Richards to compete in Funny Car at 10 events in 2016
Florida-based NHRA Funny Car driver Dave Richards will compete in the Paul Richards Racing entry at 10 NHRA events on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule this season, thanks to the support of Brian and Janie Mahoney and their…
Bucket list tracks
From the grandeur of zMAX Dragway in Charlotte to the tree-lined beauty of Pacific Raceways in Seattle to the carved-in-the-mountainside Bandimere Speedway, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series visits a variety of unique and cool tracks each…
Longtime Vandergriff backer Josh Comstock passes away
Josh Comstock, left, with Bob Vandergriff Jr. following his win in Houston in 2013. Josh Comstock, the chairman and CEO of C&J Energy Services and…
Muldowney to appear at select races in support of Shirley's Kids charity
Iconic drag racing figure Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowney will return to NHRA drag racing in 2016 at select stops on the schedule in support of the newly created Shirley's Kids charity, which aims to help children in need. "Drag…
Female Funny Car pioneer Paula Murphy
Sometimes you just never know who’s going to be on the other end of the phone (especially in my line of work), so it was a great pleasure – and great timing – when I learned that the voice on the other end of the line earlier this week belonged to…
NHRA seeks candidates for three new key positions
The NHRA has openings for three key new positions within the sanctioning body: Vice President of Marketing & Brand Strategy, Multimedia Content Director, and National Events Business Manager. NHRA is seeking an innovative, results-oriented…
Funny Car star Beckman looking for firsts at Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Jack Beckman has not yet won during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, though there’s hardly reason for concern through only two events, and has yet to record a victory at Gainesville Raceway in his standout Funny Car career…
1992 Gatornationals
The Gatornationals is known for its long and eminent history, and Gainesville Raceway is considered one of the fastest tracks on the NHRA circuit. The first 260-, 270-, and 300-mph Top Fuel runs were recorded there, along with several record-setting…
NHRA TV viewership up dramatically in new partnership with FOX Sports
NHRA’s revamped race coverage on FOX Sports earned more than 300,000 additional viewers through the first two Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events of the season, which included the Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, Calif. on Feb. 14 and…
Atlanta Dragway improvements include new concrete starting line, Daktronics scoreboards
Two major facility improvements are under way at Atlanta Dragway, Georgia’s House of Speed. The venerable NHRA-owned dragstrip, which sits just northeast of downtown Atlanta in Commerce, Ga., serves as host of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA…
Moonlighting
Last week’s surprise announcement that two-time NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock champion Erica Enders was going to compete in approximately eight to 10 events in Super Gas behind the wheel of Tommy Phillips’ ORTEQ Energy Technologies…
Lucas Oil Products extends naming rights of Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
Lucas Oil Products, an industry leader in lubricants and fuel treatments, has extended the naming rights for the NHRA-owned and -operated multi-purpose auto racing facility located just west of Indianapolis. The naming rights began in 2011 and…
Rivalries: past, present, and future
The thrilling final round between Leah Pritchett and Brittany Force at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals brought up the subject of rivalries and gives us a chance to look back at the battles from past and present that gave everyone in the…
Amalie Motor Oil extends title-rights sponsorship of prestigious NHRA Gatornationals
Amalie Motor Oil Co. has agreed to a multiyear extension of its title-rights sponsorship of the prestigious NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. This year’s Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals is scheduled for March 17-20 and is the…
Leah vs. Brittany: New era of rivalries has begun
Leah Pritchett and Brittany Force, two of NHRA’s fast-rising stars, squared off in a historic Top Fuel final round at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. In what was the first all-female Top Fuel final since 1982 and only the fourth time…
Drivers on the verge of their first Pro win
In Phoenix, Leah Pritchett became the newest member of the Pro-class winner’s club, breaking through for her first victory in Top Fuel. Which driver in the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, or Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks could be next to join the…
Register for DRAW’s Tracy Winters memorial golf tourney
Registration is now open for DRAW’s annual Tracy Winters Memorial Golf Tournament, to be held Wednesday, March 16, at Ironwood Golf Course, 2100 NE 39th Ave., in Gainesville, Fla., prior to the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Individual…
Enders to double down with Pro Stock/Super Gas combo
Two-time and reigning NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champ Erica Enders will double her driving duties at 8-10 NHRA Mello Yello national events this season, racing in her Super Gas while also competing in her Elite Motorsports Dodge…
1970: A 'Super' season for Funny Car
The Funny Car class got its first taste of full integration into the NHRA season in 1970, NHRA’s vaunted “Super Season.” NHRA had nearly doubled its schedule, going from four races to seven – adding the Gatornationals in…
K&N Horsepower Challenge People’s Choice voting set to begin
Once again, in 2016, NHRA’s loyal fans will be able to vote their favorite Pro Stock driver into the NHRA K&N Horsepower Challenge, a special bonus event for the factory hot rod class. The K&N Horsepower Challenge will be held…
Terry Vance
In a few short weeks, the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will make its way to the Sunshine State for the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville. Pro Stock Motorcycle riders will be joining the rest of the racers to…
Slow and steady
Brad Pierce’s ’58 Corvette is one of the coolest cars in Super Gas, but to be perfectly honest, it also happens to be one of the slowest. While Pierce has no problem running the 9.90 index, his trap speeds often hover in the high-130-…
Phoenix-Pomona-Phoenix
So much has happened since my last blog entry! We went to Phoenix for testing, headed to Pomona for the Winternationals, and then headed back to Phoenix for the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. That may not sound like a lot since it’s…
Bringing the Heat
The 2016 CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals took place at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park with temperatures well into the 80s that tested the hot-track tune-ups of the teams. Each of the Professional winners had the most success at an event since…
Best of Phoenix
After a strong start to the 2016 season in Pomona, the drivers in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series served up another action-packed event in Phoenix, where fans were treated to just the second all-female Top Fuel final, a first-time winner in…
Nobile embracing early-season challenges
Vincent Nobile is always up for a challenge, and early in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season the Pro Stock standout is facing a pair of them. Along with the rest of the Pro Stock class, the standout driver is adjusting to the sleek…
The Hawaiian, 1969-71
National Dragster's Lane Evans captured this unforgettable image of the flying Hawaiian. There are no subsequent shots from him because it was the last exposure on his roll of film (but we have more angles below).
Last week’s…