Not since the earliest days of its existence has the battle for supremacy between the two factions in IHRA Pro Modified been as heated as it is this year. The blower cars have ruled the roost for a number of seasons, but their nitrous-injected brethren have now served notice that they are ready to challenge for a class championship in 2008.

In just four races Jim Halsey and Mike Castellana have each scored wins for the laughing gas mob, with former champ Castellana posting record speeds en route to his latest Ironman at Budds Creek. Pat Stoken, Castellana, and Halsey have all paced their cars to runs in the 6.0 range, and the smart money says that one of them will soon be the first driver to put a five-second nitrous pass into the record book.

Read all about the President’s Cup Nationals in Issue 12, and check out the Photo Extra page featuring Alcohol Funny Car diva Bunny Burkett and the dedication of the Hot Rodz Diner at Maryland International Raceway.

In addition, there’s coverage of the Raiders Division Summit Pro-Am event at Mooresville, North Carolina and a preview of the upcoming Rocky Mountain Nationals at Edmonton’s Castrol Raceway.

Get up-to-date by reading our DRM Beat and Blowin’ Smoke features, as well as the latest from regular contributors Bruce Biegler, Susan Wade, Randy Cunningham, Mike Perry, Jason Murray, and of course IHRA president Aaron Polburn.

For this issue and other issues of Drag Review, go to www.ihra.com/dragreview