Top 20 Funny Cars: Let the debate begin
As I noted here last Friday and as was announced earlier this week on NHRA.com, NHRA will be celebrating the Funny Car class throughout the 2016 season. Using the 1966…
Accomplished industry executive Brad Gerber named NHRA vice president of sales, chief development officer
Brad Gerber, a skilled sales executive with vast experience in the world of automotive publishing and digital media, has been named NHRA vice president of sales and chief development officer. Gerber will lead NHRA’s sales and business…
Danny Ongais
Throughout the 2016 season, NHRA will celebrate 50 years of the Funny Car, which, after running throughout the 1966 season, made its official debut as an NHRA eliminator at that year’s season finale. One of the early stars in the class was…
First look: Pro Stock champ Erica Enders' new Dart
Two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders' striking new '16 Dodge Dart was unveiled Wednesday, a month before she begins her pursuit of a third consecutive NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series title. Like her championship-winning cars from 2014…
NHRA to celebrate 50 years of Funny Car in 2016
In 1966, a brand-new class of competition emerged in NHRA when hot rodding enthusiasts of the era were trying to squeeze more performance out of their gassers, super stocks, and muscle cars. With a larger motor, stretched frame, and bigger rear…
NAPA Auto Parts extends marketing relationship with DSR, Capps in multiyear deal
Don Schumacher Racing and NAPA Auto Parts have announced a multiyear extension to their marketing partnership that began in 2008 with Ron Capps driving the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car. The team will be led by crew chief Rahn Tobler…
Kalitta Motorsports, Todd to represent SealMaster for the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello season
Kalitta Motorsports and SealMaster have announced a major expansion of their partnership. SealMaster will become the primary sponsor of the Top Fuel dragster driven by J.R. Todd for the entire NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. SealMaster…
That Escalated Quickly
It’s been more than a decade since the Top Dragster and Top Sportsman classes became a part of the NHRA Sportsman racing landscape, and it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the two fast bracket classes have become a huge success.…
Aerospace Components extends as presenting sponsor of NHRA Excellence in Engineering Award through 2017
Aerospace Components, a leader in manufacturing high-performance drag racing products, has extended its agreement as the presenting sponsor of the NHRA Excellence in Engineering Award at select NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events through the…
Teflon Shawn
Prior to the past 12 months, adversity isn’t something that had characterized the racing career of Shawn Langdon. His rocket-ship ride to the top of the drag racing food chain has included championships at every level, from the NHRA Summit…
Bold new NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series logo unveiled for 2016 season
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series logo is getting a bold new makeover in 2016. In coordination with Mello Yello’s recent unveiling of a modern logo design and packaging, NHRA and Mello Yello have constructed a new primary mark for the…
Five Great Seasons
Each year, as teams travel to Pomona for the season-opening Circle K NHRA Winternationals, hopes are high, and the possibilities for success are endless. No one has ever had a perfect, unbeaten season, but hey, there’s always a possibility,…
David Parks, son of NHRA founder, dies
David Parks, the youngest son of NHRA founder Wally Parks, passed away suddenly Jan. 8 at his home in Corona Del Mar, Calif. He was 63. Parks was a member of the Lakers car club of the Southern California Timing Association and held many records…
Feedback Friday
Well, the new year is only a week old, and already it has been packed with a lot of newness, not the least of which is the new NHRA.com format that launched Thursday. The new design allows NHRA fans easier access to the wealth of stories available…
NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series to air in 30-minute shows on FOX family of networks
NHRA and FOX have announced that all 10 races in the 2016 NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season will air on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and FOX Sports 2 (FS2). FS2 will televise each half-hour program in primetime on the Thursday following…
NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events to be televised on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2
The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of NHRA Drag Racing are born, will be showcased in 16 races throughout the season on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and FOX Sports 2 (FS2). FS2 will televise a one-hour program of select 2016 Lucas…
The cars of Don Prudhomme
For this week’s journey into the National Dragster photo archives, we are opening up the files of one of the sport’s most recognized names, Don Prudhomme. Voted No. 3 on the NHRA Top 50 Drivers List, Prudhomme experienced a high…
Welcome to the new-look NHRA.com
In a move that will improve the online experience for NHRA fans, the staff of National Dragster, NHRA’s award-winning print publication, will now become regular contributors to NHRA.com. Additionally, website content will be bolstered…
Track star
The arrival and continued success of the Cobra Jet Mustang, Drag Pak Challenger, and COPO Camaro factory race cars in NHRA Super Stock and Stock competition provides a strong indicator of the level of dedication and enthusiasm that Detroit…
Fire destroys Famoso structure but not season
An early-morning fire Wednesday damaged the tower at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, an NHRA member track that is home to NHRA’s California Hot Rod reunion and the annual March Meet. The Kern County Fire Department responded to the fire, but due…
Southland Truck & Trailer named official heavy duty truck dealership of NHRA
Southland Truck & Trailer, a leading distributor of high-quality heavy-duty trucks and trailers, has been named the official heavy duty truck dealership of NHRA. “Through this great sponsorship, we hope to bring people and trucks together…
Something to prove
Teams are busy gearing up for 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season with no shortage of motivation. Be it the up-and-coming teams or the most successful of the established stars, the term “good enough” is not in the vocabulary of…
Enders named 2015's top driver by Autoweek magazine
Two-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion Erica Enders was named 2015 Driver of the Year by Autoweek magazine as part of its inaugural Autoweek Awards. Breaking with a longstanding tradition of naming the Best of the…
NHRA unveils 2016 NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series schedule
NHRA officials unveiled the 2016 NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series schedule today. In 2016, the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will compete at 10 NHRA national events. Highlighting the schedule once again in 2016 will…
New Year's Resolution
Welcome to 2016 and all that it may hold. It's that time of year again to promise yourself some changes. What's your New Year's Resolution? What’s Your New Year’s Resolution Going To Be? …
Crampton geared up after sophomore surge
Richie Crampton and the Lucas Oil Top Fuel team had an excellent follow-up to their 2014 campaign during which Crampton won the 2014 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award honoring the season’s top rookie on the…
What's it all about?
No real new column today – even the Insider deserves a week off to celebrate the holidays – but just a chance to once again express my thanks to the loyal visitors to this little cyber pit space. It seems impossible that since I rolled out this…
A Christmas Letter to My Younger Self
Seems like it’s all the rage these days, especially among sports stars and rock 'n' rollers – of which I am neither – to offer up a little something called “Letter to My Younger Self,” in which one shares the wisdom of a lifetime with one’s…
Drag racing on the tee-vee, 1976-style
While I was researching my last couple of columns about Ontario Motor Speedway and the Supernationals and World Finals, I used my typical National Dragster and magazine article resources but also got sucked into…
Ontario's World Finals, 1974-80
We continue our look back at the great facility that was Ontario Motor Speedway this week with a recap of the seven editions of the World Finals held at the Southern California race facility, beginning with the 1974 event.
NHRA’s sudden decision…