Is he kidding? The Agent wonders how the troops that drive A fuel dragsters at the division level feel about that. An even better question is what happens when a division track books in a fuel flopper or dragster?

A 40-INCH TALL FUEL TIRE?
Agent 1320 has heard a rumor that Goodyear has told NHRA and racers that the 36-inch tall tire that has been used for years was never designed to survive the wheel speeds at 330-plus mph and that is part of the reason for the rash of tire failures we have seen in recent years. We know of at least one Top Fuel driver who wants a new set of tires for each pass. Apparently the tires only start to fail after they have been run once. Goodyear has made a new version of the tire that everyone will have the opportunity to use starting at Denver. This tire is supposed to be an inch wider than the old model. Once source told the Agent that Goodyear representatives told him that what they really needed was a 40-inch tall tire, which would slow down the speed that the outside of the tire is turning.

ROWE ROWING WITH CHEVY POWER

Engine builder Sonny Leonard is credited with developing the five-inch bore center blocks for the 800+ ci IHRA Pro Stocks. He is also the engine builder that the first man over 200 mph (Bill Kuhlmann) used. Recently though, most of the supercharged Pro Mods are using Alan Johnson Oldsmobile blocks and heads but thanks to Dan Rowe, Sonny may be back in the driver's seat. Rowe's engine builder John Scialpi put together his blown 529 inch motor using Sonny's five-inch bore center block and heads and proceeded to annihilate the field at the NHRA event at St. Louis, setting Low Elapsed Time at 6.234 and then going on to win the event.

TONY CHRISTIAN GOING NHRA RACING?
Agent 1320 hears that Legal Street legend Tony Christian will give up the NMCA Pro Street deal to field a Pro Modified in NHRA competition. Smart money has Christian doing both.