Kloeber to tune for Gilbertson at Charlotte

Bob Gilbertson has picked Mike Kloeber as his crew chief for his Rianni Tankless Hot Water Heaters Funny Car for his return to NHRA competition at the upcoming Carolina NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway at Concord.
 

Kloeber is a 20-plus year veteran of the sport and has worked with many of the top names in drag racing including Don Prudhomme, Tom McEwen, Ed McCulloch, and Jim Epler when he became the first Funny Car to run over 300 mph at Topeka in '94.
 
Kloeber has spent the past eight years as crew chief for Clay Millican's Top Fuel team, tuning him to 50 IHRA national event titles and six world championships and the IHRA world record of 4.48 seconds. Kloeber also has eight NHRA national event wins as a crew chief in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
 
"I'm very happy that Bob called me, this is the opportunity I've been waiting for," Kloeber said. "I've known Bob for a long time and he's a real racer at heart. He's a really good driver, he's won races in the past, he knows what it takes to win, and I hope that I can help him and his team achieve their goal of doing well at his hometown race in Charlotte."
 
Gilbertson is as equally enthusiastic as Kloeber is about him joining the team.
 
"Mike is a can-do guy and I know I've made the right choice," Gilbertson said. "It's going to be a big weekend for us as we're debuting a new sponsor at the nicest track in the world in our home town and I have all the confidence in the world that Mike will get the car down the track, get us qualified and hopefully go some rounds on Sunday and become a spoiler in the points chase."

Johnson invited to Speed TV show

U.S. Nationals Champion Steve Johnson will appear on Speed TV's NASCAR Race Day with hosts John Roberts, Jimmy Spencer, and Kenny Wallace from 5-7 p.m., Saturday, live from the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 in Richmond, Va.

Johnson’s antics after winning "the Big Go" were a highlight of the race as he climbed the fence around the shutdown area with Wally trophy in hand. This was the first time any drag racer had mimicked NASCAR racer Tony Stewart and open wheel pro Helio Castroneves fence-climbing victory celebration.

"I couldn’t believe what I saw," said Wallace, a close friend of Johnson. "Watching Steve win the race was very cool, but climbing a fence at a drag race with the trophy, I guess I haven’t seen every thing yet."

Reigning champ Smith and teammate to visit Brenner Children’s Hospital

Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith and teammate Angie McBride will visit Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston Salem, N.C., on Monday, Sept. 8, to sign autographs and visit with the kids and their families en route to the pre-race activities for the Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway at Concord.

"We hope to give the kid’s something to smile," Smith said. "We just want to make their day a little brighter as I’m sure they will ours as well."

Brenner Children’s Hospital, part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, is the eighth busiest children’s hospital in the nation and cares for children in a family-friendly environment that reflects a deep understanding of the needs of children.

Troxel to appear at R2B2 Motors grand opening

Melanie Troxel and the R2B2 Racing Dodge Charger R/T will highlight Saturday’s grand opening of R2B2 Motors, located at 3265 Commerce Avenue, Duluth, Ga. Festivities are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Troxel will sign autographs, answer questions, and be available for photo opportunities with the car from noon to 2 p.m.
 
R2B2 Motors – Rods, Rides, Bikes and Boats – is a high-end specialty auto dealer and authorized Eliminator Boat Dealer. In addition to offering high-end autos and boats, R2B2’s custom shop specializes in the latest state of the art equipment. Also available are custom builds and factory stock restoration, all-wheel drive chassis dyno, custom engine management tuning, complete paint and body custom air brushing, an award-winning audio department, metal fabrication, fiberglass and carbon fiber.

DSR auction to benefit Lilly Kulungian

Don Schumacher Racing is conducting a raffle in the pits at the U.S. Nationals this weekend to aid Lilly Kulungian, the six-month old daughter of Steve Johnson Racing general manager and crew mechanic, Tim Kulungian. Lilly was diagnosed with osteopetrosis, an extremely rare bone disease that affects 1 in 250,000 people. Only 30 people have been operated on by the doctor who writes the protocol on the disease, 10 of whom have been children.

"The DSR drivers have donated different memorabilia and the fans can buy raffle tickets throughout the weekend in the DSR pit area," said Johnson, who competes in NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle category. At the end of the weekend, numbers will be drawn that correspond with the particular memorabilia.

"Obviously, we're dealing with human life and it is very expensive research. The Kulungian family does not have the means to pay for all of this, so the motorsports community has come together to support the family in many different ways."

The winners will be announced at 9:45 a.m. on Monday in the DSR pit area.

Ashley Force on Designing Spaces

Funny Car driver Ashley Force will be a part of a special holiday edition of the TV show Designing Spaces. Force wrapped up filming for the 30-minute show the Tuesday before the US Nationals at a production studio in Florida. The self proclaimed "shy Force" was at ease in front of the camera talking about a topic that the California home-body is very excited about -- making every space count and enjoying the space where you live.

"I watch all the home improvement shows," Force said. "Danny (Hood, fiancé) and I are getting married in December and we’ll be moving into a house together. That can be overwhelming so watching do it yourself shows like Designing Spaces help a lot to give us ideas."

The goal of Designing Spaces is to show viewers how to achieve their fantasy style with advice from renowned leaders in the design, hardware, architecture, houseware, and real estate industry. Force’s holiday segment focused on helping viewers pick the right Sanyo HDTV and talking about the benefits of Sanyo HDTVs. Sanyo is a sponsor of her racecar through BrandSource.

Glidden to be honored at U.S. Nationals

Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden, the winningest driver in the history of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, will receive a special recognition award commemorating his dominant run at the world’s most prestigious drag race during pre-race ceremonies on Monday, Sept. 1 at famed O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

Glidden has won a record nine times at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. He last won at Indy 20 years ago, and also claimed victories in 1985-87, 1983, 1978-79, 1974-73.
Don Garlits is second on the Indy wins list with eight victories in Top Fuel. Two active drivers, Top Fuel’s Tony Schumacher and Pro Stock’s Warren Johnson, have six wins apiece at the tradition-rich event.

NHRA President Tom Compton will present the special honor to Glidden.

XXX Racing to fuel Sampey’s Countdown charge

XXX Racing Fuel will support Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Angelle Sampey's Rush Racing Products Buell V-Twin for the remainder of the 2008 season.

"XXX CEO Thomas ‘Tog’ Goss has been one of my friends for 25 years," Rush Racing crew chief George Bryce said. "I was one of the first ones to teach him how to drag race. He’s been the ultimate under-the-radar drag racer for those 25 years and now he’s all grown up. But most importantly, he’s come up with a new invention. He’s invented a racing gasoline that is three times better, and that’s why we affectionately refer to it as XXX.

"(It's) unleaded, makes more horsepower than any unleaded or leaded fuel, and it burns clean. The exhaust pipe emits zero or very limited hydrocarbons and it needs 50-percent less oil than any other racing gasoline. XXX is a first step toward taking motorsports worldwide into the green zone."

"We’re definitely going in the right direction and have a good product," Goss said. "We have the problem where it’s almost too good to be true. But the main thing to us is to supply the most horsepower to the racers we can. We want consistency, and for the sanctioning body we want to give them a fuel that’s more environmentally friendly.

"We knew that at some point in the future, race fuels would have to be unleaded. We also knew that if we used natural, biodegradable materials, we would develop an oxygenated fuel that was more stable and didn’t have materials evaporating. Racers have developed some of the best products in the industrial world, and this product was developed by me, my dad, and two uncles."

Meet Christopher Sondles in Indy

Renowned hot rod designer, builder, and restorer Christopher Sondles of Woody's Hot Rodz in Bright, Ind., will be on hand at various times during the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals to sign autographs and answer questions at the JEGS/Speedco trailer on Manufacturer's Midway.

Sondles, who constructed a '40 Willy’s owned by Gary Anderson, a ‘55 Chevy Del Ray owned by Fred Sondles, and a ’69 Mustang owned by Bob Steinbacher for the 2007 Buckaroo Build-off will bring his award-winning '40 Willy’s with him. All of Sondles projects are supported by JEGS Mail Order and many of the parts on his creations come directly from the JEGS catalog.

Fans and enthusiasts are encouraged to visit Sondles from 2-3:30 p.m. Friday, 3-5 p.m. Saturday, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, and 10 a.m.-noon Monday.

Speed to take in drag race

Former Formula 1 racer turned NASCAR protégé Scott Speed will attend his first NHRA drag race this weekend in Indianapolis when he visits reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith during the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Smith is once again leading the Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings as he has won the three of the last four races on tour.