NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) started out his 2018 season by picking up his 44th victory, while Bo Butner began his Pro Stock title defense with a win, and Matt Hagan won the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com for the second-straight year.

Clay Millican set a new elapsed time national time national record in Top Fuel, while Matt Hagan reset the Auto Club Raceway speed record in Funny Car, and Vincent Nobile claimed his first Pro Stock pole since 2016 at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com.

Clay Millican set a new elapsed time national time national record in Top Fuel, while Matt Hagan reset the Auto Club Raceway speed record in Funny Car, and Vincent Nobile claimed his first Pro Stock pole since 2016 at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com.

The first day of the 2018 NHRA Drag Racing season is in the books, with Jack Beckman, Clay Millican, and Drew Skillman on top at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com.

After 34 years of dedicated service, Graham Light, NHRA’s senior vice president of racing operations, announced today that he will retire at the end of 2018. Light will continue to serve on NHRA’s Board of Directors and as a consultant to the sport.  

Jack Beckman, Clay Millican, and Drew Skillman hold the provisional No. 1 qualifying positions at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com.

NHRA in 30: They Walked Away, featuring some of the wildest moments from the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series with commentary by NHRA Funny Car champ Jack Beckman, will debut Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern on FS1 immediately following the NHRA on FOX coverage from the opening day of the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals.

The drag racing world lost another legend with the passing last week of Dode Martin, who ran one of the sport's first dragsters. He is remembered in this week's Dragster Insider, where we also mourn the passing of Gary "Mr. C" Cochran and Steve Hodkinson.

For more than five decades, NHRA National Dragster's famed Tricky Tipster has tested his prognosticating skills prior to each national event. This week, Tricky Tipster handicaps the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com.

The surreal feeling of winning the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock world champion will be apparent when Butner returns to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to kick off the 2018 NHRA season at this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com.

On the eve of the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals and the launch of the 2018 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, both USA Today and the Los Angeles Times included features on NHRA. USA Today focused on new Funny Car driver Shawn Langdon while the Times profiled the Force family and women in the NHRA. 

A/Fuel Dragster driver Krista Baldwin will begin her season collaborating with Wix Filters, Bumper to Bumper and Hanson Distributing at her home track during the Lucas Oil Winternationals.

Denso Products and Services Americas, Inc., will serve as the primary sponsor for Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Angie Smith in the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Denso also will serve as an associate sponsor of Matt Smith, Angie’s teammate and husband.

Jim Dunn Racing and Mooneyes will be bringing out a new version of the white and black Moon Equipped Funny Car during the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals

The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com, remains special for reigning Funny Car world champ Robert Hight, whose first event and both a fan and a racer came in Pomona.

A half-century ago, Al Joniec made history when he debuted the Ford Cobra Jet Mustang with a win in Pomona. That feat was repeated in 2009 by John Calvert in the new Cobra Jet.

Brittany Force is set to return to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona just three months after winning her first Top Fuel world championship, and the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series star could not be more excited.

Beal Racing will return to NHRA Funny Car competition at the upcoming NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com to honor the team’s late founder, Chuck Beal. 

During a hectic and short offseason, Del Worsham concentrated on updating his parts, servicing his car, and mentally preparing to attack the 2018 Mello Yello campaign with aggressive confidence, while also positioning C2C Industries as his primary partner for the Pomona race.

Ashley Sanford joined NHRA reporter Lewis Bloom via Skype in the Wally Parks NHRA Studio delivered by Papa John’s to talk about her goals of racing Top Fuel in 2018 and beyond. 

In addition to her fulltime role as a Top Fuel driver for Don Schumacher Racing, NHRA Mello Yello star Leah Pritchett will also race a Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in all seven School of Automotive Machinists & Technology NHRA Factory Stock Showdown events in 2018.

Leah Pritchett unofficially ran the fastest Top Fuel pass on Saturday at NHRA Nitro Spring Training at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Matt Hagan and Erica Enders also posted best-in-class runs as teams prepared for the 2018 NHRA Drag Racing season.

Leah Pritchett (3.664), Matt Hagan (3.841), and Erica Enders (6.570) had the best runs on the final day of pre-season testing at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

Courtney Force, Doug Kalitta, and Erica Enders ran the best times of the day in their respective classes on the third day of NHRA Nitro Spring Training.

The third day of testing is under way, with teams continuing to learn ahead of the 2018 NHRA Drag Racing season. Stay tuned to our notebook for notes, quotes, and up-to-the-minute updates on Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock runs from Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

Tuesday's announcement about NHRA’s exciting national event return to Virginia this June got us thinking about the region and all of the great racers that have come from “the Old Dominion” over the years.

NHRA National Dragster’s third issue of 2018, featuring our annual season preview, is online now for NHRA members, and it’s in the mail to homes and shops around the world.

Throughout 2018, NHRA All Access subscribers again will get bonus content with the airing of vintage NHRA national events as part of our Flashback Friday series. This week: the 1997 Winternationals.