CONCORD, NC – Defending Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta enjoyed his second straight No. 1 qualifier, cementing the top spot on Saturday at zMAX Dragway at the 14th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.

John Force (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the fifth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta’s run of 3.691-seconds at 337.92 mph from Friday in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster held up through two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, handing the reigning world champion his second straight No. 1 spot and the 55th in his career. The result of taking the top position worked well in Las Vegas for Kalitta, as he claimed his first career four-wide win and he’ll look to replicate that on Sunday in Charlotte, also finishing qualifying with a strong 3.710 at 332.18.

“We kind of struggled a little bit today. We put this other blower on and just had a little bit too much power in that first run and smoked the tires, and then that last run, we got right to the finish line and kind of took care of that blower, unfortunately,” Kalitta said. “So we’re going to have to start from scratch again. But now that we’ve got our setup that we’ve been running, we’re going to be in good shape for tomorrow.” Continue reading →

CONCORD, NC – Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III made the fastest run in zMAX Dragway history on Saturday, racing to the victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge specialty race as part of this weekend’s 14th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the specialty race at the fifth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

In the Challenge final, Tasca went 3.834-seconds at 338.34 mph – the 10th-fastest run in Funny Car history – in his 11,000-horsepower Ford Performance Mustang to hold off points leader Austin Prock, J.R. Todd and Paul Lee. Tasca’s qualifying run from Friday was disqualified after his car’s intake manifold was found to have been media blasted. The violation is considered a technical infraction, as the intake manifold is not allowed to be altered in any form from its original, accepted state. Continue reading →

CONCORD, NC – Funny Car legend John Force set a new zMAX Dragway track record on Friday, powering to the provisional No. 1 spot at the 14th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the fifth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

In the final Funny Car quad of the night, Force went an impressive 3.820-seconds at 330.96 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS, setting a track record previously set by teammate Robert Hight last September. If that holds, Force, who won the Winternationals earlier this year in Phoenix, would pick up his 167th career No. 1 qualifier and first in 2024. It’s been a strong season thus far for Force, who looks to pick up his fifth career victory at zMAX Dragway this weekend after making the 10th-quickest run in Funny Car history on Friday. Continue reading →

CONCORD, NC – After a six-week hiatus from the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule, the competitive Pro Stock Motorcycle class returns to action at this weekend’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Atop the list of riders ready to hit the track is six-time champion Matt Smith.

Smith, a North Carolina native, is two-time zMAX Dragway winner and wants nothing more than to return to the winner’s circle on his Denso Spark Plugs Buell. With a runner-up finish in Gainesville under his belt, he’ll be ready to return to competition on this weekend in Charlotte.

“We won the first ever four-wide race in Charlotte,” Smith said. “Our goal is to try to win the four-wide this weekend. We need to get back to winning races and need give Gaige (Herrera) a run for his money. Hopefully one of our Denso bikes or Scrappers Racing bike can win this weekend.” Continue reading →

CONCORD, NC – Bob Tasca III knows all about how difficult it is to win a four-wide drag race, doing so two weeks ago in Las Vegas under the rarest of circumstances in NHRA Funny Car history.

The talented veteran pulled off the first triple holeshot in Funny Car to defeat Matt Hagan, Ron Capps and Austin Prock at the four-wide event in Vegas, winning one of the most thrilling final rounds in four-wide history. Next up is a chance to sweep the four-wide events at this weekend’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.

Tasca feels right at home at the “Bellagio of Dragstrips,” winning the fall race at the state-of-the-art facility and bringing plenty of momentum into this weekend following his historic win. But Tasca, who is seeking his first Charlotte 4-Wide Nationals victory in his 11,000-horsepower Ford Performance Mustang, knows just how difficult it is to win one of the biggest spectacles in motorsports. Continue reading →

CHICAGO – After the successful return to Route 66 Raceway last season, NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series teams and officials are excited to return to Chicago for the upcoming Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance on May 17-19.

The 2023 event saw a huge number of fans return to Route 66 Raceway to take in a memorable weekend of 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph excitement. This season’s race at Route 66 Raceway promises to deliver the same thrills on a race weekend loaded with four rounds of qualifying, a host of special events on Saturday and Sunday eliminations.

Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) took home race wins last year in their respective categories while Justin Ashley, Ron Capps and Gaige Herrera secured Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge titles. An additional highlight of the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance is the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout. A year ago, Pro Stock newcomer Camrie Caruso won the specialty event, with the best in Pro Stock set to duel again this year. All the action will also be featured on FS1, including eliminations action and a special Callout broadcast that airs at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 18 on FS1. Continue reading →