Buddy Hull doesn’t make haphazard moves. His steps are deliberate and thoughtful. Maybe some don’t understand why the Top Fuel newcomer competed in the season opener at Pomona, then sat out the next three events and is returning now with his sharp-looking, newly wrapped VertexRoofers.com Dragster.

It’s because he has a carefully crafted plan. And things aren’t always what they appear to be. 

Take, for example, Hull’s Friday qualifying pass. He didn’t reach the finish line under full power. But that was exactly what he had planned to do, even though it left him outside the field of 16, along with Cam Ferré. That was a planned shutoff, mentor and tuner (and Funny Car owner-driver-crew chief) Tim Wilkerson said. Hull knew he had two more chances Saturday to qualify and favorable weather conditions to help. 

On April 16, Houston Raceway Park held its last NHRA national event – it was a race for the ages.

And one nitro Funny Car driver Bobby Bode will never forget.

Bode advanced to his first 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.

​From the creative genius of Les Mayhew comes this video feature featuring one man's efforts to keep Competition Eliminator in the forefront of drag racing minds. Rodger Brogdon has been the driving force behind the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund in NHRA's Div. 4. In this feature, Brogdon discusses what made him fall in love with the class, and what efforts he's taking to make Comp Eliminator the best class on the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.

The exciting Pro Street class has competed at Throwdown in different variations for years. However, in 2022, the class becomes part of the MWDRS at both Throwdowns with the possibility of being added to others in 2022 and 2023.

Dave Pierce of Tulsa’s iconic Dave’s Claremore RV had a vision and desire to compete again himself after stepping out of the seat of the family-owned and campaigned Purple Gorilla Nitrous Pro Mod several years ago. The Pro Street class has seen the track in Tulsa for years, with a few tweaks.

Every racer eventually finds a race track that for whatever reason they have consistent success throughout their career. This weekend Josh Hart is hoping zMax Dragway outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, will become that track for the second year Top Fuel racer. The team will be racing under the TechNet banner for the first time this season. They will be riding with the two-time Top Fuel winner at the Richmond national event as well. Hart’s relationship with TechNet extends well behind the pit area of his race team.

“I am excited to be running the TechNet Top Fuel dragster this weekend in Charlotte and for the next couple of races,” said Hart, who owns and operates Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala, Florida. “They are an amazing partner for us at the track and at Burnyzz. We are proud to be a part of the TechNet family because they do things the way I do things which is offering only the best service and exceptional care.”

Osage Casino & Hotel’s role as the naming rights sponsor of Tulsa Raceway Park will continue through 2022 and beyond, as the track announced a multi-year extension. The partnership began as a trackside advertising deal in 2012 and expanded to include naming rights in 2013. 
 
“Not many tracks have the luxury of a naming rights sponsor, so to have one for nine years and counting is unbelievable,” said Keith Haney, who co-owns the track along with fellow Pro Mod racer Todd Martin. “They still believe in us and they believe in the product. They're a huge organization with a major impact in our community. To have them believe in us is a big thing.”

Doug Foley has learned that what interests potential marketing partners these days might not be a racer’s on-track performance. Nevertheless, he said, he’s going to leverage his Top Fuel final-round appearance against eventual first-time winner Tripp Tatum at last month’s Gatornationals as much as he can in his quest to compete at more races.

Foley didn’t expect to go to the Las Vegas event, which was next on the schedule following the Gainesville race – and he didn’t. (“We knew we couldn't go to Vegas. It's another 50% more than any other race for us going that far,” he said) .But that didn’t mean his first-time-finalist momentum stopped. 

If NHRA executives are looking for an answer to NASCAR’s exhibition at the Los Angeles Coliseum this past February, looking for something to drum up excitement for drag racing among an entire new audience, Las Vegas is presenting a possible opportunity. And Funny Car racer Alexis De Joria is ready to volunteer. 

Days before this SpringNationals race, she daydreamed a little bit about being allowed to perform a long, smoky burnout right down the famous Las Vegas Strip next fall in front of Formula 1 fans, giving them a peek at the sensory overload they can enjoy across the United States from February through November. Of course, the NHRA and its designated nitro-driver ambassadors would have to jump through a likely complex set of hoops before that even could be on the verge of happening.

But the thought of it was juicy for De Joria, never one to sherk an opportunity to show off the sport. 

​Whether she’s running four-wide or in the traditional two-wide format, Monster Energy Dragster driver Brittany Force has positioned herself as the early Top Fuel dominator. 

With her half-car-length final-round victory Sunday afternoon over serious title contender Justin Ashley at the final NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park, Force completed back-to-back victories in the Camping World Drag Racing Series. 

Logically, when nitro Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan left powerhouse team Don Schumacher Racing to join new Tony Stewart Racing in the offseason, there seemed like there would be more questions than answers.

Hagan, however, has proved all skeptics wrong.