TIM AND KIM RICHARDS GOING TO BUD KING?
A usually reliable source told the Agent that Kenny Bernstein has added the tuning duo of Tim and Kim Richards to his Top Fuel team. This rumor has the pair joining the King's crew for the NHRA National event at Gainesville. The source did not know how this hiring (if true) would affect the status of Mike Green and Johnny West, who have been calling the shots since the departure of Lee Beard late last year.

If this rumor is true then the previous report that had Tim and Kim Richards working with Chris Karamesines at Gainesville to help get the "Greek" his 300-mph, four-second pass probably won't happen until the NHRA tour makes its stop at Chicago later in the year.

MAUNEY OUT, CRITCHLEY IN SINGLETON'S '41 WILLYS PRO MOD
It's probably just a coincidence that Tommy Mauney didn't have an invitation to the inaugural NHRA Pro Mod exhibition at Gainesville and Troy Critchley did. Whatever the reasons, Critchley has replaced Mauney in the seat of Roy Singleton's Majesty Group-sponsored, blown '41 Willys. Critchley drove and tuned Johnny Rocca's supercharged '49 Merc to some of the quickest times in Pro Mod history. Critchley had been without a ride for the Gainesville race until he got the ex-Tommy Mauney ride.

ANDERSON TO TUNE FOR ROCCA?
Agent 1320 has heard a rumor that Tommy Anderson who worked with Jim Oddy in 2000 and had a long career as an NHRA Fuel Funny car tuner and driver may be in line to help tune Johnny Rocca's new '51 Merc that will be driven by former IHRA alky funny car driver Paul Athey for the 2001 season.

NO VIPER FOR RICKIE SMITH AT GAINESVILLE
Rickie Smith, who has been invited by NHRA to participate in the Pro Mod exhibition series beginning at Gainesville, was supposed to drive a Jerry Haas-built Viper, but will not get the car in time for the race and will instead drive the '63 split window, Jerry Haas-built Pro Mod Vette that he drove in the 2000 season

NITROUS PRO MODS STEPPING UP. VICK GOES 6.244! JENKINS ALSO QUICK!
Steve Vick continues to be the quickest of the nitrous Pro Modifieds as he ran the absolute quickest ever pass for a nitrous oxide-injected car. At a preseason test session he ran a 6.244/224.5. On that pass he had a 1.043 60-foot time and ran 4.085/181.74 at the eighth mile mark. Unfortunately for Vick, he had a serious explosion at the same test session and reportedly blew the intake manifold up and severely damaged the front end of the '68 Camaro.

At that same event former IHRA Pro Mod World Champion Shannon Jenkins was shaking down his new '68 Camaro and had a very impressive eighth-mile checkout pass. He ran a 4.069/180.36 lap with a 1.014 sixty footer.

DENSHAM TO DRIVE FOR FORCE????
Everybody but the long lost D.B. Cooper has been rumored to be the driver of the next John Force car. The Agent hears that the newest name being put forth is veteran SoCal fuel racer Gary Densham. If Densham turns out to be the driver it would be an ironic turn of events as he was one of Force's strongest critics when John tried to field a third car in 2000!

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