Sunday, March 31, 2013

From Tim Glover - Atlanta Dragway Summit ET Series event


KITTLE AND LEE WIN SEASON OPENER AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY, BOWDEN BROTHERS MAKE FINAL ROUNDS. 

(Commerce, GA – March 30)  Nearly 150 racers showed up for their first race of the season, the 2013 Summit ET Bracket Series season opener held at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA.  For many, it was the chance to catch up with old friends and check out all the changes they made over the winter break.

            As has happened before, rain made its presence known shortly after nightfall.  Seeing rain was imminent, the track management called the event about 8:30pm, giving racers just enough time to store their cars and equipment before rain began falling on the track surface.

            Before the plug was pulled due to rain, the Junior Dragster competitors finished their events.  Also, two complete rounds of Summit ET Series racing were already in the books, and the Pro and Super Pro classes finished their third round of competition.  Points were awarded for the three rounds of competition in Pro and Super Pro.  Sportsman, Street ET Motorcyle and Pro ET Motorcycle were awarded points through their second round of competition.

Today's Drag Racing News

INDYCAR: Two-Time Indy 500 Starter Art…
SPEEDtv.com
Art Malone went from being Don Garlits' sidekick in drag racing to teammates with Bobby Unser and Jim Hurtubise at the Indianapolis 500 without the benefit of driver's schools, testing or any previous pavement experience. "Art wasn't the greatest ...
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And they're off...
UpperMichigansSource.com
"I've been drag racing snowmobiles for almost 20 to 21 years now," says Chris Nordang, racer and, resident of Iron River. "Better than sitting home on the couch." It looks easy but riders admit it's a lot of work on and off the snowmobile. "After every ...
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Dixon sets new Australian record as Read doubles up
OzRacingWrap
Australia witnessed its quickest ever drag racing pass on Saturday night at Willowbank Raceway when three times world champion Larry Dixon stormed to a 4.503 second time, as Queensland's own Steve Read doubled up at the Santo's Cranes Super 3 ...
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Mecum Auctions to honor racing legend Grump Jenkins
Luxvelocity
"Grumpy," as he was known by most, made a name for himself in the '60s drag racing in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) using cars equipped with engines he had enhanced on his own. Jenkins would often take off down the strip with a lit cigar ...
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Chevy to Offer Camaro Rolling Chassis
CarBuzz - Car News and Reviews
Now Chevy is pulling the old one-two punch as it has unveiled a new rolling chassis version of the Camaro specifically for drag racing. How does it differ from the COPO Camaro? By pure simplicity. The Camaro rolling chassis comes with a body, a roll ...
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CarBuzz - Car News and Reviews

Web
Drag racing gains momentum across the country - News14.com
Quick speed and reaction is a part of the art of drag racing, a sport that's gaining momentum across the country.
triad.news14.com/.../drag-racing-gains-momentum-across-the-...

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Today's Drag Racing News

News
Drag Racing: Jason Phelps gets Festival Of Speed invite
Northampton Herald and Post
The series makes its bow at the Auto Trader Festival Of Power, which also includes international Top Fuel Dragster action and the first round of this year's MSA British Drag Racing Championship, as well as an array of Sportsman and motorbike racers.
See all stories on this topic »

Northampton Herald and Post
Ford Racing Turn-Key Race Car
Mustang Monthly Magazine (blog)
The 2014 Cobra Jet is the latest in drag racing technology delivering speed and consistency for NHRA Stock and Super Stock racing. • With over four seasons of testing, racing, and customer feedback the Cobra Jet is better than ever with exciting new ...
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Mustang Monthly Magazine (blog)
Race against time for Ben Bray Easter Campaign
OzRacingWrap
Frawley - a ten-time Willowbank Raceway track champion who also boasts four national championships in the Modified bracket – was a regular fixture at the Ipswich drag racing facility before he joined up with TBR. "Obviously we are not working Graeme ...
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Art Malone, 1936-2013
Racer
Raised in Tampa, Fla., Malone got his first taste of drag racing when he and a group of teenage buddies made the trek to the West Coast to attend the first NHRA event in Pomona in 1953. Upon returning to Florida, he began staging races at Henderson ...
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Art Malone died this morning

Dear Friends,

My long life buddy, partner and friend died at home this morning at 6 AM. This was the final result of an Airboat accident several years ago, Art was injured severely and never fully recovered. I talked to him on March 27th and he was in good spirits, thought he had lost a lot of weight. The brute of a man was down to 175 pounds, my weight! His wife Sandra was at his side.

It grieves me to write this, but I must as Art and I go a long way back, in 1942 we rode the Twin Lakes School bus together, became friends and never had a quarrel. Art was younger than I, but a tall boy and timid at that young age. I once beat up a bully that was picking on him and we have been very close ever since. Art initially started racing round track cars and I once borrowed a flathead Ford engine out of his stock car to run an event while my engine was being repaired, I won with Art's engine, but he continued to race the round tracks. Then in 1959, I was burned severely and Art and his wonderful late wife Lorraine came to the hospital and he offered to drive the Swamp Rat I car while I recuperated. Art took to Drag Racing like a "Duck to Water", setting the new Drag News 1320 Record at his first outing in Sanford Maine, 183,66 MPH, breaking my old record set at Houston TX the week before the Chester fire.

Art continued to raise the 1320 record several times and in 1960 built his own car at Al Williams shop in Kansas. He won the US Fuel and Gas Championships held in Bakersfield CA in 1963 with his own home-built car, Ed Iskenderian was his Crew Chief! He set the oval track record of 181.561 MPH at the Daytona Speedway on August 28th 1961, receiving the $10,000.00 prize posted by Bill France of NASCAR fame for the first person over 180 on a closed course, driving the "Mad Dog" a winged version of an Indy car, built by the late Bob Osiecki from Chester SC. The "Mad Dog" now rests in the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing as a tribute to this man's many accomplishments.

We teamed up again in 1984 putting "Garlits and Malone" on Swamp Rat 26, a car removed from the museum and refitted with modern parts purchased by Art to be able to run the 1984 NHRA US Nationals, we won the race, the competitors were calling us "Dinosaurs", we then proceeded to the NHRA World Finals, winning again! Art and I then won the NHRA World Championships two years in a row, 1985 and 1986. Art was inducted into the Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1997 and he supported the Museum from the very beginning. This is just a brief summary of Art's life, as it would take an entire book to list it all, he was a man's man and will be missed by all racing fans and competitors.

Please circulate widely.
Thanks,
Don Garlits
CEO
Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing Inc.

Friday, March 29, 2013

NHRA NEWS: CRUZ PEDREGON AND HIS 'NO-NAME' CREW HEAD TO THE STRIP AT LVMS LOOKING FOR A VICTORY AT SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS

LAS VEGAS – Two-time NHRA Funny Car world champ Cruz Pedregon is taking a different approach to the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. The veteran driver is battling in the ultra-competitive Funny Car category without a crew chief.

So far, the concept seems to be working. Pedregon’s Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry has been really quick at times during the season. He claimed his 51st career No. 1 qualifying position at the recent Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Florida. 

He will try to earn another No. 1 spot and grab a victory at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, April 5-7 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) are the defending winners of the event that will be televised on ESPN2HD.

Without a high-priced crew chief, Pedregon feels his team has better chemistry and the proof is in how fast his Snap-on Tools Toyota has been running.

Racin & Rockin with Jack Beckman on April 1!

Click to see the photo! 

Racin' and Rockin': Racin & Rockin with Jack Beckman on April 1! by Bill Pratt. No foolin'! We are going to have 2012 NHRA Funny Car World Champion Jack Beckman on Racin and Rockin this Monday night! Check in as we catch up with Fast Jack!

Today's Drag Racing News

News
NHRA and racers comes to terms with SS/AH cylinder head issues
Drag Racing Online Magazine
There was a lot of speculation as to why there wasn't the annual SS/AH race at the just completed Mopars at the Strip in Las Vegas. The problem evidently was related to the Hemi cylinder heads used on those cars. A check with an NHRA source (who asked ...
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Drag Racing Online Magazine
Things to do in the Treasure Valley: Tennis, baseball, softball, drag racing
The Idaho Statesman
In anticipation of next week's Davis Cup quarterfinals at Taco Bell Arena, where the U.S. will face off against Serbia, the City of Boise and the Idaho Tennis Association have planned a variety of events (for more information, check out the ITA website ...
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Larry Dixon in Brisbane for drag racing event
Brisbane Times
Websites in the Fairfax Digital Network offer streaming video and audio in the Flash format. Streaming media allows you to watch video on a website as a continuous feed, as opposed to waiting for an entire audio or video file to download to your ...
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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Frank Hawley Drag Racing School: Fine Art And Drag Racing


Steven Andersen lived in Europe, graduated with a master's degree in Fine Art from the University of Minnesota and had a life of luxury in New York City.  He worked alongside Andy Warhol, signed autographs and even had a book published on his work by the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  After leaving New York City, Anderson even had established his own nationally-recognized print shop.  But with all that, the 67-year-old Anderson could still never truly forget his very first true passion – drag racing.

More than 45 years after exiting the seat of a Top Fuel car, Andersen couldn't resist the urge to get back behind the wheel, ultimately leading him to Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School. "I guess it's just that addiction to the sport. It's hard to get out and stay out," Anderson said.
Andersen, who lives in Minneapolis and is a longtime member of the Gopher State Timing Association (GSTA), got back in the sport in 2005, rebuilding cars and dragsters.
But there was the itch to do more and, within a few years, Andersen felt the desire to drive.
The next step was getting licensed and that's where Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School came into the picture. Andersen attended the two-day class in February, driving a Super Comp car to make his required passes and get licensed.  Oddly enough, Andersen's times in the 8.50-range driving the Super Comp car were similar to the times he posted driving a Top Fuel car from 1965-1966. Driving the car at Hawley's Drag Racing School also gave Andersen the rush he was looking for when he returned to the sport.
"It was the most fun I've had as an adult," Andersen said. "We never launched that hard in my day. The way the Super Comp car pulled all the way down the track, it was so much fun.  "I could remember what driving was like, so I knew what to expect, but it was just the most incredible time."
Andersen had restored an A dragster and even located close friend Tom Hoover's 1966 Top Fuel car and has been restoring it over the last few years.  But when he went from wanting to rebuild to drive, the input he received told him the best place to get licensed was at Frank Hawley's school. 

This Weekend! MIR's Spring Performance Swap Meet and Test & Tune - Saturday, March 30, 2013



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Today's Drag Racing News

News
Coughlin wins fan vote for K&N Horsepower Challenge spot
Drag Racing Online Magazine
NHRA Pro Stock fans had the opportunity to choose the No. 8 starting spot in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, and for the second year in a row their choice is Jeg Coughlin Jr. Coughlin, driver of the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger, will go for his fourth ...
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Drag Racing Online Magazine
IHRA Nitro Jam at Tucson
Drag Racing Online Magazine
Last year was a bit of an oddball season for IHRA rookie and current IHRA Fuel Altered Champ Kyle Hough. Hough had a great 2012 season by going to seven final rounds and winning the 2012 Nitro Jam Fuel Altered championship all in his first season ...
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Drag Racing Online Magazine
Larry Dixon in Brisbane for drag racing event
Brisbane Times
One of the fastest men on earth will take to the track at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland this weekend in a unique Top Fuel Drag Racing event. 28/03/13. World's biggest egg up for auction (Video Thumbnail). Up next... World's biggest egg up for ...
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Brisbane Times

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Nitro Jam’s Biggest Stars Hit the Track at San Antonio Raceway April 5-6


Largest lineup of the year on tap for San Antonio Nitro Jam

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (March 27, 2013) – When the International Hot Rod Association's Nitro Jam series made its return to San Antonio Raceway in 2011 the event was deemed an overwhelming success.

The largest crowd in San Antonio Raceway history was on hand for the return of the IHRA's unique brand of motorsports entertainment as fans in and around the Alamo City embraced the thrills of the world's fastest machines. Then, in 2012, the event grew even bigger with another capacity crowd on hand for the largest U.S.-based Nitro Jam of the year.

San Antonio Raceway will once again host Nitro Jam's biggest event April 5-6

Now, after two incredibly successful and entertaining seasons, the third annual San Antonio Nitro Jam presented by CarSafe and Good Vibrations Motorsports returns to San Antonio Raceway for what is easily the biggest Nitro Jam of the entire year. The event will feature four nitro classes, including the return of the Kings of the Sport in Top Fuel Dragster, plus nearly half a dozen jets, wheelstanders, fireworks and much more all jammed into one weekend April 5-6 at San Antonio Raceway.

"San Antonio is a great city and I enjoy racing at the track," said 2007 San Antonio Top Fuel winner Bruce Litton. "This event has grown exponentially over the past few years and I know the IHRA has a great show planned for the fans this season. And speaking of the fans, they are among the best out there and I look forward to spending some time meeting them before putting on a 300 mile-per-hour show for them."

Among the four nitro classes in action at this year's San Antonio Nitro Jam are the fastest racecars in the world as Bruce Litton brings his bright orange "Nitro Jam" themed 8,000 horsepower Top Fuel Dragster to the party to take on young sensation Kyle Wurtzel in the "High Yield" machine in a side-by-side 320 mph showdown.

Texas will be well represented at the San Antonio Nitro Jam. Pictured is defending race winner John Hale in "Nitro Boss."

Fans will also enjoy the return of the fastest growing motorsports class in America as the stars of AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car take their 4,000 horsepower nostalgia machines down the Texas quarter-mile at speeds in excess of 250 mph. Among this year's Funny Car pilots are two-time defending class champion and world record holder Pete Gallen in the brand new "Poverty Stricken" '78 Monza, Texas-native and last year's winner John Hale in the "Nitro Boss" Mustang, Greg Jacobsmeyer in the "AllStar" Dodge Challenger and "Mr. Explosive" Mark Sanders.

Rounding out the nitro classes are the out-of-control Fuel Altereds of Kyle Hough in "Nanook" and Ron Hope in "Rat Trap" plus the daredevil's of the 220 mph Nitro Harley class starring Jay Turner in the record-setting "Big Pig" ride.

In exhibition action fans will be in for a treat as five different jets fill the lines including the battle of jet trains between the "Cannonball Express" and "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", the incredible "First Strike" and "Top Secret" jet-powered Funny Cars and the 30,000 horsepower Super Shockwave jet-powered truck. Fireworks, the world's fastest wheelstander and more will bring both nights to a close.

Fans of powerful classic cars will also enjoy watching the world's fastest sportsman racers take center stage during intermission as the stars of the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour battle for an Ironman trophy in front of an anticipated sellout crowd.

The 2013 San Antonio Nitro Jam presented by CarSafe and Good Vibrations Motorsports is April 5-7 at San Antonio Raceway. Showtime is scheduled for 7 p.m. both evenings with two rounds of Nitro Jam action each night.

Top Fuel returns to San Antonio April 5-6

Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under and fans can save $5 on adult passes when they purchase tickets in advance at www.nitrojam.com.

Don't miss Nitro Jam's two biggest nights of racing April 5-6 at San Antonio's famous quarter-mile dragstrip just south of the city.

NHRA NEWS: NHRA FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN TO BE EXPANDED FOR 2013 SEASON

GLENDORA, Calif. (March 27, 2013) — NHRA announced today that the NHRA Factory Stock Showdown will be expanded to three events for the 2013 season with new stops at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events in Englishtown, N.J., May 30 – June 2, and at the Fall event in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 13-15.  The two new venues will book end the NHRA U.S. Nationals held at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Labor Day weekend, Aug. 28 – Sept. 2, where the program was introduced last year.

In addition to expanding the number of events, the class has been split into two separate classes within Stock Eliminator.  The spilt will bring more parity into the program and, combined with a new class index, is expected to draw more participation.  The new classes of competition will be:

FS/AC: Minimum weight up to 400 CID 3250Lbs, 401 to 450 CID 3350Lbs, index 10.50
FS/DC: Minimum weight 451 + CID 3200Lbs, all supercharged 3500Lbs, index 10.20

NHRA NEWS: COUGHLIN NAMED FAN-VOTE WINNER IN K&N HORSEPOWER CHALLENGE FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

LAS VEGAS – NHRA Pro Stock fans have spoken, and their choice for the No. 8 starting spot in the K&N Horsepower Challenge for the second year in a row is Jeg Coughlin Jr., driver of the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Avenger.

Coughlin will go for his fourth victory in the lucrative bonus event for qualified Pro Stock teams starting with a first-round meeting with event top seed Allen Johnson, driver of the Team Mopar Dodge Avenger. The 29th annual K&N Horsepower Challenge will be conducted during the running of the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals on Saturday, April 6, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The event will be televised by ESPN2HD.

Coughlin won the fan vote by a wide margin, receiving roughly one-third of the total votes cast by NHRA fans since voting began in February. Coughlin has scored victories in the K&N Horsepower Challenge in 2009, 2000 and 1999.

Today's Drag Racing News

News
Szupka's double highlights JEGS Cajun SPORTSnationals finals
Drag Racing Online Magazine
Other champions crowned during the event, which featured more than 500 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing series competitors, included Greg Brotherton (Super Comp), Ryan Herem (Super Gas), Ray Dew (Super Street), P.J. Vicari (Top Dragster), Allen ...
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Drag Racing Online Magazine

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Drag Racing Online Magazine
We're back! After digging out Monday from under 12.4 inches of snow, we have made it to the Phlegm Building safely and are ready to get back to work. (Well, we're here.) And the good news is that it's supposed to be nearly 60 degrees by the weekend!
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Drag Racing Online Magazine
Young driver learning fast
The Nelson Mail
The Upper Hutt Glass supercharged dragster will be one of the feature performers at The Rock 94.4FM Dragway in Motueka on Saturday when the Nelson Drag Racing Association wraps up its summer season with the Keith Whiting Memorial Trophy meeting.
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The Nelson Mail
Chevy offering Camaro rolling chassis for drag racers
Autoblog (blog)
There sure has been plenty of drag racing machinery to report about lately from the Chevrolet COPO Camaro to the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, but General Motors has another quarter-mile racer up its sleeve with a new rolling chassis version of the Camaro.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Today's Drag Racing News

News
John Cardinale, Sonoma raceway official, dies of cancer
Drag Racing Online Magazine
John Cardinale, VP and head of Media and Public Relations for northern California's Sonoma Raceway for the last fifteen years has died after a two-year battle with gastric cancer, he was 47. According to a track official, Cardinale died last Wednesday ...
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Drag Racing Online Magazine
Drag Racing Behavior
Innovation Excellence (blog)
In business speed is king, and with it comes our short-sighted drag racing behavior. As we pull to the starting light our big engines shake and rumble, our pipes shoot flames, and our tires smoke. We stomp the throttle, accelerate to mach 1, kill the ...
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Drag Racing Online Magazine
As the Midwest slumbers under the largest March snowfall in St. Louis history, as DRO staffers huddle in their warm homes and eye their loved ones hungrily, and the Agent desperately tries to find something that can be mixed into a cocktail, the DRO ...
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DRAG RACING: Street Fights return to Bristol
TriCities.com
Posted: Monday, March 25, 2013 11:38 pm. DRAG RACING: Street Fights return to Bristol BHC Sports Desk TriCities.com. The first Street Fights program of the season at Bristol Dragway is scheduled for March 30. This will be the 13th year for Street ...
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Web
Roy Hill's Drag Racing School Back in Session at zMax Dragway ...
Roy Hill's Drag Racing School is back in action Apr. 1-2, at zMax Dragway, near Charlotte. At Roy Hill's the training is intense and serious, but.
dragillustrated.com/roy-hills-drag-racing-school-back-in-sessi...

Monday, March 25, 2013

Today's Drag Racing News

Web
What's a good car for drag racing? - Yahoo! Answers
What's a good car for drag racing? I really don't know a lot about cars but my uncle races and I want to get into it with him. Any good cars that aren't over 20,000 ...
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid...
Drag Racing - Android Apps on Google Play
The most addictive racing game with realistic controls and 50+ real cars! - Drive 50+ officially licensed cars, from hot hatches to american muscle and 1000HP ...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com...hl=en


Friday, March 22, 2013

Exciting Seasonal Job Opportunities Now Available at MIR!



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Racin & Rockin with Dale Funk on March 25!

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Racin' and Rockin': Racin & Rockin with Dale Funk on March 25! by Bill Pratt. Join us on Monday, March 25, as we get a visit from the one and only Dale Funk -- the original Kentucky Moonshiner -- to discuss his exploits in Top Fuel and Top Gas (and if we're lucky, his many off-track escapades)!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

THE SEASON KICKOFF IS HERE!

Season Kickoff Activities Shine at the Super Chevy Show Presented by Chevrolet Performance at Palm Beach International Raceway

JUPITER, Fla. (March 21, 2013) – Palm Beach International Raceway is revved and ready for the “Super Chevy Show presented by Chevrolet Performance” to roll into Florida for the season opener on March 22-24, 2013.

The accelerating and enjoyable weekend includes exhilarating drag races, an incredible car and truck show, plus a time-honored swap meet.

Return to the Roots


YORK, PA – The return to the roots of drag racing occurs at the 12th Annual Musclecar Madness at the York Reunion to be held at the York Fairgrounds, York Expo Center, York, PA on Friday and Saturday, uly 12-13th.

A very popular segment of the early days of drag racing was the junior stock eliminator which featured the grocery getters of yesteryear with the popular Chevy sedan deliveries. Tim Pogue of Springtown, Texas has entered his pristine '57 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery along with the entries of Butch Szollosy, the Gunning Brothers, Al Andrews, Barry Wallner and a host of others to join the junior stock row that ill be featured at the annual step back in time.

NHRA NEWS: FRESH OFF A VICTORY, PRO STOCK'S JOHNSON READY TO GO FOR TWO IN A ROW IN LAS VEGAS

LAS VEGAS – Defending NHRA Mello Yello Series Pro Stock world champion Allen Johnson is riding high from a recent victory at the NHRA Gatornationals. It was the first time the Tennessee native won the tradition-rich Florida event and he’s hoping that his team’s success there will provide some early-season momentum as he prepares to defend his SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals title in two weeks at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The heart-pounding action of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series returns to Sin City April 5-7 for the first of two scheduled stops at the famed multi-purpose motorsports facility in 2013.

After getting off to a bit of a sluggish start in the new season’s first two races, Johnson seems to have eased back into the winning groove that saw him dominate the 200-mph factory hot rod category during the second half of last season. After welcoming a new teammate in four-time champ Jeg Coughlin, Johnson seems comfortable in his role as one of the elite drivers in the category.