IHRA
IHRA approaching record track count with signing of El Paso Motorplex
Courtesy of IHRA
Norwalk, OH – The International Hot Rod Association is pleased to welcome El Paso Motorplex to its family of 
member tracks as the sanctioning body steadily approaches record numbers for member tracks.
El Paso Motorplex, a brand new facility that will be opening its doors for the first time later this month, is the 12th different track to sign with the IHRA in 2011 as the IHRA member track list steadily approaches triple digits. The signing also brings the IHRA one step closer to adding a new division in the Summit SuperSeries as early as next year.
“We at IHRA are excited about bringing the new track in El Paso into the family. This is another step in forming a new division in the west,” said Phil Gingerich, IHRA Director of Track Development.
Big league nitro racing returns to Pittsburgh May 20-21
Courtesy of IHRA
NEW ALEXANDRIA, PA – It has been several years since the sights, sounds and smells of big league nitro racing have 
filled the lanes at Pittsburgh Raceway Park, but that will all change later this month when the IHRA Nitro Jam series makes its debut at the western Pennsylvania track May 20-21 for the Pittsburgh Nitro Jam.
Three pro nitro classes will be in attendance at the debut event, along with several exhibitions and local racers making for one of the biggest drag racing events in the state in just a few short weeks. And it will all take place at a facility rich in drag racing history as Nitro Jam brings professional drag racing back to the Keystone State for the first time in many years.
East coast’s top Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car team taking on the world
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – He has broken world records, won dozens of races and now he’s proven himself among the elite in nostalgia Funny Car competition.
No, these days there isn’t much left for Peter Gallen to prove in the world of drag racing.
Coming off of his first trip into the wild west, the land of self-proclaimed nostalgia Funny Car royalty, Gallen returns with several new records, a pair of shiny Ironman trophies and the respect of just about everyone in the world of nostalgia racing. And he isn’t quite done just yet.
“I am just thrilled with the way the car has been running. It just keeps continually repeating performance wise,” Gallen said. “Our secret weapon has been John Benigini. He is our car chief and I know when he touches anything I don’t have to look it over – it is done right. John, along with Bob Rosetty and my son Peter, that is my crew and they make sure everything is done right so I can concentrate on the tuning calls.
Pittsburgh Raceway Park unveils facility upgrades in anticipation of Nitro Jam debut
Courtesy of IHRA
NEW ALEXANDRIA, PA – In anticipation of one of the biggest motorsports events to ever visit western Pennsylvania the staff at Pittsburgh Raceway Park have spent the offseason upgrading the 
facility and getting it ready for a full season of racing highlighted by the highly anticipated debut of Nitro Jam May 20-21 at the Pittsburgh facility.
Over the past few weeks nothing has been able to slow Pittsburgh Raceway Park owner Michael Tedesco from performing numerous improvements at the IHRA sanctioned drag racing facility in Westmoreland County, including numerous upgrades to the track surface, grandstands and spectator facilities as the track prepares to open its doors for the first time later this month.
Manners, Evans locked in epic Pro Fuel battle
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – Same story, different year. It was only five months ago when Bill Evans and the “Black Pearl” crew 
wrapped up their first Nitro Jam championship to conclude an epic title fight with Mike Manners that wasn’t decided until the final pass of the 2010 season.
This year, already halfway through the schedule, it appears the same great battle will once again dominate the headlines as Evans and Manners are once again locked in an epic struggle in Nitro Jam’s popular 100 percent nitro-powered dragster class heading into Pro Fuel’s biggest race of the year next month in Pittsburgh.
After sweeping the Pro Fuel class in San Antonio Michael Manners has closed within two points of class leader Bill Evans
“It has been a wonderful year so far for our team, especially with the two wins in San Antonio. We were a little disappointed with some of the inconsistency the first half of the year, but the car is running as good as ever at this point in the season,” Manners said. “The crew has done an excellent job keeping us fast and competitive and it looks like this year we might have something for that ‘Black Pearl’ team.”
Nitro Jam’s Harley riders providing best show on two wheels
Courtesy of IHRA
NORWALK, OH – They are the true daredevils of the sport, modern day masters of the impossible.
Reaching the fastest speeds in the world among the two-wheeled community with no traditional safety nets to speak 
of, the riders of the Nitro Harley division are renowned for their death defying 220 mile per hour passes, incredible showmanship and parity among the racers.
And all of that has been on display and then some on the IHRA’s Nitro Jam tour this season.
Through four Nitro Jam events already completed in 2011, all four Nitro Harley riders have tasted victory and all four have taken their turn at the head of the pack. Beginning with Steve Dorn at Palm Beach through Randal Andras’ big win in San Antonio earlier this month, the Nitro Harley riders has proven the most competitive of the quintet of Nitro Jam classes and they are showing no signs of slowing down entering the second wave of races beginning next month.
Overflow crowd watch records fall, winners crowned at San Antonio Nitro Jam
Courtesy of IHRA
SAN ANTONIO, TX – They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that goes double for the racing.
In front of one of the largest crowds to ever watch a race at San Antonio Raceway, records fell by the wayside and a
number of new winners emerged from the shadows to lay claim to an IHRA Nitro Jam trophy and take home a victory during the finale of the San Antonio Nitro Jam Saturday night in Marion.
Among the winner’s of Saturday’s huge show were new champions Rick Krafft in Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car and Randal Andras in Nitro Harley, while Bobby Lagana Jr. picked up a win in Top Fuel and Chris Bennett (Nostalgia Fuel Altered) and Michael Manners (Pro Fuel) swept their respective categories in front of an overflow crowd.
A capacity crowd was on hand to see Nitro Jam’s best at the San Antonio Nitro Jam Saturday in Marion
Litton, Bennett, Manners and Turner all visit victory lane
Courtesy of IHRA
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (April 1, 2011) – It appears Nitro Jam’s newest rivalry has been born.
For the fourth time in the last five finals Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car competitors Peter Gallen and Mike McIntire met 
in the final of the eight-car Funny Car class and for the fourth time this season Gallen took home the win needing a new Nitro Jam best run to lay claim to his 11th career Ironman trophy Friday at the San Antonio Nitro Jam in Texas.
“Mike and those guys are a world class group and it is an honor to get a chance to race them for the win,” Gallen said. “Those guys are giving it their all so we knew we needed to match that intensity to take home this trophy. We also had to fight a rapidly cooling track which these guys did an awesome job of keeping up with. This was a big win for us and we look forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow.”
Lagana crew comes to rescue of fellow racer
Courtesy of IHRA
SAN ANTONIO, TX – Bobby Lagana Jr. and Mike McIntire have never met on the racetrack, but that didn’t stop Lagana from racing to McIntire’s side in his time of need.
Following last weekend’s Arizona Nitro Jam in Tucson, many of the top teams on the Nitro Jam tour began their trek back east to the San Antonio Nitro Jam this weekend in Texas. But while many of the teams made it to San Antonio Raceway earlier this week without a problem, McIntire and the “McAttack” Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car team weren’t so lucky.
Just a few miles across the Texas border in El Paso, McIntire’s race rig suffered a catastrophic failure and the team was left stranded still some 600 miles from their destination.
Not knowing exactly who to call, McIntire called Top Fuel star Lagana who was already in San Antonio and asked for some advice. Not long after Lagana’s crewman Bob Szelag was on his way to El Paso to pick up McIntire’s race rig and bring it the nearly 18-hour trip back to San Antonio.
Cherissa Smallwood Looking for First Iron Man Victory in The Alamo
Courtesy of Nitro and Lace
San Antonio, TX – The NitroandLace.com Pro Fuel Dragster Team is traveling more than 1200 miles this weekend 
from their Florida home to compete in one of the largest United States landmark cities, The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas.
In 11 years of competition within the injected nitro dragster class, this is the first time that Smallwood will pilot her dragster at an IHRA Sanctioned Event within the State of Texas.
“We are very fortunate to be on the IHRA Nitro Jam Tour and invited to so many great tracks” noted Smallwood, “we’ve been looking forward to coming to San Antonio all year. In addition to racing history, this city has an incredible place in US History that makes it even more exciting for us to be here.
