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FIA EUROPEAN CHAMPION RACING POMONA WITH HADDOCK
by Tog, Eurodragster.com

2008 FIA European Top Fuel Dragster Champion, the UK's Andy Carter will be contesting the Winternationals at Pomona on andy_carter.jpg5th-8th February. Andy will be driving Terry Haddock's Top Fuel Dragster with backing from primary sponsor Lucas Oil, who recently extended Andy's two-year deal to three years.

"I am delighted to be representing Lucas Oil at the NHRA season opener in Pomona", said Andy. "I would like to thank Forrest Lucas and all at Lucas Oil America and Lucas Oil UK for their continued backing. I'll be doing my best to repay the faith shown in me with a big performance. I would also like to thank Terry Haddock for giving me the opportunity to drive his fantastic race car. It's going to be a challenge for us both, as we look to make a major impression without any previous experience together, but it's a challenge I'm really looking forward to."

Andy joins Switzerland's Urs Erbacher (Top Fuel Dragster) and Sweden's Leif Andreasson (Top Alcohol FC) in representing Europe at the Winternationals.

TERRY THE DRAG RACER
by Matthew Brammer

In the recent Presidential elections, one man was thrust into the limelight as the embodiment of the American middle class haddock.jpgworking man, dedicated and hard-working business owner, tax-payer, and family man – “Joe the plumber.” And regardless of the election’s results, Joe’s brief fifteen seconds of fame changed a lot of perceptions and grounded political idealism in day-to-day reality because people could relate to him. In drag racing, one man has come to represent the hard-working, dedicated, competitive drag racer, but his rise to the top is much more than a flash-in-the-pan claim to stardom. It's more a series of years and years of five-second runs that put bootstrapping Terry Haddock on the top as the last man standing in IHRA nitro Funny Car.

Terry is the consummate drag racer. He makes the tuning decisions on the car, drives the transporter, and can even be seen putting together sandwiches for his all-volunteer crew. Affable and happy, he can be found at the track with grease under his nails and a clutch-dust tan. He’s not polished and quaffed, but is a sponsor’s dream because he understands what it takes to be successful and connects with fans and weekend racers. The journeyman from Jersey, transplanted to Seattle, is driven by his competitive spirit and a desire to give back whenever he can.

Like a lot of drag racers, Terry dreamed of driving as a child. A middle-child in a family of five, the almost 38-year-old New Jersey native started drag racing before he was even legal. “I used to take my brother’s drivers license because I wasn’t old enough to drive,” Terry said, “and I would go to the bracket races on Friday night at Island Dragway.” After graduating from high school, Terry started his own repair business and raced street-cars at the track whenever possible.

“I’ve just always loved racing,” he said. “I’ve been around the sport since I can remember. I’ve raced everything from a front-engine dragster to alcohol cars, altered Funny Cars, nitro Funny’s and just got my Top Fuel crossover not too long ago. I love cars, and I really enjoy the fans.”

Hard-core Haddock fans remember his Baumgartner-built race car being adorned with the likes of Trim-Spa, H-57 Hoodia, and Race Girl, but it wasn’t until this season when Mike Ashley and Lend America stepped in did Terry have everything he needed to push to the top.

I was taught as a child and young adult to always give back, and I really felt that I had an opportunity to make something good out of my pain.

“Mike and I have been friends for a while, and Lend America has been on the car for several years, but I have to say that his help is what put us over the top this season. Mike is one of those guys you just like to be around because he is always so positive. He takes a bad situation and makes it good, and that’s not just racing cars, but everything in life.

“I’ve really changed the way I think about a lot of things because of him. This can be a really difficult sport – especially when you run a tight budget like I have. You get beat up, because you know you could do better, but you have to make the next race, so you don’t push. I was pretty beaten down, but everything really turned around when Lend America came on board.”

As Chief Business Strategist at Lend America – a direct-to-consumer mortgage lender, Mike Ashley has proven to be extremely successful at identifying trends – both in business and on the racetrack. As the country’s mortgage industry flounders in unprecedented crisis, Ashley’s Lend America is growing and out-performing the competition. On the race-track, Mike has won two World Championships in Pro Modified, recorded the fastest speed ever in a nitro Funny Car, won the NHRA US Nationals, and finished sixth in NHRA points in 2007. When asked about his support of Terry, Mike just smiles.

“I see a lot of myself in Terry, he’s a dreamer and it’s the dreamers of this world that keep hope alive. Terry and his team searched for solutions while others focused on their problems. Terry never gives up, never stops digging, never stops trying and always follows his dreams. He has a big heart, he doesn’t hesitate to give more than he gets. Lend America was proud to have Terry carry its banner to the IHRA Funny Car Championship,” Mike said.

“Terry Haddock proved that having the best parts or the biggest budget doesn’t guarantee a win or a championship. He knows it takes teamwork, focus, positive attitude and unconditional belief to truly be a winner. Terry has always been a winner in my eyes, and now he and his team are champions too. I know this is just the first of many championships for Terry and his team.”

Terry added, “Mike gave clarity to a lot of the things I’ve always tried to live, like working hard and giving back.”

And giving back is definitely something that Terry is known for. After twice suffering from qualifying infernos in a two year span, with one sending him to the burn unit for three months, Terry performed a ceremonial burnout at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas in 2002 during an NHRA National event, and with the help of his then-sponsor Trim-Spa, donated $10,000 to the burn center at UNLV. He performed a similar feat in 2006 in Gainesville, Florida and was able to donate $10,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network and Shand’s Children’s Hospital, who help families with sick children.

“I was taught as a child and young adult to always give back, and I really felt that I had an opportunity to make something good out of my pain,” he said.

Now, with the title of World Champion, Terry sees the opportunity to make something good out of his success, starting with a long list of “thank you’s.”

“It has really taken an army of support to get here, and I can’t take credit for that. Like the guys at Baumgartner race cars who have always kept me in a safe, fast car, or the people at Wheel Vintiques who have been with me through thick and thin. My all-volunteer crew, my family, my friends – this championship is all about them, and I have to say that I am honored to have been their representative and humbled by their support.

“Right now I’m really thankful. Who knows what the days ahead will hold,” Terry said.

Question marks abound for the new champion. With the recent sale of IHRA and the lack of funding for the Funny Car class, Terry is possibly the last Funny Car champ the series will be crowning for the foreseeable future. “It’s all up in the air, really,” Terry said. “Of course, I want to defend my title next year, but with the economy the way it is and the series not having the sponsorship, it looks like that might not happen. If that’s the case, we’ll pull out our Top Fuel dragster and run that in IHRA, and most likely add a couple of NHRA Funny Car starts to our schedule. A lot of it depends on what my sponsors want us to do.”

“Right now, I’m going to enjoy the moment and celebrate our success,” he said.

Terry the drag racer has earned a pretty big party.

HADDOCK WINS IHRA FUNNY CAR CROWN
by Angelo Angelico

Terry Haddock began the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, N.C., with the grim reality that nitro Funny Cars would likely be DSA_5498.jpgout in 2009 under the IHRA sanction. By Sunday, that meeting was a forgotten memory.

He was the world champion.

The Lend America-sponsored Haddock claimed the 2008 IHRA Nitro Funny Car world championship Sunday by defeating rookie Matt Hagan in the first round of eliminations.

After qualifying No. 1 as the only racer in the four-second zone and almost two-tenths of a second ahead of the closest racer, Haddock said his confidence was high heading into eliminations, but the pressure of facing Hagan in round one was enormous.

“When I pulled to the line against Matt, I was stressed out,” Haddock said. “I knew it wasn’t completely on the line, but this was my shot at putting him away and wrapping the whole thing up. I wanted to do everything right, just like we had so many times this season, so that was what I focused on, and the results are in the history books.”

He left on Hagan and never looked back.

“I can’t thank my family, sponsors and crew enough for getting my here -- we all have earned this together. The crew has been with me through thick and thin, rain and shine, and they are the ones who put me in a car that could win rounds and races.

“On top of that, Lend America and Mike Ashley have been an incredible support, and Mike is such an amazing mentor and friend. He called me right after the race and told me how proud he was to have me on the Lend America team, and then said, ‘now go enjoy the win. You’ve earned every second of it.’

“We’ve had so many fine sponsors also help us along the way -- DJ Safety and Aircat Pneumatic tools, Red Line Oil, Race Girl and so many more. Without their support, we would never have gotten here,” he said.

Suddenly a blower separation in the second round and a subsequent loss didn’t deliver the same sting to Haddock.

“We were just so relaxed and relieved after we clinched the championship that we probably didn’t check things as closely as we should have and it just blew apart about half-way down the track. I wasn’t too worried, though, because we came to do what we had to do, and we were successful in making that happen,” Haddock said.

“Winning the world championship hasn’t really hit me yet — I’ll probably be able to think about it tomorrow, but for now, I’m just kind of numb. This is a dream come true, and I’ve got so much to be thankful for, so many people who have helped me -- it just has to become real in my head.”