TEAM DRO IN THE NEWS
Larry Morgan, whose Dodge Pro Stocker was the first Pro Class car to sport the DRO moniker, made the staff proud by qualifying third at Denver with a stout 7.335. That put the newly slim and trim shoe into the third qualifying hole at Denver. The Agent wonders how John Nobile, who left the Mopar camp allegedly due to the lack of horsepower from the new Hemi, felt about his decision after the Mopar performance at Denver?

CANNON JR RELOADING
Scotty Cannon Jr, who had been slated to drive a fuel car for his Dad's Oakley-backed Nitro flopper team, apparently has changed his mind and instead will drive a Pro Stock motorcycle. More on this when it becomes available.

JOE SAID IT
Joe Amato on whether or not qualifying Number 1 is an advantage: "You get the $4,000 bonus money and the maximum number of qualifying points. The main thing is it should give you the edge in the first round (of final eliminations) because you run against the 16th qualifier and have lane choice. There are bragging rights, sure, but if you get too caught up in being the fastest guy, that means you're close to the edge. The closer you are to the edge, the easier it is to smoke the tires (lose traction) and get in trouble. Sometimes it's safer if you're back in the pack a little bit because you have more of a cusion. In this business. it's too easy to beat yourself."

CORZINE OUT, TARKINGTON IN AS IHRA DIVISION DIRECTOR
President Bill Bader has appointed Dennis Tarkington as Area Director for IHRA's Central Divisions 4 and 5. Current Director Bubba Corzine is stepping down due to increased demands from his full-time employer Compulink Timing.

Tarkington, a resident of Sanger, Texas, was a 30-year employee of Ford Motor Company specializing in sales and customer relations. While serving as the Cleveland (Ohio) District Parts Sales Manager in the 1980s, Tarkington was responsible for Motorcraft's eight-year sponsorship of the IHRA World Nationals at Norwalk Raceway Park.

CLAY MILLICAN GETS FLATOUT SPONSORSHIP
Flatout Group has signed on with Lehman Racing's stealthsponsor.com Top Fuel dragster team as an associate sponsor for the remainder of the IHRA race season. Flatout Group, based in Mundelein, Illinois, specializes in graphic products such as specialty decals, signs, t-shirts, etc.

THIS TIME FOR SURE, ROCKY!
After a false start at St. Louis and subsequent testing the car at Norwalk Raceway Park, John Force will bring his new Castrol GTX Ford hailed as "Supercar" to Bristol competition.

Designed by Tim Gibson, an aeronautical engineer whose credits include work on the Pontiac body preferred by Jerry Toliver as a stint with Dan Gurney's All-American Racers IndyCar team, the new Ford has created a firestorm of controversy even though its debut twice has been postponed because of handling and horsepower problems.

Although the Mustang appears much wider than its predecessors, according to Gibson, it is closer to stock dimensions than any other Funny Car in this week's field.

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