Here is a tip for anyone traveling to Australia. When you land, add a day to the day after you leave the U.S.

I found this out after walking around the first day thinking I was there on Thursday and this day was in preparation for Friday. It wasn’t until late in the day on Saturday before I discovered, the professional cars weren’t qualifying on Friday. Friday had come and gone.

If I had investigated a little better, well … a lot better, I would have realized during the course of the flight I flew over the end of Thursday and into the start of Friday via the International Date Line.

Two thirds of the Western Swing races are in the books and there will be no sweeps as Nitro Rewind looks back at Sonoma’s FRAM/Autolite NHRA Nationals and caps off The Swing with a look ahead to Seattle this weekend and the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals. The show, an internet based broadcast, is hosted by Bill Stephens and features interviews from Top Fuel and Funny Car NHRA competitors, is available on the NHRA’s YouTube channel after every NHRA national event.

“There will not be a sweep in Top Fuel or Funny Car once again but we do get some great insight from the Sonoma winners Antron Brown and Ron Capps,” said Ashley Force Hood, John Force Entertainment president.

“Getting back to back to back Nitro Rewinds produced has been a challenge but we are thrilled with the way the first two shows came out. The drivers are really opening up to our cameras and thanks to the NHRA and LookatDragRacing.com we are getting great images.”

A pair of Kalitta Racing Nitro drivers fill-out the Nitro Rewind roster as Jeff Arend talks about moving his DHL Funny Car closer to its first appearance in the Countdown. Dave Grubnic gives Nitro Rewind viewers an inside look at the pressure of battling for one of the last Countdown spots with three races left.

There is also a recap of the John Force Road Shows appearance at the EAA AirVenture Airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin complete with a zip lining John Force.

Spend two minutes in a foreign land and you quickly how helpless you can feel without your modern day communications.

Well this is sort of how my first five minutes following touchdown in Brisbane felt. Grab my Blackberry and there is no service. You’re handed documents on the plane and instructed to fill them out. You walk up to the agent at the desk, present your documentation and passport, and then if all is well, you pass to customs inspection where they ask about the “stuff” in your bag.

For me, I brought along my native snacksjust in case a Vegemite sandwich was not to my liking. There were Mountain Dews galore packed between the shirts and trousers.

But before I could get to this point, I had to pass the lady at the first checkpoint.

Remember, the paper I needed to fill out? One of the questions was my destination once I left the airport and where I planned to stay during my trip. This created a problem. I had no idea. All I knew was my host Victor Bray had it covered.

Nitro Rewind kicks off the Western Swing coverage with a look back at the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver and a look ahead to the Fram/Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Calif., July 29-31. The show, an internet based broadcast, is hosted by Bill Stephens and features interviews from Top Fuel and Funny Car NHRA competitors.

“The Denver race winners were a repeat winner and a new face which is surprising considering Spencer Massey was not the new face of Nitro Rewind. He picked up his third win of the season and John Force picked up his first. The perspective they give the viewers is pretty good stuff,” said Ashley Force Hood, John Force Entertainment president.

“Throughout this season Richard Shutes from Lookatdragracing.com has been providing us great photos so we thought it would be a good idea to talk with him about what it takes to be a professional trackside photographer. As he said he has the best seat in the house and he gives us some tips anyone can use when it comes to photography.”

Driver Bob Tasca III talks about taking his kids on the road for the Western Swing as well as what the Quicklane Motorcraft Shelby Ford Mustang is doing to get ready for the Countdown. Finally, we touched base with Spencer Massey before his win to talk about being the new driver of the FRAM dragster and heading into his sponsor’s big race.

Take a trip with CompetitionPlus.tv via You Tube to 1973.

This was not exactly an easy time in American history. The cost of a barrel of crude oil increased ten-fold, and the gas companies then passed on the price increase to the consumer. The controversial U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War drew to a close. Even the Professional Racers Organization went head to head with the NHRA's Labor Day tradition in Indy with a professional only race in Tulsa, Ok.

However, on one Sunday afternoon, in Muncie Ind., all was well in the world. At least it was for those who made the trip out to Mid-America Raceway for the IHRA Northern Nationals. One look at this video and you will see just how far drag safety has come since then.

According to noted drag racing historian Bret Kepner, this clip is taken from the repackaging of Bud Lindemann's Chicago-based "Car & Track" syndicated TV series which aired from 1968-1975. Speedvision rebroadcasted many of the original shows from 1993-1997. This nearly 10 minute video has Top Fuel racers Dick LaHaie, Paul Longenecker, Dale Funk, Pat Foster, Jim Paoli and Al Hanna.