- Hagan Captures 50th NHRA Career Win in TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Funny Car at NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte
- Ashley, Hagan, Anderson and Herrera take Wins at Charlotte Four-Wide
- TOUGH FINAL ROUND PUTS DAMPER ON WEEKEND FOR JOHN FORCE IN CHARLOTTE NHRA 4-WIDE NATIONALS
- BO BUTNER WINS JHG MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK SEASON OPENER
- AARON STANFIELD RUNNER-UP AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
- JUSTIN ASHLEY WINS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS AT ZMAX DRAGWAY
- Tony Schumacher Out Early After Jam-Packed Four-Wide Weekend in Charlotte
Drag racing double header set for Extreme Mayhem Nationals June 10-12
Courtesy of PMRA, Quick 32 and PBSS
CAYUGA, ON – Although the qualifying rounds in the Pro Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman 
Series, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series were completed during the Victoria Day Weekend Challenge May 20-22 at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park, rain postponed the elimination runs for the event.
All three drag race series will hold their competition rounds during Cayuga’s Extreme Mayhem Nationals June 10-12.
A large count of competition vehicles were on hand for the season opener at Cayuga.
Former, and three-time PMRA champion Bruce Boland of Hamilton, Ontario paced the Pro Modifieds with a number one qualifying position in his new 1941 Willys coupe.
Maddern Racing Earns ‘The Wally’ In Bakersfield
Courtesy of Maddern Racing
Bakersfield, CA – The Peen Rite / Clean Boost Performance Oil Maddern Racing Top Alcohol Dragster Team with 
Chris Demke at the wheel, out lasted the competition for the win this past weekend at the third of six Lucas Oil Pacific Division 7 event in Bakersfield, California.
The Peen Rite Team secured their position to compete later this year at the prestigious 2011 Jegs All Stars Race at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet this coming July.
“This weekend was really big for us” noted Demke, “first, it was the week of Jerry Maddern’s birthday. He really wanted to run a 5.20 something which we missed by only 4 thousandths of a second. However, he’s pretty happy with the Wally and that we ran our quickest ET ever at Bakersfield by more than a tenth of a second.
Garrett Bateman Debuts “Nitro Pirate” Funny Car at Rockabilly Reunion in Vegas
Courtesy of Leggitt Racing
Las Vegas, NV – 2009 NHRA Heritage series Nostalgia Funny Car Champion Garrett Bateman has been named driver of the new “Nitro Pirate” Corvette Nostalgia Fuel Funny Car owned by Les Leggitt. The teams first event is Memorial
Day weekend at the Rockabilly Reunion at The Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bateman carries multiple racing licenses including an NHRA Top Alcohol A/Fuel Dragster license and he also earned his class A License at Bonneville last October while setting a new land speed record in AA/BGC at 222.768 mph in a full bodied1967 Barracuda.
“Last year when I met legend Les Leggitt at the Salt Flats” said Bateman, “we hit it off very well. Les is a legend within the land speed record world and holds multiple speed records at both Bonneville and El Mirage. We both share the same drive and desire for success and he is a person that will spare no expense for a top notch car and team.
“Les has spent hours and hours doing homework to come up with the right combination of people, parts and brain trust. I know we will succeed.
“Additionally, we have the support of two great marketing partners. We welcome to our family Pure Vision and Clean Boost Performance Oils. With Steve Strope of Pure Vision on board along with Jim LeClaire (Marketing Manager) with Clean Boost Performance Oils, we have the makings of very good things to come for our team.”
Eight Pieces of Silver gives Perkins Kansas win!
Courtesy of 801 Racing
Topeka, KS – Cody “Flash” Perkins only had eight pistons for the entire race weekend. In fact, on the Monday preceding the race he had none. So how did Perkins manage to win 
the Top Alcohol Dragster title at the NHRA Summer Nationals?
Perkins parlayed those few slugs into consistent time slips and round victories. The newly sponsored 801 Racing Top Alcohol Dragster qualified 8th and in first round action got by Edwin Schmeeckle with a 5.55 @ 252.90mph. On Sunday, Cody lined up against #2 qualifier, Mark Taliaferro for round 2 eliminations.
“Flash” got the hole shot with a 0.033 reaction time and pulled away from Taliaferro. Cody continued to hold on for a victory win of 5.38 @ 262.59mph. For round 3, Cody got a bye and idled down the track to save precious resources. He faced Aaron Tatum in the final round with Tatum having lane choice.
IHRA unveils brand new website dedicated to sportsman racing
Courtesy of IHRA
Norwalk, OH – The International Hot Rod Association is proud to announce a brand new website dedicated to serving the sportsman racer and providing the latest racing news from the most sportsman-friendly sanctioning
body in drag racing.
The new IHRA.com features a new streamlined presentation, new features and an easily accessible interface designed to provide racers and fans alike a place to go for all things IHRA sportsman racing.
“The first thing you will notice when you visit the new IHRA website is the Ironman trophy jumping off the page and showing what this site is all about – IHRA sportsman racing,” said Skooter Peaco, IHRA VP of Race Operations. “Our goal is to provide a cleaner, easier and more exciting website for our racers and fans and I think this site has all of that and more.”
ADRL Teams Up With Kansas Army National Guard For Independence Drags V
Courtesy of ADRL
O’FALLON, MO – The American Drag Racing League (ADRL) in association with the Kansas Army National Guard announced on Wednesday that the Kansas Army National Guard will serve as the title sponsor for the upcoming 
Independence Drags V, and the event will officially be titled the ADRL Kansas Army National Guard Independence Drags V.
The much-anticipated event is the fourth stop on the nine-race 2011 ADRL Tour and it takes place June 17-18 at Heartland Park Topeka (HPT) in Topeka, Kan.
“We are very excited to again partner with the Kansas Army National Guard at the Independence Drags. It is a relationship that has developed over the past several years and we anticipate more great success working with them again,” ADRL Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Brian Evans said.
Gahm Working Hard To Get Back In XPS Mix
Courtesy of ADRL
Photos by Roger Richards
O’FALLON, MO – With his Mustang not working the way he wanted, Brian Gahm decided to take matters into his own 
hands. As he proved at Maple Grove Raceway, that’s still a highly-effective option.
Running on his back-up motor for the last two events, Gahm finally started to see the results he wanted at the Penske Truck Leasing Inaugural Northeast Drags.
Much of it was his own doing, as he used holeshots to knock off Pete Berner and Tony Gillig, advancing to the finals after two first-round exits in 2011.
“We really struggled the first two races, so the whole team needed that,” Gahm said. “(Maple Grove) was good for us. Our guys have really been busting their butts and they needed to get their chins picked up.
Did you miss the latest WFO?
Courtesy of WFO
HOLLYWOOD, FL – NHRA Summer Nationals winners Robert Hight, Spencer Massey, and Shane Gray join Joe Castello along with the NHRA’s Alan Reinhart, on this week’s WFO Radio NHRA Tuesday. To listen now, go to
WFORadio.com.
Robert Hight, took home the 200th victory for John Force Racing at the Summer Nationals with a final round victory over teammate Mike Neff. Hight also discusses the injury to crew member, David “Shafty” Karcanes and dodging tornadoes with 15 time champion, John Force.
DSR Top Fuel driver, Spencer Massey celebrates his first victory driving the FRAM dragster. Massey talks about the long road back to NHRA Top Fuel, his own Kansas tornado story, and his history working toward his dream of running in NHRA Top Fuel.
Elimination in PMRA, Quick 32 and PBSS postponed to June 10-12 at Extreme Mayhem Nationals
Courtesy of PMRA, Quick 32, PBSS
CAYUGA, ONTARIO – While qualifying sessions were completed for the Victoria Day Weekend Challenge at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park, inclement weather postponed the elimination rounds in the Pro
Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the Pro Bike & Sled Series.
This was the first event for all three drag race series for 2011, and series and track officials announced the remainder of the program will be held June 10-12 at Cayuga during the Extreme Mayhem Nationals.
The postponed elimination rounds will be held during this weekend, which also features the second event for the three series.
Bruce Boland, of Hamilton, Ontario, qualified number one in the PMRA with a 5.953-second, 235.47-mph posting. The former champion debuted his new 1941 Willys, and was dialed in for the first race of 2011. Qualifying second was Vito Montesano of Maple, Ontario, with his 1968 Camaro, and third was Derek Hawker of Corbyville, Ontario, in his 1963 Corvette.
ANOTHER FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE FOR BARTONE IN TOPEKA
Courtesy Rick Jackson Racing
Topeka, KS – A fourth-consecutive National Hot Rod Association final round appearance for the Rick Jackson Racing team at the NHRA Supernationals contested at Heartland Park 
Topeka, provides more important Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series points for the Centre Pointe Collision Center sponsored team’s quest to capture the NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car World Championship.
Entering final eliminations, driver Tony Bartone and the Rick Jackson Racing / Centre Pointe Collision Center Ford Mustang Funny Car found themselves qualified in the number three position, after recording a solid 5.625 in a shortened due to severe weather qualifying session.
“The weather delays on Friday gave us only one chance at the track on Friday, so we wanted to be sure to lay down a good base-line to improve on,” stated team owner Rick Jackson, the owner of Centre Pointe Collision Center in Santa Clarita, Calif. “Qualifying has been highly diverse for our team this year; from sitting on the pole, to being the last qualifier.
