There were mixed emotions coming from the Ruman Racing paddock this past weekend at the SCCA National in Summit Point, West Virginia. Amy Ruman secured a dominant win from the pole position while Niki fell victim to an on-track incident after qualifying in the 21st position.

Amy Ruman started her 2008 season off strong as she qualified 1st on Saturday for Sunday's race. Seven GT-1's shaped up the field, including competitors Bill Thumel in 2nd spot, Jack Busch 3rd, and Scotty Quaile in 4th. Thumel and Ruman had an exciting start drag racing, neck and neck, all the way into turn one. Ruman had the inside track and was able to maintain the lead. Ruman did not look back as she set sail in the #23 McNichols Co./Goodyear GT-1 Corvette and pulled away from the field, leading flag to flag. She set a new track record at a 1:11.29 shattering the old one, 1:12.71, set in 2005. Ruman's margin of victory over second place was 33 seconds.

"We had a great car this weekend. I knew Bill was going to give me a run for my money at the start, so I just focused on sprinting away from the field," remarked Ruman. "I'm looking forward to the upcoming weekend at Nelson's, hopefully I can capture two more wins in front of my home crowd."

Divaspeed new team member, Karen Salvaggio, is racing in the Factory Five Challenge Series with NASA, and you can usually find her on top of the podium in her class. Karen also owns the Thunder Valley Racing website (www.thundervalleyracing.com), a showcase for women racers in all aspects of racing.

Our sponsor for Round 3 of the Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) series was Cynthia Campagnale at Race2Learn. Cynthia is a remarkable person with a warm heart and a passion for all things racing The Race2Learn program is designed to bring children and racing together in a learning environment, teaching children math and science concepts through motorsports. It is a fabulous concept, and Cynthia is doing remarkable work with children. To learn more, please visit her website at www.race2learn.com.


Beka Mercadel and her entire Mercadel racing team took part in the 2008 Walk Now for Autism event presented by Autism Speaks at Arlington Stadium in Arlington , Texas , Saturday, June 14, and they used the event to unveil their new paint scheme that is dedicated to autism awareness. In addition to unveiling the new paint scheme, the Mercadels also brought out their head-to-head reaction-time simulator and gave away prizes to all who played.

The Walk Now for Autism event drew over 6,000 people.


NASCAR’s got big problems.

Maybe her fellow officials thought they were just joking and kidding around -- treating her like one of the guys, as it were – but unless they’ve been living under a rock for the last few years surely they know that’s unpardonable in this day and time.

Haven’t they heard of Don Imus? He thought he was just joking too.

It’s not so much about the money (although $225 million isn’t chump change); the real damage is to the sport’s image and reputation.

The lawsuit reinforces every negative “redneck” stereotype that NASCAR has been trying to overcome for decades.


Andretti Green Racing’s Danica Patrick is among five nominees for a Teen Choice 2008 award in the Female Athlete category.

In April, Patrick became the first female to win a major closed-course auto race. She graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in mid-May and was featured in the magazine’s annual Swimsuit Issue in February.

Other nominees are tennis players Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, WNBA player Candace Parker and gymnast Shawn Johnson. The awards cover the gamut of who and what is hot in movies, TV, music, fashion and sports.

Cast your votes by logging on to www.teenchoiceawards.com. Winners will be announced Aug. 4 during the Teen Choice 2008 broadcast hosted by Miley Cyrus on FOX.


Hillary Clinton owes Sarah Fisher Racing money, and they want it.

Part of Senator Clinton's $77,000 of campaign debt in the state of Indiana, is Fisher Racing. It wants $635. The IndyCar team staged a photo opportunity on Primary Election Day providing caps and other props to the campaign.







Hillary Will, the world's fastest female and driver of the 8,000-horsepower KB Racing, LLC Top Fuel dragster, will join other NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series visited  Brooklyn, New York Metro Ministries / Chances for Children in their inaugural NHRA-themed event for underprivileged children last week. Will along with Jack Beckman, Mike Edwards, Tom Hammonds and others will visit with over 500 children and young adults with a full day of interaction.

"I visited Metro Ministries by myself back in 2006 in my rookie Top Fuel season," Will, a 28-year old native of Fortuna, Calif., said. "I was so moved by what I saw. Pastor Bill Wilson has built and maintained an amazing organization. I'm so thankful I get to go back with more NHRA drivers.”