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The Struggle Was Real
"I think that most of us can agree that racing was, by and large, a safe haven in 2020. Personally, 2020 never felt more “normal” than when I was at the racetrack. That doesn’t mean that racing wasn’t a struggle in its own right. I know it was for me." -- two-time world champion Luke Bogacki
“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” – Sigmund Freud
To say that 2020 has been a struggle feels like an understatement of massive proportion…
2020: By the Numbers
Drag racing has always been all about the numbers, whether they're e.t., mph, reaction time, index, dial-in, horsepower, or the dozens of other data that rule our lives, but here are some interesting numbers about the 2020 season in general.
Finally, Gratefully at the Finish Line
I stood on the starting line at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 1, marveling that it was all over. The selfie photo that I took for posterity stamped the time in my phone as 4:56 p.m. In the background, above the fading…
The Parting Message
WFO Radio host and NHRA National Dragster columnist Joe Castello looks back at the challenges and successes of the 2020 season,
Here we are. December 2020. Who knew it’d be like this? I certainly didn’t. I’m lucky to have a column as we close the book on this season. Going WFO, one more time.
Most importantly, we got it in! We completed the 2020 NHRA season and champions…
Keeping Calm and Carrying On
The NHRA community pulled together as one during the COVID-19 pandemic to complete an entertaining and safe season of racing.
March 12 was the day that the drag racing world stood still after the World Health Organization declared the surging novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic.
On the advice of the governor of Florida, NHRA officials quickly…
Passings of original NHRA DD Darwin Doll, car owner Dale Creasy Sr. add to 2020 toll
Darwin Doll, one of NHRA’s original division directors who oversaw the Northeast Division from 1964-78, and longtime nitro Funny Car owner Dale Creasy Sr. both passed away recently, adding to a year of tremendous losses within the sport. We salute them all one final time.
Darwin Doll, one of NHRA’s original division directors who oversaw the Northeast Division from 1964-78, and longtime nitro Funny Car owner Dale Creasy Sr. both passed away recently, adding to a year of tremendous losses within the sport. We salute…
Steve Torrence and team overcame near-tragedy to win third straight championship
They say that the measure of a champion is not how they deal with success, but how they deal with adversity, and Steve Torrence and the crew of the now three-time champion Capco Contractors team are evidence of that.
They say that the measure of a champion is not how they deal with success, but how they deal with adversity, and Steve Torrence and the crew of the now three-time champion Capco Contractors team are evidence of that.
After skipping the season…
Veteran tuner Mike Green joins Justin Ashley Racing
Justin Ashley Racing has announced that world championship-winning crew chief Mike Green has joined the Strutmasters.com/Auto Shocker Top Fuel dragster team.
Justin Ashley Racing has announced that world championship-winning crew chief Mike Green has joined the Strutmasters.com/Auto Shocker Top Fuel dragster team. The move comes as Ashley looks ahead to the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and…
Dean Skuza ends John Force's win streak at the 1997 Gatornationals
Funny Car kingpin John Force's streak of 13 straight round wins ended when he took on Dean Skuza in the quarterfinals of the 1997 Gatornationals.
Consistency, resiliency earned Matt Hagan a third Funny Car championship
Matt Hagan and crew chief Dickie Venables made the most of a shortened season with unparalleled consistency and performance that carried Hagan to his third NHRA FUnny Car world championship.
As a guy who rides a tractor when he’s not wheeling his 11,000-hp Mopar Funny Car, the farmer in Matt Hagan is very familiar with the old encouragement to “Make hay while the sun shines.” So, when the two-race-old NHRA racing season resumed in…
Erica Enders joins exclusive company with fourth Pro Stock championship
Erica Enders wins back-to-back Pro Stock world championships for the second time in her career, joins exclusive company as a four-time Camping World NHRA World Champion.
The list is fairly impressive, and it includes Bob Glidden, Warren Johnson, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Lee Shepherd, Greg Anderson, and now, Erica Enders. Those are the only NHRA drivers who have won four or more world titles in Pro Stock. Enders became…
Matt Smith rebounds from disappointing 2019 finish to claim fourth Pro Stock Motorcycle title
After a disappointing finish to the 2019 season, Matt Smith came out swinging in 2020 and was rewarded with his fourth Camping World NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship.
After a disappointing finish in 2019, where he lost the championship largely due to a mechanical failure on the last day of the season in Pomona, Matt Smith entered 2020 with a lengthy to-do list, and by the time it was over, he’d checked off…
Nitro Time Machine: The day Bob Bode scored one for the little guys
At the 2010 Houston event, independent Funny Car racer Bob Bode scored one for the little guys when he upset Jack Beckman in the final round.
Megan Meyer clinches second TAD championship with dramatic mic-drop win
Just a few months after announcing her retirement from driving, 2019 Top Alcohol Dragster champ Megan Meter won her second straight championship in dramatic style at the season finale in Las Vegas.
As hard as it is to believe, the second straight world championship that she could claim by lighting the win light in the final round of the season-ending Dodge NHRA Finals in Las Vegas was not even the last thing on Megan Meyer’s mind as she…
John Force and the Grinch steal the Funny Car title at 2000 NHRA Finals
At the 2000 NHRA Finals in Pomona, John Force was the Grinch who stole everything when he won the Funny Car title over the late Bruce Sarver for his 92nd victory.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the NHRA staff
The staff of the NHRA wishes a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the fans, sponsors, race teams, racetracks, and other supporters of the NHRA.
89 questions about Chris “the Greek” Karamesines (or should there be 92?)
Drag racing's legendary "Greek," Chris Karamesines, ended his driving career at the close of the 2020 season at age 89. Or is it 92? There are so many questions. After all, when your drag racing career spans 67 years (61 of them in Top Fuel), there’s a lot of room for questions we'll try to answer.
When it comes to the life and times of Chris Karamesines, there will always be some things you can debate. His age. Whether or not he made the first 200-mph quarter-mile pass. How much gold plating really was on his famed Top Fueler. After all, when…
After years of close calls, Doug Gordon finally wins first TAFC championship
For the last six years, Doug Gordons has been in the Top Alcohol Funny Car championship discussion but never won the title. That all changed in 2020.
The last place that Doug Gordon and his father, Mike, wanted to be at the late-season Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals in Houston was at the top end, with TV cameras trained on them as they waited to see whether points rival Sean…
NHRA.tv subscribers can be the first to watch 'They Walked Away' special
Santa's elves have brought a little pre-Christmas gift for NHRA.tv subscribers: the chance to be the first to watch "They Walked Away, 2020," the annual crash-and-burn festival of highlights. The show will air on the FOX networks later, but you can see it first here.
Comp champ Craig Bourgeois beat COVID-19, persistent rivals for second title
2015 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Comp champ Craig Bourgeois won his second title in 2020, but he had to not only beat reigning champ Frank Aragona Jr. and hard-charging Doug Engels, but also defeat COVID, too.
The spring of 2020 was not kind to Craig Bourgeois. After finishing second behind Frank Aragona Jr. in 2019, falling just short of winning what would have been his second NHRA Comp world championship, the Louisiana veteran opened his 2020…
Catching up with Top Fuel's Clay Millican during a hectic offseason
Clay Millican has been plenty busy since the end of the 2020 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, and in our latest Skype interview, he sat down with Brian Lohnes to bring NHRA fans up to speed.
NHRA Shop Talk: Everything you need to know about centrifugal superchargers
This week on NHRA Shop Talk, Brian Lohnes and Alan Reinhart were joined by Lance Keck of Vortech Superchargers to talk about centrifugal superchargers.
This week on NHRA Shop Talk, Brian Lohnes and Alan Reinhart were joined by Lance Keck of Vortech Superchargers to talk about centrifugal superchargers. They talked about how they work, why they are now so popular in NHRA Drag Racing,…
Racing Technology: Donnie Bender explains the inner workings of a nitro fuel system
In the first of a two-part Racing Technology series, crew chief Donnie Bender explains how a modern nitro engine can burn 18 gallons of fuel on a single pass down the dragstrip.
NASCAR hero Tony Stewart a star student at Frank Hawley Drag Racing School
Motorsports standout Tony Stewart has been a success at every level and in every form of racing that he’s tried, so it’s probably no surprise that the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion had no problem in his recent introduction to drag racing at the Frank Hawley School of Drag Racing.
Motorsports standout Tony Stewart has been a success at every level and in every form of racing that he’s tried, so it’s probably no surprise that the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion had no problem in his recent introduction to drag racing at…
Tickets now on sale for 2021 NHRA Midwest Nationals, Sept. 24-26
Tickets now are on sale for World Wide Technology Raceway’s 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series' NHRA Midwest Nationals.
Tickets now are on sale for World Wide Technology Raceway’s 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series' NHRA Midwest Nationals. The annual national event, scheduled for Sept. 24-26, features the world’s biggest names in professional drag racing,…
Craig Bourgeois' front engine dragster is a new twist on a historic design
Louisiana's Craig Bourgeois has now won two NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Comp championships driving a front-engine dragster. In our latest Skype interview with NHRA's Brian Lohnes, he explains his choice of vehicles and his drive to a second title.
NHRA announces eight-race 2021 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series schedule
NHRA has announced the eight-race schedule for the 2021 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series, featuring the NHRA Motorsports Museum’s Hot Rod Reunions.
NHRA has announced the eight-race schedule for the 2021 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series, featuring the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum's Hot Rod Reunions. The series will feature thrilling racing action, highlighted by the crowd-pleasing,…
Super Gas champ Brian Preszler: "You have to be good on both ends of the track"
Newly crowned NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Super Gas champion Brian Preszler joined NHRA's Brian Lohnes via Skype discuss his show-quality Corvette roadster and the keys to his successful 2020 season.
Bryan Worner tops twin brother Byron in historic 1-2 finish in Super Stock
Bryan Worner won his first Lucas Oil Series Super Stock championship in 2020, holding off his twin brother, Byron, who finished second.
Bryan and Byron Worner are twin brothers who were born moments apart, and they both work as firefighters near their home in Eastern Pennsylvania. Now, the Worner brothers have something else in common: They are both NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing…
There is no such thing as an offseason for J.R. Todd and the DHL Funny Car team
DHL Funny Car driver J.R. Todd joins NHRA's Brian Lohnes for a Skype interview and discusses his 2020 campaign, his plans for the upcoming season, and his desire not to race in the Chili Bowl.
