At this year’s Four-Wide Nationals are (from bottom) Jonnie Lindberg, JackBeckman, RobertHight andCourtneyForce.  (Ron Lewis photo)

A note written on a crumpled betting slip was in the Phlegm Building’s mayo jar this morning. Word is that owner Bruton Smith will add two lanes to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in order to make it available for four-wide racing like his zMax Dragway near Charlotte, NC.

Smith evidently likes the four-lane format, but the Agent must say…snore. [08/10/17]

Team 211 Entertainment CEO Jim Cohan has announced that the owners of the Irwindale Event Center property have set the date for the center's last day of operation.

"We were notified this week by the owner's representative that January 31, 2018, will be our final day on the Irwindale property," Cohan said.

Irwindale Event Center is comprised of a 6,000-seat twin track NASCAR stadium that opened in March of 1999 and an NHRA-sanctioned eighth-mile drag strip that followed a year later. In addition, the center is home to the LA Racing Experience, one of the most popular stock car driving schools in the country, as well as Advanced Driving Dynamics, a hands-on safety course taught on the facility's huge parking lot.

"First and foremost, everyone should know that we'll continue to operate Irwindale Event Center right up to our final weeks, as we've been doing for the past five years; providing great family motorsports and related entertainment in the most professional way possible," Cohan went on. "Our full 2017 schedule of NASCAR, drag strip, LA Racing Experience events, and special events will run as published. And, in fact, we're planning on adding a couple of extra events to the calendar to honor all of the competitors who raced and wrenched here at Irwindale since it opened in 1999.

"In all honesty, we were here and in it for the long haul, in fact we were in the process of putting out our complete schedule for the 2018 season. All that made this news very difficult for me to hear, and very hard on our whole team.”

It’s hard on drag racing to lose another track. [08/10/17]

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is taking a weekend off, but Funny Car champions John Force and Robert Hight will still be busy racing. The two will race in the 40th anniversary of the Night Under Fire on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Ohio’s Summit Motorsports Park, continuing a long tradition of match racing by John Force Racing.

"We're excited to be coming back to the Night Under Fire,” Force said. “It's a great show, and we're gonna pack the house. The Baders (track owners) are like P.T. Barnum, and they do a great job promoting this race and taking care of the competitors and the fans.”

"John Force Racing is family," said Bill Bader, Jr., Summit Motorsports Park president. "John's been a loyal friend and I cannot imagine doing a Night Under Fire without him."

In addition to Force and Hight, six other Funny Car drivers will also participate in the event: Ron Capps, Del Worsham, Cruz Pedregon, Tim Wilkerson, Dale Creasy Jr. and Jack Wyatt.

An autograph session will be held at the Bud Chalet from 3:15-4:15 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies are slated to start at 5:30 p.m., with Night Under Fire racing starting at 7 p.m.

The 40th anniversary celebration for the Night Under Fire includes numerous special events. The “Shockwave” jet-engine truck will make a pass to entertain the fans, and several other jet cars will be on hand, too. Night Under Fire will also feature AA/Gassers and the Nostalgia Drag Racing League. Plus, the night will be capped off by the renowned Night Under Fire $100,000 fireworks show.  [08/10/17]