When Mother Nature announces an impending visit, a wise promoter plans ahead. Sunday’s weather forecast for Bradenton, Florida, is for bad weather moving in on Sunday, with expectations it would disrupt the final eliminations schedule. 

Therefore, race officials at the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission became proactive by starting qualifying a day early with one session on Thursday evening at Bradenton Motorsports Park. 

Mark Micke, the driving force behind M&M Transmissions, was ready as he drove his twin-turbocharged ’69 Camaro to the provisional No. 1 spot with a 3.628-second pass at 220.08 MPH to lead a field of more than 32 entries in PJS Racing Outlaw Pro Mod presented by FuelTech. 

The Outlaw Pro Mod, Pro 275, X275, Limited Drag Radial, and various other outlaw drag racing classes are set to return to Bradenton Motorsports Park this weekend, Jan. 25-28, for the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission. This event marks the first major Outlaw Pro Mod race of 2024 and serves as the season opener for the FuelTech Radial Outlaws Racing Series, offering substantial payouts across different categories.

Track owner and promoter Victor Alvarez expressed anticipation for the event. 

“It’s always exciting to get everyone back to Bradenton to kick off the season at the U.S. Street Nationals," Alvarez said. "Many of these teams were just here a couple of months ago for the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, but they’ve had time to get things refreshed for the 2024 season. You’ll see new cars, new engine combinations, and new parts getting put through the paces this weekend. Fans of Pro Mod, radial racing, and more are in for a show.”

Louisiana-native Angelle Sampey will make her 2024 debut in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series Division 4 season with the backing of Range, an authorized Case IH and Kubota dealership in Donaldsonville. Sampey, a three-time NHRA world champion on two wheels, will take the wheel of the Range Racing dragster, owned by Michalek Brothers Racing (MBR), from Feb. 23-25 at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana.

The seasoned racer transitioned from bikes to a Top Alcohol Dragster last summer, making her national event debut at the NHRA FallNationals near Dallas and achieving a semifinal finish. Strong performances followed, including a No. 1 qualifying spot at the Las Vegas race and a runner-up finish at the NHRA Division 7 race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Congruity HR, specializing in HR support, benefits administration, payroll processing, and risk management for small to mid-sized businesses, has been announced as the title sponsor for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, according to Finish Line Consultants and NHRA officials.

The 10-race Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series kicks off its season on March 7-10 at the 55th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. This partnership marks Congruity 
HR’s introduction as a new sponsor for both NHRA and NHRA Pro Mod.
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Congruity HR differentiates itself from larger providers by offering personalized services and assigning each business its HR dream team. 

Kalitta Motorsports recently announced motorsports industry veteran Chuck Spicer as its new Business Development Manager. The announcement comes ahead of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, commencing on March 8-10, 2024, with the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

Spicer’s role will encompass the establishment and cultivation of corporate partnerships, acquisition of new sponsorships, and a commitment to contributing to Team Kalitta’s overall growth and success. His extensive experience in motorsports, particularly in NASCAR with STP Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and Iowa Speedway, coupled with his recent corporate involvement in directing multiple motorsports sponsorships, positions Spicer as a valuable addition to Team Kalitta.

 
 Veteran nitro Funny Car driver Matt Hagan acknowledged that NHRA’s lack of an offseason does wear on him.
 
However, Hagan, who won his fourth world championship in 2023, knows exactly what he has signed up for.
 
“The offseason has been nonstop, and I have just been trying to slow it down, and it will not slow down,” Hagan said. “I feel like I have had a hard time getting into a rhythm. With all the Christmas party stuff and all the PRI stuff and with this PRO race coming up, it just hasn’t stopped. We have a couple of weeks, and we go right back racing again.”

Former NHRA Rookie of the Year recepient Camrie Caruso will be armed with a new primary sponsor for the inaugural PRO Superstar Shootout, February 8-10, at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
 
Aqua Prop, a leading provider of wet sand solutions, catering to the needs of the oil and natural gas industry, has signed on as Caruso's sponsor as she will be vying for the record-setting $125,000 Pro Stock winner-take-all purse to start the 2024 racing season.

From the moment Phillips Connect rolled out their sponsorship on Justin Ashley’s Top Fuel dragster, he proved to them he was a winner. In fact, nine times since inking his initial deal, Ashley has taken the smart trailer technology company to the winner’s circle. 

Though Ashley will drive a dragster primarily sponsored by Scag Power Equipment and Toyota, Phillips Connect revealed they’d return this season as a major associate on the team. 

While nitromethane might be crucial to racing Top Fuel, it’s barely a drop in the bucket compared to the importance of a team’s marketing partnerships. 

Today, super part-timer Top Fuel TJ Zizzo revealed his Rust-Oleum dragster will roll into the 2024 Mission Food Drag Racing Series with continued support from major associate sponsor Button Transportation. 
It’s a relationship that goes back to Zizzo’s Top Alcohol Dragster days when he and company owner Bob Button met at a divisional race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway many years ago. 
 

In this five-part series, CompetitionPlus.com will explore ten races that were really great at one time, and some were famous, while others were obscure. The bottom line is they were fun and epitomized the spirit of drag racing. 

We will undoubtedly miss a few, but save your judgment until the series ends. Special thanks to Bret Kepner, Dave Wallace, Steve Earwood, and others who helped ensure this series came to fruition with their knowledge of the sport and willingness to contribute.