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Keeping NHRA Fans Up to Date

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Behind the Numbers: Five Funny Car drivers who should move up the standings in 2019

Here's a quick look at a handful of drivers who should trend upward in the standings in 2019, including at least one who will challenge for his first NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championship.
20 Dec 2018
Jacob Sundstrom, NHRA National Dragster Associate Editor
Behind the Numbers
John Force
The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals are fewer than two months away (company mandated ticket plug here) and teams are wrapping up their crew chief hires (if you haven’t, get a damn move on … please). So, what better way to move time closer to February…
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Don Schumacher Racing, NAPA Auto Parts announce multi-year extension

Don Schumacher Racing has announced that longtime partner NAPA Auto Parts has extended its marketing relationship with the team through a multi-year agreement, beginning in 2019.
19 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Ron Capps
Don Schumacher Racing has announced that longtime partner NAPA Auto Parts has extended its marketing relationship with the team through a multi-year agreement, beginning in 2019.   “We’ve enjoyed an 11-year partnership with NAPA and are…
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International Drag Racing Hall of Fame announces its Class of 2019 honorees

The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, home of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, has announced the Class of 2019 honorees to the Hall of Fame as well as the recipients of the Founder’s Award and the Patricia Garlits Memorial Award.
18 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Hall of Fame
The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, home of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, has announced the Class of 2019 honorees to the Hall of Fame. This select group includes a trio of top regional Top Fuel teams which contributed to the growth…
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NHRA National Dragster Interview: Graham Light, a lifetime of service to drag racing

Graham Light, NHRA’s senior vice president, racing operations, will retire at the end of the year, leaving behind a 34-year legacy that touched all aspects of NHRA competition. In this interview from NHRA National Dragster magazine, Light talks about this time in the sport and his tenure at NHRA.
18 Dec 2018
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
News
Graham Light
Graham Light, NHRA’s senior vice president, racing operations, will retire at the end of the year, leaving behind a 34-year legacy that touched all aspects of NHRA competition.  The Edmonton, Alta., native got his start in…
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B.R.A.K.E.S. program teaches teen safe-driving skills at Pomona racetrack

B.R.A.K.E.S., the teen safe-driving organization founded by Doug Herbert in the wake of the loss of his sons in a traffic accident, came to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Dec. 16 to teach teens advanced driving skill that will make them statistically safer on the roads.
17 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
BRAKES
B.R.A.K.E.S., the teen safe-driving program founded by Doug Herbert in the wake of the loss of his sons in a traffic accident, came to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona Dec. 16 to teach teens advanced driving skill that will make them statistically safer…
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Krista Baldwin acquires Nitro University A/Fuel Dragster team

Krista Baldwin has acquired the Nitro University A/Fuel dragster team for the 2019 season and plans to compete at five races in her ownership debut.
17 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Krista Baldwin
Krista Baldwin has acquired the Nitro University A/Fuel dragster team for the 2019 season. Baldwin has been the driver for the team since 2016. She plans to compete at five races in her ownership debut. Former owner Anthony Dicero has accepted a…
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Elite Motorsports, Modern Racing add tuner Tecklenburg

17 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Elite Motorsports and Modern Racing have announced the addition of record-setting tuner and engine management expert Shane Tecklenburg to the braintrust led by Modern Racing’s Justin Elkes. Tecklenburg will supply the team’s three turbocharged…
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Joe Barlam rejoins Bob Vandergriff Racing, spurring moves at Don Schumacher Racing

The Silly Season crew chief merry-go-round finally got up to speed this week after days of rumor and speculation.
17 Dec 2018
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
News
Joe Barlam
The Silly Season crew chief merry-go-round finally got up to speed this week after days of rumor and speculation. Joe Barlam, who with Todd Okuhara had tuned Leah Pritchett’s Don Schumacher Racing dragster to a record-setting, race-winning machine,…
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Bob Tasca III hires Mike Green as co-crew chief

Bob Tasca III hired former Don Schumacher Racing crew chief to tune alongside Eric Lane on his Ford Motorcraft/QuickLane Mustang Funny Car in 2019. Tasca announced the move in a tweet Monday morning.
17 Dec 2018
Jacob Sundstrom, NHRA National Dragster Associate Editor
News
Bob Tasca III
Bob Tasca III hired former Don Schumacher Racing crew chief to tune alongside Eric Lane on his Ford Motorcraft/QuickLane Mustang Funny Car in 2019. Tasca announced the move in a tweet Monday morning. …
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Most Memorable Moments of 2018: No. 1

The 2018 season was full of exciting moments, but which were the most memorable? NHRA fans took part in a vote and selected the 18 Most Memorable Moments of the season. No. 1: Steve Torrence sweeps the Countdown
14 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Memorable Moments
The 2018 season was full of exciting moments, but which were the most memorable? NHRA fans took part in a vote and selected the 18 Most Memorable Moments of the season, which will be revealed in reverse order through the end of the year. …
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Top Fuelers of the 1980s

Let’s continue our journey through the decades with another batch of images from the Ron Lewis collection. Over the past month or so, I’ve shared photos from his five-decade collection covering the 1960s and ‘70s (Top Fuel and Funny Car) and now we’re on to 1980s Top Fuelers.
14 Dec 2018
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Top Fuel
Let’s continue our journey through the decades with another batch of images from the Ron Lewis collection. Over the past month or so, I’ve shared photos from his five-decade collection covering the…
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Gainesville Raceway to get new racing surface prior to historic 50th Gatornationals

NHRA and Gainesville Raceway officials have announced that a new concrete racing surface will be installed at the historic facility prior to the start of the 2019 season and the historic 50th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.
12 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Gainesville
NHRA and Gainesville Raceway officials have announced that a new concrete racing surface will be installed at the historic facility prior to the start of the 2019 season and the historic 50th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Construction…
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Forrest's last gift

Longtime NHRA Super Stock racer Forrest Pierdolla passed away recently, and he was a hot rodder until the very end.
12 Dec 2018
Kevin McKenna, NHRA National Dragster Senior Editor
The Sports Report
forrest1
On Tuesday, Nov. 27, longtime NHRA Super Stock racer Forrest Pierdolla lost his long battle with cancer. The NHRA class racing community is a close-knit group, especially in the South Central Division where the Texas-based Pierdolla was one of…
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California natives Beckman, Capps, and Pritchett raise funds for wildfire victims

California natives Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, and Leah Pritchett have assembled items to be auctioned off via Don Schumacher Racing’s eBay page to benefit those affected by the Camp and Woolsey wildfires that consumed large portions of Northern and Southern California last month.
11 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
DSR
California natives Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Leah Pritchett have assembled items to be auctioned off via Don Schumacher Racing’s eBay page to benefit those affected by November’s…
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Behind the Numbers: Ranking the 10 best Top Fuel seasons in the Countdown era

Steve Torrence just swept the Countdown to the Championship -- but does that mean he had the best Top Fuel season since 2008? Let the debate begin.
11 Dec 2018
Jacob Sundstrom, NHRA National Dragster Associate Editor
Behind the Numbers
Steve Torrence
Steve Torrence swept the 2018 Countdown to the Championship en route to his first Top Fuel title. He became the first to win all six playoff races, which, in addition to sports media's affinity for recency bias, led to some predictable hyperbole…
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Lohnes, Pedregon preview big stories, potential trends for 2019 season

From the PRI Show, NHRA on FOX commentators Brian Lohnes and Tony Pedregon reviewed some of 2018’s greatest accomplishments and took a look forward to the 2019 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
10 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Brian Lohnes, Tony Pedregon preview 2019 season
From the PRI Show, NHRA on FOX commentators Brian Lohnes and Tony Pedregon reviewed some of 2018’s greatest accomplishments and took a look forward to the 2019 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Earlier this year, FOX Sports and NHRA…
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NGK renews support for Top Sportsman racer O’Neal’s new supercharged Camaro

NGK Spark Plugs USA, Inc., has extended its relationship with NHRA Top Sportsman drag racer Don O’Neal for his new Camaro entry.
10 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
NGK
NGK Spark Plugs USA, Inc., has extended its relationship with NHRA Top Sportsman drag racer Don O’Neal. O’Neal has used NGK racing spark plugs in his 1999 Monte Carlo for the past five years and now O’Neal will look to use NTK engine sensors in a…
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Torrence team continues to celebrate Top Fuel championship

The Torrence Racing team is still celebrating its Mello Yello Top Fuel championship, with the latest festivities being a pizza challenge and a dinner-on-Gary evening at a fancy Indianapolis restaurant.
10 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
NHRA Today™
Steve Torrence
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Matusek joins Enders and Laughlin in Elite Performance's 2019 Pro Mod lineup

Veteran Pro Mod racer Steve Matusek will drive a twin-turbo Ford Mustang for Elite Motorsports in 2019, joining Elite’s burgeoning Pro Mod operation that will also feature Erica Enders and Alex Laughlin.
07 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Pro Mod
Veteran Pro Mod racer Steve Matusek will drive a twin-turbo Ford Mustang for Elite Motorsports in 2019, joining Elite’s burgeoning Pro Mod operation that will also feature Erica Enders and Alex Laughlin for the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag…
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2017 champ Westerfield to pilot Rick Jackson’s Top Alcohol Funny Car in 2019

Top Alcohol Funny Car owner and tuner Rick Jackson has announced that 2017 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world champion Shane Westerfield will pilot his Top Alcohol Funny Car for the 2019 season.
07 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Shane Westerfield
Top Alcohol Funny Car owner and tuner Rick Jackson has announced that 2017 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world champion Shane Westerfield will pilot his Top Alcohol Funny Car for the 2019 season. Jackson previously had been teamed with second-…
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Jim Oberhofer to tune Paul Lee, assist Clay Millican in 2019

Straightline Strategy Group makes key moves ahead of 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, including hiring Jim Oberhofer to work with Paul Lee.
07 Dec 2018
Jacob Sundstrom, NHRA National Dragster Associate Editor
News
Paul Lee and Jim Oberhofer
It didn’t take long for Jim Oberhofer to return to NHRA Drag Racing. The veteran tuner will turn the knobs on Paul Lee’s Funny Car in the employment of Straightline Strategy Group, the race team that owns Clay Millican’s Parts Plus/Strutmasters Top…
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Remembering Dick LaHaie

Many Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers have gone on to become crew chiefs, but there aren’t a lot of guys who not only won a championship as a driver and crew chief. Dick LaHaie, whom we lost Wednesday, won the crown as a driver then tuned not just one but two drivers to a combined four Top Fuel championships.
07 Dec 2018
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
DRAGSTER Insider
Dick LaHaie
A lot of former Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers have gone on to become successful crew chiefs, but there aren’t a lot of guys in NHRA nitro racing’s history who not only won a championship as a driver but then used their mechanical skills to tune…
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DSR 'This is How We Roll' bowling event benefits Riley Hospital for Children

Don Schumacher Racing hosted its annual “This is How We Roll” bowling event to benefit Riley Hospital for Children and Riley Children’s Foundation at Western Bowl in Indianapolis Wednesday night.
06 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Don Schumacher Racing hosted its annual “This is How We Roll” bowling event to benefit Riley Hospital for Children and Riley Children’s Foundation at Western Bowl in Indianapolis Wednesday night. NHRA Drag Racing stars Antron Brown, Richie…
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Shane Tucker partners with engine builder Nick Ferri for 2019

Pro Stock racer Shane Tucker will compete full-time in Pro Stock for first time in 2019
06 Dec 2018
Jacob Sundstrom, NHRA National Dragster Associate Editor
News
Shane Tucker
Shane Tucker will make a run for the Pro Stock world championship for the first time in 2019. To do that, Tucker decided to make a change in the engine department. Rob Tucker Racing brought on board veteran engine builder Nick Ferri to bring his…
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Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 owners to receive free one-year membership in NHRA

Buyers of the new Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 will receive complimentary, one-year memberships in the NHRA for the 2019 season.
06 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Dodge
Buyers of the new Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, scheduled to begin arriving in dealerships in the first quarter of 2019, will receive complimentary, one-year memberships in the NHRA for the 2019 season. Vehicle ownership will be verified with…
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Former NHRA world championship driver and crew chief LaHaie passes away

Former NHRA Top Fuel championship-winning driver and crew chief Dick LaHaie passed away Dec. 5. He was 76. LaHaie won the championship as a driver in 1987 and tuned both Scott Kalitta and Larry Dixon to world championships in the class.
05 Dec 2018
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
News
Dick LaHaie
Former NHRA Top Fuel championship-winning driver and crew chief Dick LaHaie passed away Dec. 5. He was 76. In a long and distinguished career in drag racing, LaHaie proved himself of championship caliber of numerous fronts. An NHRA Winston Top…
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NHRA National Dragster Year in Review issue now online

NHRA National Dragster’s final issue of 2018, the Year in Review, is online now for NHRA members, and it’s in the mail to homes and shops around the world.
05 Dec 2018
NHRA National Dragster staff
News
ND cover
NHRA National Dragster’s final issue of 2018, the Year in Review, is online now for NHRA members, and it’s in the mail to homes and shops around the world. The comprehensive issue includes interviews with all world champions from the NHRA…
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Light to join NHRA Motorsports Museum board of directors

Graham Light, who earlier this year announced his retirement as NHRA’s senior vice president of racing operations at the end of 2018,  will join the Board of Directors of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by Automobile Club of Southern California.
05 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
Graham Light
Graham Light, who earlier this year announced his retirement as NHRA’s senior vice president of racing operations at the end of 2018, will join the Board of Directors of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum presented by Automobile Club of…
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‘NHRA on Fox – Powered by Dodge’ Livestream broadcast set for 2018 PRI Show

Dodge will be the official sponsor of NHRA Livestream coverage from the 2018 PRI Show, Dec. 6-8. “NHRA on Fox – Powered by Dodge” will offer three full days of coverage from the show, available for viewing at NHRA.com.  
04 Dec 2018
Posted by NHRA.com staff
News
PRI
The Dodge brand is fired up for the 2019 race season, bringing the 2018 Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show right to enthusiasts and race fans as official sponsor of NHRA Livestream coverage from the annual event, scheduled for Dec. 6-8 at…
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Angelle Sampey announces departure from Liberty Racing team

Three-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Angelle Sampey will not return to Liberty Racing in 2019 after two seasons with the team.
03 Dec 2018
Kevin McKenna, NHRA National Dragster Senior Editor
News
Angelle Sampey
Three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Angelle Sampey announced her departure from the Liberty Motorsports team in what has already been an active NHRA "silly season." Sampey is currently evaluating a number of options that would allow her to…
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