ANOTHER NEW '63 VETTE PRO MOD

Late word from veteran Racer Jerry Rhodes is that his new Pro Mod being built at Foy Gilmore's shop in Pensacola Florida is just about ready to be delivered. No Word on what kind of powerplant though. [1/2/2004]

NHRA PRE-SEASON TEST SESSIONS SCHEDULE

Want to get your dose of nitro before the official start of the 2004 season? Here is a list of test and tune sessions. The agent recommends these events highly as you can often see the best teams in drag racing for a fraction of the cost of a National Event ducat. Phoenix is especially a bargain as most teams seem to attend that event [1/2/2004]

Las Vegas Jan. 29-31 Pro Stock Super Bowl (Houston) Feb. 7 Phoenix Feb. 7-8 Tucson (PRO event) Feb. 13-15

Cory McClenathan has found himself in dismal and all-too-familiar circumstances. Despite four No. 2 finishes in the Top Fuel point standings (1992, '95, '97, '98) and 12 top-10 efforts since he began his NHRA career in 1991, McClenathan is unemployed for the third time since 2000.

McClenathan said he found out Dec. 30 that car owner Darrell Gwynn has decided to park the dragster in which the Anaheim, Calif., driver registered the fifth-quickest pass in Top Fuel history at Joliet, Ill., last September. He said a deal with a telecommunications corporation ( ATT) fell through "and Darrell doesn't have anything else" in the way of major sponsorship.

McClenathan said he still has the support of such sponsors as Berryman Products, FabTech, and Don Steves Chevrolet of LaHabra, Calif. However, he said that doesn't represent enough funding to start his own operation and hire quality crew and crew chief. "Everything has to be right for the sponsor," he said. "And I'm not

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interested in running a limited schedule. Our sponsors want to run 23 races, too."

He called fundraising "a Catch-22-type of thing" and said, "The pursestrings in Corporate America are just shut. The money's not that good right now." [1/2/2004]

ATT UPDATE OR IS THAT A DIAL TONE?

The agent has learned that for all intents and purposes any involvement between NHRA or NHRA Pro Teams and the ATT corp is essentially a non-starter for the 2004 season. The agent understands that at least one of the teams involved in pursuing the ATT deal after NHRA got 86'd received a "Dear Racer" letter stateing that all of the ATT advertising funds were committed for 2004 and they weren't going to be involved with drag racing this year but they would review their options in 2005. The agent has to wonder what happened to this deal since it is knonw that originally ATT's agency reccomended that they get invovled with NHRA drag racing? Who goofed? We've got to know. [1/2/2004]