TOYO TIRES TO SPONSOR MAPLE GROVE NATIONAL EVENT

Toyo Tire USA Corporation, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2005, has been named title sponsor of the NHRA POWERade Series event at Maple Grove Raceway. The Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals will be held Sept. 15-18 at the Mohnton, Pa.-based quarter-mile drag strip, located just west of metropolitan Philadelphia.

The multi-year agreement is the first NHRA POWERade Series event sponsorship for Toyo Tires, which has been heavily involved in the NHRA Sport Compact Series for several years, as both an event sponsor and associate sponsor for several leading drivers, including Stephan Papadakis, Abel Ibarra and Scott Kelley. [3-29-2005]

NEW LOOK FOR ATHEY AND TEAM

Paul Athey and Grant Flowers have been busy readying their Mohegan Sun-sponsored Top Fuel team for the IHRA season. This year will be the first full season with Athey in a TF dragster and Grant as the crew chief. The dragster has been completely redone with many new parts and three motors in the trailer.

Athey spent the off season getting in better physical shape. "One of the biggest tasks I was given over the off-season was to lose some weight for the car," Athey said. "I've lost 20 pounds so far and I'm not done yet. Weight location is very critical in these cars." [3-29-2005]

HOT BOATS AT FIREBIRD

Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, AZ will host Lakefest 2005 on April 8-10. The International Hot Boat Association promises drag boats going 250 mph. According to IHBA officials, 12 Top Fuel boats are expected to attend. Springtime in Arizona and drag racing boats on a lake -- cool! (photo courtesy IHBA) [3-29-2005]

CARRIER BOYZ, GRAHAM TO PURSUE NHRA STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP

Steve Graham, who works full time for legendary oval track engine builder Earl Gaerte, goes drag racing when he isn't building engines. With the help of the Carrier brothers he drives a Super Stock '67 Chevy II SS/HA car in NHRA competition. After winning several track championships at Bunker Hill Dragstrip in Indiana, he joined up with Brian Olson, who drove the Carrier Boyz Racing sportsman car in 2000-2002. Graham finished No. 7 nationally in 2003 and No. 10 in 2004, winning last fall's Chicago event with an impressive showing, his first national event victory. Graham and Olson will pursue the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Super Stock Championship full-time carrying the colors of Autolite XP Xtreme Performance spark plugs. [3-29-2005]

HOT ROD REUNION, HERE WE COME!

DRO's intrepid "People" writer, Dale Wilson, is teaming up with Super Pro racer and IHRA Division 2 chaplain Joe Sannutti of Baxley, GA in Wilson's "Yeow-eee!" front-engine dragster to race at the June 2005 Holley Hot Rod Reunion at Bowling Green, KY. The team, Sannutti & Wilson Old Time Racing, will use Wilson's 2004 Fabrication Concepts dragster with Sannutti's blown and injected small-block Chevy engine that took him to 4.70-second clockings on the eighth-mile. Sannutti, the artist who painted the "Yeow-eee!" dragster in his Premier Custom Paint and Powdercoating shop, will drive.

The team will enter the Nostalgia Comp class for cars that will run off a 7.60-second (quarter-mile) index. "If that doesn't work, we'll go for the 8.60 class," Sannutti said. "And if that doesn't work, we'll run 9.10." Expect a full report in a June edition of DRO. (Fran Gaudsmith photo) [3-29-2005]