came up short against Pennington.

Luke Bogacki

Pennington left first with a .012 reaction time, however Bogacki wasn’t far behind with a .014. And in true championship fashion, both racers ran dead-on their dial, with Bogacki .003 closer for the win. [04/17/17]

Vic Tiffin will join the DRO AA/FC Challenge this season with his “Gold Digger” Mustang.  (photo courtesy Dan Hess) [04/17/17]

Darwin Doll tells the Agent that Pennsylvania drag racer George Weiler passed away on Sunday, April 16. Funeral arrangements are incomplete. [04/17/17]

Glen Cromwell has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Media and Marketing, NHRA officials announced today. Cromwell begins his new role effective immediately.

Cromwell joined NHRA as a Division Director in 1997 and has been a key player leading the sport’s marketing efforts for the past 20 years.

Cromwell will retain the responsibilities he has held as Vice President of National Event Marketing in addition to overseeing brand marketing, publications, media, television, and broadcasting groups. Reporting directly to Cromwell will be Ken Adelson, NHRA Vice President, Executive Producer & Chief Content Officer; Kasey Coler, Vice President of Marketing & Brand Strategy; Evan Jonat, Senior Director of National Event Marketing; and Kristen Wentzell, Director of Advertising & Promotions.

He will also retain his seat on the board of directors of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. [04/17/17]

Hedman Hedders has announced its new 2-inch Long Tube Race Headers for the 2006-2017 SRT8 and the 2009-2017 R/T Dodge Charger, Magnum, Challenger, and Chrysler 300 vehicles. These headers feature full Stainless Steel construction and are designed to deliver maximum exhaust flow and power from a modified HEMI engine. Built in the USA, Hedman’s 2-inch Long Tube Race Headers are constructed with 304 Stainless Steel and feature sturdy 3/8-inch flanges, 2-inch 16-gauge mandrel bent primaries, and 3-inch ball/socket collectors for maximum exhaust flow. Hedman’s long tube headers are designed to fit 2006-2017 SRT8 6.1L and 6.4L and 2009-2017 R/T 5.7L Dodge Charger, Magnum and Challenger and Chrysler 300 vehicles with floor shift automatic and manual transmissions. Independent dyno testing has also demonstrated a 12% increase in horsepower on highly modified vehicles. These headers are available in your choice of either a raw stainless finish (Part Number 72640), silver HTC high-temp ceramic-metallic coating (Part Number 72646), or Black Maxx satin black (Part Number 72643). They come with all necessary mounting hardware, gaskets, and installation instructions.  [04/17/17]