A season ago, Hot Rod Fuller was playing the lead part in what turned out to be a dramatic finish to the 2007 NHRA racing season. Now the fiery Las Vegas racer has a new role, that of the hunter. Through the first 12 races of the 2008 NHRA racing season, Fuller and his David Powers-owned Caterpillar Top Fuel team rank fourth in the arduous Top Fuel division. With the bulls-eye no longer on his back, Fuller and his Rob Flynn-led Caterpillar team overcame a slow start to the 2008 NHRA season and have moved within striking distance of the second and third place drivers, Antron Brown and Larry Dixon. The former Super Comp and Gas stalwart has one win and one pole this year along with recording low E.T. and top speed honors multiple times. In this Q&A, Fuller talks about his first-half performance and his outlook on year two of NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship.

Kinser and Tony Stewart Racing’s Bass Pro Shops Team Prepare for World of Outlaws Sprint Series Racing Action In South Dakota, Arkansas and Indiana

The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series will travel to three states in only four days this week as it prepares to begin the traditional Month of Money this weekend. Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Kraig Kinser is ready to tackle the three-race holiday weekend as the team will kick-off the week on Thursday at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. On Saturday, Kinser will make his first-ever appearance at Riverside International Speedway (RIS) in West Memphis, Ark. TSR will wrap up the weekend at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., on Sunday.

Red Bull Racing is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Mark Webber for him to continue driving for the team in 2009.

Connolly Motorsports GTOP.R top Pontiac GT qualifier

The GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Daytona Prototype (DP) will start second for tonight’s running of round eight of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 going off at Daytona International Speedway. The Matt Connolly Motorsports GTO.R was the top qualifying Pontiac GT car and will start seventh.

Four-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champion Gary Scelzi will appear on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain this Sunday, July 6, on Speed Channel. The show airs live from 9-10 p.m. EST.

Reigning Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. will don a specially-designed racing helmet for the upcoming Mile-High NHRA Nationals to honor the 50th anniversary of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which is located in nearby Colorado Springs, Colo.

Following David Coulthard's announcement that he plans to retire from race driving in Formula 1 after the end of the 2008 season, Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner commented:

David Coulthard
I would like to announce today my decision to retire from racing in Formula One at the end of this season. I will remain actively involved in the sport as a consultant to Red Bull Racing focusing on testing and development of the cars. I have an open mind as to whether or not I will compete again in the future, in some other form of motorsport, so I am definitely not hanging up my helmet!

“ Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green was well represented in the AMA/WMA National Championship event at Thunder Valley Raceway in Lakewood, Colo. as four Team Green riders earned top-10 finishes.

TRG and Tim George Jr. are proud to announce that Johnny Love Vodka will be joining the team as the primary sponsor for the No. 67 Johnny Love Vodka/ 994 Magazine TRG Porsche.

Tony Stewart Racing’s Donny Schatz Looks to Continue WoO Winning Streak in South Dakota, Arkansas and Indiana

With the calendar turning to July and the temperatures rising, Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Donny Schatz has turned up the heat on the competition. After winning seven of his 11 starts during the month June behind the wheel of the TSR No. 15 Armor All/Chevy/ParkerStore J&J, Schatz heads into the season’s busiest month on a three-race winning streak.

The JEGS ProMod Challenge field for the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals will be one of the most star-studded in NHRA history. Four of six former JEGS series champions -- Josh Hernandez (2007), Jay Payne (2006), Shannon Jenkins (2002), and "Tricky Rickie" Smith (2001) -- will lead the way, but will certainly be challenged by many of today's top drivers.

Quote from Del Worsham:
"We all talked about this a lot, last weekend in Norwalk, and the 1,000-foot idea was the one we were all discussing the most. We need to do something while people analyze how to make the sport safer for the nitro cars; we can't just close our eyes to what happened and hope it doesn't happen again. I know this is pretty radical, but we have some issues with 330-mph race cars and tracks that weren't built to hold them, and until we settle those issues we have to be aggressive and not just stand by.

AS INTERIM SAFETY STEP WHILE KALITTA ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

As the investigation continues into the tragic accident that took the life of driver Scott Kalitta, NHRA announced today that beginning at the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver, Colorado, both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes will race to 1,000 feet instead of the traditional 1,320 feet or one-quarter mile. This is an interim step that is being taken while NHRA continues to analyze and determine whether changes should be made to build upon the sport's long standing safety record, given the inherent risks and ever-present dangers associated with the sport.