A misfiring economy and rising energy prices are choking off the racing done by the semi-pro drivers who grind gears each summer at Seekonk Speedway and other small tracks around the Northeast.

Bob Tasca III

Tasca is Rhode Island's most successful race car driver and a vice president of the Tasca car dealerships in Cranston. He is moved up to the nitro-powered Funny Car after two seasons driving Alcohol Funny Cars, where he currently holds the record for the fastest quarter mile -- 5.541 seconds at 263 mph.

Jody L. Fisher

The only woman from Rhode Island listed with the Sports Car Club of America as a competitive racer, Fisher races her screaming yellow and red Mazda Miata at the New Hampshire International Speedway, among other venues.

Classic cars are stars in Newport