The automotive aftermarket industry continued its growth streak in 2022, surpassing $51.8 billion in sales, as revealed by the 2023 SEMA Market Report. Despite economic challenges resulting from the pandemic, the specialty-equipment market witnessed a 2% growth, showcasing the industry's resilience and consumer demand.

While the growth rate was slightly lower compared to the annual average of 4% to 5%, this decline was expected given the current economic climate. SEMA predicts that sales growth will remain stable in 2023, with a resurgence towards historical growth trends anticipated in 2024.

Australian Sportsman racers will face an abundance of riches with a 20-round season as part of an expanded Aeroflow Sportsman Championship for 2023-2024.

Three rounds will be held in conjunction with the Burson Auto Parts Top Fuel Championship and four will be partnered with the Nitro Funny Car series.

The additional 13 rounds will be stand-alone events primarily in regional venues.

Jason Scruggs’ motto has always been simple - race good enough to let them know he was there. When the bell rang at the end of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, “them” knew the farmer from Saltillo, Mississippi, had been there. 

Scruggs is savoring the victory, despite not being his first in drag racing. It is, however, his first on the big stage of the NHRA Pro Modified series. He stopped Jose Gonzalez for the monumental victory.

Scruggs isn’t a trailblazer in the sense that he’s not at every race when the NHRA schedule rolls into town. He does make it a point to make the most of his opportunities.

The halfway point of the Spell Paving Services Funny Car Chaos and DMP Awnings Nitro Chaos Championship series has arrived, and the competition is heating up. The pursuit of both the championship title and a share of the $30,000 in year-end points payouts has intensified, making each qualifying session and elimination round crucial for the teams involved.

In the Funny Car Chaos series, Alex Barker, the young driver of the "Back In Black" GTO-bodied alcohol burner from Oklahoma, had been leading the standings for most of the first half of the season. However, a recent Cordova Dragway event setback resulted in a first-round loss, allowing Tom Furches, the runner-up in the 2022 FCC Championship, to take the lead.

Reflecting on the current standings, Furches said, "Leading the Funny Car Chaos points at the halfway point of the season is a reminder of the goals that were set for the 2023 season. We know we have a car capable of winning a championship. The Chaos formula works, and it's all about camaraderie, competition, and competitiveness between teams."

Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels announced that John Bodart has assumed the role of president.

Bodart brings more than three decades of experience in the tire industry to the position. He has held leadership positions in the technical, quality, sales and manufacturing organizations of Cooper Tire, where he began his career. Additionally, Bodart played a critical role in the integration of Cooper Tire with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Sometimes the best measure is to let others take risks and then sit back to determine what works and what doesn't. This practice is the luxury NHRA had back through the years when it had competition in the drag racing sanctioning body world. The fringe series, American Hot Rod Association [AHRA] and International Hot Rod Association [IHRA], always daring to be different, created programs and procedures that often found their way into the NHRA's formula.

"The NHRA did the smart thing," confirmed noted drag racing historian Bret Kepner. "They let the IHRA or the AHRA start these weird things, and they sat back and watched to see if it worked. And if it worked, they used it, and if it didn't work, they didn't use it."

If you raced IHRA Top Sportsman during the years of 1986 through 1989, it was important that you brought a label to the race. Usually, that label was the world’s fastest [insert car year and make here] and that was usually enough of a calling card to generate match races, t-shirt sales and magazine articles.

The growing popularity of the Pro Modified movement afforded the pioneering drivers such as Charles Carpenter an abundance of match races. He booked as many as 55 races/match races in one season.

There was no official World’s Fastest Group per se, but the ability to claim a niche in the fast-growing class was enough for the multitude of teams in the fledgling movement to seek out a unique identity.

R.C. Sherman’s unheralded introduction didn’t inspire any real titles, but when Dave Bishop proclaimed Charles Carpenter’s 1955 Chevy as the “World’s Fastest ’55 Chevy” – those immortal words spoken by a part-time journalist was enough to inspire other racers.

Back on April 21, NHRA and the Bandimere family jointly announced the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals on July 14-16 at Bandimere Speedway would be the last NHRA national event at the historic track just outside of Denver.

First opened in 1958, the Bandimere family has agreed to sell the current property and land, with the 2023 racing season marking the end of drag racing at the Morrison, Colo., location.

Now the final act of the Mile-High Nationals is just days away, CompetitionPlus.com caught up with Tami Bandimere, who is part of Bandimere Speedway’s executive team, to talk about how hectic things have been.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series made waves on Sunday as viewers flocked to watch the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals eliminations from Summit Motorsports Park. FOX Broadcast Network reported an impressive average of 818,000 viewers tuning in for the event, reflecting a 17-percent increase compared to last year's race at the same venue. The excitement reached its peak during the later rounds, with nearly 1 million viewers watching the action unfold.

This surge in viewership comes as part of the NHRA's partnership with FOX Broadcast Network, providing a valuable opportunity to showcase the sport to a wider television audience. 

"Presenting NHRA championship drag racing all summer long on FOX Broadcast Network is a terrific opportunity to showcase our sport to an expanded television audience," said NHRA Vice President of Broadcast, Steve Reintjes. "Last weekend was a fantastic start to our upcoming run of FOX broadcasts."

​Never in the wildest dreams of veteran Top Fuel racer Clay Millican’s mind did he ever imagine that he, competing full time with the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, would one day be sharing a team with drivers in NASCAR, IndyCar and a wide range of motorsport disciplines.

“I would have never thought I’d be at the 24 Hours of Daytona or on the starting line of the Indy 500,” Millican said. “That is something I never imagined. But it has certainly expanded my horizon to motorsports a little bit.”

Millican is of course referencing his new partnership with Rick Ware Racing which has taken ownership of his 11,000-horsepower dragster. RWR owns teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA and a few smaller series. And now, of course, NHRA.