- HendrickCars.com to sponsor Brittany Force’s Top Fuel dragster starting at this weekend’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte
- DANIEL WILKERSON AND SCAG FORD FUNNY CAR TEAM LOOKING TO TURN THINGS AROUND AT CHARLOTTE FOUR-WIDE
- Dustin Smiley Races to Advanced Product Design $15,000 Wednesday Win at the Spring Fling
- NEOPMA Pro Mod Drivers Ready to Start 2024 Season at MIR’s Door Wars
- JUSTIN ASHLEY AND SCAG TOYOTA TEAM LOOK TO CONTINUE PROMISING START TO NHRA SEASON AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
- FOSTER LOOKING TO TAKE AQUA PROP ALL THE WAY AT CHARLOTTE FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
- MBE Tech Report
Mopar pro Coughlin has JEGS.com Avenger on cusp of big things
Courtesy of Jegs
DENVER, CO – Five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has always enjoyed his trips to Bandimere Speedway, racing his JEGS.com-
sponsored racecars to a pair of victories on Thunder Mountain in 1998 and ’99. He also relishes his yearly reunions with the Bandimere family, kindred spirits in both drag racing and philanthropic endeavors.
This year the importance of the race rises to an even higher level as Coughlin arrives in town as a big part of the Mopar team, the title sponsor of the race — the 33rd annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.
“This could be the biggest race we’ve ever had in Denver,” Coughlin said. “It’s always a challenging event and one we’ve enjoyed quite a bit over the years. Now, with our association with Mopar, it becomes a race where its important to show our best side. They’ve done a lot for us and this new team we’ve put together, and we’d like to show them our thanks by doing well at their big event.
Ahten looking for a thrill ride in Sonoma
Courtesy of Athen Family Racing
Photo by Chuck Costabile
Sonoma, CA – Johnny Ahten and his Ahten Racing Team are happy to be descending. Not in their racing program, but they are eager to be racing closer to sea level. Their last three races have been at high elevation tracks. Racing at Sonoma Raceway in this weekend’s
Regional race changes all that.
“With good weather we could be racing at 1800ft, whereas we have been used to racing at over 3000ft,” said Ahten. “We like Sonoma, since we seem to run well there. We have run in the 20’s, and even runnered-up.”
Some changes will have to be made to the Island Renovations / 801 Racing / Fireman’s Brew Dragster. The Ahten Racing team lead by crew chief Al Ahten, will use elements from their Tucson IHRA win, with changes for altitude. Assisting the elder Ahten will be Howard Katano, Bob Ahten, Kevin Colvell, and Chuck Costable.
Lawrence surprises in TAD, Payne sweeps TAFC at Woodburn
Written by Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Woodburn, OR – At the Les Schwab Challenge Western Regional event at Woodburn Dragstrip, Gregg Lawrence came from the last spot in the field to take down championship contenders Joey Severance and Chris Demke for Top Alcohol Dragster honors, and all-time great Jay Payne
outlasted a top-flight field of Top Alcohol Funny Cars for his second victory of the season and passed idle Frank Manzo for second place in the national standings.
Lawrence upset Severance, the two-time defending event champion and pre-race favorite, in the opening round with a steady 5.55. Severance, a co-owner of the track, shook the tires off the starting line and slowed to an 8.57 after the chutes deployed. Lawrence soloed in the semifinals and met Demke, who set the track record (5.32) in qualifying, in the final.
Demke, who ran a 5.33 in the first round and a 5.35 in a semifinal win over Megan McKernan, coasted to a 17.96 after a wire to the six-shooter became disconnected when the car rattled the tires in low gear. Lawrence, who got quicker and quicker in every round, scooped up the win with his best run of the weekend, 5.53.
Urban, D’Agnolo, Santangelo, Milstead, Furr and Wood take wins in Maryland
Courtesy of IHRA
BUDDS CREEK, MD – When it comes to big races, no one does it better than Steve Furr.
Furr, the defending Super Rod World Champion from Harrisburg, N.C., traveled to Maryland International Raceway over the weekend for the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Spectacular presented by AMSOIL and battled his way through one of the toughest fields
of the year en route to winning the Super Rod title and reaching the finals in Top Dragster as over 400 cars – a record for this event – came to play in the IHRA’s biggest sportsman race of the year.
Furr won the Super Rod Ironman over Mike Daymude and reached the finals in Top Dragster against Tommy Cable, but heavy rains moved in just as the pair were set to fire leaving the only undecided race of the weekend to be made up at a later date. The rest of the winners from the $5,000 to win Summit Sportsman Spectacular at MIR were Donny Urban (TS), Pete D’Agnolo (SS), Joe Santangelo (ST), Jake Milstead (QR) and Doug Wood (HR).
Easily the most successful weekend belonged to the Division 9 regular and two-time world champion as Furr punched his ticket to the Summit Tournament of Champions later this year and stands to possibly collect over $10,000 when all is said and done if he manages the double.
Eastern Canada’s Biggest Drag Race Returns to Picturesque Grand Bend
Courtesy of IHRA
GRAND BEND, ON – Race fans looking for the ultimate drag racing getaway need look no further than the Grand Bend Motorplex in Grand Bend, Ontario. 
Located just a few miles from the picturesque resort town on the shores of Lake Huron, the Grand Bend Motorplex offers all the amenities race fans could ever want – from good food to great racing – all on display during one of Canada’s premier motorsports events July 21-22 at the IHRA Mopar Nitro Jam Nationals.
Grand Bend always features one of the biggest drag racing events in all of Canada, bringing thousands of fans from across North America to the campgrounds and grandstands at the Motorplex.
This year’s event will feature a full contingent of sportsman competition plus an exciting lineup of nitro classes – from 320 mph Top Fuel Dragsters to Prostalgia Nitro Funny Cars, Nitro Harleys and Nostalgia Fuel Altereds – plus the stars of the Pro Mod Racing Association, the two-wheel daredevils of Harley Destroys along with a huge show featuring the 30,000 horsepower Shockwave jet semi, the PT Cruiser wheelstander and much more.
Kevin Bealko on the fast track at Martin 131 Event
Courtesy of Black Diamonf Motorsports
Photo by Roger Richards
Martin, MI – Patience and perseverance were the theme of the day at Summer Drags VIII at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich. Fridays first session of qualifying saw the Black Diamond Motorsports 2011 GXP driven by Kevin Bealko sitting in the number
one position with a 4.072 seconds elapsed time (ET) at 175.45 miles per hour (MPH).
Six hours later after several rain showers in the second round of qualifying with the humidity at the extreme end of the gauge, Kevin aborted the run when the GXP headed for the wall but his previous qualifying run held up enough for third position as the rain returned again canceling the rest of qualifying. Saturday would be the final qualifying session in which the Black Diamond Motorsports crew hoped to improve in.
Saturday’s qualifying session did not see any improvement in the ET but no other competitor was able to improve their ET’s either allowing the GXP to remain in the third position and would have to face the Lone Mopar driven by Larry O’Brien in the first round of eliminations.
John Deflorian Wins ADRL Summer Drags VIII
Photo by Roger Richards
American Drag Racing’s League’s (ADRL) Extreme Pro Stock class.In its sixth pass in competition the Jerry Haas Race Cars 2012 Camaro driven by John and his Black Diamond Motorsports crew qualified number one in the second session with 4.105 elapsed time (ET) at 175.91miles per hour (MPH) at ADRL Spring Drags III in Bristol then upped the ante with a 4.091 ET at 176.05 MPH in the third session to cement his first number one qualifying position .
John accomplished another of his goal’s in the third session of qualifying at ADRL’s Gateway Drags IV presented by CarSafe held at Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis his home track . John ran the fastest ET and MPH of Extreme Pro Stock class racing with a 4.018 ET at 179.92 MPH capturing both records in the sixteenth pass on the Camaro .
TNT Super Series competes Friday at Mopar IHRA Nitro Jam Nationals in Grand Bend
Courtesy of TNT
GRAND BEND, ON – For the second consecutive year, the Joe’s Transmission TNT Super Series will compete during the Mopar IHRA Nitro Jam Nationals this weekend. Grand Bend Motorplex will host a complete TNTSS 10.90 drag race on Friday July 20th
presented by Rosehill Auction House.
Paying $1000 to win, this is race #7 on the 2012 TNTSS schedule and counts towards the series points championship. It will offer all of the features the TNTSS is known for – including round money, specialty awards and contingency postings – PLUS a chance to get into the Performance Improvements Race of Champions in September.
Last year’s event was a huge success with 35 cars in TNTSS competition. “We had pretty much every Hot Rod and Super Rod car that was on the property Friday afternoon run our race,” said Ted Barnes, TNTSS Director. “We’re looking to hit 40 this year!” And since the TNTSS has no minimum weight and allows left-hand steer roadsters, they have a good chance to do just that.
Rahaim, DeFlorian Garner First ADRL Wins, Lead Winners List At Summer Drags VIII
Courtesy of ADRL
MARTIN, MI – Bob Rahaim couldn’t have picked a better place for his first American Drag Racing League (ADRL) win.
Racing at his home ADRL track, the Pro Nitrous standout delivered an incredible performance in front of a huge gathering of
friends and family, going a career-best 3.797 at 197.10 miles per hour on Saturday to beat Pat Stoken in the finals of the Summer Drags VIII at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
It capped off a day the Grosse Point, Mich. native won?t ever forget.
I’m feeling numb. This is pretty overwhelming. To do this at your home track and have everybody here, it’s just a storybook thing,? Rahaim said. ?You couldn’t have scripted it any better
I can say my life is complete. I’ve always wanted to win one of these races and I’ve always wanted to do it at my home track with everybody here in person.
Other Summer Drags VIII winners included Jason Scruggs (Pro Extreme), Alan Pittman (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Eric McKinney (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), John DeFlorian (Extreme Pro Stock), Mike Castellana (Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified), Bruce Thrift (Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman) and Bo Butner (SuperCar Showdown).
Bealko and Deflorian, 3rd and 4th after 2 Sessions at ADRL Martin
Courtesy of Black Diamond Motorsports
Photo Courtesy of Roger Richards
Martn, MI – Black Diamond Motorsports driver’s Kevin Bealko and John Deflorian, Jr. closed Friday’s day of qualifying in third and fourth qualifying positions. With two separate rain delays that wiped away one total round of qualifying,
patience was the key at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
The 2011 GXP driven by Kevin Bealko opened the first qualifying session with a 4.072 seconds elapsed time which placed him in the number one spot. In the second round of qualifying six hours later with the humidity at the extreme end of the gauge, Kevin aborted the run when the GXP headed for the wall but his previous qualifying run held up enough for third position for Saturday final qualifying session
The 2012 Camaro driven by John Deflorian, Jr. opened the first qualifying session with a tire shaking 4.279 seconds elapsed time which placed him outside of the field. With the rain delays John waited patiently for his turn to qualify and parlayed it into a 4.088 seconds elapsed time placing him on the same side of the qualifying ladder with Kevin in the fourth position .
