Blake Bowser is passionate about drag racing, particularly drag racing that recreates the straight-line sport's history. 

This passion is why, when Bowser, who runs Famoso Dragstrip in Bakersfield, watched interest waning in the California Hot Rod Reunion (CHRR), he knew he had to do something.

Bowser's "something" will come to fruition in October when he and his track personnel take over the CHRR operations. 

If anyone knows the value of Competition Eliminator, it's Mark Beatty, Red Line Oil's Brand Director. 

Beatty, a former Competition Eliminator racer from the 1990s, has proudly joined the movement of companies determined to preserve the iconic drag racing division that dates back to the early 1960s. Red Line Oil is one of the sponsors alongside Rodger Brogdon in the 2024 Rooftec Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund. 

"We're really excited about being a part of the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund," Beatty said. As a brand, we really focus on the grassroots or, I like to say, the family when it comes to all forms of motorsports. Comp Eliminator, if people don't know the category, I'd encourage them to get to know it because it is the most sophisticated, coolest category in all of the NHRA. 

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series event in Chicago, the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals, will feature the Drag and Drive exhibition for the second year. This showcase will include drivers Alex Taylor and Tom Bailey and an array of high-performance street cars running in the 6-second range at speeds exceeding 200 mph, promising an exciting experience for fans at Route 66 Raceway.

The Drag and Drive exhibition will complement the main NHRA event, featuring Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle categories. 

Brian Bohlander, Director of Sports Marketing for Old World Industries, has expressed enthusiasm for the inclusion of this exhibition at Route 66 Raceway, noting its positive impact on engaging new participants and fans within the sport.

The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series is poised to return to Virginia Motorsports Park for the Kaeser Compressors Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Classic Graphix this weekend. With national records broken in the Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous and WS Construction Pro Boost categories, top racers like Jim Halsey and Derek Ward are gearing up for fierce competition.

Strip away all the focus on elapsed times, speeds, and positioning in the starting order, and what is left in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is a connection. It’s a connection with others, and, in many cases, a platform for helping one another.

Tony Stewart’s Top Fuel dragster was in Las Vegas last weekend to raise awareness for the Rayce Rudeen Foundation, which honors the memory of the adventurous young Seattle resident and Spokane Valley native who died from an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016 at age 26. Last Friday would have been the 34th birthday for this elder son of sprint-car team owner Kevin Rudeen.

The foundation’s mission is to let families affected by this crisis know about available addiction resources while erasing the stigma associated with addiction.

Sponsorships are drag racing’s life’s blood. National IT Consulting company IGTG (Innovative Global Technology Group) plans to make its presence known in the straight-line sport through programs they plan to activate with four top drag racing teams. 

IGTG is no stranger to NHRA drag racing. This season’s endeavor marks its fifth year in the straight-line sport and return in 2024 with Paul Lee Racing (Funny Car), Krista Baldwin Racing (Top Fuel), Matt Smith Racing (Pro Stock Motorcycle) and has started a new partnership with Angelle Sampey (A/Fuel Dragster).

Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The NHRA Vegas 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”

This line from the famous movie The Godfather was spoken by Michael Corleone, the fictional character played by Al Pacino.

It would surprise few if those words came out of Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s mouth. After all, he was enjoying a life of racing and retirement on his terms when last October at The Strip in Las Vegas, Elite Motorsports pulled him back into full-time Pro Stock competition. 

When Alan Johnson is your crew chief and you’re Doug Kalitta, the reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion, it is not if you will win a race in 2024, but when.

"When" happened Sunday when Kalitta captured the victory at the 4-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In the final quad, Kalitta clocked the quickest elapsed time of the event at 3.715 seconds at 333.58 to defeat Justin Ashley (3.745), Steve Torrence (3.745) and NASCAR legend Tony Stewart (3.769), who was in his first career final round.