The tightest of margins
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals took place in front of a packed house at Atlanta Dragway, and the thrilling race culminated in the closest decision in a Top Fuel final in NHRA history. It was a foregone conclusion that the…
The A.J. effect
The first quarter of the Top Fuel season was highly productive for Alan Johnson. The Santa Maria, Calif.-based parts manufacturer and tuner to the stars began the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series as a tuning consultant for Brittany Force…
Wild, Wild West
The 2016 NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway was a race of many small miracles. The fact that the event was completed on its scheduled date was no sure feat considering the severe weather and flooding in the Houston area one week earlier…
One in four
A large crowd of racing fans packed into zMAX Dragway in order to witness the Professional classes in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series compete in the unique four-wide format at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods. Though…
A grand spectacle
The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals is an event unlike any other on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. Envisioned by Bruton and Marcus Smith when they constructed four lanes on zMAX Dragway’s all-concrete surface, watching four 10,000-…
Top Alcohol history lesson
The Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals was the 600th race in the history of the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car categories. Let's take a look back at how it all started. The Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes have…
Three of a kind
The Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway featured some great racing. However, I would be remiss not to begin this column without mentioning the absence of late…
From the shop to the track
A feature story in the upcoming April 8 issue of NHRA National Dragster has an overview of the nitro teams that build their own chassis in-house. Don Schumacher Racing and John Force Racing had been doing so since 2008, and more recent…
Greater nationals
The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals is the tradition-rich East Coast opener for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, and its 47th incarnation was big on drama. An incredible event was pulled off despite the threat of weather with the NHRA…
Not driving, still thriving
When it comes to his accomplished career as a driver and crew chief, Mark Oswald has always let his race cars do the talking. However, he will be celebrated this Thursday as an inductee into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Oswald…
Rivalries: past, present, and future
The thrilling final round between Leah Pritchett and Brittany Force at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals brought up the subject of rivalries and gives us a chance to look back at the battles from past and present that gave everyone in the…
Bringing the Heat
The 2016 CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals took place at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park with temperatures well into the 80s that tested the hot-track tune-ups of the teams. Each of the Professional winners had the most success at an event since…
A teacher's lesson in resiliency
It took a disastrous event for Gary Densham to say the unthinkable. With his Lawson Rock & Oil Dodge Charger Funny Car bended and twisted in the safety net in the sand trap at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona weeks ago after a parachute failure…
A new era
The historic Circle K NHRA Winternationals kicked off the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and ushered the sport into a new era with the FOX Sports television package and the Pro Stock category now required to run fuel injection. Focus was…
Testing takeaways
NHRA Nitro Spring Training at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix (covered on Friday and…
The other guys
With the full-time teams having announced their plans for the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, we explore what’s new with some of the independent teams in the Top Fuel and Funny Car ranks. We expect to see a few new faces in…
2016 predictions
The 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is nearly upon us. With one weekend remaining before the NHRA Nitro Spring Training test session at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix followed by the Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, it…
Ready to break out
With top stars dominating the win column in 2015, the logjam of talent going for their first wins during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season has us poised to see some new blood in the winner’s circle. Pro Stock’s Chris…
Teflon Shawn
Prior to the past 12 months, adversity isn’t something that had characterized the racing career of Shawn Langdon. His rocket-ship ride to the top of the drag racing food chain has included championships at every level, from the NHRA Summit…
Something to prove
Teams are busy gearing up for 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season with no shortage of motivation. Be it the up-and-coming teams or the most successful of the established stars, the term “good enough” is not in the vocabulary of…