"BLASTRO"

Yes, we have a winner in the Dragracingonline.com "What IN the Hell Are We Looking At?" sweepstakes -- "Blastro." I know, sounds like one of those mindless, one-star, half-brain action flicks that clutter up the movie houses. Actually, "Blastro" is a 1985 Chevy Astro Van that has been drastically altered. . .I mean DRASTICALLY altered. Home built by

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owner/driver Tom Richey of Columbus, Ohio, the deep maroon-colored van is chopped 10 inches in front, 7 1/2 inches in the rear, and six inches of midcut in the middle, with the whole package checking in at an all-STEEL (no glass) 3,350-pounds. The engine a blown and injected, alcohol burning 526-cid Keith Black Olds sits over the front axle, giving an initial impression of "death wish" on the part of the driver. Your first thought is that this lethal package will not go straight; it's not in its nature, but not so. This vicious pig charged to a 7.96/173.81 in Quick 8 qualifying Friday afternoon and followed with a career best 7.87/175.32 that evening. They qualified, but failed to make the show due to a shot front seal in the transmission, but this monster is a lot of fun to watch. Primarily active in Ohio, this beast is worth your time.

ANOTHER CONVERT TO THE WORLD SERIES

Dave Wallace, one of the premier drag racing journalists in the world (editorships at Drag News, Drag Racing Magazine and many others), had been tantalized over the years with stories concerning the desirability of attending the World Series, and finally caved in. In three words: He dug it. A former contributor and now just a reader of DragRacingOnline, Wallace (seen here in a file photo with his son, Ryan) fell victim to our hype and made the trip from his home above Sacramento, Calif., via Bonneville Raceway in Utah and thanked us effusively for the advice.

Gotta tell 'ya, if you want to see drag racing as it really was (not one of these nostalgia shows with front-engine cars built after 1995), the 51st World Series of Drag Racing must be on your racing calendar. Got me?