NEW DESIGN FOR ATCHISON

Rob Atchison, the IHRA Funny Car champion for three straight years, will run a pair of new Monte Carlo Funny Cars in 2006 sporting a new paint scheme by Stu Wotypka, www.idmotorsportsdesign.com.

The car will again feature the silver, red and black colors familiar with the Atchison Racing Team. Ultimate Touch Auto Body's Branko and Paul will again apply their master touch to the paint and body to showcase the new design. [12-20-2005]

'GUARANTEED' $400,000 TO WIN?

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The Agent got a press release the other day from Chris Barker and Danny Sons who are promoting a $400,000-to-win bracket race next year.

One line in the press release jumped out at the Agent: "Racers will compete for the largest payout in the sports history on Saturday. A guaranteed $1,200,000 will be paid out Saturday with the winner taking home $400,000."

Guaranteed? What if they don’t get 128 racers to put up $10,000 to race? What if they get just 100 or even less? The Agent recommends those promoters might reconsider putting that kind of guarantee in print. [12-20-2005]

TONY CHRISTIAN GOING OUTLAW

The Agent hears that one of his favorite, most quotable racers, Tony Christian, is returning to the racing scene. According to one of the Agent's operatives, Christian has bought back the Firebird he built a while back and is having the guys at Reher-Morrison build him a twin-turboed big block and he is going Outlaw Ten-wide racing next season. The Agent wonders if nitrous will be part of that program? [12-20-2005]

NHRA PRO MOD SERIES CLOSE TO REALITY?

DRO has heard enough from several reliable sources to believe that there will be a Pro Mod exhibition series in NHRA for at least the 2006 season and possibly beyond. This is good news for those racers trying to decide with which sanctioning body and what races they will attend next season.

It’s an open secret that Mike Ashley’s organization has been working very hard to convince the Toyo Tire company to. . . (See News and Analysis for the rest of this story!) [12-20-2005]

FIRST DRO POLL RESULTS

This week's poll question was: Do you approve changing the IHRA Pro Stock rules to allow a turbocharged small block V-6 or V-8 to the IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock Class? Over a seven-day period we had just under 1,200 votes on the matter. Forty percent of you said that you would like to see a turbocharged combination allowed in IHRA’s Mountain Motor Pro Stock class. On the other hand 56 percent or nearly six out of ten voters indicated they don’t feel that combination should be allowed in the class. Three percent were undecided. We’ll pass the info along to the IHRA management team.

We have a new poll question up now, so be sure to let us know your opinion. [12-20-2005]