LITTLE RIVER DAMAGED BY STORM

Little River Dragway, which was recently purchased by Robert Hutchison, the previous owner of Texas Raceway in Kennedale, was hit by what is thought to have been a tornado or at the very least strong winds. Huge pecan trees were uprooted and some of the outlying buildings were literally blown away. No word yet on how soon the track will be back to racing. (Greg Duffield photos) [5/14/2008]

COUGHLIN LOOKING TO LaJOIE FOR BRISTOL ‘CIRCLE TRACK CHALLENGE’ ADVICE

NASCAR’s Randy LaJoie will be the special guest of Jeg Coughlin Jr. at this weekend's eighth annual O'Reilly Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The longtime round-track racer and Coughlin became fast friends in January at the third annual Chevy Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge in Lake Placid, N.Y., when they raced against one another in the charity event. They've kept in contact ever since. Coughlin also plans to pick LaJoie's brain about the quickest way around Bristol Motor Speedway.

"I'm hoping he can coach me," Coughlin said. "He's been around that track a time or two so I'll certainly soak up everything he says. It's going to be fun to have him here.”

Thanks to the generosity of local short track drivers, 16 NHRA drivers will have the opportunity to team up with street stock car owners in the NHRA Circle Track Challenge, taking place Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, just following qualifying for the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. NHRA drivers will race the street stock cars for the first segment of the event, then switch seats with local car owners, who will compete in the final segment. Fans visiting the track’s website can still vote to determine the lineup for the Saturday night event. For more information, visit bristoldragway.com. [5/14/2008]

OPEN HOUSE FOR BROWNSBURG TEAMS

The Brownsburg Motorsports Network will hold its second annual Open House on Saturday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. NHRA race teams located in Brownsburg, Ind., such as John Force Racing, Don Schumacher Racing, David Powers Motorsports, Pedregon Racing and Gotham City Racing will participate in this event that allows fans the opportunity to visit their shops.

Also open will be Team Apex Racing (Indy Lights and Formula BMW), Steve Eppard Racing (Indy Lights), Mathiasen Motorsports (Atlantic Championship), 600 Racing Midwest (Legends, Bandoleros, and Roadsters), Pro Image-Design, chassis builder Bob East Racing, Indy Performance Composites, and powdercoating specialist Jimmy Cowan Motorsports. [5/14/2008]