The Holley NMRA Ford Nationals has announced the return of the All-Female True Street category to the upcoming Ohio event. 

Presented by Baer Brake Systems, All-Female True Street will take place during the NMRA Ford Performance Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park the weekend of June 9-12, 2022. Summit Motorsports Park is a world-class facility located in Norwalk, Ohio, and is the fourth stop on this year’s NMRA national event tour. 

Well-known drag racing patriarch Virgil Hartman has died. He was 75.

The former drag racer, who passed on his love for the sport to his children Richard and Rhonda, battled serious illness for the past three weeks in the ICU due to complications with his diabetes and heart. 

“Blessed to have such a wonderful man as my father; someone I always admired, looked up to, received the best advice from, guided and supported me in everything I did,” said Rhonda Hartman-Smith. “His opinion meant the most to me; I always strived to make him proud and will continue to do so throughout my time on this earth.

Wes Distefano didn’t expect to be the dominant force in his PDRA Pro Nitrous debut that he was the past two seasons in Pro 632 competition.

Nor did the 2020-21 title holder plan on being a spectator Saturday when the East Coast Nationals eliminations got underway. 

Of the 20 Pro Nitrous cars on the grounds for the PDRA season opener, Distefano qualified 19th. While that was a mere 13/1,000ths of a second slower than the No. 16 qualifier, that flash of time kept him sidelined Saturday except for a test pass.

Pro Stock driver Rodger Brogdon was searching for just the right words to describe the loss of longtime drag racing announcer Bob Unkefer to the drag racing world. He wasn't the only one, as many members of the drag racing community were also searching for adequate words to describe what the 68-year old Unkefer meant to them. 

After its scheduled season opener was preempted by track equipment troubles and bad weather in Georgia last month, the South East Gassers Association (SEGA) finally got its 2022 campaign underway Apr. 9, with the inaugural SEGA Gene Cromer Memorial at historic Shady Side Dragway in Shelby, NC.

"Gene Cromer is the man who inspired me so many years ago to get into drag racing," SEGA founder and organizer Quain Stott told a packed house during pre-race ceremonies. "He was instrumental in the formation of SEGA, too, a Gasser pioneer who helped me see what had to be done to create a period-correct experience like we have right now for all you fans and racers here today. We all owe a lot to Gene and all what he did for drag racing."

Three rounds and three different winners that’s the scorecard after local hero Damien Harris defeated reigning champ Peter Xiberras in the final of Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship at the Perth Motorplex, April 8-9. 

Harris has joined Phil Read and Phil Lamattina as race winners at the halfway mark of the series. 

Harris claimed his first win since the 2018 Winternationals and walked away with a swag of honors, including a new ANDRA and Motorplex track record for 1000 feet, plus bonus points for low E.T. And Top Speed.

 
In a Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous field full of past world champions and veterans, relative newcomer “Mountain Man” Mike Achenbach scored his second career win Saturday night at the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech at GALOT Motorsports Park. Achenbach used a 3.668-second pass at 206.80 mph in his Buck-powered “Deep Purple” ’69 Camaro to defeat Jay Cox in the final round. 
 
Achenbach was joined in the winner’s circle by pro winners Todd Tutterow in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive, Chris Powers in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition, Alan Drinkwater in $hameless Racing Pro 632, Chris Garner-Jones in Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle, and Tim Essick in Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by AFCO. 

Many things matter to Nancy Matter, but the one that takes the top spot is giving back to worthwhile causes.  

It's not hard to pick up on her passion for those who have helped her to help care for others and inspire the way she gives back to good causes. 
One need not look any further than the reverence she holds for children and the American military veteran. 

Melanie Salemi made a major statement on the first day of the 2022 Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) season at the East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech, as she fired off a string of 3.50-second passes to set a new WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive elapsed-time record. Her 3.568-second pass at 207.91 mph during the third qualifying session at GALOT Motorsports Park also gave Salemi the No. 1 qualifying spot in Pro Boost, which saw 24 cars attempt to qualify for the 16-car field.