The affinity a racer can develop for a race car is amazing. Take Doug Wood, for example, who has been racing his 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass for 37 years.

"It's the first car I bought when I was 16 years old. I paid $800 dollars for it," said Wood, who broke into the racing world crewing and changing transmissions for his brother when he was 13 years old. "Everybody knows that car, from the East Coast clear out West. It's actually still the same color from the factory, Aztec Gold, with the black vinyl roof on it."

From all across the United States and Canada, racers will be flocking to Bristol Dragway’s Thunder Valley this week for the Sparco Fall Fling presented by Optima Batteries as part of the Spring Fling brand of high dollar bracket races. 

The original Spring Fling event held every year in Bristol in May has moved to the September date to take advantage of more favorable weather. “While we never had to cancel any of the five days of racing when the Spring Fling was held in May in Bristol,” says ‘Fling co-promoter Kyle Seipel, “there was always the possibility of rain. However, we might have lost a day or two, but we always more than made up for the loss by doubling up the purse the following day. Racers know that when they come to a ‘Fling event, not only do we guarantee the purse but we always pay out every bit of what we advertise.” 

Slate Cummings and Tommy Phillips secured wins in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, South Central division event at Texas Motorplex this past weekend.
 
Stock standout Cummings of Hammond, La., lined up in his Corvette against John Brimer, Burleson, Texas. Cummings initially took the starting line advantage, and Brimer broke out attempting to chase him down. Cummings brought home the divisional Wally trophy at 10.409 seconds, 125.69 mph, Brimer 10.483 seconds, 125.05 mph.

The first wave of 2017 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series Champions were crowned this past weekend at Auto Club Famoso Raceway and the Nostalgia Fall Championships.
 
Dustin Lee and Brandon Frye topped the list taking home the championship in Nostalgia Eliminator I and A/Gas.  Lee, Palmdale, Calif., came into the event with a pair of wins on the season and the NE I points lead.  He locked up his championship when he took the win in round one over Rick Nordess, coming off wins at the season opener in Phoenix and the June event in Sacramento.

CompetitionPlus.com has learned that Compulink and BracketRaces.com are going to pay TruSTART Bonuses to NHRA’s Division 1,5, and 6 bracket finals racers.

Bob Brockmeyer, Peter Biondo, and Kyle Seipel are paying $100 each to the first 2 TruSTART 'flips' at each bracket finals in NHRA’s Division 1, 5, and 6.

Sometimes second-guessing can pay off.

For brothers Ben, and Dave Wenzel, they were going to buy a car with the intention of drag racing back in 1967. They were intent on getting a brand-new 375-horse, Chevelle to race in NHRA's Stock Eliminator.

Once the Wenzel's saw the Camaro z/28, a 302-inch, 290-horse, 4-speed combination, they knew this was a dog capable of hunting. Five decades later, it's still bagging ducks.

When you are born into this family, there are certain requirements. Carl Tasca knew this from the first time he climbed behind the wheel of a Ford vehicle.

Decades later, the lesson resonates through him on the quarter-mile of the Lucas Oil Raceway. 

Tasca, the son of automotive icon Bob Tasca Sr., races in the modern version of "race on Sunday, sell on Monday;" the mantra made famous by his innovative auto dealership owning father. 

John McCarthy has fielded the question so many times he stopped keeping track.

Why, would anyone in their right mind, choose a 1960 Chevrolet Kingswood Station, as a race car?

"You’re not the first person to ask who looks at a ’60 Chevy Wagon and thinks, ‘I want to race that," McCarthy responded with a laugh. "In 1978 we started racing Stock Eliminator, MJ Quinn and myself, and we really couldn’t afford a fast car. It was a way for us to be able to run NHRA Stock Eliminator. We built the car originally; it was a two barrel car, ran X Stock Automatic. But when they changed the rules to where no V8’s and W, X, Y, and Z, we put the four barrel on it and moved up to U/Stock Automatic."

The 2017 Gearhead Racing Series Fun in the Sun Bracket race, A Tribute to Scott Weney will return to Bradenton Motorsports on November 10 - 12, 2017. 

Lucas Oil will serve as presenting sponsor along with associate presenters Strange Engineering and Drag Racing Edge Magazine.