Assuming the 42,000 people of Grand Prairie, Texas say yes in a special election on Nov. 2, Billy Meyer will unveil the most innovative dragstrip yet. Our Dave Densmore will fill in with more details in a later issue, but the place will be spectacular. The tower at the current Motorplex is 18,000 square feet, the new tower built somewhat along the lines of the Route 66 Raceway will be 120,000 feet. It’s going to be big, modern, and state of the art.

"I think the new track will make a bigger impact than our original Motorplex in Ennis," said Meyer. It’s going to be a motorsports community entertainment sponsor, that we will use to hold not only races, but concerts as well.

"As for the old track, I plan to sell off the grandstands, and probably use it as a flea market. There’s a lot of land at the Ennis site, and I really haven’t given a lot of thought yet as to what we will do with that."

What’s rather ironic is that Sayers may not end up being the full time driver of the car. King will license in the car Monday after the O’Reilly race and if all goes well, may drive it exclusively.

The gut check award in Funny Car qualifying has to go to Ashland, Va., racer Scott Weis in the Bruce’s Super Body Shop/Wise Guys ’98 Mustang. He went into the final qualifying session on the outside, looking in, and managed to pull a rabbit out of his hat. Weis launched hard, got a little out of shape, had to get off and on the throttle, and still thundered to a 5.15 with the best speed of his career, 305.60 mph. The only run even close in the save department was Dean Skuza’s foot-lifting, foot stomper of 4.93, 312.28 in Saturday’s first session.

Del Worsham, who won this year’s NHRA Northwest Nationals Funny car title, failed to qualify for the field at the Motorplex. A sub par 5.25 was five hundredths off the pace and it did rankle the Laguna Hills, Calif., driver. "We lost a burst panel on the first run Saturday and on my last shot it, we pushed the head gaskets out of and that was that … I’m pretty sick about this, we’d made it 19 for 19 and I wanted to make it into every field this year. We’ll keep going on, that’s all we can do."

NHRA announcer Bob Frey told us that Kenny Koretsky, a racer who earned distinction by being the only driver to qualify both a Top Fueler and Pro Stock at the same NHRA national event, will return to the sport next year, reportedly in a fueler …. Warren Johnson’s 6.82, 202 stunner at the Motorplex shook, up the Pro Stock ranks. Reportedly, engine builder/manufacturer Rich Maskin has offered $5,000 for a roll of film with the pictures of Johnson’s engine.

Never to busy for you, Darlin’

Thought your pals at Drag Racing Online were out having a good time every night? No, Our now half-million checker-outers on ye olde website are our chief concern. Don’t think so? We are at a Hampton Inn in DESOTO, Texas and its 2:10 a.m. as we speak. You know where you can go if you want the top qualifiers in each pro or sportsman class. Give ole Dave McClelland a call, but …… If you’d like a little of the rumors behind the news, sit tight, hombre.

Let me ask you this. What Elvis-like personality is rumored to have hired the son of a driver who worked for a famous New York Funny Car team and is currently leading the crew for an extremely well-known Italian Top Fuel driver? The DRO detectives are on top of this and from what we have heard it’s something we will crawl under beds for or mike phones for, FOR you our reading public. Hey, I don’t about you, but Burk and I lost a few thousand dollars predicting that Dan Quayle would be our next prexy. We can’t be wrong all the time.

And as Rod Serling would say, "Submitted for your approval," what smiling, Valley (as in San Fernando in SoCal) Top Fuel driver may, and we stress "maaay", be out of a ride for a super famous Funny Car driver? In his place, and again, AGAIN, his ALLEGED (!) replacement, from what we’ve heard, is a famous Southern California Irishman who broke a key Texas Motorplex Top Fuel speed barrier a couple of years ago?

Hey, spreading rumors? You tell us. Drag racing comes up with as much "I can’t believe that"-type jazz as the National Enquirer. But below is what we do know and can apply names

McCulloch Leaves Kalitta Camp, Connie Takes Over

Noticeably absent from the Kitty Hawk Racing Team was crew chief Ed ‘the Ace’ McCulloch. The famed Top Fuel/Funny Car driver reportedly submitted his resignation as the head wrench for Kalitta the week prior to the O’Reilly Fall Nationals, and calling the tuning shots now is the guy who pays the bills, Connie Kalitta.

Obviously, this is not unknown territory for the famed Michigan racer; He’s been in this batter’s box before.

"I don’t involve myself without knowing what we are doing," Kalitta said. "When you run one of these cars, you have to stay on top of it all, if you’re going to go anywhere. My experiences in 40 years of racing tells me that you still have to read your racecar. It tells you what it wants. I don’t drive as much as I used to, but that fact allows me more time and less pressure to look over what’s going on with the cars. I’ve done this all before and feel comfortable with our situation."

And Kalitta obviously is a good listener. Son Scott, a former two-time Winston Top Fuel champ, came out Friday night and ripped a low e.t. 4.54, 318.92, which made them the No. 1 qualifier.

And by the way, remember who DRO had at the top of their Motorplex Top Fuel handicap list?

Okay, just checking.

THE PROFESSOR TAKES THE PRO STOCK STUDENTS TO SCHOOL

Tom Martino’s stay at the top of the qualifying list didn’t last as Warren Johnson once again proved why his is the Pro Stock racer of this decade. In the morning session Johnson posted the quickest elapsed time ever at the Motorplex with a track record 6.843. In doing so he also ran the quickest speed in NHRA history with a blistering 202.33. With one qualifying session to go and some of the best weather in the 14 year history don’t bet Warren won’t set the Pro Stock record. He will have to make a lap between 200.31 and 204.36

IHRA WORLD CHAMP LAMPUS RUNS CAREER BEST AT MOTORPLEX

Don Lampus, Jr. fresh from cinching his first IHRA world championship came to the Texas Motorplex with a new sponsor Express Parts. Com. Lampus drove his Mike McLaughlin tuned top fueler to a career best 4.694/310.77, which qualified him solidly in the field.

CANNON HANDLEING TUNING CHORES FOR TEXAS SWING

Dale Pulde has been doing the tuning chores for Scotty Cannon for most of the 1999 NHRA season. Cannon decided to do his own tuning at the Dallas and Houston race and left Pulde at the house. Scotty ran a five-oh on the first lap Friday but came back with a solid 4.99 in the night session that put him solidly in the field.

FOXWORTH RETURNS TO TOP FUEL AFTER LAYOFF

It’s been a long year for Texas independent Doug Foxworth and the Foxworth team, but things may be turning around for the "Lytle Flash".

The team hired Rick Cassel to tune the car for the Dallas and Houston races and promptly ran a 4.87 that temporarily got the Texan in the field. The team is currently negotiating with a couple of sponsors that could see the team return to IHRA competition next year.

PRO Drivers Meeting In Name Only

On Thursday of the race, the PRO organization held a drivers' meeting at the track with NHRA to voice opinions and discuss all things drag racing. The confab was a meeting in name only. The menu was restricted completely to essentially pissing and moaning according to our sources. In fact, one racer said that there were a number of attendees who were ticked off that the meeting was even being called. When you consider that every form of auto racing has drivers meetings, and most are mandatory, the complaint about a meeting being held seems ludicrous, to put it gently. One of the complaints that filters through the pits at any NHRA event is that the organization ignores the racers.

Go figure.

Jerry Eckman Returns to the Saddle

Two years ago, Pro Stock racer Jerry Eckman was suspended from NHRA competition for two years due to a severe violation of the rules. The Newark, Ohio driver returned to the seat at this event, driving Dave Belli’s Pontiac Firebird last driven by Harry Scribner. Eckman, who had to upgrade his license two weeks before the race, ripped a 7.05 to temporarily qualify 12^th during Friday’s opening salvo. A broken transmission sidelined the team from Friday’s final session.

Eckman said later, "I thought I might be a little rusty, and I was, but not in the areas I thought. I forgot little things like turning on the computer and the air bottle. But overall, I felt good in the car. Overall, we just want to leave a good impression, run well."

Summit sponsors Oddy’s ’Vette

Noted engine builder and Pro Mod team owner Jim Oddy and driver Fred Hahn debuted their new paint scheme and sponsorship during the IHRA World Finals at Red River Raceway outside Shreveport, LA. Although the sponsorship is for the 2000 IHRA and Canadian Pro Mod season, Summit Racing Equipment decided to debut the car at both the final Canadian Pro Mod race and at the final IHRA race of the season. Driver Fred Hahn and engine builder/owner Oddy won the Canadian Pro Mod championship and finished second in the IHRA season points. The team won two IHRA National events and during the season ran a best of 6.22/224.

Oildown control for IHRA Top Fuel! Traction control?

Representatives from many of the IHRA regular Top Fuel teams and IHRA met at Shreveport to discuss ways to control oildowns. There were two proposals put forth. The first was a "bulletproof pan", where a prominent aftermarket manufacturer proposed a pan designed to contain the rods. The fuel teams nixed that idea due to the added weight (50-200 lbs depending on who you talked to) and the fact that most teams felt the rods would exit the block if they couldn’t exit the pan and still oil the track.

The second suggestion put forth by the IHRA Top Fuel teams was that they develop a traction control system for the fuel cars. This idea was actually suggested by both the IHRA tech department and the racers and was widely accepted. Sources told Agent 1320 that some NHRA fuel racers have tested traction control devices but are supposed to take them off before a national event. According to one IHRA official, NHRA has expressed interest in the traction control device and wanted to be kept informed on how it worked for IHRA.

Lampus wins Top Fuel title, with a little help from his friends

All Don Lampus had to do to win the IHRA Top Fuel title at Shreveport was to qualifiy. The team found that easier said than done when they had a rear main leak oil during the first of their two available qualifying passes. Then just before their second and final attempt a dragster oiled their lane in a big way. In the darkness of the Louisiana night the track got cooler as the PTS crew labored to give Lampus a fair surface to drive down. Listening in on the track crew’s radio revealed that they too knew a World Championship was at stake. The cleanup crew took extra time to insure a good surface while the racers and crowd waited politely. Lampus responded with a 4.789/305 lap to clinch the title. A tip of the DRO hat to all involved for the extra effort and show of good sportsmanship.

McGee powered Top Fueler qualifies at Shreveport.

St. Louis racer Al Meade and his driver Doug McCan managed a nearly impossible feat when they put their McGee-powered Top Fueler in the field with a half pass of 6.267/148. It marked the first time in recent memory the Australian based twin cam fuel motor has made a field.

Spina records disputed 221 pass on fuel Harley