'DICKO' RETIRING AFTER THIS SEASON? BEARD TO REPLACE HIM

LaHaie

Beard

Several very reliable sources told the Agent at Memphis that Dick LaHaie, Don Prudhomme's crew chief/tuner on the Miller Lite Top Fuel car, would retire at the end of this season and would be replaced by Lee Beard who is currently tuning David Powers' Top Fuel car. Beard confirmed that he has been approached by several big names in the sport but wouldn't divulge any names. Beard did say that he did part company with Don Schumacher on good terms and that one of the main reasons for his leaving had to do with the sharing of information among the various Schumacher nitro team crew chiefs.

His tuning "Hot Rod" Fuller to the win over Alan Johnson and the Army car at Memphis didn't hurt Beard's reputation as a tuner or crew chief any. (Jeff Burk photos) [8-22-2005]

THE 'DOLPHSTER' HAS A B&M MOVEMENT

Jim Adolph (left), semi-retired Fuel Flopper and Top Fuel driver, career publisher for the former Petersen Publishing empire now known as Primedia and former boss of DRO Editor/Publisher Jeff Burk (right), has left the friendly confines of his offices on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles and gone back to where he began his high performance career so many years ago, the B&M transmission company. It's B&M's gain and Primedia's loss as far as the Agent is concerned. (DRO file photo by Ron Lewis) [8-22-2005]

A LEADERBOARD FOR NHRA?

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The Agent heard at Memphis that NHRA will soon have an electronic scoreboard much like those seen at roundy-round tracks that will keep the fans apprised of every racer's speed, ET and what position they are on the qualifying ladder and that it will be updated continuously during qualifying.

What the Agent wants to know is with the Motel 6 jumbo TV screen, boards that give the fan the speeds and ET in both lanes plus the winner and with the supposed addition of the leaderboard what info are the announcers going to be imparting to the fans that they won't already be getting? Oh the Agent forgot someone has to call the classes to the staging lanes. (It's a joke, Bob and Alan.) [8-22-2005]