Immediately following Helio Castroneves’ historic fourth Indianapolis 500 victory last May, Jimmie Johnson said that the wildly popular, energetic Brazilian is the person who will push the sport forward.
 
Personality-wise, Castroneves undoubtedly checks all the boxes. It’s debatable whether the NTT IndyCar Series should bank on a driver who’s zooming in on his 47th birthday – especially with so many talented young shoes. The series has Colton Herta and Rinus VeeKay at age 21, Pato O’Ward at 22, Santino Ferrucci at 23, reigning champion Alex Palou and R.C. Enerson at 24, and Oliver Askew and Pietro Fittipaldi at 25. Older but still-young are 29-year-old Scott McLaughlin, 30-year-olds Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenqvist, and 31-year-olds Josef Newgarden and Marcus Ericsson.

When noted drag racing historian Bret Kepner served as a Sr. Editor for the legendary drag racing magazine Super Stock & Drag Illustrated, he had no idea an assignment would one day spawn into one of the more revered drag racing programs.

"Steve Collison had this grandiose plan for this mega Indy coverage like nobody had ever done before in Super Stock & Drag Illustrated," Kepner explained. I think he later came up with a name like the I Team or something stupid, but he had a lot of people working on a lot of different things."

When it came time to doling out assignments, Kepner knew what he wanted to cover, and it wasn't an eliminator.

The Young Executives Network (YEN), a SEMA group dedicated to cultivating talent in the automotive aftermarket, is now the Future Leaders Network (FLN). The new name more accurately reflects the network’s 1,142 membership, which includes employees ranging from entry-level staff to managers, and trade workers, executives, and business owners.  

"The network supports talent and individuals who are aspiring to further their careers in the automotive aftermarket. The Future Leaders Network will continue to offer programs and resources that will help members advance their careers,” said FLN Chair Nick Caloroso.

Caloroso explains that the former Young Executives Network name did not accurately reflect the group’s membership. “More than half of our members do not fall into the executives category, and although we will retain the age requirement, the word 'young' is relative and implies inexperience. Regardless of the individual’s role, each member is aspiring to become a more effective and productive leader in the industry.”

As T.J. Zizzo figured, if someone has to win, "it might as well be me."

Zizzo, the popular Rust-o-Leum Top Fuel dragster driver, ran roughshod over the Top Fuel field in the 2020 - 2021 Virtual Hot Rod Association field last season, much like Krista Baldwin has done this season. When Baldwin was upset in the first round of the McLeod VRHRA Summernationals, the defending champion pounced on the opportunity by beating Doug Kalitta in an overtime race. 

Zizzo scored one more vote in a back-and-forth contest with the Mac Tools-sponsored Kalitta during the four-minute overtime period when both drivers could earn votes.

Tim Slavens, a small-tire drag racer with an impeccable passion for drag racing, passed away after a bout with COVID-19. He was 52.

Slavens, of Marshfield, Missouri, drove Matt and Anita Zimmerman’s 1969 Camaro, an all-steel-bodied 1969 Camaro, and one of the last holdouts in a Radial vs. the World rapidly evolving into Pro Modified-style chassis.

Two of Slaven’s grandest accomplishments outside of winning back-to-back 10.5 championships locally, scored a Pro 275 victory at the Sweet 16 3.0 event and in 2019, briefly held the world’s quickest Radial vs. The World elapsed time opposite of his Pro Modified-style race car counterparts.

As a seasoned veteran of the sport, Jim Greenheck grew up in a different era.

“The first time I ever went down a drag strip was in 1969,” says Greenheck. “I had been hooked on road racing but that form was beginning to fall apart at the time and drag racing was what was affordable to me. I was a big Can-Am fan and that sort of devoured itself. Drag racing was just something I could get into. I didn’t have the money or resources to do much of anything else, so it’s where I began.”

With no real “car-type” experience in his background, Greenheck began working in the family’s manufacturing business which has given him knowledge that has helped him today as the founder of CTech Manufacturing, a builder of various cabinetry for all types of industries.

As Antron Brown sees it, anything worth having will be tough. He's hasn't officially hit the track as the owner/driver for Antron Brown Motorsports, and already Brown has found the experience to be tough sledding.

It's no big deal to the two-time NHRA champion; Brown came prepared for the challenge. 

The last couple of seasons has been a trial run for Brown, who had the luxury of operating under the Don Schumacher Racing umbrella. Now he's holding his own. 

The 11th annual Spartanburg Dragway Reunion (Spartanburg, SC) will take place on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at the Beacon Drive-in. 

As many as 300 former drag racing, track officials, and race fans will assemble at the iconic restaurant to celebrate the dragstrip, which played host weekly to many drag racing legends and future champions.
The track, which closed in 1983, set the foundation for Spartanburg County to establish its place in drag racing history as one of the more successful counties for drag racing success.