I-64 reopens, ends inconvenience

With a major artery reopened, traffic is pumping through St. Louis once again.

All lanes of Interstate 64 reopened in December after a two-year rebuilding project was completed. The $535 million project rebuilt 10 miles of the interstate in two stages between Spoede Road in west St. Louis County and Kingshighway in St. Louis and included one additional lane between Spoede Road and Interstate 170.

While closing the interstate caused inconvenience for residents and travelers, closing the route accelerated its completion. It would have taken up to eight years to complete if work had gone on while leaving one lane open to traffic.

AAA driver becomes Funny Car champ

The Auto Club congratulates Robert Hight, driver of the John Force Racing Auto Club Ford Mustang, as the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car World Champion.

For much of the early 2009 season, the Auto Club Funny Car team struggled to find consistency. After the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Hight found himself 10th in the championship standings, but the team posted three wins in the next five events, rocketing into the lead.

Hight secured his first NHRA Funny Car World Championship (and the 16th for John Force Racing) at the end of qualifying at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona on Nov. 14. This impressive accomplishment was accentuated by Ashley Force Hood’s second-place overall finish in the 2009 standings. Team-mate Mike Neff won the Auto Club Finals on Nov. 15, his first career win, besting Force Hood in the last round.

“The biggest motivator for us was John Force,” Hight said. “He just kept telling us to keep on trying and never give up. Once we got into the Countdown (the final six races of the 2009 season), I knew we could be the team to beat.”