Keeping NHRA Fans Up to Date
Follow our coverage through our newly designed news and videos sections. Don't forget to follow our social media posts.
Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Friday preview
After a one-year hiatus, the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to rustic Brainerd Int’l Raceway this weekend for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Here is everything you need to know in our Friday preview.
After a one-year hiatus, the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to rustic Brainerd Int’l Raceway this weekend for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Here is everything you need to know in our Friday preview.
The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, a…
Top Fuel points leader Steve Torrence looks for first career win in Brainerd
Steve Torrence has done a lot of amazing things in his career, including winning four world championships and 50 national events, but the one thing that the reigning Top Fuel champ has never done is win the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd.
During his incredible run that started during the 2017 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, Top Fuel star Steve Torrence has won a tremendous number of races, as well as three consecutive championships. But none of the 38 victories in that…
Tricky Tipster: Our best bets from Brainerd
With two races remaining before the Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin, it’s officially crunch time in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. This weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd will go a long way towards determining the final seeding for the seven-race playoffs, which kick off next month in Reading.
With two races remaining before the Countdown to the Championship playoffs begins, it’s officially crunch time in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. This weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd will go a long way…
2021 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Top Dragster champion Paul Nero
Paul Nero successfully defended his 2020 Pomona win in Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers when he beat Mike Mendenhall in the final round. Nero, the 2018 Top Dragster champ, won with a 7.141 on his 7.13 dial to hold off Mendenhall…
2021 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Stock champion Kyle Rizzoli
Kyle Rizzoli runner-upped in Super Stock but didn’t leave Pomona empty handed after winning the Stock title, his 11th career national event win. Wheeling Dave Bridgewater’s Camaro, Rizzoli used a solid .007 light and a .029-over 10.249 to win…
2021 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Super Stock champion Jimmy DeFrank
In addition to his five world titles, Jimmy DeFrank has won 20 national events and half of those have come at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. DeFrank’s latest win in Super Stock in his native Southern California came at the expense of Kyle Rizzoli…
2021 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Comp champion Tibor Kadar
Tibor Kadar won his first race in Comp eliminator after scoring a pair of victories in Stock eliminator. In the final, Kadar wheeled his D/EA Cobalt to a win against recent Denver winner and championship contender Joe Mozeris. Kadar was quick in…
2021 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Top Alcohol Funny Car champion Terry Ruckman
Terry Ruckman won his third national event title on a holeshot after taking a close 5.724 to 5.712 victory against Brian Hough in the Top Alcohol Funny Car final. Ruckman, who was making just his second start of the season, was the low qualifier…
Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Sportsman video highlights
It was six months later than expected, but the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com proved to be worth the wait, especially for Shawn Cowie and Terry Ruckman, who earned wins in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car, respectively.
It was six months later than expected, but the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com proved to be worth the wait, especially for Shawn Cowie and Terry Ruckman, who earned wins in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny…
2021 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Top Dragster champion John Richardson
Driving one of the quickest cars in Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers, John Richardson emerged as the winner for the first time. With a 6.10 dial on his dragster, Richardson had to wait nearly a second for opponent Paul Nero in the…
2021 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Top Sportsman champion Dan Borg
San Francisco’s Dan Borg made the short drive home from Sonoma with his first national event Wally thanks to a victory in Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers. Borg wheeled his Monte Carlo to a win against Ed Olpin in the final round…
2021 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Super Gas champion Kevin Griffiths
There was a first-time winner in Super Gas after Kevin Griffiths claimed a victory against Ryan Giacone in the final round. Griffiths used a .007 light and an 8.899 to trip the win light in a double-breakout with Giacone missing the index by a…
2021 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Super Comp champion Marko Perivolaris
Marko Perivolaris now has five NHRA national event Wallys following his win in the Sonoma Super Comp final. Leaving first against opponent Phil Nagel, Perivolaris got the best of an 8.896 to 8.863 double breakout. Perivolaris immediately…
2021 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Stock champion Shelby Williams
Competing in her second national event and fourth Stock eliminator race overall, Shelby Williams found the winner’s circle after driving her K&N Filters Camaro to a win against Lamb in the final round. Williams, the daughter of former…
2021 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Super Stock champion Mike Loge
Mike Loge came into the Sonoma Super Stock final with a wealth of experience, including wins in his three most previous national event finals dating back to 1986. Loge, in his California Missile Barracuda, ran his record to a perfect 4…
2021 NHRA Sonoma Nationals Comp champion Ralph Van Paepeghem
Ralph Van Paepeghem, who finally reached the winner’s circle in Comp after five runner-up finishes, Van Paepeghem won his first Lucas Oil Series divisional event in Bremerton, Wash., in 1973 but didn’t make it to his first national event final…
Brittany Force not backing down from anyone in Top Fuel world title chase
Riding high after her Top Fuel victory in Topeka, Brittany Force is confident this is just the start as her Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team seeks to contend for a second Camping World Top Fuel championship.
Riding high after her Top Fuel victory in Topeka, Brittany Force is confident this is just the start.
After a steady dose of No. 1 qualifiers, the team finally broke through and finished the job for the first time this year, and Force isn’t…
NHRA Sonoma Nationals Sportsman video highlights
The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Sportsman champions crowned at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals featured everything from a 77-year-old veteran to an 18-year-old newcomer, both of whom celebrated their first national event victories.
The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Sportsman champions crowned at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals featured everything from a 77-year-old veteran to an 18-year-old newcomer, both of whom celebrated their first national event victories. The veteran is…
Nitro Time Machine: Big wheelies, upsets, and more in '97 Brainerd Top Fuel show
Jump into the Nitro Time Machine for a trip back in Minnesota history, where big wheelstands, the quickest run in class history, and a major upset highlighted the wild Top Fuel action at the 1997 Brainerd national event.
Massel, Santangelo, Hutar make big noise at Thunder at the Lakes
Bruno Massel, Joe Santangelo, and Ryan Hutar led the list of winners as the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series West Central Division's Thunder at the Lakes event at Brainerd Int'l Raceway.
The following are Thursday's final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, West Central Division Thunder at the Lakes:
COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
Bruno Massel, Elmhurst, Ill., '10 Cobalt, CC/AT, 8.377, 117.53 def…
NHRA Insider podcast: Between The Lanes and Between The Ears
NHRA Chief Starter Brad Hardy and multitime Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan join Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast. The conversations are both very different.
NHRA Chief Starter Brad Hardy and multitime Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan join Brian Lohnes on the NHRA Insider podcast. The conversations are both very different.
Hardy discusses his role in the epic staging battle…
Nitro Time Machine: Funny Car madness at the 1990 Brainerd event
From top-end fires to blown tires and starting-line supercharger explosions. Funny Car racing at the 1990 Brainerd event was a breathless affair, as you can watch in our latest edition of our Nitro Time Machine series.
TJ Zizzo ready to make 2021 Top Fuel debut at Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals
TJ Zizzo, driver of the Rust-Oleum Rocket Top Fuel dragster, will make his 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series debut at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int’l Raceway.
The anticipation and enthusiasm has been building for months as TJ Zizzo and the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel team prepare for their first race of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season during this weekend’s upcoming Lucas Oil…
Karen Stalba buckling in for brimming second half of exceptional season
A fruitful first half of the 2021 season of NHRA's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is in the books for the Stalba Motorsports team, and the multi-car family operation has a jam-packed calendar in the weeks ahead.
A fruitful first half of the 2021 season of NHRA's Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is in the books for the Stalba Motorsports team, and the multi-car family operation has a jam-packed calendar in the weeks ahead.
Top Alcohol Dragster standout…
Back in the points lead, John Force not slowing down heading to Brainerd
With his victory last weekend in Topeka, John Force is in the Funny Car points lead for the first time since 2014, and he's hoping to carry that momentum into this weekend's Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, a race he’s won an incredible 11 times.
John Force has put together an impressive 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, and heading to one of the tracks where he’s had the most success, the legendary 16-time Funny Car world champion will look to keep heading in the right…
Daily Cacklefests part of the action at this weekend's Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals
NHRA race fans attending the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int’l Raceway will get to enjoy a slice of the sport's past along with the present with the staging of daily Cacklefests in the midway.
NHRA race fans attending the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int’l Raceway will get to enjoy a slice of the sport's past along with the present with the staging of daily Cacklefests in the midway.
Among those taking part will be the…
The Sports Report: A magical moment for the Meyer family
The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series winners from last weekend’s Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor included cousins Rachel and Dusty Meyer, and it was an incredibly emotional weekend for both of them.
It’s a simple and undeniable truth that some wins mean more than others, and in the wake of a personal tragedy, it’s hard to imagine any win could mean more to a driver than Dusty Meyer’s recent victory at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by…
NHRA Starter Brad Hardy discusses Topeka Pro Stock staging battle
NHRA Starter Brad Hardy spoke with Brian Lohnes to discuss the Bruno Massel-Mason McGaha Pro Stock starting-line burndown at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor to talk about what went into his decision to end the stalemate and disqualify both drivers.
The Science of Winning: The Pointless Nature of Staging Battles
Two-time Sportsman world champ and NHRA National Dragster columnist Luke Bogacki wrote recently of the futility of starting-line staging battle, a column that becomes even more relevant following this past weekend's epic Pro Stock burndown in Topeka.
Staging battles have been around since the advent of the automated Christmas Tree, perhaps even before. In a recent edition of the popular “Nitro Time Machine” on NHRA social media, Brian Lohnes relived a great Pro Stock burndown between Larry…
Pedregon and crew rush back to Indy for chassis repairs after Topeka incident
After getting tangled up in a top-end collision with Tim Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon's crew headed back to their Indianapolis-area shop to repair the chassis in advance of this weekend's Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd.
