David Parks, son of NHRA founder, dies
David Parks, the youngest son of NHRA founder Wally Parks, passed away suddenly Jan. 8 at his home in Corona Del Mar, Calif. He was 63. Parks was a member of the Lakers car club of the Southern California Timing Association and held many records…
Feedback Friday
Well, the new year is only a week old, and already it has been packed with a lot of newness, not the least of which is the new NHRA.com format that launched Thursday. The new design allows NHRA fans easier access to the wealth of stories available…
NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series to air in 30-minute shows on FOX family of networks
NHRA and FOX have announced that all 10 races in the 2016 NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season will air on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and FOX Sports 2 (FS2). FS2 will televise each half-hour program in primetime on the Thursday following…
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events to be televised on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2
The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of NHRA Drag Racing are born, will be showcased in 16 races throughout the season on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and FOX Sports 2 (FS2). FS2 will televise a one-hour program of select 2016 Lucas…
The cars of Don Prudhomme
For this week’s journey into the National Dragster photo archives, we are opening up the files of one of the sport’s most recognized names, Don Prudhomme. Voted No. 3 on the NHRA Top 50 Drivers List, Prudhomme experienced a high…
Welcome to the new-look NHRA.com
In a move that will improve the online experience for NHRA fans, the staff of National Dragster, NHRA’s award-winning print publication, will now become regular contributors to NHRA.com. Additionally, website content will be bolstered…
Fire destroys Famoso structure but not season
An early-morning fire Wednesday damaged the tower at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, an NHRA member track that is home to NHRA’s California Hot Rod reunion and the annual March Meet. The Kern County Fire Department responded to the fire, but due…
Track star
The arrival and continued success of the Cobra Jet Mustang, Drag Pak Challenger, and COPO Camaro factory race cars in NHRA Super Stock and Stock competition provides a strong indicator of the level of dedication and enthusiasm that Detroit…
Southland Truck & Trailer named official heavy duty truck dealership of NHRA
Southland Truck & Trailer, a leading distributor of high-quality heavy-duty trucks and trailers, has been named the official heavy duty truck dealership of NHRA. “Through this great sponsorship, we hope to bring people and trucks together…
Something to prove
Teams are busy gearing up for 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season with no shortage of motivation. Be it the up-and-coming teams or the most successful of the established stars, the term “good enough” is not in the vocabulary of…
Enders named 2015's top driver by Autoweek magazine
Two-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion Erica Enders was named 2015 Driver of the Year by Autoweek magazine as part of its inaugural Autoweek Awards. Breaking with a longstanding tradition of naming the Best of the…
NHRA unveils 2016 NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series schedule
NHRA officials unveiled the 2016 NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series schedule today. In 2016, the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will compete at 10 NHRA national events. Highlighting the schedule once again in 2016 will…
New Year's Resolution
Welcome to 2016 and all that it may hold. It's that time of year again to promise yourself some changes. What's your New Year's Resolution? What’s Your New Year’s Resolution Going To Be? …
Crampton geared up after sophomore surge
Richie Crampton and the Lucas Oil Top Fuel team had an excellent follow-up to their 2014 campaign during which Crampton won the 2014 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award honoring the season’s top rookie on the…
What's it all about?
No real new column today – even the Insider deserves a week off to celebrate the holidays – but just a chance to once again express my thanks to the loyal visitors to this little cyber pit space. It seems impossible that since I rolled out this…
A Christmas Letter to My Younger Self
Seems like it’s all the rage these days, especially among sports stars and rock 'n' rollers – of which I am neither – to offer up a little something called “Letter to My Younger Self,” in which one shares the wisdom of a lifetime with one’s…
Drag racing on the tee-vee, 1976-style
While I was researching my last couple of columns about Ontario Motor Speedway and the Supernationals and World Finals, I used my typical National Dragster and magazine article resources but also got sucked into…
Ontario's World Finals, 1974-80
We continue our look back at the great facility that was Ontario Motor Speedway this week with a recap of the seven editions of the World Finals held at the Southern California race facility, beginning with the 1974 event.
NHRA’s sudden decision…
NHRA Supernationals, 1970-73
The 1970 season was, by many accounts, one of the most important in NHRA history. It marked the first season for a new class, Pro Stock, and the first time that a season champion would be crowned in a fledgling class known…
Ontario Motor Speedway
Last week’s column about Funny Car elapsed times and the number of class-best passes that were recorded on the quarter-mile at Ontario Motor Speedway, along with what we have learned over the years about the track’s ability…
Funny Car performance, then and now
If you are a fan of the Funny Car class – and hey, who isn’t? – the 2015 season was a spectacular one, not just for its dramatic finish on the final day of the schedule last Sunday in Pomona, but also for…
Dirt biking with the stars
Don Prudhomme, left, and National Dragster's Leslie Lovett, two-wheelin' it
Fred Mooneyham’s brief mention last week about dirt-bike riding with his nitro peers in the 1970s and motocross…
Teen Terrors of the '70s: 'Fearless Fred' Mooneyham
Teenage Fred Mooneyham with his father, Gene, and crewmember Larry Faust.
(Above) Mooneyham cut his teeth in a front-engine Top Fueler in Louisiana. (Below) Mooneyham and brother Gene…
The Perils of Billy Meyer
As I teased in last week’s column, Billy Meyer’s road to Funny Car fame was not without some painful bumps, a trio of which I will share with you this week.
As you read in the previous column, the impressive start of Meyer’s Funny Car career came…
Teen Terrors of the '70s: Billy Meyer
Of the Teen Terrors of the ‘70s that I’ve profiled the last few months, there’s no disputing that Billy Meyer enjoyed the longest and most successful career of all of them. He won national events in NHRA (12) and IHRA (eight…
Happy birthday, Texas Motorplex
By the time you read this, I’ll be in Dallas for my annual trip to the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Billy Meyer’s Texas Motorplex, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season. I won’t say I’ve been to every NHRA…
Remembering Dave Beebe
Another hole was torn in the fabric of our racing family last weekend with the passing of Dave Beebe, whose surname was one of the more famous in our sport thanks to the accomplishments of he and brother Tim in the Top Fuel…
Teen Terrors of the '70s: The Allison Brothers
Randy and Gary Allison, circa 1972.
Imagine, if you can, two young brothers with zero nitro-racing experience deciding to try their hand at Top Fuel. It’s not a scenario you can even begin to…
Bill "Maverick" Golden
Before he became one of the godfathers of wheelstanding, Golden earned his "Maverick" nickname with a succession of highly successful Dodge doorslammers.
The Little Red Wagon…
Teen Terrors of the '70s: John Stewart
John Stewart will forever be remembered by drag racing fans of the 1970s as the teenager who beat “Big Daddy” Don Garlits in his first ever side-by-side competition, but the kid from Sacramento, Calif., with the long hair…