In an unprecedented move, NHRA announced new directors in three of its Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisions in one day. NHRA confirmed on November 29, 2022, replacements for its Division 1 (Northeast), Division 5 (West Central), and Division 7 (Pacific).

It’s been a while since NHRA officially had a Senior Director of Competition, but after an announcement yesterday, now they do. 

Mike Rice, who relinquished his role as NHRA’s Division 7 Director, has accepted the role of Senior Director of Competition. Rice’s role marks the first time someone has officially held the role since 2003.  Graham Light held a similar role but was always titled Sr. Vice President of Operations. 

Rice first came to work with NHRA in 2001, where he served as the Division Director of Division 7 for 16 years. In his new role as NHRA Sr. Director of Competition, Rice will lead tower operations at all NHRA national events, coordinate and maintain daily on-track schedules, and communicate with race teams. He will also be involved in guiding the seven NHRA Division Directors. 

The quickest and fastest cars and the biggest stars in outlaw racing’s big-tire and small-tire classes will come together at Bradenton Motorsports Park this weekend, Dec. 1-4, for the 51st annual Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks. With a $51,000-to-win Pro Mod show headlining the event, the race also includes Pro 275, X275, Outlaw 632, and the Jet Jam Night of Fire featuring Jet Trucks and the Larsen Motorsports Jet Dragsters.

There’s no question Hector Arana Jr. made the most of his limited 2022 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule.

Competing in only seven of the season’s 15 races, Arana Jr. had two wins in Dallas and Las Vegas and finished 11th in the points standings on his Buell.

“It's super gratifying and that's why we go to the races,” Arana Jr. said about winning two of his seven starts. “We don't go... We're going there for a reason and that's to win. Obviously, it's a passion of mine and my father's (Hector Arana Sr.) and we love doing this. But we're going there because we know we have a shot to win. And we have a bike, we have a team that is capable of winning, which is why we go.”

With more than 70 wins to his resume, three-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown knows the importance of starting race day with the proper fuel in his belly and the right nutrition to power to the winner’s circle. The fan-favorite racer has partnered with Sturdiwheat, the Red Wing, Minn.-based maker of all-natural dry baking mixes, and its Bottomless Breakfast program, 

“The Bottomless Breakfast pancake promotion is perfect for NHRA Drag Racing and is an awesome Christmas gift for any racer or regular traveler,” Brown said. “NHRA is a family sport and so many racers, families, and fans stay at the track in their motorhomes and campers, and what better way to start your morning than with the best pancakes on the market, Sturdiwheat.”

Talk about slick, check out the newest hot rod to roll out of Jerry Bickel Race Cars. This machine belongs to Randy Weatherford and will hit the track next season in PDTA's Pro Boost division. 

 
The McLennan name has been synonymous with drag racing for over half a century.

It’s not going away anytime soon. 

Jim McLennan’s Champion Speed Shop front-engine dragsters were among the best on the West Coast during the sport’s formative years. His impact was such that he was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Kenny Bernstein, Dale Pulde, Don Schumacher, Frank Bradley and Dave Uyehara.

McLennan died in early 2007, but the name, and the affinity for the sport, live on. That’s due to the efforts of Bob McLennan, one of his sons and now the owner and crew chief of another version of the Champion Speed Shop dragster.

Drag racing in the 1970s was a much simpler life. And when it came to sportsman drag racing, the options were limited on the national event scene. Take for instance, in the NHRA there was only one heads-up eliminator.

Every other class, from Stock to Competition Eliminator had regulations from classifying its competition based on a pounds per cubic inch basis to factory horsepower ratings.

The sportsman eliminators in the 1970s, long before there were drag racing schools and racers buying rides, an aspiring professional racer would work their way up the ranks. In this compilation of televised NHRA drag racing, you'll see some of the legends before they made their mark on the big stage.

The 2022 season didn’t end the way nitro Funny Car star Matt Hagan wanted.

Instead of celebrating his fourth NHRA world championship – to go with the ones he captured in 2011, 2014, and 2020 – he had to settle for a third-place finish in the points 95 points back of champ Ron Capps.

“From a personal standpoint, I think we did well, but we were expected to do well. You know what I mean?” Hagan said. “Nothing really changed for us as far as from DSR (Don Schumacher Racing) to TSR (Tony Stewart Racing) other than a brand-new owner.