When Alex Laughlin, the jack-of-all-trades drag racer, moved on from his ride in a fuel car, he wasted little time finding yet another avenue to fill his need for speed. Laughlin plans to drive the Geoff Turk Factory X Blackbird X Challenger, the seat recently vacated by Allen Johnson. 

For Laughlin, Factory X represents the eighth different division he's raced in less than a decade. It might have been the ninth racing if a motorcycle deal had worked out. 

Factory X brings a high level of intrigue to Laughlin.

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There will be a Wilkerson driving the SCAG Power Equipment-sponsored Funny Car in 2024; it just won’t be Tim Wilkerson. Second-generation drag racer Daniel Wilkerson will be taking over the driving duties of the Ford Mustang Funny Car, while Tim will take over the tuning roles for his son’s entry. 

Daniel has some big shoes to fill as his father’s 27-year career included a resume of 24 wins, 20 No. 1 qualifiers, and 16 NHRA top ten point finishes, including a best second in 2005. 

Chad Green will still have a Tim Wilkerson Racing connection; he will just have two crew chiefs instead of one in 2024. Dean Marinis and Joe Serena will serve as co-crew chiefs for Green with the announcement that Daniel Wilkerson will now drive the Funny car formerly piloted by his father, Tim. Green will continue to rent space in Wilkerson's shop. 

At the time, the project was ahead of state-of-the-art. The year was 1983, and for the NHRA, it was its first significant upgrade to Indianapolis Raceway Park [IRP] after purchasing the facility in 1979. The NHRA plans 41 years later to ensure history repeats itself.

The design renderings still need to be completed as of this publish date, but those close to the situation have said the project will be one to behold.

“We’re really looking forward to debuting the new tower,” said Kasey Kohler, the NHRA’s vice president of track management and operations. “It’s part of our reinvestment back into our tracks, which has been an important focus for us. The Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is a huge event, the marquee event on the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule, and our reinvestment into the track in Indy will represent that.”

 
Just as Chase Van Sant was ascending further up the 2023 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, his season ended abruptly.
 
During Q1 of the NHRA Texas FallNationals in Dallas, Oct. 13, Van Sant hurt his left knee while piloting his Suzuki.
 
“Basically, nothing was broken or torn; it just really took all the skin off the front of my kneecap,” Van Sant said. “I was hanging off the side trying to fight the wind, and I just hit a bump, and the bike compressed a little bit, naturally the way it does when it hits a bump, and it (his kneecap) just smoked the ground. It only touched for a quick second, but I think it just hit hard enough and went through the skin.

EDITOR'S NOTE - For the next year, CompetitionPlus.com will celebrate its journey to 25 years of reporting drag racing news you can trust. The Road to 25 Series will present a story from each year that impacted the drag racing world. Today's installment focuses on the 2001 departure of drag racing's major sponsor RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company/Winston. 

Past Top Fuel driver Cameron Ferre has been named as the new driver for  Hertzig/Akers Motorsports, piloting the “Johnnys On Thin Ice” AA/FC in both the 2024 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage and Legends of Nitro Racing Series. 

“This is going to be awesome,” Ferre said. “Rick has been trying to get me behind the wheel of one of his cars for years, and it just hasn’t worked out logistically until now, and I think it’s perfect timing. I feel this will be a great move for me to get back into a race-winning-caliber car and run for a championship. 

“Not to mention, keep me out on track while I work on getting back to top fuel. This will, for sure, keep my finger on the nitro pulse and allow me to stay as relevant as I can. And heck, who doesn’t love driving Funny Cars? I can’t thank Rick, John, and Roxie enough, and I’m ready to get to work.”

Maryland International Raceway (MIR) is looking for a motivated individual to join their team as Track Manager. In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing racing operations, directing events, handling track preparation, managing staff, coordinating event checklists, and organizing track rentals.

In this five-part series, CompetitionPlus.com will explore ten races that were really great at one time, and some were famous, while others were obscure. The bottom line is they were fun and epitomized the spirit of drag racing. 

We will undoubtedly miss a few, but save your judgment until the series ends. Special thanks to Bret Kepner, Dave Wallace, Steve Earwood, and others who helped ensure this series came to fruition with their knowledge of the sport and willingness to contribute. 

Drag racing is a sport where collaboration can mean the difference between winning and losing. With multiple Prop Stock championships to their credit, there’s no doubt Elite Motorsports knows how to win. 

Today, Elite revealed it has partnered with leading contract machining company Schwartz Machine. 

Since 1951, Schwartz Machine has been recognized as one of the leading contract machining companies in the Detroit area. They are known for their ability to take programs from prototype to production.