PRUDHOMME EXTENDS CONTRACTS

Among the rumors heard by the Agent at Monday's NHRA POWERade Awards Banquet was that both Tommy Johnson Jr. and crew chief Mike Green received contract extensions with Don Prudhomme Racing. TJ posted a career-best sixth place finish in 2005 with Green's tune-ups in the Skoal Funny Car. (Photo courtesy Snake Racing)  [11-09-2005]

MORE PONIES FOR PROJECT MUSCRATE

DRO’s Stock/Super Stock project Mustang is going to change big time for next season. Jay Roeder called the Agent to tell him that he has decided to back-half the Mustang install a four-link and 14x32 weenies. Then he’s going to yank the pony motor that’s currently in the car and install a 390 FE big block with Edelbrock aluminum NHRA-legal heads. It will become a SS GT/BA car and will run 9's. And of course, do big wheelies! We’ll keep you posted.  [11-09-2005]

TOYO TOP FUEL AND TIRES

The Agent was wandering around the SEMA Show and came across the Toyo Tire exhibit. Imagine the Agent’s surprise when he saw the pictured rear slick, which had a Toyo logo cast into the rubber, and front tire. A spokesman for the company told said that the company was doing R&D in anticipation of building front and rear tires for all levels of Sportsman racers. The Agent mentioned that there is occasional talk that under the right circumstances Goodyear Tire and Rubber might withdraw from building tires for fuel burning cars. The rep's reply was “Please let us know if they get out. We’d be interested in that program.”  [11-09-2005]

NOT YOUR DADDY’S 392

The Agent and one of his operatives found their way to the Mopar display at SEMA to ogle some of the specialty vehicles those folks had on display. He even tried his hand at the sprint car simulator reasoning that the sprint cars were really just fuel altereds that turned left. (He crashed and burned). While there he spotted this late model version of the new Chrysler Hemi. This one has a stroker crank in it and displaces 392 ci. According to an overheard conversation, the engineers that built it made it make 425 hp. Way cool. [11-09-2005]