Mopar's Samuel Hubinette came up just short in his bid for a second straight Formula D Drift win, as the "Crazy Swede" scored a second-place finish in the Round 2 event at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Hubinette's second podium finish of the season helped increase his Formula D points lead.

Hubinette qualified his NuFormz Racing Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 fifth [sporting a new fire-red Mopar camo paint scheme], setting up a first round match against Ross Petty. The pair was evenly matched after the first two tandem runs, prompting the crowd to chant "one more time." And that's just what they got, with Hubinette pulling out the win. Then Hubinette knocked off Vaughn Gittin Jr., taking the win after the judges decided Gittin Jr., had made a correction during his run.

In the final four, Hubinette displayed his sportsmanship, allowing a restart after Daijiro Yoshihara's hood flipped up during the initial run. In a close battle that saw another "one more time," Hubinette emerged victorious, advancing to his second final round appearance in only two events, this time against Tanner Foust. Foust, following yet another "one more time," pulled out the win, spoiling Hubinette's bid for his third straight win at the Road Atlanta facility.

"We had two great events here in the last two years, and we had good momentum coming out of Long Beach, so we definitely came out strong," said Hubinette. "I had a couple of great battles in the early rounds, and then Tanner in the final was just on it. He got the victory, and that's great for him. He's a good friend."

Next up is Round 3 of the Formula D Drift Series, scheduled for June 9-10 at Chicago's Soldier Field. For more info on Hubinette or the Formula D Drift Series, log on to samuelhubinette.com or formulad.com.

Ron Capps, Gary Scelzi, and Whit Bazemore will do battle again this weekend, when the NHRA POWERade Funny Car Series resumes action at the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio.

Entering the event, Team Mopar driver Capps currently leads the Funny Car points race, with a 96-point cushion over second place John Force. Capps, who won at Columbus in 2002, has three wins, two runner-ups and one semifinals appearance in the seven events held thus far.

Mopar and Don Schumacher Racing teammates Gary Scelzi and Whit Bazemore will look to make runs at the event win as well. Scelzi, the defending NHRA Funny Car champ, posted a quarterfinals appearance at the recent event at Atlanta. Scelzi has been strong of late at Columbus, with runner-up finishes in 2004 and 2005. Bazemore will also look to repeat strong runs from last year, as he grabbed the No. 1 qualifier spot in Columbus in 2005.

Coverage of the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals can be seen on ESPN2, with qualifying coverage set for this Saturday from 10 p.m. to midnight, EST, and finals coverage scheduled for 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday. For more info on Capps, Scelzi, Bazemore or the NHRA, log on to shoeracing.com or nhra.com.

In a 2006 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock season that has dished out more than its fair share of disappointments, the Team Mopar Pro Stock trio of Richie Stevens Jr., Shaun Carlson and Allen Johnson are looking to flip the switch and get their Dodge Stratus R/Ts dialed in as the group heads to Columbus, Ohio, for the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals at National Trail Raceway.

J & J Racing's Johnson grabbed his first quarterfinals appearance of the year two weeks ago at Atlanta, and will look to build on that performance at Columbus. The team is getting valuable seat time today in a test session at St. Louis.

The Don Schumacher Racing pair of Richie Stevens Jr., and Shaun Carlson will look to rebound after struggling at Atlanta. Stevens Jr. grabbed a quarterfinals finish at the 2005 Columbus event and has made three quarterfinals appearances in 2006. Carlson, the new kid on the block, will look to get his first round win of the year this weekend.

Fans can watch the Team Mopar Pro Stock trio compete at the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals on ESPN2. The channel will have qualifying coverage this Saturday from 10 p.m. to midnight, EST, and finals coverage from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday. For more info on Stevens Jr., Carlson, Johnson or the NHRA, log on to shoeracing.com, allenjohnson.com or nhra.com.

Team Mopar's USAC National Sprint Car Series contingent squared off with Mother Nature over the weekend and lost, as both the series events were washed out. The Tony Hulman Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track, scheduled for Saturday, and the event scheduled for Kokomo Speedway on Sunday were canceled due to a heavy low pressure system that has camped out over the Midwest. Make-up dates for both events will be announced in the coming weeks.

Heading into this week's Mopar All-Star Showdown doubleheader at Concord Motorsports Park, Josh Wise continues to lead the USAC National Sprint Car Series point standings. Levi Jones is currently ranked third, followed by Jerry Coons, Jr., in fourth place. The Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises, Hoffman Auto Racing and Wilke-PAK Motorsports teams will compete in the 50-lap feature events in USAC National Sprint & Midget Car Series competition.

For more information regarding USAC Racing or the Mopar All-Star Showdown, log on to usacracing.com or MetrolinaBrand.com.

Both the National Sprint Tour and the World of Outlaws Sprint Series were washed out over the weekend, as Mother Nature continued to dump rain on the Midwest region. Paul McMahan and the No. 20 Tony Stewart Motorsports team were sidelined from NST action, as rain made it impossible for the Tri-State (Okla.) Speedway staff to make scheduled improvements to the facility. The May 13 event was rescheduled to October 4. McMahan and the No. 20 team will resume National Sprint Tour Series action on May 19-20 at Dodge City Raceway Park.

Joey Saldana and the No. 9 Kasey Kahne Racing team were ready to roll at Attica Raceway Park on Friday night, when rain ended the night before it began. The K-C Raceway event scheduled for Saturday night saw hot laps begin as the rains came, causing series officials to pull the plug on the night. Saldana and company will resume action on May 19 at Lernerville Speedway and at Sharon Speedway on May 20.

McMahan is ranked eighth in National Sprint Tour Series points, only 120 out of first place. Saldana is ranked fourth in World of Outlaws Sprint Series points, only 42 points behind the series leader.

For more information regarding McMahan, Saldana, the National Sprint Tour Series or the World of Outlaws Sprint Series, log on to paulmcmahanracing.com, joeysaldana.com, nationalsprinttour.com or theworldofoutlaws.com.

Steve Francis and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series will have an unexpected week of down time. Rainy weather canceled the Battle of the Borders Weekend 50 event. Rain washed out the Farmer City (Illinois) Raceway event scheduled for Friday, and the Saturday event at Kamp Motor (Indiana) Speedway. Make-up dates for both events will be released in the coming weeks.

Francis is currently ranked second in World of Outlaws Late Model Series points, only 16 out of first place. "The Kentucky Colonel" has won six times this year, and earned 13 Top-five and 19 Top-10 finishes since January.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will resume action on May 23 at Boliver Speedway USA. For more information regarding Francis or the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, log on to stevefrancisracing.com or woolms.com.

By Judy Stropus

Team Mopar driver and NHRA Funny Car points leader Ron Capps has accepted an invitation for the second straight year to compete against the best Nextel Cup drivers in the Nextel Prelude to the Dream event at Eldora Speedway on June 7, en route to that weekend's NHRA event in nearby Joliet, Ill.

Capps will drive a "borrowed" dirt Late Model, owned by Brian Rhulman, on the famed Eldora one-half-mile oval against NASCAR stars such as Team Mopar owner Tony Stewart (who doubles as the Eldora Speedway owner), Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, Mike Wallace, Matt Kenseth, Elliot Sadler, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kenny Wallace, Kenny Schrader, Dave Blaney, J.J. Yeley, Kyle Petty and Denny Hamlin. Also in the mix will be the ageless veteran Red Farmer, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle will be special non-driving guests, each of whom will have trackside responsibilities.

Geared to be a fun night away from the pressures of NASCAR (and NHRA) racing, the Nextel Prelude to the Dream quickly turns into serious business for the drivers, who will all be shooting for bragging rights.

Eldora Speedway is located in Rossburg, Ohio, less than 20 miles from the Indiana state line. Advance tickets for the event are available online at eldoraspeedway.com.