“It was impossible to miss Roger Richards,” veteran sportswriter Thomas Pope and Competition Plus contributor said.
  
“Nobody looked like "Geezer," Pope said. “Most noticeable was the distinctive Fu Manchu mustache - accented by a soul patch – that bracketed an ever-present, wide smile. There was the hat that stylishly kept his slick noggin' protected from the broiling sun. He possessed a unique take on anything that was said in any dragstrip press room. And I can't explain how or why I arrived at this conclusion, but I always had the distinct sense that there was very little going on behind the scenes in the sport to which he wasn't privy.”

"Kid Chaos" Kyle Koretsky is back and behind the wheel of a factory hot rod. But it's a different kind than the one he left at the end of the 2023 season. He's competing in the NHRA's new Factory X division, an advanced version of the Factory Stock Showdown. 

Koretsky will make his return at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk. 

Rob Smith, a longtime Competition Eliminator participant and a pioneer in the Factory X division, fields the COPO Camaro that Koretsky will race. His car was one of the first four cars to debut the class at the 2023 U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Crew chief, tuner, and team manager Ken Justice was the one that reached out to Koretsky when the team decided to move forward with bringing their Factory X car back out this year.

Nitrous engine guru Pat Musi and his wife Elizabeth returned to the drag strip for the first time since the passing of their daughter Lizzy Musi.

And for Pat, it was a return to a drag strip where he has a storied history

Musi is certain to be a legend in Thunder Valley, but he isn't like his friend Rickie Smith. Some of the stories he tells suggest otherwise. Some are common knowledge, and others will go to the realm of unspoken, as some say they should.

When his drag racing days are over, Joe Morrison can look back and know he experienced almost every form it offered. This weekend, he will enter his 11th different category as a fuel Funny Car driver in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series during the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

Morrison, who has raced in multiple nostalgia categories burning nitro, will wax nostalgic behind the wheel of Paul Smith’s Entertainer Funny Car. 

“I’ve wanted to drive an NHRA Nitro Funny Car since the 1970s, watching legends like Jungle Jim, Snake, Mongoose, and, of course, Paul Smith at E-Town. To make my competitive debut driving for Paul Smith not only is exceptionally humbling, but it just feels right. Many experienced nitro pilots have gotten their feet wet with Paul Smith for a reason, and I’m happy to join that list.”

 
Because the impact of John Force’s wall-slamming accident at Sunday’s NHRA Virginia Nationals was so massive, the drag-racing icon remained in the intensive care unit at a Virginia trauma hospital Monday.
 
According to a statement the team released late Monday, doctors are deliberately taking a slow, careful approach to assessing the extent of his injuries from the high-speed racing crash at more than 300 mph.
 
The engine in Force’s Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car exploded in a massive fireball after Force crossed the finish line during the opening round of eliminations at Virginia Motorsports Park. The violent explosion propelled him into the concrete guardwall in the opposite lane and got slightly airborne as it crossed the track again and slammed into the other wall.

Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The NHRA 

It is safe to say Austin Prock is in a zone right now.

Prock, driving for John Force Racing, took home the title at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals in Richmond, Va., on  Sunday.

Prock clocked a 3.921-second elapsed time at 327.90 mph to defeat Bob Tasca III, who coasted across the line in 7.145 seconds after smoking the tires.

Prock's third career win nitro Funny Car win, and seventh overall, was one filled with emotions.

Defending his inaugural NHRA world championship is going quite well for Doug Kalitta in 2024.

The veteran Top Fuel driver at Kalitta Motorsports won his third race of the season when he took home the title at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals in Richmond, Va., on Sunday.

Kalitta, pilot of the Mac Tools dragster, clocked a 3.752-second elapsed time at 333.41 mph to defeat his teammate Shawn Langdon, who smoked the tires off the starting line and slowed to a 6.148-second run.

On a day when drag racing paused to pray for the well-being of its most iconic drag racer, Austin Prock delivered the trophy for a man who has scored more than any other - John Force.

The 17-time drag racing world champion crashed in the first round of eliminations. While he exited the car under his own power, he was transported to a nearby medical center for further evaluation in the ICU.

In the end, Prock delivered his third 2024 win for the man who declared he would be his successor one day. 

Point standings (top 10) following the Fourth annual PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, the ninth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series -