Austin Zimmerline, a 17-year-old from Louisville, Neb., always has wanted to be a race-car driver and win a race for a team. His dream came true in a special pass sandwiched between Saturday's early Pro Stock qualifying session and the start of the third overall qualifying sessions for the nitro cars during the NHRA Toyota Nationals.

It was all thanks to a partnership between the Nebraska chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Terry Chandler-Don Schumacher Racing alliance, as well as considerable help from Top Fuel driving veteran and drag-racing-school owner Doug Foley. Chandler sponsors the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger Funny Car that Tommy Johnson Jr. drives.

Ken Hall, long time driver of the Hanna Motorsports Jets-owned 'XLERATOR Top Secret' Firebird center-drive jet funny car, joined an exclusive and very short list of drivers who've run in the 280 MPH bracket.  

Over the many years since the creation of jet funny cars, the thrust-driven machines have seldom entered the 280 MPH arena. During the period when the jet car owners were united, in the Pro Jet Association, there was actually a 280 MPH Club for those drivers who achieved that goal.  Again, that list is very short.

Besides have over 450 cars in attendance; a K&N Spring Fling Vegas record; it finally came to pass that there was the first ever $1,000 winner in the Spring Fling $20,000 Challenge. The concept is 20 randomly selected drivers are given one chance at the ‘Tree with a .00X reaction time awarded a crisp $100 bill. If any driver record a perfect .000 reaction time, they receive ten of those crisp Ben Franklins.

In four past Spring Fling Bristol and last year’s Vegas event, no one has yet to collect the ten “large.” It didn’t take long here as Kevin Heffington from Moxee, Washington reacted his way to the $1,000 win.

The Gary Turner Racing Nostalgia Funny Car driven by James Day will be turned by Chis Nance for the  2014 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing series, the team announced Tuesday.
 
Nance and Day have history together, as driver and tuner, respectively, of the DLS Motorsports NHRA Nitro Funny Car during 2007-2008.
 
"I'm stoked to be teamed up again with Chris," Day said. "We have a great history together outside of driver and tuner, and we have always stayed friends. Chris is unbelievably smart and has tuned a lot of fast Funny Cars."

Quite often people in stressful occupations will find a moment to slip
away into a happy place. A location where they feel relaxed and they'll
try to draw that relaxation into the current situation.

Amazingly, Matt Hagan admits he has never let his mind drift back to
the farm while awaiting his turn to run down the drag strip.

Before Mike Lewis stepped into his role as Senior Vice President at Don Schumacher Racing, he served a stint as a Vice President of NHRA. Lewis was there when the NHRA enacted their policy.

From where he stands, the sport doesn't just look clean, it is clean.

No
one escapes life without physical problems. Jack Beckman, in a quite
visible way, battled cancer. John Force fought to come back from a
life-threatening accident two years ago in Ennis, Texas. And, Beckman
and Force are not alone. There are others on the circuit who for
whatever ails them take over the counter medications or medications
prescribed by a doctor.