Rockingham, NC – Despite the challenges of rain early in the event schedule, the sun shined on the racetrack when it counted and the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals series campaign powered on at Rockingham Dragway with the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals Presented by Sipple’s Speed & Performance and Top of the Rock Thrill Festival Presented by Innovation Performance Technologies, which delivered fast Fords and plenty of fun for all those in attendance.

“NMRA is celebrating Mustang’s 60th birthday all season long, but with our second event rolling into Rockingham just days before its birthday, a celebration was in order,” Steve Wolcott, President and CEO of NMRA, said. “We felt the power of Ford’s pony car throughout the weekend, and it was rewarding seeing so many smiling fans in the stands.”

NMRA celebrated the Mustang’s 60th birthday with special Mustang Day celebrations both on and off the racetrack, as the UPR Products All-Ford Car Show offered a Mustang-only grouping and the huge Circle D Specialties True Street class included a Mustang Day classification as well. Continue reading →

Norwalk, OH – Ford surprised and delighted the automotive world by creating an all-new pushrod engine for its Super Duty trucks. Known as the Godzilla 7.3-liter V8, this powerplant stampeded into popularity as a performance engine swap. Celebrating and cultivating this growing scene, NMRA is hosting the inaugural Paul’s High Performance Godzilla Invasion presented by Willis Performance during the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, from June 6-9.

The centerpiece of this special celebration is the first ever drag racing class dedicated to Godzilla-powered vehicles. Run on bracket race format, the Godzilla Invasion class is open to vehicles powered by factory-installed or swapped 7.3-liter engines, non-Ford vehicles with Godzilla swapped engines are permitted and encouraged! The class champion will invade NMRA’s Winner’s Circle on Saturday to collect an NMRA Victor award, cash and prizes.

In addition to drag racing action, the Godzilla Invasion also includes a car show for Godzilla-powered machines with all sorts of special awards. Godzilla projects welcome as well! Friday heats up with the Willis Performance Godzilla Happy Hour complete with cold beer, Godzilla performance parts give-aways, and access to manufacturers showcasing their wares.

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Gainesville, FL – The 30th Annual NMRA Spring Break Shootout and Saturday Thrill Festival was an extraordinary extravaganza with excitement in every corner from February 22-25, 2024 at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. The Holley NMRA Ford Nationals event attracted record-breaking attendance and offered outstanding action for all ages. Setting it in motion was a Cars, Coffee, and Cruise at National Parts Depot, and it spooled up with the CJ Pony Parts Ford Drift Invitational, RTR Pro Drifters Vaughn Gittin Jr., and Chelsea DeNofa, the world’s largest BIGFOOT monster truck, Larsen Motorsports Jet Dragsters, FMX Freestyle Motocross stunts, TV personality and DJ Clarence Barnes, UPR Products All-Ford Car Show and more.

This was the first time the historic Gainesville Raceway hosted an NMRA event at its big and beautiful facility. It served as a perfect setting for the drag racing, festival, and the start of a season-long celebration of 60 years of the Mustang.

“Our whole team was enthusiastic coming into this event at Gainesville Raceway. When we saw how excited our racers and race fans were, too, it just added to the adrenaline and set the tone for the weekend,” said Steve Wolcott, president and CEO of NMRA and NMCA. “The fan experience was exceptional, and there was so much for them to see and do. It was a great show, and we look forward to building upon this.”

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Santa Ana, CA – Hot on the heels of its successful 25th Anniversary season, the NMRA Ford Nationals series is slated for another exciting run of events in 2024, which kicks off at a historic new track and runs through to its storied World Finals. Along the way, NMRA plans a host of special features celebrating the 60th birthday of the Ford Mustang.

“This year we celebrated a major milestone for NMRA, but just like our racers, we aren’t ready to slow down or rest on our laurels,” said Steve Wolcott, President and CEO of NMRA. “We couldn’t be more excited to launch the 2024 season at legendary Gainesville Raceway and keep our pedal to the floor until the Ford event of the year in Bowling Green.”

The NMRA Ford Nationals kicks off at historic Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, in late February with the storied NMRA Spring Break Shootout, which is one of three standalone events highlighting Mustang’s 60th birthday. The following month, NMRA racers join forces with their NMCA counterparts in mid-April at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina, for the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals. In early May, NMRA rejoins NMCA for the Race for the Rings at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Returning to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, in early June, the NMRA Ford Homecoming will emphasize Mustang’s milestone with special features and celebrities. In mid-July, NMRA and NMCA turn up the heat at the NMRA/NMCA Power Festival held at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. As is tradition, NMRA will close out its season in Bowling Green, Kentucky, at Beech Bend Raceway with the epic NMRA World Finals + Intergalactic Ford Festival.

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Bowling Green, KY – Overcoming a drenched start, the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals Series’ 25th Anniversary season came to a rousing conclusion at scenic Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, during the Whipple Superchargers NMRA World Finals + Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival. Season champions and individual race winners were crowned in a multitude of classes as the six-race season ended on a high note.

The headlining VP Racing Madditives Renegade class featured a heated championship battle between title contenders Terry Wilson and Martin Connelley who traded punches until the semifinals where Connelley of Salyersville, Kentucky, prevailed. To win the title, Connelley still needed to win the final, which he did with a 4.64 after opponent Keith Cioborowski spun the tires in his ’14 Mustang. Connelley provisionally won the championship by a scant 35 points over Wilson.

Samantha Moore of Brighton, Michigan, long ago locked up the final championship in Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts Limited Street but went out early via a surprising red-light start. That opened the door for Stacy Roby of St. Marys, Ohio, to win the race. Roby wheeled his 2014 Mustang to a 9.65 to best the quicker 9.37 of Jay Misener of Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

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Martin, MI – The 2023 NMRA Holley Drag Racing Series entered the homestretch with the successful completion of the TorqStorm Billet Superchargers NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by Paul’s High Performance at U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, Mich. The event was highlighted by huge fields and intense points battles with numerous championships on the line. The NMRA series has now completed five of six scheduled events this season.

In addition to the on-track action, the event featured something for everyone including the UPR Products Car Show, and an appearance by BIGFOOT, the original 4×4 monster truck.

Martin Connelley, and Terry Wilson the top two drivers in the popular VP Racing Madditives Renegade class, met to decide the title and the two veterans put on a show with a great side-by-side race. Connolly was nearly perfect off the starting line and drove to a 4.450 at 155.71 mph on the eighth-mile track to barely edge Wilson, who was slightly quicker with a 4.537 at 155.33 mph. Since the Martin event is a combo race featuring drivers from both the NMRA and NMCA Series, the Renegade class is combined with Xtreme Street, with 26 cars appearing for the first round of eliminations. Connelley was extremely consistent throughout eliminations with five runs between 4.608 and 4.540 during eliminations.

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Norwalk, OH – As the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals celebrates 25 years in 2023, the race season is creating new memories and merriment, and that was apparent at the 3rd Annual Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming, June 9-11, 2023 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

“My team and I were happy to be part of the 25th anniversary of the NMRA,” said Bill Bader Jr., president of Summit Motorsports Park. “We were proud that the series chose Summit Motorsports Park as the place to celebrate its major milestone in motorsports.”

In addition to racing, the well-attended event in the Buckeye State was bustling with extra elements, including the Cobra Jet Reunion presented by TascaParts.com and Ford Performance, SVTPerformance.com 30th SVT Reunion, 40th Saleen Reunion, Harland Sharp Fox Body Reunion presented by Foxy Events, and the Anderson Composites Ford Off-Road Alley, among others.

Cars made crazy turns in the Maximum Motorsports All-Ford Autocross produced by AutoXperts, and the original Bigfoot and Bigfoot #19 made a boisterous appearance, with Bigfoot #19 crushing cars.

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Madison, IL – Blasting into The Gateway to the West, the NMRA and NMCA joined together for the 18th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing over the weekend of May 5-7, 2023, at the picturesque World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis in Madison, Illinois. With the iconic Gateway Arch setting the stage in the backdrop for a truly special weekend, racers celebrated milestone moments, well-deserved wins, and everything in between.

In conjunction with the NMRA and NMCA’s famous drag racing action on WWTR’s quarter-mile track, Douthit Motor Sports brought not one but two incredible, flame-throwing jet engine-powered Funny Cars out for exhibition runs that packed the stands with spectators. Meanwhile, both the original Bigfoot monster truck and Bigfoot #8 graced the property with their presence and delighted fans all weekend long, and other special features such as the car show, vendor midway, and ultimate fan experience all provided ample opportunities for additional excitement with games, giveaways, and more.

The combined field of NMRA VP Racing Madditives Renegade and NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street made for some exciting action at World Wide Technology Raceway, and Terry Wilson topped the list thanks to a 4.537 at 154.30 mph pass in his nitrous-injected 1995 Ford Mustang. Wilson worked hard during the Testo Shootout, but it was Martin Connelley who instead claimed ownership of the Nitto Tire Diamond Tree Ring with a win there. Hunting for redemption, Wilson focused on the next hurdle in front of him – winning the race outright. In eliminations, he picked up four wins in a row to run against Steven Wardlow and his 1965 Chevrolet El Camino in the finals for all the marbles. Ready to settle the score, Wardlow ripped down the eighth-mile and found what he was looking for on the winning side of the track by way of his 4.618 at 154.26 mph run.

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Rockingham, NC – The Holley NMRA Drag Racing series completed its second event of the season as the 15th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals Presented by MAHLE Motorsport took over historic Rockingham Dragway last weekend. More than a dozen individual champions were crowned at the event, which features many of drag racing’s quickest Ford-powered vehicles.

The star of the race turned out to be former class champ Susan Roush McClenaghan, of Livonia, Michigan, who earned titles in both the MagnaFuel Open Comp class and the Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle. Driving her familiar Roush Performance Mustang in both classes, McClenaghan topped Jody Blalock to earn the Open Comp crown and then won the Modular Muscle title by topping Charlie McCulloch. In both final rounds, McClenaghan had a quicker reaction time and ran closer to her dial-in than her opponent. Between both classes, McClenaghan went undefeated for nine consecutive elimination rounds.

Other winners included Jeff Kinsley, who won the Edelbrock Xtreme Street/VP Racing Madditives Renegade title by racing past Martin Connelly’s Mustang in the final round. Kinsley, in his Camaro, turned on the win light with a 4.646 on the eighth-mile course to cover Connelly’s competitive 4.899. Connelly was a semifinalist at the season-opener in Orlando, Florida, last month.

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