NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Recent passings of notable figures from within the NHRA world. The NHRA extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of those we have lost. Notices of passing can be sent to nhra@nhra.com.

Longtime NHRA Sportsman racer and national event winner Irvin Johns passed away Nov. 14. He was 80.

Johns began racing in 1963 in Bowling Green, Ky., in his ’63 Z11 Chevy, followed by a 1948 Anglia A/Gasser. He also competed in tractor pulling and in 1980, he built a 4x4 Super Stock truck named “Color Me Gone” and earned a National Championship with it in 1982 and also he won 1st place in the National Farm Machinery Show in 1987. 

In 2002, he debuted his 2000 Cavalier GT/BA and his NHRA Drag Racing career began with “Best Appearing Car” at Edgewater Raceway. Johns became “Indiana Johns” in 2005 when he debuted his 2005 Cobalt GT/BA. Continuing to race Super Stock, Irvin decided to also try racing in the Stock class as well. He acquired a 2008 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak as they were introduced. White with black racing stripes, “Hoosier Hemi” named, this was the first Drag Pak to race in 2009, and also the first to finish under 10 seconds. His Drag Pak was featured in both Mopar magazines and a Mopar calendar.

In his 22 years of racing, Johns won nearly 50 NHRA class competitions in Super Stock. He won four divisional races and the 2019 Division 3 Super Stock championship. Even with all his successes, his dream had been to capture a national win from NHRA. Irvin succeeded in his dream on May 21, 2023, when he won an NHRA national event with his 2005 Chevy Cavalier Super Stock at the Gerber Glass & Collision Route 66 Nationals. The national win also brought a new title. At age 79, Irvin became the NHRA’s oldest national event winner. Irvin went on to beat his own record, when he won the JEGS SPORTSnationals on July 2024, at age 80.

In 1969, Johns opened Suburban Wrecker Service with a used ’63 Chevy 1-ton wrecker. Today, it is Kentucky’s largest towing company, employing 83 people and operating more than 100 trucks.

Johns is survived by his beloved wife, Regina “Gina” Johns; his sister, Marilyn Burdine; mother-in-law, Marilyn “Kay” Wolfe; sons, Scott Johns (Peggy), Brian Johns (Christi); stepson, Tyler Roach (Rachel); step-daughter, Kristina “Kristi” Lay (Sam); granddaughter, Kristin Whobrey (Toby); grandsons, Brian “BJ” Johns II (Ceaira), Tyler Johns, Alex “AJ” Johns, Brayden Roach, and Braxton Roach; along with three great-granddaughters, two great-grandsons, three bonus great-grandchildren, six sisters-in-law, four brothers-in-law, and several nieces and nephews.

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Five-time NHRA Pro Stock winner Wally Booth, one of the most celebrated American Motors drivers in NHRA history, passed away Nov. 13.

Booth began racing in the mid-1960s, joining with fellow Detroit Dragway racer Dick Arons, beginning a long partnership that would become a dominant engine building force in the 1960s and 1970s.

Booth rose quickly through the Super Stock ranks, scoring a runner-up at the 1968 U.S. Nationals with his Rat Pack 1 1969 Camaro and joined the fledgling Pro Stock class in 1970.

In late 1971, he accepted an offer to represent American Motors Corporation, first racing a Gremlin and then later an AMC Hornet.

In a class heavily dominated by Chevys and Mopars, Booth scored the car maker’s first win at the 1974 Gatornationals, then scored four wins in an amazing 1976 season, including the U.S. Nationals. His final win of the hat season was an AMC triumph as he beat fellow AMC racer Dave Kanners, who ran Booth-Arons power, in the final round of the 1976 World Finals. Booth also had five career Pro Stock runner-ups.

Booth was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2013.

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For many NHRA fans, Jay Howell may be among the most unsung drag racing heroes they never knew about. Longtime fans may be familiar with him from occasional mentions, but those old-time racers we all know and love certainly all knew and respected Howell for his ability to both build and drive race cars during a heady career in the 1960s.

Howell passed away recently, not long after it was announced that he would be inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

Not only did he build or have a hand in building some of the most famous vehicles to traverse the quarter-mile on two or four wheels, but he also drove some of them. He's also one of very few trusted by Don Prudhomme to drive one of "the Snake's" cars in his early racing days, which says a lot about how people felt about Howell.

You can read more about Howell in this profile.

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Ken Meadows passed away on Sept. 21. He was 75 years old. Meadows was a key figure behind the scenes as a partner, sponsor, and contributing member to several teams in the Top Alcohol and nitro ranks over the years and is best known for the Darien & Meadows partnership. Racking up an impressive 20 national event wins, 20 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event wins, seven top 10 finishes, five LODRS championships, and a JEGS Allstars victory alongside partner Jerry Darien with 20 different drivers behind the wheel, the tandem left a lasting legacy as a catapult to success in the Professional ranks. Drivers Ashley Force Hood, Morgan Lucas, Brandon Bernstein, Melanie Troxel, Frank Pedregon, Gary Scelzi, and Courtney and Brittany Force parlayed the talents they honed in Darien & Meadows dragsters to NHRA wins in Top Fuel and Funny Car. Among them, Scelzi and Brittany Force became multiple-time world champions. 

Prior to the start of the Darien & Meadows partnership with initial driver Larry Sutton in the early 1990s, Meadows had teamed with Bob Richardson and Mike Roberts on the Circuit Breaker Top Fuel dragster that Sutton wheeled to a pair of wins at Orange County Int'l Raceway in 1978. The introduction to Sutton and Richardson came by way of safety equipment manufacturer Dennis Taylor, whose upholstery shop was in the same Placentia, Calif., complex where Meadows kept his early-1960s Dodge that he occasionally bracket-raced. Meadows later backed Taylor's Top Alcohol Funny Car that won national events in Pomona and Seattle in 2004. Plumbing Concepts, the company Meadows founded in 1984, has been onboard with other teams such as Steve Gasparrelli and Mert Littlefield and is actively a part of the late Rick Jackson's Take 2 Services Top Alcohol Funny Car driven by Shane Westerfield. When former racing partner Richardson passed in 2016, Meadows continued to support the Circuit Breaker Nostalgia Top Fuel team with driver Pete Wittenburg winning the major March Meet (2018) and California Hot Rod Reunion (2023) events held at Famoso Raceway.

Meadows is survived by wife Cheryl, children Brian Aberegg and Courtney Gress, son-in-law Mike Gress, daughter-in-law Yolanda Aberegg, and grandchildren Claire, Macie, Liliya, and Harlan.

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Bob Miner, who for more than 60 years was an integral part of the Miner Bros. teams that achieved success across decades on the quarter-mile and, in his later years, at the most prestigious tractor pulls in the U.S. and abroad, passed away last month. He was 72.

 Crew chief, driver, engine builder, manufacturer – Bob Miner truly did it all.

Led by team patriarch Fred Miner Sr., Bob and brothers Fred Jr. and Larry were tenacious competitors, bringing a burning desire, mechanical ability, and, above all, hard work to every machine they ever campaigned, from the early days of the ‘60s to the Panella & Miner AA/GS Opels of the ‘70s, to their Top Alcohol Funny Cars of the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s. Numerous racers won the biggest events of their careers driving for Miner Bros. cars, starting with Comp ace Phil Featherson, who won back-to-back Comp titles at the NHRA Winternationals in 1974 and ’75.

Virtually every driver who ever strapped into a Miner Bros. race car won, including Bob himself, who made his name in the sport with a wrench in his hand and a computer in his lap but also enjoyed success behind the wheel. His greatest achievement as a driver probably came in 1982, when he beat Tony Wroblewski in the Comp Eliminator final at the 1982 Orange County Division 7 race. As the original driver of MBR's Top Alcohol Funny Cars, Bob reached the final round of two Division 7 races, each in 1986 and each against one of the greatest drag racers of all time, Pat Austin at Woodburn and Brad Anderson at Sears Point.

In the late 1980s, veteran Chris Christensen enjoyed the finest days of his long career with the Miners, piling up a remarkable string of victories in one of the toughest divisions in the country, Division 7. He raced to four final rounds in 1988 and won three of them – Phoenix, Palmdale, and Las Vegas, highlighted by an incredible 6.08 at the high-altitude Las Vegas Speedrome. The next year, Christensen reached three more finals and won two, Medford and Las Vegas.

Then two racers who would go on to win multiple championships in the nitro ranks, Cruz Pedregon and Gary Scelzi, took over. Pedregon found success immediately, becoming the first TA/FC national event winner of the ‘90s at the 1990 NHRA Winternationals. Before Scelzi joined the team, Pete Duhart claimed the team’s second national event crown as alcohol racers, shocking absolutely everyone by beating Bucky Austin in the final round of the 1991 Arizona Nationals.

Scelzi, the future Top Fuel and Funny Car world champ, was entrenched as the team's driver by 1992 and won national and divisional races in each of two years with the team, topping rookie Randy Anderson in the final round of the 1992 Chief Nationals in Dallas and Mike Gordon in the final at the 1993 California Nationals in Sonoma. At the divisional level, MBR got to four finals in 1992, winning Sonoma, and another four in 1993 (Medford, Sacramento, Sonoma, and Las Vegas), winning all four to claim the Division 7 championship in a landslide.

Larry Miner, youngest of the Miner brothers, finally got his chance to drive in 1994 and wasted little time establishing himself as a legit contender. He won the Division 7 crown in just his second season, 1995, and collected seven divisional victories and six national event titles from 1995 to 2006. After breaking through for a long overdue first national event win at the 1999 NorthStar Nationals, Larry evolved into one of the more prolific Alcohol Funny Car drivers of the early 2000s, winning the Winternationals and FRAM/Autolite Nationals in 2000 and three more in the best year of his career, 2002, at Las Vegas, Topeka, and Sonoma. 

Perhaps the Miner Bros. team’s greatest accomplishment was breaking Top Alcohol Funny Car’s 260-mph barrier in early 2000, when Larry rocketed to a 260.81-mph blast at Phoenix’s Firebird Int’l Raceway. If it wasn’t that, it was manufacturing their own Miner Brothers Racing engines to compete with the Chrysler Hemis that ruled drag racing since the ‘50s, immediately running right with the Hemis and often better.

A hard-nosed, no-nonsense racer from day one, Bob always shared his vast knowledge with others, including top teams who had some of their best years with his input. From Alcohol Dragster racer Bruce McDowell in the 1980s to the Steve Carter/Jeff Rapp team of the 1990s to Chris Marshall in the 2020s, Bob helped more people than he’ll ever get credit for. 

In his later years, Bob combined forces with veteran second-generation driver Steve Gasparrelli and newcomer Jake Guadagnolo, who drove for third-generation racer Greg Miner, to win NHRA national events. In his long and fulfilling career, Bob Miner truly was a winner to the end – he won two of the last three drag races of his life this summer with nephew Greg and driver Ray Martin.

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Pro Stock veteran Lee “the General” Edwards passed away Oct. 13. He was 85.

Edwards started his racing career in the early 1950s with a 1939 Plymouth coupe that was powered by a Chevrolet engine. It wasn’t long before he realized he wanted to go quicker and faster than he could with the coupe. When he saw Don Garlits make an appearance in his Chrysler-powered dragster at a local track, Edwards decided to build his own dragster. After competing in his own car for a few years he accepted a driving opportunity in Jim and Alison Lee’s blown Chrysler-powered gas dragster, one of the top cars in the area at that time.

While he did enjoy the power and acceleration of the dragsters, in the early 1960s he built a Chevy-powered 1948 A/Gas Anglia coupe that was a regular winner at the area tracks and it wasn’t long before it was considered the quickest and fastest A/Gas car in its class, often reaching speeds of 150 mph with e.t.s in the low-nine -second range.

Lee later began racing in Pro Stock and soon became one of the most successful Pro Stock competitors on the IHRA circuit where he won 12 events and two world championships.

In 1980, Lee retired from driving, but continued to build engines for drag racing, as well as for truck puller classes from his shop, Lee Edwards Racing Engines, in Calverton, Va..

Lee was inducted into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Don Garlits' International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in Ocala, Florida in 2015.

Lee is survived by his wife; Patricia 'Tish' Edwards, his daughters; Brenda E. Rich, and her husband; Roy, Becky E. Embrey, and her husband; Todd, five GrandChildren - Christopher White, Kateland Rich Flinn (Zack), Zachary Rich (Katie), Jeffrey Lee Embrey (Amanda), John Embrey, and six Great Grandchildren - Paxton White, Stella Rich, Greyson Embrey, Brooks Flinn, Sloane Rich, Ashby Flinn, and his sisters; Patricia Bettis (Duane), Betty Edwards, and Mary Deal.

A celebration of life will be held Oct. 19 at 5209 Chase Lane, Midland, VA 22728.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to the non-profit organization Drag Racing Association of Women (DRAW) at http://www.drawfasthelp.org/donate.html

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Other notable recent passings: East Coast Top Alcohol Funny Car owner and driver Ed Parker, of “Cape Codder” fame, passed away Oct. 4; Jack Musilli, original owner of Atco Dragway, passed away Sept. 13; former Modifier eliminator racer Jerry Ault, runner-up at the 1976 U.S. Nationals; two-time NHRA national event-winning Super Gas racer Shawn Carter.

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Alison Lee, widely acknowledged as the first and pre-eminent female Top Fuel tuner, passed away Aug. 29. Her and her husband Jim's Top Fuel cars of the late 190s and early 1970s won three Division 1 championships. Most recently, they were involved in tuning their grandson Tyler's Nostalgia Top Fueler. [Complete story]

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Alex Xydias, a legendary racer, speed-shop owner, filmmaker, publisher, and one of NHRA founder Wally Parks' dearest friends, passed away Aug.24, leaving behind a remarkable legacy that has deeply impacted the automotive world. He was 102. For more about Xydias' amazing career, read this tribute.

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Steve Montrelli, one of the “big four” nitro engine builders of the 1970s, passed away Aug. 23. He was 84.

Montrelli, who competed for Funny Car engine-building prowess against Keith Black, Ed Pink, and Sid Waterman, was also a successful crew chief, tuning for the likes Mickey Thompson (including the SOHC Ford engines) and Don Schumacher, and was the guiding force behind the success of the Arias racing engine for frag racing on both land and water. Most recently, Montrelli was involved in the restoration of Jim Shue's Pure Hell Corvette on which he tuned in the late 1960s.
 

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John Hamlin, known to many as the long-time partner of Dick Kalivoda on their DeSoto-powered Modified Roadster and later the Norton-Kalivoda-Hamlin “Joker” Top Fueler, has passed away. The "Joker was one of the strongest fuel cars in the Northwest and an NHRA National Record holder and was named the “Joker” because it could trump a King (Jerry Ruth) or an Ace (Ed McCulloch).

Hamlin also was a software engineer who developed a unique business application that was tailored to performanceparts manufacturers. In addition to normal accounting and inventory functions, it had modules to deal with things like contingency award programs.

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Glenn W. Warfel, a longtime NHRA Member and drag racer of 40 years, passed away Aug. 22. He was 83.

Warfel raced in a number of classes, including Super Stock, Super Gas, and Competition Eliminator, as well as bracket racing. He's probably best remembered for his Scat Pack Doddge SS/AA Hemi Dart.

Warfel is survived by his wife of 61 years, Bonnie Warfel, daughter Dawn Acosta, son Dana Warfel, and grandchildren Tyler Lambert and Christina Lambert.

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Veteran nitro driver Norm Wilcox died July 20. After launching his career in Top Gas in Steve Levy's car and drove Top Fuel for the likes of Leonard Van Luven, Ted Gotelli, Bill Simpson, and the Howard Cam Special. Wilcox is probably best remembered as one of the drivers of Roland's Leong's Hawaiian 1975-76, as well as Jim Green's “Green Elephant” and John Bateman’s Atlas Oil Tool car. 

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Five-time NHRA Sportsman-racing world champion Scotty Richardson passed away Aug. 14 following a brief illness. He was 54.

Between 1988 and 2014, Richardson tallied 39 NHRA national event titles across six eliminators, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street. He is well known for his five world championships, but in actuality, that number could be closer to seven as he lost two more titles via a tiebreaker. In 1994, Richardson also became the first driver to claim two championships in the same year when he secured both the Super Comp and Super Gas titles.

By the mid-2000s, Richardson took a step back from NHRA racing to focus on big-money E.T. bracket events, and he barely skipped a beat, winning many of the biggest races in the country including the overall title at prestigious Moroso 5-Day E.T. championships (twice), the Spring Fling Million, and a host of other huge events. [Full story]

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Dan Olson, a longtime NHRA nitro-racing crew chief and former NHRA Director, Top Fuel and Funny Car Racing, passed away recently.

Before joining NHRA in December 2006, Olson had been a manufacturer and racer for more than 40 years, his most recent before then was helping to guide operations of all teams at Don Schumacher Racing, which he had done since 1998. 

Dan Olson Racing Products has been designing and manufacturing components for all types of racing since 1969. In Olson’s early years as an engine builder, he realized that the oil pan did far more than just hold oil. He discovered the importance of controlling the oil with proper baffling while it was in the oil pan. He learned that by adding a kick-out, more power could be gained by keeping oil away from the crank assembly. Dan began tuning race cars and boats for legendary owner “Mr. Ed” Wills in the early '60s, then
 
He went on to crew chief the Pay-N-Pak hydroplane boat. In the ‘70s, Dan tuned many Top Fuel drag boats, winning many titles as well as tuning the first drag boat to break 200 mph. It was during this time he expanded his product line to include custom oil pans, zoomie headers, wings, and marine oil coolers. 

Olson also has served as crew chief for a number of other nitromethane teams including in the 1980s with Larry Minor's team, serving as crew chief for driver Cruz Pedregon, and before that, an assistant crew chief for driver Ed "Ace" McCulloch.

In ’93 he teamed up with Rance McDaniel in a two-year effort, which produced a NHRA national event win and made McDaniel the seventh member of the exclusive 300 mph Club. After two years as crew chief for Top Fuel pioneer Eddie Hill, Olson helped Tony Schumacher to the 1999 Top Fuel championship. In 2000, Olson tuned Schumacher to the first 330-mph run in Top Fuel and in 2004 tuned Gary Scelzi to the first 330-mph Funny Car run.

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Martee Xakellis, wife of former Division 1 Director Greg Xakellis, passed away peacefully at home on July 19. She was 84.

For years, Martee has worked alongside her husband at the Division 1 office and at NHRA events. The duo were a hard-working team managing one of NHRA’s largest divisions and supporting racers, sponsors, and track owners for more than 30 years. 

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Longtime NHRA competitor Steve Woods passed away July 16, he was 73.

Woods' racing resumé is long and deep, stretching back to the 1970s when he was the back-to-back Comp winner at the 1972 and ’73 Winternationls. Woods also competed in Modified and was runner-up to class legend “Ohio George” Montgomery at the 1971 Winternationals and 1973 Gatornationals.

Woods collected nine divisional wins and was a two-time Division 6 Comp champion.

In the early 1980s, Woods competed in Top Alcohol Funny Car, where he was a two-time NHRA national event runner-up and then went on to a successful third career in the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series, where he was the 2008 A/Gas champion, and in Goodguys and other nostalgia-racing competition.

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Gary Fratus, a longtime field representative for Mark Williams Enterprises, died in a highway accident near his home in Lake Havasu, Ariz. Fratus was a familiar sight at NHRA events for many years, helping racers with their drivelines.

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Neil Britt, who led a renaissance of success and content in NHRA’s National Dragster magazine and NHRA's Publications department for more than a dozen years spanning the 1980s and 1990s, died July 14. He was 77. [Full story]

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Second-generation fast-doorslammer racer Lizzy Musi passed away June 27 from breast cancer. She was 33. 

Musi, the daughter of Pro Stock and Pro Mod legend and engine builder Pat Musi, was best known for her competition in the Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings shows.

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Drag racing photographer Roger Richards, who was the Director of Photography at CompetitionPlus.com for 25 years, passed away June 24.

On behalf of everyone at NHRA, we want to offer our condolences to Roger’s family and friends. Roger was a great ambassador for NHRA drag racing and he always enjoyed a great relationship with NHRA drivers and officials. He will be undoubtedly missed within the racing community and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. 

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Veteran Fuel Altered racer Ron Hope, known for his long string of Rat Trap entries, and a longtime competitor on the Bonneville Salt Flats, passed away June 21. He was 80. Hope and his son Brian toured the world for almost 25 years campaigning Fuel Altereds, bringing the joy and thrills to fans around the globe.

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Other notable recent passings: Former Top Alcohol Dragster driver Kirk Lawrence, winner of the 1986 Gatornationals; Jack Robbins, Division 4 Top Alcohol Funny Car racer; Karen Hahn, wife of Pro Mod pioneer and supercharged gas veteran Fred Hahn; Sam Leland, former driver of the Mason-Dixon Raider Funny Car.

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Les Jackson, who with his late brother Cal, fielded the long string of High Heaven Fuel Altereds and Funny Cars, died June 18. The family continued its nitro legacy for years with Les' son, Keith, at the controls of the family flopper.

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Former NHRA Jr, Dragster Eastern Conference Finals champion Cody Hoberg, passed away following a tragic accident at his home June 16. He was 19. Holberg was the 10-year-old ECF champion in 2016. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Cody’s memory may be made to Racers for Christ, 1303 S. Longmore, Suite 7, Mesa, AZ 85202-9607. [More information]

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Rick Lorenzen, founder of the Lions Automobilia Foundation, passed away peacefully Sunday, June 16, surrounded by family.

In a statement, the foundation wrote, "Rick's vision was the guiding light in the creation of the Lions Automobilia Foundation. His leadership and steadfast commitment to preserving what he referred to as a simpler time and to share with others. Rick enjoyed telling stories about watching the races at Lions Drag Strip as a young man with his friends and later meeting so many legends as they visited his treasured museum. As we navigate this challenging period, please know that I am committed to continuing Rick’s vision and values. My dedication will ensure that we remain strong and united, honoring Rick’s legacy in every step we take.”

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Longtime Funny Car racer Randy Walls passed away June 13. Walls began racing Funny Cars in Southern California in the late 960s before hitting the match race circuit in his “Super Nova” Funny Car. he left drag racing in 1971 but returned to the sport 26 years later after he tracked down his original Nova-bodied fFunny Car in 1997 and decided to restore it. In 2004, Walls and his “Super Nova” became Nostalgia Funny Car’s first series champion. 

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Rosalee Noble, the guiding force behind the Drag Racing Association of Women (DRAW) for decades, passed away May 30. She was 82.

Noble first became involved with the benevolent organization, which helps injured drag racers in need, in 1986. She became a board member in 1991, vice president in 1992, and president in 1993 and 1994. From 1995 until her passing, she served as the fundraising chair.

She also had a passion for drag racing, which she discovered at age 50 in 1992. She raced for 30 years at the Coles County Dragway in her 1982 Buick LeSabre Station wagon, affectionately called the Care Wagon. She was a three-time Coles County Dragway Champion and a runner-up in the Division 3 Race of Champions, earning respect and admiration from her competitors. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to DRAW, 4 Hance Dr., Charleston, IL 61920. To view the obituary, send a condolence message, light a candle, or post photos, please visit www.adamsfuneralchapel.com. Adams Funeral Chapel of Charleston, IL, is in charge of the arrangements.
 

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Former NHRA Top Fuel world champion Ronnie Martin, who won the championship in Robert Anderson's dragster by winning the 1970 World Finals in Dallas, has passed away.

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Popular jet-car racer Mike Evegens, known to fans across the country for his string of Earthquake jets in which he competed from the 1970s through the 1990s, has died.

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Other recent passings: Division 1 Super Comp racer Lenny Bucher, son of Top Fuel veteran Larry. He was 54; Division 1 Stock racer Bill Drevo; Jetcar racer Tommy O'Brien

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Former NHRA Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon Sr., who won the 1970 Wintrnationals and was a member of the Cragar 5-Second Club, died April 6. He was 84. Dixon is the father of three-time NHRA Top Fuel world champ. [Full story]

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Longtime Pro Stock racer Harold Denton, the only driver to have raced an entry from every major manufacturer (Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Plymouth, Mercury, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, and American Motors) has passed away. Denton's career, which also includes the class' first non-NHRA six-second pass, spanned 70 years.

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Long-time drag racer Robert Harlukowicz passed away Feb. 24. He started his racing career in the mid-1960s class racing at all the Southern California dragstrips. He considered Lions his home track. He moved to southwestern Oregon in 1981 and continued bracket racing to the end. At 8, he won his last drag race he participated in September. 

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Frank Tiegs, who sponsored John Force Racing entries through his businesses, Flav-R-Pac and Montana Brand Tools, passed away Feb.  8. He was 66. 

A successful entrepreneur who started his business empire with just one farm in Pasco, Wash., Tiegs went on to own more than a dozen businesses that included real estate, farming, processing, finance, development, and marketing.

“Frank Tiegs was one of the most incredible, inspiring, and generous people I’ve ever met,” Force said. “He was so easy-going and easy to like and easy to talk to.”

Force first met Tiegs in 1990, shortly after the legendary drag racer earned his first NHRA Funny Car championship. They reunited more than 2 ½ decades later, and their renewed friendship began with a mutual love and appreciation of racing and muscle cars, and particularly their respective families.

The biggest highlight of the Force-Tiegs friendship came on Aug. 4, 2019, in the Northwest NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., when Force and Prock performed a drag racing rarity by winning both ends of the two NHRA Nitro classes.
 

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Other notable recent passing: Tom Chastang of the "Wheeler Dealer" AA/FD,; veteran Oklahoma TAD and TAFC racer Ron Morrison; Wayne Del Rio, of the NorCal brothers racing team; Funny Car owner Mike McIntire, Sr.; longtime Division 7Modified standout Jim Stevens, ago  88; Division 2 Super Stock and Comp car owner Glenn Young, age 80.

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Judy Bergstrom, wife of longtime NHRA Division Director Gene Bergstrom, passed away from kidney and lung complications  Feb. 24. She was 78.

The Bergstroms fit NHRA founder Wally Parks' mold of a husband-wife duo working together to further the NHRA. Gene Bergstrom served as Division 6 Director from 1979 through 1992, when he was promoted to National Field Director. Judy was a constant in the NHRA world and served in many positions throughout that same time.

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Doug Hamilton, a longtime chassis inspector and member of the Division 1 Certification Team, passed away Jan. 30. He was 74.

Hamilton was a 1966 graduate of Olney High School and served for the United States Navy in the Naval Air Reserves. He worked as a purchasing manager for AMTRAK until he retired in 2000.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia. daughter Lisa, and sister Carol Forgeng.

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Longtime NHRA Funny Car racer Mike Van Sant passed away Jan. 6.

Starting almost from the onset of the class in the mid- to late-1960s, "Mighty Mike" had a long list of successful rides in high-profile cars, including driving for Mickey Thompson, Stone, Woods & Cooke, and Roland Leong. He started out partnering with Glen Solano on a Corvette-bodied car called "Invader," a name that Van Sant would use for decades while driving his own race cars, which he began doing in earnest in the mid-1970s after years of being a hired driver, continuing through the id-1980s before retiring.

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J.L. Payne, a well-known and respected Top Fuel driver from the 1960s, has passed away. Payne, who raced in both Top Fuel and Fuel Altered, is probably best remembered as the driver of Vance Hunt's record-setting fuel dragster from 1962-64, but also drove for several other team owners in his native. 

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Pro Gas pioneer and longtime Sportsman racer Donald Barton passed away Jan. 2. 

Barton was a pioneer in the Pro Gas class in thelate 1970s and early 1980s that was would eventually become Super Gas, wheeling his Clownin’ Around ‘55 Chevy from 1971 through the late 1990s. Barton later would drive Undercover dragster beginning in 2000 season and more recently drive the family’s Miller Race Cars dragster before returning to the ‘55 duties during the 2021 season.