PAT AUSTIN RETURNS

Pat Austin is coming back to the quarter-mile after taking the last year off to spend time with his family and kids. The fourth winningest NHRA driver, with 75 national event wins, will return to limited competition for the 2004 NHRA Lucas Oil Series season running in his home Division 6 and Division 7 events. The team also hopes to make it to Indy.

Plans are for pre-Winternationals testing in Phoenix with their new Mustang-bodied alky funny car powered by a "can't comment on that" power plant. The Mustang body is an earlier version, not the big down-force body currently run by Team Force, but Austin was quick to point out that, "I'm not working with anybody. I paid for the body myself."

No sponsorship has been announced and dad Walt Austin will remain as crew chief. As Pat put it, "I wouldn't race without him." (Jeff Burk photo) [10-9-2003]

NOWLING OPENS WALLET FOR PRO MODS

Kenny Nowling, owner of Nowling Motorsports Management and DRO's partner in the points system for the AMS Pro Mod series, has decided to sweeten the pot for the Pro Mod racers competing in the AMS Shootout at Dallas this weekend. He has put up a $5,000 bonus for any racer who wins both the "Shootout" and the AMS Pro Mod event which is scheduled for the same weekend. That means that one racer or team, if they "run the table" by winning both races and qualifying number one, could go home with $23,000 for the weekend thanks to the largess of AMS's Dave Wood and Kenny Nowling. [10-9-2003]

DECAL WORKS BUYS FLATOUT DECALS

Flatout Group has sold their Flatout Decal division to DeCal Works of Kingston, IL. Flatout Group will retain their Flatout Gaskets and Fabrications divisions.

"It was just a simple change in business direction that we had been considering for quite some time," said Mark Adelizzi, President of Flatout Group. "We found after expanding our gasket business and adding on our new metal fabrication business, that their synergies made the most sense for us to focus on." [10-9-2003]

MAYER MOVING ON

Darren Mayer has left the company he helped start, Red Line Design, and started a new business called Darren Mayer Performance Engineering. The new company will specialize in fuel systems and superchargers, specifically the servicing, improving,

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updating and repair of all brands of superchargers including the Kobleco superchargers that he designed. Mayer's new shop will be located in Stevensville, MI and he can be reached there at 269-428-7029. [10-9-2003]

A NEW PRO STREET TEAM

Mike Stewart, owner of Mike's Transmission in Lancaster, CA, has won about everything he can in his blown Hemi-powered, powerglide-equipped Top Dragster on the West Coast is getting out of his dragster and getting into a doorcar. To be more specific, he is going to take the engine and drivetrain out of his dragster and put it into John Scialpi's old '57 Chevy coupe. Stewart and his partner, the owner of Tom Differentials, will campaign the coupe on the PSCA circuit for the 2004 season. [10-9-2003]