CONCORD, N.C. — Construction crews poured concrete long into the night June 25 as the four-lane, quarter-mile drag strip at zMAX Dragway @ Concord, located on the property of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, is rapidly taking shape.
When the concrete trucks went home Thursday morning, 700 feet of both right-side lanes, including the burnout boxes, were complete.
“We’re going to have the greatest drag strip in the world right here in Charlotte,” said Top Fuel racer Doug Herbert, who visited during the process. “I’m hoping a lot of spectators and fans from the NASCAR races are going to come see what this is all about, watch these cars go zero to 330 mph in 4.5 seconds and make 8,000 horsepower. It’s exciting.”
The inaugural NHRA Nationals at the track is scheduled Sept. 11-14.

IMSA Will Sanction Atlantic Championship

BRASELTON, Ga. — The International Motor Sports Ass’n (IMSA) recently signed a deal with the Atlantic Championship, making IMSA the official sanctioning body of the series’ events for the remainder of 2008.
Taking effect immediately, the IMSA sanction was in place for the Circuit Mont-Tremblant (Ontario) event June 27-29. The Atlantic Championship will continue under the current ownership of Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe and the operation of Atlantic Championship President Vicki O’Connor, while IMSA rules will govern the operation and execution of events.
 “Whether a driver’s goals lie in open-wheel, stock-car or sports-car racing, the IMSA family of sanctioned series provides a solid foundation,” said IMSA COO Tim Mayer of the recent addition. “We believe that the Atlantic Championship provides a great basis for professional drivers.”

Inman To Speak At PRI Breafast

ORLANDO, Fla. — One of the greatest crew chiefs in NASCAR history, Dale Inman will serve as the opening-day breakfast speaker at the 21st-annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show Dec. 11 at the Orange County Convention Center.
Inman, who continues to work with Petty Enterprises, won eight championships as a crew chief — seven with Richard Petty and one with Terry Labonte.

AGR Hires Montagny For ALMS Program

LAKEVILLE, Conn. — Marco Andretti will return to American Le Mans Series competition, teaming with Franck Montagny  in the Andretti Green Racing Acura ARX-01b at Lime Rock Park July 12.
Montagny has been hired as the permanent lead driver for the team and will work with various co-drivers for the remainder of the season, as previous drivers Bryan Herta and Christian Fittipaldi are no longer with the team.
“Making a change in the middle of the season isn’t something you enjoy, and I think it’s even tougher in this case because we are talking about Bryan and Christian,” said team owner Michael Andretti. “Bryan has done everything we’ve ever asked him to do since he joined Andretti Green in 2003, including help us win the 12 Hours of Sebring in our first ALMS start last year. Christian joined us this year and wanted to win as badly as we did. We always appreciated the effort that both Bryan and Christian gave to the team.”
At Lime Rock, Marco Andretti will fly back and forth from the IndyCar Series event at Nashville (Tenn.)  Superspeedway.

‘Lone Wolf’ Named Book Of The Year

FISHERS, Ind. — “Lone Wolf,” the autobiography of sprint-car driver Doug Wolfgang and co-authored by Dave Argabright, was named Book of the Year by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Ass’n (AARWBA).
“To be honest, it’s something I never expected,” said Wolfgang of the book’s success. “I just wanted to tell my story in the best way possible and never envisioned anything like this.”
The hardbound book opens its 352 pages with a forward by sprint-car veteran Steve Kinser and was released in August 2007. Wolfgang and Argabright are planning to follow the second printing of the book July 5 with a book-signing tour at various race venues this summer.

Doty Classic Lands Title Sponsor

LIMA, Ohio — Ohio Logistics has signed on as title sponsor of the 20th- annual Brad Doty Classic sprint-car race sanctioned by the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws at Limaland Motorsports Park.
The Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic will be held July 9 at the quarter-mile dirt track.

Gilbertson Suspends NHRA Team Operations

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —  Bob Gilbertson, owner/driver of the Tradicion Azul Tequila Nitro Funny Car, announced that he will temporarily suspend his racing activities for a few months in order to devote all of his attention to his business, Truck Equipment Manufacturing Company.
“This is one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said Gilbertson from his Charlotte office. “This is strictly a business decision. TEMCO is at a critical turning point and I've got to be at the tank plant everyday to oversee all the new contracts with TACOM/ARMY that we’re bidding on so we can take TEMCO to the next level and make sure that the company continues to grow.” 
Gilbertson also said the team is in negotiations with sponsor Tradicion Azul Tequila on a three-year extension. He plans to return to competition in mid-September.