IHRA FINALIZES SPEED TV COVERAGE

IHRA has announced the television package for their 2005 Hooters Drag Racing Series. All four professional classes will be covered in 55 hours of programming on SPEED Channel.

Ken Stout will return for his third season as the play-by-play announcer. Brian Olson, who works with the Carrier Boyz race team, will provide color commentary. Tiffany Furman, known as "Nurse Tiffany" on Tommy Lipar's Pro Mod, will handle pit reporting duties. (Yeah, we could have run a photo of Stout and Olson, but we know about marketing also.)

NeWave Productions in Barrington, IL has been chosen as new producer of the TV package, according to Mike McFarlin, Senior Director of Production/Television for IHRA's owner, Clear Channel. There will be a new look for the IHRA coverage.

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"We are going to take drag racing one step further," said NeWave's Steve Grein. "We have some ideas on how to make things different and more entertaining for the viewer. Audio is always hard to capture on telecasts, especially Top Fuel cars. We have some unique ideas on how to capture that. The stories in the pits are usually pretty interesting; they are a huge key. We want to do a better job of capturing them." Grein began his career as a cameraman on IHRA telecasts.

The first broadcast is scheduled for April 23 at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern) with coverage of the IHRA season opener from San Antonio, TX. The Agent will be watching to see how these guys present the drag racing experience. [3-15-2005]

FORD CANCELS HEMI PROJECT

The Agent sees that Ford has canceled the development of a new hemi-headed engine called the "Hurricane." The 6.2-liter engine was reportedly being developed to counter Chrysler's Hemi and would have been used in the 2007 Ford Expedition, Navigator and maybe in John Force's nitro-burning Mustangs. When NHRA decided to go with a spec Chrysler Hemi in Top Fuel the Ford Hemi engine Force was developing was effectively outlawed. The Agent hears Ford was none too pleased by NHRA's move. [3-15-2005]

TROXEL SIGNS WITH PRUDHOMME

Don Prudhomme's Snake Racing has signed a "development contract" with driver Melanie Troxel. A primary sponsor has not yet been found for a Top Fuel dragster, but Prudhomme evidently wanted to make sure that Mrs. Tommy Johnson Jr. didn't drive for anyone else while they were negotiating. This is the first time an NHRA team owner has reached an agreement with a driver before securing a primary sponsor.

"In today's world, driver and teams are asked to assist sponsors achieve specific goals by participating in multi-tiered programs such as lead generation, data collection, and product sampling, that can all produce tangible results," said Prudhomme. "Not only has Melanie shown that she has what it takes behind the wheel, but I feel that she is the ideal candidate to serve as a spokesperson for a company that is looking at motorsports sponsorship as part of its marketing strategy. She is very articulate, attractive and savvy enough to learn about a company's goals and send that message effectively." (Zak Hawthorne photo) [3-15-2005]