John Force wasn’t always a drag-racing superstar. Sometimes, by his own admission, he wasn’t much of a drag racer at all. And he might not have been one for long had it not been for Jim Rockstad.

Rockstad, who passed away late Monday, June 11, at age 79 following an extended illness, leased and operated Seattle International Raceway (“SIR,” its name before it reverted to Pacific Raceways in 2001) for about a quarter of a century. And not long into his tenure, a young John Force reached a crossroad in his career, one he brought on himself.

Two decades is an impressive length of time for any partnership.

This weekend, past NHRA Top Fuel champion Shawn Langdon will highlight a two-decades-long partnership between Kalitta Motorsports and CMR Construction and Roofing. The strategic alliance will be commemorated in a blue and white dragster special edition at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn.

The nationally known and award-winning business has utilized the business relationship to expand their footprint and host guests at NHRA national events across the country. Langdon is looking forward to putting on a good show for the guests and executives who attend this weekend's event. 

Pro Modified racer Justin Bond has a new, and slick piece that recently rolled out of the Jerry Bickel Race Cars shop. 

Bond, a two-time winner in NHRA Pro Modified, will run this car with a Procharger but from what we hear a supercharger cannot be ruled out either. Either way, it's a beautiful machine to look at. 

Unheralded Paul Cannuli upstaged his better-credentialled rivals to take the win in Pro Slammer at the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway, June 9-12.

Vying with Cannuli’s win as the highlight of the meet was veteran Steve Reed winning his seventh Winternational crown in Pro Alcohol.

Category front-runner George Tsakiridis claimed the honors in Pro Mod. local hero Aaron Tremayne won Pro Stock and Top bike warrior Chris Matheson added another gold Christmas tree to the trophy cabinet.

Rickie Smith had a simple objective, make it to the end of the season without going broke.

Remaining solvent was Smith's mindset 40 years ago, in 1982 when the decorated sportsman world champion who turned professional drag racer entered his first season as a team owner.

Smith learned much about himself that season despite sharing the same mindset as his critics. He had no clue he would survive, much less win a world championship.

Tasca Racing is bringing Bob Tasca III and his 12,000-horsepower TascaParts.com Ford Shelby Mustang to Bristol, looking to go back to the winner’s circle at the NHRA Thunder Nationals in Bristol, TN. The event runs June 17–19 as part of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.

TascaParts.com is back for the Bristol race as the primary sponsor of Tasca’s Nitro Mustang Funny Car. 

 
Upon Ryan Oehler’s own admission, the last 18 months have been a struggle for his NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle team.

In 2021, he had one win in Las Vegas but struggled at the end of the season and finished 10th in the points standing. In 2022, he is 13th in the points standings and has an 0-4 elimination round record. 

These results came on the heels of his solid performance in the COVID-19 limited 2020 season, where he finished seventh in the points and had one win at the first race in Indianapolis that season.

LE Tonglet had not competed in NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle class since 2018 before putting his feet back in the racing waters for the SpringNationals, April 22-24 in Houston.

Now, Tonglet, NHRA’s 2010 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion and former rookie of the year, is going to fill in for and pilot the Steamfitters UA Local 602 Suzuki owned and ridden by Kelly Clontz at the next two events – the Thunder Valley Nationals, June 17-19 in Bristol, Tenn., and the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, June 23-26 in Norwalk, Ohio.

Clontz is taking a two-race medical leave of absence.
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