WECKMAN 'VETTE GOES INTO THE TEENS

Midwest street racing legend Bill Weckman has been driving this very 'Vette on the street and the strip around St. Louis for more than 30 years. He took the 'Vette off the street for a year, but rebuilt the alky-burning, rat-motored, turbo-400 equipped, 3800-lb street car that still has a stock Corvette suspension under it. He started driving and racing it again for the 50th anniversary of the Chevy Corvette. Its first night out Weckman took the car to Gateway International and drove it to a personal best of 8.12 and 8.17. He's trying to put this real street car into the sevens! The Agent will keep you posted. (photo by Bret Kepner) [4-30-2003]

IF IT'S TIME FOR THE SOUTHERN NATIONALS, IT'S TIME FOR THIS RUMOR...AGAIN

Every year around this time the Agent hears that the NHRA-owned Atlanta Dragway is going to be sold. The rumor has resurfaced again, but this time the buyer is supposed to be the Vandergriff family. One of the Agent's operatives asked Bob Vandergriff Sr. about the rumor that he was buying the track and that the sale would be completed after the end of this year's NHRA event and he denied it categorically. Sources tell the Agent that the asking price for the race plant is $6,000,000. Any takers out there? [4-30-2003]

NORTON GETS MEGABUCKS AT GATEWAY

Jeff Norton of St. Peters, MO took the $10,000 Super Pro winner's share on the first day of the Citgo Megabucks Weekend at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. Norton's '71 Vega was just .014-second off his 6.536 dial-in to get the win over defending Gateway Super Pro champ Greg Sesti's dragster.

On Sunday, Dan Phelps of Labadie, Mo., one of the region's top big money bracket racers, reached the finals of the day's $10,000-to-win Super Pro competition, but red-lighted and handed the win to Troy Williams Jr. of Bradenton, Fla.

In Pro E.T., Bob Stieg was the Saturday winner and Rich Komor won on Sunday, each taking $2,000. [4-30-2003]

NORMAN WINS $10,000 AT ROCKINGHAM

Mike Hill drove his 1997 Chevy Camaro to an eighth-mile track record time of 4.697 seconds at 153.79 mph during qualifying for the Flowmaster Outlaw Pro Street portion of the 11th annual Holcomb Motorsports Civil Wars, but it was Marion Norman who wound

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up taking home the $10,000 top prize at Rockingham (NC) Dragway. Hill, whose Camaro became the first to break the 4.70 second barrier, was guilty of a foul start in the final round, resulting in his disqualification and handing the title to Marion, whose 1968 Camaro started from the No. 4 spot. Hill missed a clean start by a minuscule .001 of a second.

Other winners included Richie Kibler of Garner, who drove his Buick to victory in Outlaw Pure Street; Wayne Herring of LaGrange, the winner in Real Street; Steve Gerard Jr. of Chocwinity, the Wild Street champion; and Robert Hindman of Knoxville, Tenn., who won from the No. 17 starting spot in Open Comp. [4-30-2003]