2007 NHRA NATIONAL EVENT SCHEDULE
Listen to Trackside Interviews with Champions, Drivers and Crew Chiefs
Robert Hight
Hillary Will
Bob Vandergriff
Dave Connolly
Ed Iskenderian
Cory McClenathan
Robert Hight
Jim Yates
Tony Bartone
Hillary Will
Whit Bazemore
Byron Hines
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MSD Ignition
Autotronic Controls Corporation Story & Photography by Jim Kelso
When several young engineers from White Sands
Missile Range in New Mexico founded Autotronic Controls Corporation back
in 1970, their goal was to develop a lean burn fuel system that met the
requirements of the upcoming fuel and emission demand being placed on
the auto industry. The system they designed worked so well they found a
standard breaker points ignition just wasn’t able to provide the spark
output needed to burn such a lean fuel mixture. To make their new fuel
system work, they now needed to design a new ignition too. The group
turned to an engineering technology called capacitive discharge. Taking
advantage of the increased power and absolute quickness that CD
circuitry offered, the engineers created a new feature called “Multiple
Spark Discharge”, or MSD. This new system increased throttle response,
the engine started easier and idled better, plus high RPM power picked
up dramatically.
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The
MSD ignition soon found its way to America’s drag strips, oval tracks,
off road courses and practically any and all types of motor sports.
Today MSD is the nation’s leader in high-performance ignition systems
and components. MSD ignition boxes, coils and distributors are used in
almost every class of drag racing in both NHRA and IHRA. National
records have been set in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Super Stock and
Competition Eliminator using MSD ignitions. By working with racers, MSD
has continued to develop new and innovative components like programmable
digital ignition boxes, timing computers, billet distributors, extreme
hi-output coils and super conductor spark plug wires, just to name a
few. This racer-manufacturer relationship keeps ideas and race proven
results flowing into MSD’s product design. 
Located
in El Paso, Texas, MSD has grown to a whopping 165,000 square feet in
building space and 520 employees. MSD is a “hands on” company, with
multiple engine dynos and an in-ground Superflow chassis dyno too. MSD
builds practically everything in house and sells thousands of ignition
controls and distributor each year. Go to any NHRA national event and
you’ll find MSD in the Manufacturers Midway with a fully outfitted semi
tractor trailer with parts and technicians ready to help all racers, pro
and sportsman. MSD products are so good they even build components for
other ignition companies!
Their
design staff is able to take their ideas from concept to prototype
stages with the help of a full CNC department. They have two Electro
Discharge Machines, three CNC mills (two 3-axis and one 5-axis), a lathe
and a surface grinder. Every product is designed using the latest
designing computer software to ensure exact tolerances for exact fit and
reliability. Plus, every MSD ignition component is tested before being
packaged and shipped. Who uses MSD? Racers like John Force, Tony
Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon, Team Schumacher, Larry Dixon, Brandon
Bernstein, Team Kalitta, Greg Anderson, Warren Johnson, Larry Morgan and
the list goes on and on. Sportsman standouts like Scotty Richardson,
“Hot Rod” Fuller, Jeremy Preston, Joe LoCicero, Bob Newberry, Toby Lang
and Mark Lewis have all won NHRA National event titles using MSD
ignitions. Even the new breed of Sport Compact racers, Lisa Kubo, Abel
Ibarra,
Shaun
Carlson, Matt Scranton, Stephan Papadakis and Jojo Calles win with MDS
ignition systems. Recently MSD was purchased by a group of investors
with the new goal of expansion into new markets and continued commitment
of state-of-the-art products and service. No other ignition company
comes close to the achievements the engineers at Autotronic Controls and
MSD have made over the past 35 years! 
