Morice McMillin has bounced back from finishing fifth of six starters at the previous round of the NDRC championship to score the easiest of wins when series leader Justin Walshe was pushed off the startline in the A-Final of the Goldenstates from Perth Motorplex, November 25.

Teammate Brandon Gosbell claimed the win in the B-Final against local star Anthony Begley. Adam Murrihy, on a solo, scrapped the wall and ended in the gravel trap in the C-Final.  

With only five entries, the Top qualifying spot came with the bonus of a bye in round one.

Shane Olive, sidelined when Lamattina Top Fuel Racing cut back to a single entry for the 2023-2024 season, has been thrown a lifeline when team owner Santo Rapisarda decided to enter a third car at the Christmas Showdown meeting, at Sydney Dragway, December 2.

Rapisarda’s gesture will ensure there will be six entries in Top Fuel.

Round Two of the NDRC Top Fuel series scheduled to be held at Willowbank Raceway on December 1-2 has been canceled.

The event will be transferred to Sydney Dragway and run as a single-day event on December 2.

Tommy Johnson Jnr’s plan to become the first ever to win in Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car in both America and Australia came unstuck at the hands of Aussie Justin Walshe in the A-FINAL of the Sydney Nationals on October 27-28.

Walshe, is best known as the world record holder for Altered raced an ex-DSR Dodge Charger previously driven by Ron Capps. 

The last time there was an all-RAI final was on January 6, 2020, at Willowbank Raceway when Wayne Newby defeated Damien Harris.

1387 days later, the tables were turned when Harris outpaced Newby to take the win at the inaugural round of the 2023-24 NDRC championship at The Bend Raceway in South Australia.

“Anytime you can get a win is a great result, especially when it’s in front of our team owner Santo and his family," said Harris. “This was a tough weekend for Santo Junior and his crew. The weather was a real challenge. To get both Rapisarda cars into the final was the plan going into the weekend. That worked out a treat. “

 
Australia’s newest drag venue, Dragway at The Bend in rural South Australia, will host the first round of the 2023-2024 National Drag Racing Championship, October 21-22.

The $35 million facility situated an hour from Adelaide, the Capital of South Australia, was expected to open in 2022, but supply shortages and construction delays pushed the date out by 12 months.

The meeting, the first to be conducted under the recently formed NDRC umbrella, has attracted six Top Fuel entries, including two cars from the Rapisarda Autosport International stable.

Leading Australian Top Fuel team owner Phil Lamattina has confirmed plans to run a single-car operation and that long-term sponsor FUCHS Lubricants will continue their partnership for the 2023-2024 NDRC season beginning on October 21-22.

LTFR has run two cars for the past two seasons—one with Phil Lamattina and the second with ex-Nitro Funny Car racer Shane Olive.

"Move over, dad" could be the mantra from Kurtis Read, son of three-time Aussie Top Fuel champ Phil Read and grandson of the legendary Jim Read, one of the all-time greats in Australian drag racing.

The 22-year-old Read, an ex-go-kart racer, recently made his drag racing debut in Supercharged Outlaw. He top qualified and under the all-run format, advanced to the final and claimed victory with a 6.59/209 mph.