OLSON GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

One of the last NHRA executives that raced a Fuel car (the last, we believe, is Graham Light) and one of NHRA’s most staunch supporters, Carl Olson has been given the gate at NHRA. In a classy move, Olson reportedly wrote a very nice letter that circulated in the industry explaining the action and basically thanking NHRA for allowing him to work there. Olson, an NHRA national event winner in Top Fuel, had many duties at NHRA during his tenure there but will probably be most remembered for his work spreading the NHRA "Gospel" overseas and working with the FIA.

KRAUSHAR ON SHAKEY GROUND?

Agent 1320 has heard a rumor that Don Kraushar, NHRA VP of National Event Business (he and the national event track operators collectively pay the bills and determine how the profits or losses will be split between the tracks and NHRA after each race) was stripped of his VP title, only to have it restored supposedly at the insistence of the track operators. If this rumor is true, how tense must it be at NHRA headquarters these days?

HARASSING HOWARD HAIGHT

Agent 1320 has heard that after the Winternationals several Top Fuel racers (we have the names but their actions were so ignorant that the Agent has decided to spare them the embarrassment) went to NHRA and protested the fact that NHRA had "allowed" Howard Haight to compete at Pomona because, the racers claimed, he didn’t meet the criteria for a top fuel driver. This despite the fact that he obviously had a current license when he got to Pomona. According to the Agent’s sources, Haight was then refused entry at Phoenix.

Just for the record, Haight has driven just about every type of fuel burning car known to man successfully since the early 1970’s. Shame on the drivers who protested and NHRA for caving to the pressure. The Agent also wonders if Craig Smith, who got an entry to Phoenix, is any more qualified than Howard Haight?

TOP FUELERS AND NO ONE ELSE GET PAY RAISE AT IHRA

In an apparent move to retain their Top Fuel racers, IHRA has given that class an across the board raise of about $2500. That means that first round loser will now get $7500 instead of $5000. That’s the good news. The rest of the classes will apparently race for last year’s purses. The not so good news.

ICEMAN WARMS UP NITROUS COMPETITION

A month ago during testing at Darlington, Shannon Jenkins recorded the quickest eighth-mile nitrous pass with a 4.05. Now, the two-time Pro Mod World Champion thinks his could be the first nitrous injected car into the three-second range.

Jenkins, dubbed "The Iceman" for his cool demeanor in tense situations, adds that if he can run in the three-second range, it will put the nitrous cars knocking on the 6-teens.

"I think it's possible," explained Jenkins, who won Pro Modified titles in 1997 and 1999. "We have made some great strides on the nitrous side during the off-season and I feel that we are going to need to get all of the advantages that we can get headed into this season."

This will be the first season for Jenkins with Team Castellana. At the conclusion of the 2000 season, Jenkins announced that he would team up with engine lease customer Mike Castellana to field a 1968 Camaro. (photo by Roger Richards)

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