NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

News, notes, quotes, photos, and video from final eliminations day at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. Updated throughout the day.

When the day is done at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, the 2023 Countdown to the Championship will be one-third complete and we’ll all have a better idea of who will be a contender and who might be fading from the title picture.

With a track-record run on Saturday at zMAX Dragway, Top Fuel’s Mike Salinas became the first member of the “Phillips Connect 300 at the 1/8” club, going 300.80-mph in the 1/8-mile during the final round of qualifying at the 15th betway NHRA Carolina Nationals.

Mike Salinas made a historic monster run to steal the pole in Top Fuel and Robert Hight did the same in Funny Car while Friday leaders Erica Enders and Gaige Herrera held onto their No. 1 spots as qualifying for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals completed at zMAX Dragway.

During a post-run inspection at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, the McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster driven by Tony Stewart was found to have unapproved ignition parts. Due to the items found, he has been disqualified from the event and zero points will be awarded, per the NHRA rulebook.

The NHRA National Dragster was all over zMAX Dragway on the second day of the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, capturing all of the action on and off the racetrack.

After a dominating regular season in which he rode his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to six wins in nine starts and gained a huge points lead, people wondered how Gaige Herrera would handle his first adversity. Very well, it turns out.

Brian Lohnes and Tony Pedregon sit down with some of the drivers who made big headlines at the Countdown to the Championship opener last weekend in Reading, Matt Hartford and Doug Kalitta, who will be the featured guests along with plenty of news and analysis to go along with the interviews. 

After switching from a cockpit canopy car back to an open cockpit, Doug Kalitta broke the second-longest dry spell of his career, and the team is sticking with the same car. Coincidence or not, superstition or not, Kalitta's ready to roll in either configuration.

Day two of the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals dawned with a morning rainshower that cleansed the track and the palate of race fans in anticipation of another very quick day of qualifying and racing at zMAX Dragway.

Doug Kalitta, Matt Hagan, Erica Enders, and Gaige Herrera are the No. 1 qualifiers after the opening day of the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

The NHRA National Dragster was all over zMAX Dragway on the opening day of the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, capturing all of the action on and off the racetrack.

Matt Hagan’s Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Funny Car will again wear the colors of Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage (JHG) at this weekend’s Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals and highlights the announcement of an extended partnership between Tony Stewart Racing and JHG.

Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Matt Smith wasn’t at the first race in the class, but the six-time champ will be at the 500th official race for the category, which takes place at this weekend’s Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Kayla Mozeris, Pete Peery, and Will Emmons led the winner's list as the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series South Central Division wrapped up a doubleheaderweekend at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park.

With a prime spot in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals is always packed with excitement. Here's a look back at five memorable moments from the history of the event.

Robert Hight has already won once this year at one of his favorite tracks, zMAX Dragway, which hosts this weekend’s Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. But a season sweep at "the Bellagio of dragstrips" would go a long way in the Funny Car standout trying to claim a fourth world championship.

The NHRA enjoyed its most-watched weekend of Countdown to the Championship telecasts in the NHRA on FOX era, as more than 2.1 million viewers tuned in to original airings of the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship resumes at zMAX Dragway with the running of the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, stop two of the six-race playoffs.

As the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series tour heads to zMax Dragway, "the Bellagio of dragstrips," Tricky Tipster has tabbed Steve Torrence, Robert Hight, Matt Hartford, and Gaige Herrera as the favorites to win the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals.

A regular season filled with struggles changed almost overnight for Tony Schumacher. The Top Fuel legend and eight-time world champ enjoyed a sizeable turnaround to open the Countdown to the Championship, advancing to the semifinals last weekend to kick off the playoffs.

NHRA fans can watch a pair of exciting races this weekend — the Division 4 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series from Tulsa Raceway Park and the Division 1 NHRA Summit Racing Series Finals from Numidia Dragway — for free starting Friday on NHRA.tv.

Go behind the scenes with the winners of the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals as they celebrate their victories with their teams and one another and accept congratulations from their vanquished final-round foes.

The 2023 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals will long be remembered for a series of upsets as well as Doug Kalitta's 50th career win. Take a look back at all of the excitement of the event in our Weekend Rewind video.

A full slate of fun and thrills off the track ensures that this weekend's Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, the second of six playoff races in the Countdown to the Championship, will offer fans plenty of excitement on and off the track.

As the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to zMAX Dragway for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sept. 22-24, drivers remain focused on dreams of an NHRA world championship.

With his Top Fuel victory at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, Doug Kalitta became just the 23rd driver in NHRA history to reach the 50-win milestone and just the 16th to do it in the NHRA Professional ranks. Here's a look at the list of NHRA winners with 50 or more victories.

Driver and team owner Paul Lee will welcome longtime partner TMS Titanium as primary partner on his Funny Car entry for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. 

The first race of the 2023 NHRA Countdown to the Championship was one that left no stone unturned. Quick times! Big speed! Changing of the guard! Upsets! Rain! Yep, we had it all at Maple Grove Raceway's 38th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, but we've narrowed down five attention-worthy notes.

Nine Sportsman drivers claimed huge victories in NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series action at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, led by Dan Fletcher, who scored his 107th career win.