Backstretch Motorsports

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Morgan Lucas thinks this could be his breakout year.

The 25-year-old drag racing phenom, who has already raced enough years to be classified as a veteran in the 300 mph NHRA Top Fuel world, has developed a certain feeling in his gut as his GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster team begins its quest to win the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.

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TOPEKA, Kan. – It must have felt a bit like proving themselves all over again.

In 2006, Melanie Troxel reached a stunning nine final rounds with two wins in her first year of fulltime competition in Top Fuel, good enough for a fourth-place finish on the year. Then she followed that with another two-win season in 2007, firmly establishing herself as a contender in Top Fuel.

Meanwhile Dave Connolly, one of the youngest drivers on the NHRA POWERade Series Pro Stock circuit, quickly picked up a good reputation as one of the fastest leavers at the starting line – drawing comparisons to established starting-line dominator Jeg Coughlin. After finishing 18th in the points his first season on the road, Connolly turned in four consecutive top 5 finishes – three of which were third-place seasons.

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With Milestones and History in Tow, Force Heads to Thunder Valley

BRISTOL, Tenn. – In what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Funny Car seasons in NHRA history, John Force and his daughter Ashley have teamed up to provide plenty of early season buzz with some memorable milestone performances.

First, at Las Vegas in early April, 25-year-old Ashley became the first female to lead the Funny Car point standings with a runner-up finish in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. John then arrived at Atlanta Dragway in late April and became only the second driver in NHRA history to attend 500 NHRA events, joining Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson on that short list.

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