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Derek Ward knows how to make an impact out of the gate. That's exactly what the Friendship, Md.-based Pro Boost driver did during qualifying for the PDRA East Coast Nationals at GALOT Motorsports Park. The event kicks off the 2024 Red Line Oil Drag Racing Series. 

Jim Halsey (Pro Nitrous) and J.R. Carr (Extreme Pro Stock) joined Ward on the various leaderboards.

Racing at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Chandler, Ariz., near Phoenix, was suspended for more than two hours Friday afternoon because of an unidentified problem with the Firebird Motorsports Park dragstrip surface.

That was followed by a brief blanket of rain sprinkles, but ultimately, Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Austin Prock (Funny Car) were provisional No. 1 qualifiers.

The truth is Justin Ashley isn’t the only one with a chance to win three races in one weekend. He’s just the only one to pull off the feat. 

Hoping to join Ashley from the exclusive club are Top Fuel’s winningest driver, Tony Schumacher, 16-time champion John Force,  multi-time champion Erica Enders, and past NHRA Rookie of the Year recipient Dallas Glenn. 

The aforementioned drivers will first compete in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge as a reward for reaching the semi-finals in Pomona. Then, they will stage the final round battles on Saturday to conclude the rain-delayed NHRA Winternationals. On Sunday, they will battle for the championship of the NHRA Arizona Nationals. 

There’s no question the 2024 NHRA Pro Stock season was going to be a learning curve for Sienna Wildgust.

Well, the 17-year-old from Ontario, Canada, has proved to be a pretty quick study while behind the wheel of KB Titan Racing Camaro.

In her Pro Stock debut at the season-opening Gatornationals, March 8-10 in Gainesville, Fla., Wildgust was 20th on the qualifying ladder with her best run of 6.621 at 208.46 – failing to make the 16-car field.

Most of the formative years of the Pro Modified division took place east of the Mississippi in the United States. That’s not to say there wasn’t some Pro Modified in the western United States. But when it came to the main stage for the most volatile doorslammers, the show rarely drifted beyond Texas. 

The NHRA will bring Pro Modified to the furthest west this weekend as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, presented by LearnEV+, will make its first trip to Firebird Motorsports Park as part of the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals.

There are 20 entries that have made the trek to the facility located just outside of Phoenix. This weekend’s event is powered by LAT Racing Oils, which works with several teams in the NHRA Pro Mod category. 

If there's one thing for certain, Jim Dunn Racing knows how to bring in the drag racing sponsorships. This weekend at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, the JDR Funny Car, piloted by Buddy Hull, will sport the branding of USD, an authorized full line distributor of ACDelco (General Motors), Motorcraft (Ford) and Mopar (Chrysler) original equipment auto parts and accessories. 

“We have had a longstanding relationship with USD and this race is in their backyard,” said Jon Dunn, with Jim Dunn Racing. “We are thrilled NHRA is returning to Firebird Motorsports Park and having the support of USD on our Funny Car will make this a special weekend. Buddy has been doing a great job behind the wheel and the competition is very tough out here. We are looking forward to an exciting weekend.”

Hull, a high-energy driver and ambassador for all the JDR sponsors, loves the idea of representing new companies at every race.

Six years has been an incredible ride. At least, this is how Funny Car/Fuel Altered racer Allan Middendorf sees it. 

But today, Middendorf is ready to put it all on the shelf to pursue other opportunities. He's got a new unnamed challenge ahead of him, and this will require the self-made entrepreneur out of Columbia, Illinois, to narrow his focus. 

“Jake Sanders of Snake Enterprises was a huge part of my success,” said Middendorf. “Jake’s knowledge and experience is what made this team highly competitive. Without him, there is no way I could have achieved what I did. You add in the support we received from Vinyl Images and Torco and this dream I chased wouldn’t have been possible. We made a lot of history, and I can’t thank all our supporters enough.”

GALOT Motorsports Park in North Carolina will kick off its 11th Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series season with the East Coast Nationals at Galot Motorsports Park this weekend. 

All 12 categories of the PDRA will participate in the East Coast Nationals, including professional, sportsman, and Jr. Dragster divisions. Teams will have two days for testing before entering Friday’s qualifying rounds and Saturday’s eliminations. The competition promises to be fierce across the board.

Apparently NHRA isn't so rigid after all. 

Taking a page from the Professional Racers Organization's PRO Superstar Shootout, the NHRA will host a two day event, the Virginia NHRA Nationals, where professional teams will have one day of qualifying and one for eliminations. The event will now begin on Saturday, June 22. 

If you like nitro, Harley-Davidsons, jambalaya, and a relaxed cajun atmosphere, there’s no problem having a good time at No Problem Raceway this weekend. 

The AMRA will be bringing its PennGrade1 Cajun Nitro Nationals into town. For the first time, the event will feature a 16-bike Top Fuel Harley field thanks to the support of Top Fuel Harley legend Johnny Mancuso and his Circle M Ranch and Dove Fuels. 

Plenty of eyes will water for no other reason than nitro fumes in the air, and as many as 30 bikes could be making the trip to compete.