Force, Capps, Gray, Smith lead opening day of qualifying on Route 66
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Enders partners with Melling Performance for remainder of 2016
Two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders will partner with Melling Performance for the 12 remaining races on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule as a major associate sponsor. Enders will drive the Elite Motorsports/Melling Dodge…
Fan Fotos: The Nielsen Files, Part 2
I hope you all had a safe and sane Fourth of July and are ready to dive into the teeth of summer. I'll be in Chicago this weekend for the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals at fabulous Route 66 Raceway. While I'm…
Past Chicago success could provide jump-start Arana needs
Hector Arana Jr. was likely as happy as anyone to be heading to Route 66 Raceway for this weekend’s K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals. The Pro Stock Motorcycle standout has won the last two…
Tricky Tipster's Chicago picks
For more than five decades, NHRA National Dragster's famed Tricky Tipster has tested his prognosticating skills prior to each national event, putting odds on the top eight racers he thinks have the best shot at victory in Tricky Tipster.…
Worsham building toward Countdown playoffs
Del Worsham didn’t post a victory during the four consecutive race weekends in June that fans and teams are labeling the “Eastern Swing,” but a pair of impressive runs during that stretch has the reigning Funny Car world champion…
Harley-Davidson Museum drag racing exhibit
The year of racing at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee continues to burn rubber this summer with “Drag Racing: America’s Fast Time,” which goes under the hood with the mad scientists of speed to see just how much blood,…
Gray rolling to what he hopes is first win of 2016
It has taken a little longer than he expected, and Shane Gray still isn’t all the way there, but the Pro Stock standout finally feels good about the direction his team is headed. After struggling out of…
Former Funny Car driver Etchells passes
Former NHRA Funny Car driver Chuck Etchells passed away yesterday. He was 61. Etchells, of Putnam, Conn., earned 13 NHRA Funny Car victories during his driving career and 15 as a team owner. He is best known for driving the Kendall Oil Dodge…
JEGS Allstars set to battle at Route 66 Raceway
Purse | 2016 rosters For 32 years, the JEGS Allstars has brought together the top racers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series to face off in a battle of the “Best of the Best.…
2005 Chicago
After taking a weekend off to celebrate the Fourth of July, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series returns to racing action as we head to Chicago for the 19th annual K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals. For this week’s edition of…
Event preview: K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals
After a grueling stretch of four races in four weeks, NHRA teams had a week off to refresh and recharge and celebrate the Independence Day holiday. The Fourth of July has passed, but the fireworks are scheduled to continue throughout the summer,…
Top Fuel points leader Kalitta eyes big second half
Through the first half of the 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Doug Kalitta has put together a performance that can lead to a world championship. That’s a satisfying notion for the longtime Top Fuel standout, as Kalitta, who…
Pollacheck added to Nitro Fish team
Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Scotty Pollacheck will be flying the colors of the Nitro Fish apparel brand on his Buell beginning at this weekend’s K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago…
Wilkerson hopes frustrating stretch is behind him
Tim Wilkerson has experienced the tremendous highs and also the lows the sport of drag racing has to offer, all in about a span of two months during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season…
Making each and every day count
Winning is defined in many ways, and oftentimes, the biggest winners at any given event are not necessarily the drivers who hoist the coveted Wallys at the end of the day. Officially, William Kennedy won the Super Stock title at the recent NHRA…
Albrecht’s motorcycle shop to back Pritchett in Chicago
Chicago-area resident Dave Albrecht and his Albrecht’s Fast Track motorcycle repair and service have reached a last-minute agreement with Don Schumacher Racing that will allow Leah Pritchett to compete for her second Top Fuel event title of…
It's a Chicago homecoming for McMillen
Born in Chicago, Terry McMillen made his first trip down the racetrack in the Chicago area. It is also why the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, July 7-10, means so much for…
Funny Car milestones
NHRA is celebrating 50 years of Funny Car racing this season, and the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals is an appropriate event for the category’s milestone 800th race. Chicago is deeply rooted in nitro racing history. The match…
Crew Chief Confidential: Rob Wendland
Rob Wendland is the crew chief of the Amalie Motor Oil Top Fuel dragster driven by Terry McMillen. He is in his second year with the team as McMillen battles for his first top-10 position. Wendland was a renowned tuner in the Top Alcohol Dragster…
Winningest Pro Stock Motorcycle riders
Angelle Sampey’s recent win at the NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown brought the three-time world champ's tally to 42, inching her closer to leaders Dave Schultz and Andrew Hines. Who else ranks among the top five in Pro Stock Motorcycle…
Schriefer to hit the track with West Side Tractor Funny Car
Funny Car driver Justin Schriefer is ready to begin his 2016 season. The driver/owner of the Paul Smith-tuned West Side Tractor/Hogswipe Dodge Charger is geared up for a three-race campaign at the upcoming K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals,…
Zizzo ready for season debut at home track
A long but busy offseason for TJ Zizzo has the driver of the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster ready to make his 2016 debut at the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago.…
Pro Stock veteran Gaines announces retirement
Pro Stock veteran V. Gaines has announced his retirement, effective immediately, from NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competition. Gaines, 69, of Lakewood, Colo., said in a statement released Thursday that he was grateful for his time in…
Tasca partners with AutoAlert for Chicago event
Bob Tasca III, right, with Steve Young Bob Tasca III and his AutoAlert Ford Shelby Mustang will be representing Tasca Racing at the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals. AutoAlert is the…
Fan Fotos: The Nielsen Files
If you’ve been around this column for any length of time, you know there’s no measuring the depth of love and respect I have for followers of this weekly cornucopia of drag racing stream of consciousness. And you probably also know…
Crew Chief Confidential: Matt Hines
While he’s still best known for winning three world championships and 30 races aboard the Vance & Hines Eagle One Suzuki, Matt Hines has blossomed into one of NHRA’s most successful crew chiefs. Much like his mentor and team co-…
'Voice of the NHRA' Dave McClelland inducted into Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Dave McClelland, widely known as “The Voice of the NHRA” and one of the most legendary motorsports announcers to ever hold a microphone, is one of seven icons from the world of motorsports to be inducted into the Motorsports…
Art Chrisman
In this week’s journey into the NHRA National Dragster photo archives, we look into the file of one of the legendary hot rod builders and drag racers of the 1950s and 1960s, Art Chrisman. Ranked No. 29 on the NHRA Top 50 Drivers list…
NHRA on the scene: Indy test session
Don Schumacher Racing’s Infinite Hero Funny Car team and Morgan Lucas Racing’s Lucas Oil Top Fuel team spent Wednesday at a test session at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, working to refine their cars as we race into summer and the…