Team Mopar’s Kasey Kahne and Joey Saldana hit the Parramatta City Raceway track in Sydney, Australia, on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, driving to strong finishes in their first racing action of the season at the two-day Kasey Kahne International Sprint Car event.

In Sunday’s winged-sprint action, Kahne, owner of Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR), Mopar’s factory-backed team in World of Outlaws Sprint and USAC Sprint and Midget action, grabbed a win in the second dash race during prelim action. When the A-Main rolled off, Kahne started next to pole-sittter Donny Schatz, grabbed an early lead, then remained at the front, finishing third. Saldana finished nineteenth, after suffering damage to his oil tank, due to on-track debris.

The first action of the New Year saw Saldana and the No. 9 Kasey Kahne Racing team grab the highest starting spot (third) of the World of Outlaws drivers competing in Monday’s main event, with Kahne starting 14th. Saldana and Schatz battled for the lead, with Saldana taking the runner-up spot as the checkered flag fell. Kahne fought from the 14th spot up to the front, finishing fourth and taking his second-straight Top-five finish.

Saldana will compete again at Parramatta City Raceway on January 5-6 in the Sprintcar Classic, with a prize of $50,000 up for grabs for the winner. The 2007 World of Outlaws season opens on February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park with the 36th annual DIRTcar Nationals presented by Mopar Speedshop. For more info on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, log on to www.theworldofoutlaws.com.

The Team Mopar father-and-son duo of J & J Racing, Allen and Roy Johnson, were recognized in National Dragster’s 2006 Performance Awards, featured in the weekly magazine’s December year-end-special.

Allen, driver of the Team Mopar J & J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T, was named Most Improved (Pro) Driver of the year, after more than doubling his round win total, from 10 in 2005, to 22 in 2006, and finishing sixth in points after an 11th-place 2005 showing. Allen’s father, Roy, was recognized as one of the NHRA's top "Mechanical Men," for building and tuning the Mopar Hemi engines that yielded 2006 wins for Allen, at Seattle, and for Richie Stevens Jr., at Dallas and Las Vegas. J & J Racing helped tune Stevens Jr.s’ Don Schumacher Racing Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T in the last five races of 2006, and will continue to do so in 2007.

J & J Racing will look to continue its success when the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock season starts with the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, scheduled for February 8-11 at Pomona, Calif. For more info on the NHRA, log on to www.nhra.com.