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Keeping NHRA Fans Up to Date

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Twas the blog before Christmas

Putting a National Dragster spin on the classic "Twas the night before Christmas"
24 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Twas truly the night before Christmas, and between entertaining family and friends, wrapping gifts for the grandkids, and last-minute rushing around, I almost -- note almost -- forgot my Monday deadline. So I sat down, while the family went about…
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More Tree tales, the Mazi model, and Stuff In My Office

Gary Cagle knocks down the Tree (with a crowbar!); Fran Mazi Opel model; Stuff in my office: Don Prudhomme retirement toasting goblet
21 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Wednesday's Christmas (Tree) Story was a big hit and elicited a number of interesting comments from those who remember those early days, but none more interesting than the submission from Troy Cagle, whose father, Gary, was…
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A Christmas (Tree) Story

The story behind the drag racing's Chirstmas Tree, and the improvements since
19 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
(Top) Acrobatic flag starters were entertaining but human, and gave way at the 1963 Nationals to the Countdown Starter. (Above) Pictured at that event are Ed Eaton, left, NHRA’s national…
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Party time, NHRA-style

Holiday hijinks at the NHRA Holiday Party
14 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
It wouldn't be hard for long-time fans to reel off the list of differences between the NHRA of 1982 and the NHRA of today, but, as proved on Wednesday, as much as some things change, they remain the same. Wednesday was NHRA's annual holiday party…
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Hail to the King!

Reaction to the surprising retirement announcement by Kenny Bernstein
05 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
You'd think that I've been here long enough that nothing surprises me anymore, but I'm happy to say that's not the case, and yesterday's unexpected announcement from Kenny Bernstein that he was stepping out of the cockpit…
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“The Good Old Days?”

Former National Dragster editor Bill Holland looks back at how the publication was assembled back in the 1960s
03 Dec 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Bill Holland When I first slipped into the editor's chair at National DRAGSTER some 21 years ago, the hard work was already done. The 14 gentlemen who had preceded me at the top of the…
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Statistically speaking ...

Why stats are so important in drag racing; a look at the printing presses that produce National Dragster
28 Nov 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Let's face it: Numbers rule our lives. Pretty much every electronic device you own is programmed with a code based on two numbers (1 and 0) and let's not even get into having to memorize phone, PIN, driver's license, and…
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See you in the glue, friend

Longtime National Dragster staffer Todd Veney leaves the team to concentrate on his racing career.
13 Nov 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Todd Veney would never, ever write about himself. He'd rather, as he so eloquently stated, "jump off the Empire State building." So I guess I'm going to have to. Sorry Todd. Hey, this isn't going to be any easier for me…
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One nation, united for Wally

A celebration of the life of NHRA founder Wally Parks at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.
07 Nov 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Lined up just behind the starting line at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona were some of the biggest names in drag racing, past and present. Kenny Bernstein, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, Joe Amato, Dale…
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Tricks and treats

Prepping for the World Finals; remembering L.A. Times sports writer Shav Glick;
31 Oct 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
The pumpkin has been carved, the kids' and grandkids' costumes laid out, and a trip to the store is in order to replenish the candy we bought two weeks ago that somehow disappeared before the trick-or-treaters could get to…
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Writing made infinitely easier

The creative writing process is built on countless choices among infinite options.
22 Oct 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
(I lifted this drawing from the website of author Esther A. Lombardi, who has some great tips to beat writer's block here.)…
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What's your legacy?

05 Oct 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Before I begin today's column, please allow me to say … She bit hard and hiked the front end and was hookin' and bookin' for the other end, but kicked 'em loose, smoked the hoops, and got crossed up. I pedaled it and she stayed glued and hiked…
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"Now he belongs to the ages"

Reflecting on the passing of NHRA founder Wally Parks
03 Oct 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I can't believe it's been five days since we lost Wally Parks. Then again, a part of me still can't believe that we have. Not to overstate the drama, but Wally's passing is going to be one of the memories where I say, "I…
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Travel Agent woes and more Force fan feedback

Funny Car racer Frank Mancuso talks about two memorable crashes in his Travel Agent flopper
28 Sep 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
This is supposed to be a column about National DRAGSTER and a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on to produce drag racing's only news weekly, but lately I'm finding that that one topic alone isn’t going to dominate this column. I've shared quite a…
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The healing power of words

Fan reactions to John Force's crash
25 Sep 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Well, I guess y'all sure do like John Force about as much as I do. After seeing what you did to help Ashley win the AOL Hottest Athlete poll, I reckon between us we could probably get John nominated for president, if not…
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Hurry back, Superman

Reacting to the news of John Force's near-career-ending crash at the 2007 Dallas event
23 Sep 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
It's Sunday night and I'm parked by the computer, cell phone inches from my hand, trying to stay on top of The John Force Situation. I've done all I can do for now. The Web site is updated with the latest information we have…
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Rumble Doll channels Cha-Cha

Singer/songwriter Patti Scialfa (wife of Bruce Springsteen) writes a song about Shirley Muldowney
15 Sep 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
I've been a Patti Scialfa fan since she married my all-time favorite rocker Bruce Springsteen, at first mostly because she was a Jersey girl of his own after the breakup of his head-scratching marriage to actress Julianne…
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The 5 Ws: The where, what, when, and why of Who

The life and times of former Indy champ Marvin "Who?" Graham
13 Sep 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
"Hi, my name is Marvin Graham. You might not remember me, but I used to race in Top Fuel." It took every ounce of willpower I could muster not to respond with "Who?" Of course, he would have said "Exactly," and we would have launched into the…
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This issue is not the bomb

Work is interrupted by a bomb scare at National Dragster HQ. 
06 Sep 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
From left, Lisa Handy, Cynthia Cabrera, Jeff Mellem, Richard Wong, and Nicole Cintron wait out the search. Copy editor Sarah Barnes keeps herself busily efficient.…
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Now comes the hard part ...

The job's not done until the paperwork is complete; what happens after a race.
04 Sep 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
We stole out of Indy like thieves in the night under cover of early-morning darkness, me, Kelly, and "Bad Brad" with Big Go hangovers and three suitcases full of U.S. Nationals-soaked memories tucked in the trunk of the G6 rental. The o'dark-30…
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It's the little things I miss ...

Basically, it's me crying because I missed the birth of my grandson while covering Indy. You would cry, too, if it happened to you.
03 Sep 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Over the years, this job has caused me to miss a lot of dinners, some birthdays, a few family gatherings, and a couple of vacations, but this one really hurt. I love the U.S. Nationals; what serious drag racing fan doesn'…
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The Daily DRAGSTER

Before the internet made it obsolete, we used to produce -- literally overnight -- a daily newspaper for each day of the U.S. Nationals. Really!
31 Aug 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
After a travel day yesterday, the National DRAGSTER staff is here in Indy en masse to cover the Big Go not only for a regular weekly publication but also the annual Daily DRAGSTER publication, which is distributed free to…
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Twenty-five and counting (and the one that got away)

28 Aug 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
So, there I was, standing in the warm embrace of the cascading water of the morning shower where I traditionally do some of my best thinking, running through my pre-Indy checklist at T-minus two days, when it struck me with…
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Deadlines? We don't need no stinkin' deadlines

22 Aug 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Push almost came to shove this morning as we raced right past the deadlines that Production Manager Matt Hurd (that's him to the right) had set in stone for us yesterday, definitive lines that we absolutely could not cross…
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The waiting is the hardest part ...

21 Aug 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
J.K. Rowling could learn a thing or two about suspense from the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. If she had, old Harry Potter might still be casting spells and playing Quidditch or whatever it is he does. As the Toyo…
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Bad timing ... and phone calls from famous folks

14 Aug 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
“Who are you going to make mad this week?” joked Mike Dunn when I spoke to him this morning for his regular post-race Final Take column. He was referring, of course, to DRAGSTER’s weekly dilemma of who to put “on the…
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Tools of the trade

08 Aug 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
They say that a mechanic is only as good as his tools -- and by “they” I probably mean the tool companies, because I reckon Alan Johnson could get a fuel dragster to run 4.50s with a Swiss Army knife and some baling wire --…
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Getting off to a good start

06 Aug 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Like any good drag racing, a good story of any kind requires a good start. It doesn’t always have to be a quick start, but it had better be good because if it isn’t, the driver or reader might not make it to the finish. There, did I get your…
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ND has girl power, too

01 Aug 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
For a lot of drag racing fans -- like me -- working at National DRAGSTER would be a dream job, so it’s quite understandable that when we had a rare opening for a staff writer earlier this season, my mailbox was flooded. We only advertised here on…
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We've got him covered

30 Jul 2007
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Congratulations to Greg Anderson for chalking up his 50th win, and welcome to this week’s cover of National DRAGSTER (not yet available for viewing; here's a happy Greg and Kim in the winner's circle instead). I like it when…
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