CONNIE KALITTA TO TUNE FUNNY CAR
Kalitta Motorsports, based in Ypsilanti, Mich., announced today that team owner and drag racing legend Connie Kalitta will assume the responsibilities of crew chief on their Funny Car driven by Scott Kalitta effective immediately.
Also effective immediately, Johnny West has been released from the Kalitta Air Funny Car team.
Scott switched from Top Fuel to Funny Car this season, but the team so far has not had much success, evidently leading to this change in tuner. (James Drew photo) [6-21-2006]
THE AGENT GETS A SWEDISH SPELLING LESSON
A tip of the Agent's toque to Tog, editor of eurodragster.com, who informs us that the Swedish chassis builder on the newly appointed SFI nitro chassis team is Mats Eriksson. [6-21-2006]
SMITH, STOCKSETH GOING IHRA PRO STOCK RACING WITH SONNY LEONARD POWER
Agent 1320 has learned that “Tricky” Rickie Smith, a many-time IHRA Pro Stock World Champion, is returning to his roots and will campaign a Jerry Bickel-built Pro Stocker at selected IHRA events towards the end of the 2006 season. He’ll team up with IHRA Pro Stock racers Rick Jones’s partner, Mr. Stockseth. Smith will take delivery of the car soon and will be dropping a Sonny Leonard “Semi-Hemi” between the rails.
"My main focus will remain Dick Maskin’s NHRA Pro Stock car," Smith said. "I’ve always raced my nitrous Pro Mod at IHRA national events when it didn’t conflict with NHRA races. I decided I wasn’t going to try and run my nitrous car in IHRA Pro Mod anymore, so I sold one of my cars and I’m going to race Pro Stock again.”
Smith also said he was going to continue to race Quick-8 races when he can. Although he didn’t confirm it to the Agent, rumor has it he will be running the "Big Dog" with the Pro Stocker. (Jeff Burk photo) [6-21-2006]
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FATHER KNOWS BEST?
The Agent hasn’t received his official screening copy of the new Force family reality show, "Driving Force," yet, but a preliminary conversation with the folks at the A&E Network PR agency may shed some light on the show's content. As the poster depicts, the focus is on teenagers Courtney and Brittany and older sister Ashley rather than that old drag racing icon, John Force. The PR agency people characterized the show as being geared toward getting teenage girls to watch rather than drag racing fans and said that there was not going to be any marketing money earmarked for general advertising prior to the show’s premier on July 17.
While the production crew was getting ready to shoot a scene at Englishtown, John Force takes a few minutes of "down" time. (Todd Dziadosz photo) [6-21-2006]
