Sonoma Raceway has announced the appointment of Brian Flynn as its new Executive Vice President and General Manager, according to a statement made by Marcus Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Speedway Motorsports. Flynn, a distinguished veteran in the motorsports business, brings with him a wealth of experience, having spent 30 years in senior motorsports and business management roles.

As Rickie Smith shuffled over to the airplane wing, he knew there was no turning back. At the time, Smith, the winningest IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock racer, was doing stuff that NHRA 500-inch Pro Stockers did, like jumping out of a perfect airplane during a Winston promo in the 1990s days before the NHRA Springnationals in Columbus, Ohio. 

When his tandem jumping partner signaled it was time to go, Smith knew there was no turning back.

Thursday, at Virginia Motorsports Park, ahead of the Professional Drag Racers Association ProStars event, when the engine for Scott Palmer’s Top Fuel dragster fires, Smith, will kinda-sorta experience a bit of deja-vu.

ICE Recovery + Wellness, a premier recovery solutions provider, has joined forces with Funny Car driver Jason Rupert as the primary sponsor for the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway from July 28-30. Rupert and his dedicated volunteer crew have diligently prepared for the event since his last appearance in April at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

Rupert's Ford Mustang will transform with a new wrap courtesy of Ultimate Design to mark this exciting partnership. ICE Recovery + Wellness, located in San Diego's Carmel Valley, offers a range of sought-after recovery modalities, including cryotherapy, infrared sauna, Normatec compression, IV nutrition, and EMSculpt NEO for fat loss and muscle building.

The NHRA Drag Racing Series is all set to embark on its second week of the Western Swing at Pacific Raceways this weekend. As the Salinas family gears up for another round of racing action, the outcome from the previous weekend at Bandimere Speedway might have failed to meet their expectations. Nevertheless, they cherished the opportunity for quality family time while journeying from Colorado to Washington on their beloved motorcycles.

In the fiercely competitive Top Fuel competition, Mike Salinas demonstrated his prowess by securing a fourth-place qualification in Denver. Unfortunately, his journey ended in round two, succumbing to eventual race-winner Clay Millican. Jianna Evaristo, on the other hand, endured a mechanical setback with her bike in round one due to a failure to start, despite her 11th-place qualification in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

However, this week heralds a fresh beginning, particularly for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, as riders prepare for their inaugural start at the esteemed Northwest track.

  
There’s no question NHRA nitro Funny Car driver Matt Hagan believes his team can win any race.
 
To do that, it takes many elements – great crew chief. Check, Dickie Venables.
 
Great car. Check. He drives for Tony Stewart Racing.

Kalitta Air Careers livery will adorn the side of the Top Fuel dragster driven by Shawn Langdon in a bid to recruit pilots and mechanics at the upcoming Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals in Kent, Wash., from July 21-23, 2023. This initiative extends beyond the dragster to include a comprehensive employee-recruiting strategy across various social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as well as traditional media outlets, including aviation journals and other digital and print publications. Additionally, plans are underway to incorporate an on-site component in the near future.

The Kalitta Air Careers Top Fuel dragster will represent the company for the remainder of the 2023 season, except for the Nevada NHRA Nationals on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in late October, where FES Lighting will be the primary partner for Langdon’s Toyota team.

The Snake will return to one of his most famous pits ever.

NHRA legend Don “The Snake” Prudhomme will serve as this weekend’s Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals grand marshal, marking his return to the Pacific Raceways where he has a staple in the 1970s as a Bill Doner booked in racer and an NHRA icon. 

Prudhomme, a four-time world champion, secured his legacy with back-to-back wins in the NHRA FallNationals Funny Car category during 1975 and 1976 in Seattle. The legendary driver will participate in several special events scheduled throughout the weekend at the race track.

This past weekend was emotional for racers and fans alike as the final Mile-High Nationals were contested at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., near Denver.

There were countless memories in the 65 years of racing at Bandimere Speedway, especially at the 43 Mile-High Nationals events.

One historical moment came at the 2008 Mile-High Nationals. That was the first NHRA national event that Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars raced to 1,000-feet.