When the 2022 NHRA Camping World Series began Top Fuel superstar Tony Schumacher had hopes it would be an epic season for him and his team.

However, Schumacher, winner of eight world championships, also knew things wouldn’t be easy.

Schumacher, winner of 85 NHRA national events, was returning to fulltime driving for the first time since 2019 with a new and Don Schumacher Racing’s lone Top Fuel team.

Mike Carpenter, a member of the Drag Illustrated team for 15 years, has been named the company’s chief operating officer (COO), the magazine announced today. While overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company’s efforts across print and digital platforms, Carpenter will also continue his role as the design & production director for the magazine.
 
"Mike Carpenter has been an invaluable part of this team since he joined us in 2007,” said Wes Buck, founder and editorial director, Drag Illustrated. “His role has expanded tremendously over the course of the last decade-and-a-half, and it is no surprise to see him move into the role of Chief Operating Officer at Drag Illustrated Media. As our business continues to grow and expand, it's important to have people that share our vision for the company and for the sport of drag racing in influential positions – especially someone as dedicated and experienced in high-level execution and operation as Mike Carpenter."

If anyone understands the approach of “it’s better late than never,” it would be nitro veteran Cory Lee. 

Lee will drive the New Englander Funny Car this weekend at the team’s home race, the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, NH. The team has been idle for nearly nine months. 

The excitement level is at an all-time high for the team based out of the northeastern part of the United States. The New Englander Funny Car has been competing at New England Dragway for nearly 40 years with team owner Rhea Goodrich, so it’s only fitting that they will make their long-awaited season debut there this weekend.

This weekend at the New England Nationals Kalitta Motorsports and Clean Harbors, along with its Safety-Kleen subsidiary, will be joining forces to highlight increased visibility to environmental sustainability. The Clean Harbors logo will be prominently featured on Doug Kalitta’s Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster as well as Shawn Langdon’s DHL Top Fuel dragster. Additionally, a large contingent of Clean Harbors and Safety-Kleen employees and customers will enjoy the Kalitta Motorsports VIP hospitality experience at New England Dragway.

“Connie was at the forefront of recycling and reclaiming oil in the early 70s before anyone was even talking about recycling,” said Chad Head, Kalitta Motorsports general manager. “We have been working with Safety-Kleen for years to make sure we are collecting and recycling as much oil as safely as possible. We have 24 parts cleaning units throughout the team, fabrication, and manufacturing departments within our 50,000 sq. ft. facility.” 

National DRAGSTER editor Phil Burgess believes in destiny.

Burgess, the editor of drag racing's longest continually running publication, has been the captain of the NHRA's periodical five times longer than anyone who steered the ship before him. He recently celebrated forty years in the position.

"I tell people National DRAGSTER was born in 1960, the same year I was born," Burgess explained. "Maybe I was just born to do this. I don't know anything else. Before I came to work at NHRA, I'd worked a couple of other jobs, nothing that was ever satisfying, and this opportunity came along, and it just feels like a second skin.

"I don't know what else I'd be doing. I'm not going to retire and travel the United States in a motor home. I'll be sitting at home watching the racing, maybe wanting to write stories about it."

After three years away from drag racing, world championship crew chief Tommy DeLago came back to the NHRA ranks.

In January, DeLago joined Davis Motorsports/Justin Ashley Racing to work alongside fellow world championship crew chief Mike Green.

And DeLago is thrilled how things have gone so far. Ashley is fourth in the season points standings through seven races. He won the season-opening Winternationals (Feb. 20 in Pomona, Calif.) and was runner-up in Houston (April 24).

NHRA officials announced today that Mady Ayesh has been named the NHRA’s South Central Division (Division 4) Division Director, becoming the first female Division Director in NHRA history. Division 4 serves member tracks in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity,” Ayesh said. “The South Central Division has so many great tracks and great racers, and I just want to help keep that momentum going in the division. It’s also really exciting to be the first female NHRA Division Director. There are so many awesome women in drag racing right now and hopefully I can help inspire that next generation of women to continue to get involved in our sport.”

Dave Hill’s birthday cake will be covered in candles in June when he turns 58. 

In spite of all those trips around the sun, in many respects, he’s the same guy he was as a teenager growing up near Sevierville, Tennessee.

He was a speed demon back then, a young man whose idea of a big weekend was to spend Friday and Saturday nights dashing down 411 Dragway. It’s a need he couldn’t shake more than a decade later as a street racer in Chicago.

After a breakout weekend in Houston at the NHRA SpringNationals Sand Haulers of America has extended their primary sponsorship relationship with rookie sensation Camrie Caruso to include the New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire and the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee.

The first-year Pro Stock driver from Denver, North Carolina, raced to her first career No. 1 qualifier and then reached her first finals round in Houston backed by Sand Haulers of America as well as a host of associate sponsors including GESI, Titan Racing Engines, Right Trailers, PowerBuilt Tools, VP Racing Lubricants, and NGK Spark Plugs. She will be looking for her first career win when the Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro rolls in New England Dragway the first weekend of June.

Bobby Bode last competed on the NHRA racing scene on April 16 at the SpringNationals in Houston.

His last run down the dragstrip is one fans likely remember.

Bode advanced to his first nitro Funny Car final round before losing a nailbiter to Matt Hagan when he had a fiery explosion right before the finish line when the body of his Funny Car blew off.

Hagan clocked a 3.982-second at 326.63 mph to defeat Bode’s 4.046-second run at 282.95 mph.