As the 2009 Nitro Jam season begins to hit its stride, there is a pervading feeling of Déjà Vu in the Top Fuel pits. Last season rookie Spencer Massey came from nowhere to drive one of Mitch King’s Texas-based rails to the 2008 championship.

History is now repeating itself as Massey’s replacement, Del Cox Jr., is staking his own claim to the coveted crown. In two national events, Cox has qualified in the No. 1 spot twice, earned a semifinal finish and a victory to position himself just two points behind former champ Bruce Litton in the chase for the title.

Read about Cox, as well as other first-time pro winners Tim Tindle (Pro Mod) and Cary Goforth (Pro Stock) in Issue 9 of DRM. And of course the sportsman racers were in action at the Spring Nationals as well, and we have full coverage of all seven classes.

Adding to the excitement of the huge weekend at historic Rockingham Dragway was the running of one of the biggest sportsman events of the season, the Summit Racing Equipment Allstars presented by Mr. Gasket race. Crowning the seven champions was one of the highlights of Saturday’s Night of Fire activities. We have all the details in Issue 9!

And of course we had the Grave Digger monster truck going against the Super Shockwave jet truck, and that was something you just had to see to believe! The fans went wild, to say the least. Icing on the cake was the record-setting 7.88 second, 202.55 mph blast by Kevin Martin aboard his jet-powered Ballistic Eagle motorcycle.

Take a few moments to read what IHRA staff and racers have to say as they recall their memories of Shirley Blankenship, a long-time employee and avid IHRA supporter.

Also check out Susan Wade’s feature on South Carolina’s Pageland Dragway, get off track with sportsman hitter Jimmy Lewis, and read all about Fineline, the folks who have designed the graphics package for the 2009 Summit SuperSeries Box champion’s Mullis dragster.

And of course IHRA President Aaron Polburn offers his unique take on the state-of-the-sport and the world in general in his “The Last Word” column.

The stunning new “Concrete Palace,” Dallas Raceway, is ready for its first national event, the Amalie Oil Texas Nationals, slated for the weekend of May 29-31. This incredible facility promises to offer an exciting experience for fans and racers alike, so make your plans now to be there!

Don’t forget to take advantage of a great opportunity to save big bucks on parts, services, and shipping, courtesy of leading performance industry manufacturers and DRM advertisers. Put DRM Online’s Extra Value Coupon Program to work today and stretch your hard-earned dollars. Spending less and racing more is the name of the game in today’s economy, so get in on the savings today!

Participating companies include:

ACD
Altronics
Aries
Booth-Arons
Champion System
DJ Safety
Halls Custom
Harland Sharp
Moduline
Pro-Filer
Reher-Morrison
Roman Performance
S&W
Sunset Ridge

For this issue and other issues of Drag Review, go to www.ihra.com/dragreview