Bob Bode knows why he crossed the centerline – and he’s ready to rebound
Longtime Funny Car racer Bob Bode is frustrated, but also motivated, to get back into the field at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals.
Bob Bode ran .892 to the 60-foot mark. He knew he was on a good pass, even if he didn’t know he the number yet. Then he felt the car shove him to the right. The veteran Funny Car racer grabbed the steering wheel with all his might and wrenched it to…
Hartford making the most of modified Pro Stock schedule
For Matt Hartford, an 18-race Pro Stock schedule represents his best chance to compete for a world championship and he's not about to waste it.
The way Matt Hartford sees it, the modified 18-race schedule for Pro Stock this year is the gift that keeps on giving. He doesn’t have the time or the budget to compete in 24 events, but a shortened calendar presents a unique opportunity to finally…
Cameron Ferre undeterred by tough road
Southern California Auto Club Road to the Future candidate Cameron Ferre taking the hard road
Cameron Ferre applies a large decal to Terry Haddock’s Funny Car, the bright Joliet sun making the process difficult – evidenced by a junked sticker resting on top of the black body. Ferre won’t drive this car; he pilots the Top Fuel dragster that…
Matt Smith’s four-bike assault part of a bigger plan
Matt Smith Racing has brought four Pro Stock Motorcycles to Chicago with the addition of crewman/rider Michael Ray.
On most weekends, reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith has his hands full running three bikes, but it was easy for him to defend his decision to add a fourth entry to this weekend’s NHRA Route 66 Nationals. In addition to his own Denso…
Shawn Reed ready to seize his moment
Former boat champion Shawn Reed talks taking down Steve Torrence and adjusting to quick car
Shawn Reed started driving Top Fuel in 2015. His equipment was never bad, but he wasn’t leading Tricky Tipster selections or putting his Hughes Oilfield dragster on the pole on a weekly basis. The Washington native and former drag boat champion is…
Sampey anxious to deliver results for Vance & Hines team
Six races into her first season with the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team, Angelle Sampey believes she's ready to get her first win
The NHRA Route 66 Nationals will mark the 244th race for three-time world champion Angelle Sampey but just her sixth with the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team. From the first time she first rode the team’s Street Rod V-twin during pre-season…
Distractions? Not for Pro Stock leader Bo Butner
Even a fire in his Nitro Fish merchandise trailer can't dampen Bo Butner's enthusiasm after a hot start to the 2019 season.
Right now, it’s good to be Bo Butner. After winning four of the first five races in Pro Stock, and earning a runner-up finish at the most recent SAM Tech.edu Factory Stock Showdown race in Richmond, he’s off to the best start of his career so even a…
Funny Car veteran Tim Wilkerson knows when to swing
Tim Wilkerson picks his spots as he chases his first Funny Car win of 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season.
Tim Wilkerson’s dash for the biggest trophy in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing in 2018 captured imaginations because it came out of nowhere. That was the conventional wisdom, anyway. As is often the case, conventional wisdom leaned more on…
Defending Funny Car world champ J.R. Todd ahead of last year’s title pace
As the defending Funny Car world champion, J.R. Todd has experienced a bigger spotlight than any other time in his standout drag racing career. But through eight races in the 2019 season, Todd seems to be relishing the opportunity.
As the defending Funny Car world champion, J.R. Todd has experienced a bigger spotlight than any other time in his standout drag racing career. But through eight races in the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Todd seems to be…
After strong start, Clay Millican confident a win is coming soon
After winning on the 20th anniversary of his first career Top Fuel start a year ago, things continue to come full circle for NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series star Clay Millican at Route 66 Raceway, the site of this weekend’s Route 66 NHRA Nationals.
After winning on the 20th anniversary of his first career Top Fuel start a year ago, things continue to come full circle for NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series star Clay Millican at Route 66 Raceway, the site of this weekend’s 22nd annual Route 66…
Tommy Johnson Jr. hopes to keep consistent pace at Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Make-A-Wish Funny Car racer Tommy Johnson Jr. hunting first win of 2019 at Route 66 NHRA Nationals.
If Tommy Johnson Jr. keeps the consistent pace he’s put together for more than a year, he knows that will bode well for the outcome of his 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. But the Funny Car standout is more than ready to add a few…
The Skillmans' commitment to NHRA Drag Racing has only increased through the years
When the Skillman family took their Cobra Jet Mustangs out for a test drive, they had no idea what would happen next.
Bill Skillman and son Drew still recall in vivid detail the peculiar chain of events that triggered their now decade-long investment in NHRA Drag Racing. It began, innocently enough, the day they took delivery of a pair of Cobra Jet Mustangs at…
Jack Beckman describes the thrilling sensation of pedaling a nitro Funny Car
The driver of the Infinite Hero Funny Car beat teammate Matt Hagan in a great race at the Virginia NHRA Nationals – but it wasn’t easy.
The term “pedalfest” is standard NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series jargon. It isn’t pretty, makes absolutely no sense outside of the confines of this sport and comes up as a spelling error on Microsoft Word. It also comes with a boatload of…
Top Fuel veteran Terry McMillen believes he’s a win waiting to happen
Terry McMillen sees his recent struggles at the past two NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races as a minor roadblock for what he believes will be another productive season and thinks his team is due for its first win of the 2019 season.
Terry McMillen sees his recent struggles at the past two NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races as a minor roadblock for what he believes will be another productive season. He also thinks his team is due for its first win of the 2019 season and…
Hector Arana Jr. quietly piecing together a great start to 2019 season
Hector Arana Jr. is still looking for his first win of 2019, but signs are starting to show that it's coming.
Many of the heavier EBR-bodied motorcycles are struggling to find gains in the 60-foot areas, but don’t count the Lucas Oil TV bike ridden by Hector Arana Jr. among them. The rider boasts the best 60-foot time in Pro Stock Motorcycle in 2019, yes,…
Shane Tucker building towards a long Pro Stock future
Australian Pro Stock racer Shane Tucker has gone through fits and starts on way to building program.
Shane Tucker thought he’d be on solid footing at the Virginia NHRA Nationals. His Pro Stock program, which uses Nick Ferri engines, is ambitious. Perhaps that goes without saying. Tucker, an Australian, runs a Dallas-based business, lives in…
John Force: Still waiting on victory No. 150, but he knows it’s coming
John Force knows it’s coming, the next great milestone on a road filled with records; he just wishes win No. 150 would get here, sooner rather than later.
John Force knows it’s coming, the next great milestone on a road filled with records; he just wishes win No. 150 would get here, sooner rather than later.
No, it’s not because he can’t wait to bask in the media spotlight again as the first NHRA…
Atlanta ‘reality check’ gives Terry McMillen Richmond raceday incentive
Terry McMillen may never have a bigger high than winning the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals last season, but a win this weekend at the Virginia NHRA Nationals would taste especially sweet after failing to qualify two weeks ago in Atlanta, his first DNQ in nearly 60 events.
Terry McMillen may never have a bigger high than winning the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals last season, but a win this weekend at the Virginia NHRA Nationals would taste especially sweet after failing to qualify two weeks ago in…
Testing makes perfect for Matt and Angie Smith
Matt Smith Racing found immediate gains at Virginia NHRA Nationals after testing
The Arby’s NHRA Southern Nationals did not go well for Matt Smith Racing. The three bikes fielded by the team, ridden by Matt Smith, Angie Smith and Scotty Pollacheck, qualified between eighth and 14th. That’s not typical performance for the…
The education of Terry Haddock continues, giving and getting lessons
Terry Haddock has been racing nitro cars or more than 20 years, but even as he continues to teach new drivers who rent his Top Fuel dragster, he admits he’s still learning, too.
Terry Haddock has been racing nitro cars or more than 20 years, but even as he continues to teach new drivers who rent his Top Fuel dragster, he admits he’s still learning, too.
This year’s “student” is Cameron Ferre, a former Jr. Dragster and…
Clay Millican and team continue to take the strategic approach to Top Fuel battle
After breaking the 11-year-old track record on their first run Friday, Clay Millican and the Parts Plus/Straightline Strategy Group team opted to sit out the evening session, all part of the plan that puts the emphasis on the word "strategy," even if that means passing up a "hero run."
Clay Millican and crew chief Mike Kloeber dropped a lot of jaws Friday when their Parts Plus/Straightline Strategy Group dragster raced to the No. 1 spot in the heat of the day with a 3.749 that not only broke an 11-year-old track record but that…
Deric Kramer knows how to prepare in a hurry
Former part-time racer Deric Kramer ready to return to Pro Stock racing in Richmond
Deric Kramer raced part time his entire career before racing almost full time in 2018. He planned to race a part-time schedule and wound up nearly racing full time. That makes the 2019 season his full-time debut in the NHRA Mello…
Joey Gladstone and Cory Reed's race to 60-foot perfection
Joey Gladstone and Cory Reed are ahead of the curve when it comes to the race to 60-feet in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Joey Gladstone put a new wheelie bar on his EBR-bodied Pro Stock Motorcycle ahead of the first qualifying session at the Virginia NHRA Nationals. The early returns? Not bad. He ran 6.967-seconds to the quarter mile, .002-seconds quicker than…
Two-car Top Fuel outing for Paton Racing is 'a test session gone wild'
Fans may have done a double take when they saw two dragsters roll out of the Paton Racing trailer in the pits this weekend, but there’s a method behind the multi-machine madness.
Fans may have done a double take when they saw two dragsters roll out of the Paton Racing trailer in the pits this weekend, but there’s a method behind the multi-machine madness.
“It’s a test session gone wild,” said a bemused Todd Paton, who…
Mike Green happy to be back in Top Fuel, eager to help rookie Prock succeed
The Virginia NHRA Nationals marks a new chapter in crew chief Mike Green's career as he takes over the tuning duties on Austin Prock's Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster after trading place with Jon Shaffer, who took Green's spot on Bob Tasca III's Funny Car.
Drag racing isn’t like many other professional sports, where “players” are traded like property from team to team to suit a particular need, but a lot of people drew similar comparisons after the between-races personnel swap between Bob Tasca…
Fernando Cuadra Jr. taking first Pro Stock steps in Richmond
Second-generation racer Fernando Cuadra Jr. to take first steps of long Pro Stock journey at Virginia NHRA Nationals
“I’ve never driven in front of this many people before,” said Fernando Cuadra Jr. He flashes a smile, a combination of nervous energy and excitement while standing behind a Chevy Camaro formerly driven by Greg Anderson.
That’s not his…
NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Sportsman Highlights
Julie Nataas becomes 85th woman, first Norwegian winner in NHRA history. Monty Bogan and Drew Skillman come close to double in Charlotte.
There was plenty of history made during the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in Charlotte after Julie Nataas won the Top Alcohol Dragster title to become the first Norwegian, and 85th woman, to win an NHRA national event. Super Stock winner Monty…
Andrew Hines hungry for more heading to Virginia NHRA Nationals
Andrew Hines' winless 2018 is a distant memory as he enters the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.
Andrew Hines advanced to five final rounds during the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, but never managed to break through, posting the first winless season of his incredible career since 2003. It has taken just four races in 2019 to…
'Pro Stock, I Missed You'
NHRA staff announcer Joe Castello, the host of the “WFO Radio NHRA Nitro” podcast, is a huge Pro Stock fan, and for him, this weekend's Virginia NHRA Nationals and the return of Pro Stock couldn't come quick enough.
The 2019 season is in full swing, and we have already enjoyed many positive experiences. I want to focus on something that was new for 2019. For three races in a row, we experienced the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series without Pro Stock, and it…
After first Funny Car win, Shawn Langdon has his confidence back heading to Virginia
Shawn Langdon's much-anticipated victory at Charlotte came in his 30th career start in Funny Car, providing the type of spark only a win can provide and the team is now ready to take advantage of the next opportunity to celebrate in the winner’s circle.
Shawn Langdon has a championship resumé, strong backing from a championship team in Kalitta Motorsports and a talented crew working with him. But when the former Top Fuel world champion was still searching for his first career Funny Car victory, the…