Auto News and Events

New Car Craft Street Race Record at CordovaWhile there aren't legions of racers lining up to compete in the NMCA Car Craft Street Race, this hasn't diminished the level of competition. The fifth scheduled race in the NMCA tour roared into Cordova Dragway in Cordova, Illinois, virtually adjacent to the muddy Mississippi river. Bradenton Street Race winner Mike Dezotell served notice when he put his '88 Mustang in the top-qualifier spot with a 9.413/147.15 and used that blast to establish both ends of a new Street Race record with 9.53 and 147.15 mph.

That gave Dezotell momentum and the first-round bye while two-time winner Jay Canella and his familiar canary-yellow '62 Nova also looked strong. Canella's Fourth-Place qualifier position forced him to face Dezotell in the semifinals, and the Mustang prevailed. The final came down to a pair of Mustangs with Dezotell and Staten Island, NY's Frank Fulbrook and his '92 Mustang. Fulbrook cut a good 0.054 light while Dezotell was napping with a 0.455 reaction time. Dezotell ran an awesome sub-record 9.343, but it wasn't enough to recover from his late leave and Fulbrook took the win with a 0.013-second margin of victory running a slower 9.731/139.52. This still leaves Canella with the points lead over Dezotell and promises some tight racing for the next race at Maple Grove in Reading, Pennsylvania. More info: fasteststreetcar.com; 866/694-3475-Jeff Smith

Best Screen CarsOh, how we love us a survey taken by people who have nothing better to do than sit at their computers all day taking online surveys. This one's courtesy of Hagerty Insurance, which insures collectible autos. The question posed? What's the most popular TV and movie car of all time? The 10,000 votes are in, and the winners are:1. Dukes of Hazzard's General Lee (the version from the original TV show)2. Bullitt's '68 Mustang3. Gone in 60 Seconds' '67 Shelby GT500, Eleanor4. Back to the Future's flux-capacitor-equipped '83 DeLorean5. TV's Batmobile6. James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger7. Smokey & the Bandit's '77 Pontiac Firebird TA8. A non-fully loaded '63 Herbie the Love Bug9. The '74 Ford Torino from the TV show Starsky & Hutch10. The Green Hornet's Black Beauty -Tori Tellem

10-Seconds On Bias-PliesWayne Nelson steered his '69 L88 Corvette to the first 10-second pass in FAST-legal trim May 30, at Musclepalooza II, presented by Hemmings Muscle Machines at Lebanon Valley Dragway in upstate New York. The incrementals on Nelson's record-setting effort in the first round of eliminations were: 1.697 60-foot, 4.663 330-foot, 7.098 660-foot, and 10.978 at 126.88 mph at the finish line.

FAST rules dictate all entries appear showroom stock, including the body, interior, and external components of the engine; however, internal engine modifications are practically unrestricted. To top it all off, wheels and tires also must be true to original, right down to running on skinny bias-ply rubber, which makes for quite a show from some deceptively "ordinary" rides. Nelson's car features a 427 bored out to 511 cubes and runs Firestone (replicas by Coker) G70-15s on all four corners.

Nelson, of Princeton, Minnesota, qualified number one with 11.09 then advanced to beat Canadian racer Jimmy Johnston in an all-'69-Corvette final. Johnston left first with a 0.057 reaction in his four-speed-equipped L88, but Nelson quickly reeled him in and posted a winning 11.01 at 126.68 mph to Johnston's 11.62/120.69.-Ian Tocher

Seen your Airbag Lately?According to the Automotive Body Repair News (ABRA), unscrupulous repair shops have been failing to replace the airbags on wrecked vehicles and pocketing the money. The Miami Police ran a sting cleverly named Operation Hot Air where they found not only missing airbags but fake airbags as well. With the help of ABRA, we've come up with some ways to spot a fake airbag.