The VP Racing Fuels NMCA West Drag Racing Series championship season concluded with the completion of the 6th Annual Mickey Thompson NMCA West Coast World Finals at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California, October 13-15. NMCA West championships were on the line, as racers pulled out all of the stops while battling major winds that caused many of the classes to be run at the eighth-mile race distance. In addition to the straight-line action, the Hotchkis Auto X presented by Nitto Tire put on a great show as always, with many of the drivers competing for the Hotchkis Grand Champion award.

In ProCharger Outlaw Street competition, Johnny Coleman led qualifying with 4.571 elapsed time at 159.55 mph, and he would improve on that with a 4.56, but in the final round, it was Tom Marshall taking the win and the trip to the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle with a hole-shot victory over Lafayette Williams, 5.121 to 5.119.

 
Todd Bruce, Doug Gordon, and Thomas Marlow all scored final round victories Sunday evening during the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex.
 
Bruce, of Horace, N.D., pulled the upset in Top Alcohol Dragster final round as he attained the starting line advantage, powering his dragster to 5.260 seconds, 275.96 mph, upsetting #1 qualifier Megan Meyer, Olathe, Kan. Meyer had mechanical issues and coasted to 7.110 seconds,141.80 mph.

David Rampy and Jeffrey Barker each clinched NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series World Championships this weekend at Silver Dollar Raceway and the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.

Rampy, Piedmont, Ala., outran the Comp Eliminator class taking the win and the championship in knocking out Chuck Haubiel in the final round.  It was close at the start but Rampy had the power to out run Haubiel with a 7.248 second, 166.60 mph run to Haubiel’s 8.192, 160.92.   The win increased Rampy’s points total to 699 putting him out of reach of all others competitors and giving him the Lucas Oil World Championship.

Any racer will tell you that seat time in a race car is the best way to hone your skills in the cockpit, but even then, many racers will spend decades making passes down the dragstrip and still come up short in their quest to score a victory at an NHRA national event.

However, that certainly wasn’t the case for Evan Kowalski, who at 20 years old piloted his 2005 Spitzer Corvette roadster to his first career victory during this year’s Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals in Sonoma, Calif.

There's the absurd and then there's the World Power Wheelstand championships at Byron Dragway. For $10,000, some of drag racing's most over the edge competitors converge on the legendary drag strip outside of Chicago to determine who can drag the bumper the best. Some do, some don't and some even leave the bumper on the track. Go behind the scenes to hear why they do what they do. 

Auto Club Famoso Raceway captured the team championship while the husband and wife team of C.W. and Sacha Hoefer each grabbed wins at this weekend’s NHRA Pacific Division Summit Racing Series Championships.  The Hoefers will be joined by Katelyn Whynaught, Ryan Mangus, and Rick Newport in advancing to the NHRA Summit National Championship at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in November.
 
Sunday’s Summit Showdown final round produced three of the four winners from California. Sacha Hoefer of Calimesa, booked her trip to Pomona by outlasting Tim Arnswalf of Indio, Calif.,  in the Sportsman final round. Hoefer recorded a victory pass of 12.182 seconds, 103.57 mph.

Sean Conway, Kirk Williams, and Ed Wright all scored final victories Sunday at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, South Central Division, Thunder in the Heartland at Thunder Valley Raceway Park.
 
Conway, Spring, Texas, had an easy final round victory, cruising down the strip at 6.236 seconds, 168.95 mph. James Stevens, Gothenburg, Neb., had mechanical issues prior to the Top Alcohol Dragster final round and could not make the run.

Chris Theo heads to this weekend’s Spring Nationals at Adelaide International Raceway well and truly on a high after taking out his first ever event victory three weeks ago.

Theo broke through for his maiden victory at Mildura’s Sunset Strip Nationals (September 23/24), claiming the Top Sportsman honours in what was only his third event in the bracket.

Friday was a fast day, but not necessarily on the qualifying and elimination sheets.

The ability to be fluid with one’s schedule, especially when there’s forecasted fluid expected to fall from the sky made for a long day at the Duck X Productions No Mercy 8 Drag Radial event at South Georgia Motorsports.

In a Radial Vs. The World class where the odds are stacked with those cars with large engines and sleek bodies, during Thursday’s qualifying at the No Mercy 8 Drag Radial event hosted by South Georgia Motorsports Park located outside of Valdosta, Ga.

Marty Stinnett, in his two qualifying attempts during the second day of the event, proved size matters. Or, in his case, the lack thereof. He sat out Thursday’s third and final qualifying session.

Because of impending rain expected to wash out Sunday’s schedule, promoter Donald Long made the calculated decision to complete most of the qualifying scheduled for Friday and Saturday on Thursday.