Greg Carrillo has raced countless events at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., over the years. It is his home track, just 90 minutes from his race shop headquarters in Fort Morgan, Colo.

However, Carrillo didn’t get to compete at Thunder Mountain, as it is known, in 2020 because the race was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mile-High Nationals are back this year – July 16-18 – and Carrillo is thrilled to be competing there in his Top Fuel dragster.

Three-time NHRA Funny Car world champion, Robert Hight, has enjoyed tremendous success throughout his drag racing career. When his daughter, Autumn, decided to push her own driving skills to the next level, he made sure that she got the same great instruction from Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School just like he did when he was younger.

Robert first attended the School in 2003 to complete its Super Comp course, then returned in 2004 to obtain his Top Alcohol Funny Car license. Having started with John Force Racing over a quarter-of-a-century ago as a crew man but knowing right from the beginning that Funny Car was his destination, Robert worked hard to achieve his goal.

“I still remember being surprised at how difficult it was to drive a Super Comp car. It was a really humbling experience for me,” shared Robert of his rookie experience nearly a decade prior, which included much more than just on-track driving. “I believe that Frank Hawley’s class has been instrumental to my achievements and in my career. Frank has a lot of knowledge and experience. If you pay attention, you’ll learn a lot of life lessons, too.”

Tyler Hilton knew from the moment he climbed behind the wheel of the Hilton/Lee Family Great Expectations Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster that fire was very much a possibility. 

At the NHRA Holley Hot Rod Reunion hosted by Beech Bend drag strip in Bowling Green, Ohio, Hilton experienced one of the worst efires any driver in racing seen in a front motored  Top Fuel car in decades. 

During the opening round alongside of Adam Sorokin, Hilton engine suffered a catastrophic failure. There was a decomposition of internal parts which ended up compromising the valley of the manifold so the whole lifter valley of the engine was exposed so when the oil, fuel, air and spark ensued, resulting in a massive conflagration.

Following a solid first season in NHRA’s Pro Stock class in 2020, Kyle Koretsky keeps reducing his learning curve.

Through seven races in 2021, Korestsky is eighth in the points standings in NHRA’s Camping World Series. He had advanced to the semifinals in two of the last three events in Houston and Norwalk, Ohio, losing to Deric Kramer and Erica Enders, respectively.

“I felt good going into the weekend, my confidence was huge,” Koretsky said. “I had been struggling on the tree and we made some changes on the car, clutch pedal wise, and I think we got it somewhat right. We just behind the eight ball on the tune-up a little bit. We struggled in Epping (N.H.) with some suspension stuff and we were trying to dial-in the tune-up with only getting two runs in qualifying in Norwalk.”

Two historic New York drag racing institutions will join forces in late July, as the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association has teamed up with Empire Dragway to host the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Challenge, July 30-31. The eighth-mile series will bring its brand of Pro Modified racing to Empire for the first time in the club’s 29-year history. 
 
“We’re excited to venture this far north and expect to have one of the best Pro Mod events in Empire's history,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president, NEOPMA. “We hope to have more than enough cars to complete a 16-car field, as well as a consolation race for an additional eight cars.”
 
Since its first season in 1992, NEOPMA has grown and evolved to match the interests of its racers and fans. The group switched to eighth-mile competition in 2020 after more than 25 years as the longest continually operating quarter-mile Pro Mod organization in the country. The switch has proven successful, with 20-plus cars showing up to race for a spot in the 16-car fields. 

It is the elephant in the room. Or in this case, the new team in the pits.

Antron Brown is gearing up to leave Don Schumacher Racing after a long and storied run with the company, winning championships with the team in 2012, 2015 and 2016.

Brown, who has 52 wins in Top Fuel, will be starting up his own operation in 2022 under the banner of the AB Motorsports Top Fuel team. Brown will be taking with him his entire operation and crew as the team ventures out into the wild, wild west of team ownership.

NHRA’s four-time and reigning Pro Stock champion, Erica Enders, has been nominated for the 2020 ESPYS Best Driver Award.
 
Enders claimed the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series championship last season to deem her the winningest NHRA female champion, with four world titles to her name.

Bob Tasca III did more than claim a runner-up finish in his nitro Funny Car at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA in Norwalk, Ohio, on June 27.

On June 26, he set an NHRA drag racing world record in an all-electric Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400. Tasca clocked an 8.128-second elapsed time at 171.97 mph down the quarter mile at Summit Motorsports Park.

“On Thursday (June 24) we ran an 8.20 we reset the record from last year when we went 8.27,” Tasca said. “Then, we knew there was some more in it. I was expecting the thing to break into the high teens. We went 169 mph on (June 24), and we ran the 171.97 at 8.12, which was really cool. I know the team was excited and they continue to work towards getting the car even quicker and faster. It just showcases the Ford technology as far as being on the forefront of the quickest and fastest electric door car.”

For the first time in its nine-year history, the Southeast Gassers Association (SEGA) visited historic Farmington Dragway near Mocksville, NC, June 26, for its fifth of 11 scheduled events this year.

Despite hot, muggy weather, a sizable crowd turned out at "The Farm," to watch 2019 class champion Ken Phillips get the job done over 17 A/Gas entries, top qualifier Todd Oden take the win in a 20-car B/Gas field, Larry Floyd also win from the number-one position over 20 C/Gas competitors, and second-place starter Ron Allison break through with his first Super Stock race title in a 14-car field.