A new public health order issued in Jefferson County late July 20 made the issue of an injunction against Bandimere Speedway "moot," according to the judge overseeing the hearing.

Bandimere Speedway is in Morrison, Colo., 20 minutes from Denver. Bandimere Speedway has been hosting races for 63 years.

In a hearing Tuesday morning, it was brought up that a new public health order (PHO) went into effect at 5 p.m. (MT) July 20. It requires anyone hosting an event with more than 175 people to have a pre-approved safety plan. A mandate for face coverings also went into effect in Jefferson County after the last hearing that was held about the Bandimere Speedway on July 9.

Prior to this year, the last time Jonathan Gray drive a Pro Mod car was the last weekend of October of 2017 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Gray, driving a second car for Rickie Smith, did make some laps at the inaugural Drag Race Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals, March 6-8 in Orlando, Fla., but didn’t qualify.

Gray was back in the seat in Indianapolis for the inaugural Lucas Oil Summernationals in Indianapolis last weekend. He qualified No. 9 at 5.888 seconds at 249.03 mph. Gray lost in the first round to Kris Thorne. Gray’s 5.865-second lap was upended by Thorne’s 5.837-second run.

Spectators will be allowed to attend the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) Proline Racing Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Frederick Line-X, July 23-25 at Virginia Motorsports Park, the series announced today. The track was granted the ability to allow fans just a week before hosting the PDRA’s third of seven races on its adjusted 2020 schedule.
 
“A huge weight seemed to lift off of our shoulders last week when we were granted the news that we could begin having spectators again at Virginia Motorsports Park,” said Tyler Crossnoe, the PDRA series director and Virginia Motorsports Park’s vice president. “Yes, there are restrictions but let's be honest – these are not hard rules to follow and as long as this is done, we will continue to get closer and closer to a vision of the 'old normal' at the races.”

Justin Ashley, making just his seventh start, said he has been imagining this moment for his whole life – which would be about 25 years.

T.J. Zizzo would be fibbing if he said he hadn’t spent much of his 44 years working and planning to get to the final round of an NHRA Top Fuel race – something he predicted he could do days before the start of the event.

While the NHRA Top Fuel class had everything from A to Z before Justin Ashley and T.J. Zizzo reached the final round, the Funny Car finals looked like business as usual Sunday at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

That is, until a rainstorm halted the race just before the final round Sunday. The victor – either Matt Hagan or Jack Beckman – will be decided during the Labor Day weekend, about six weeks from now, on this same dragstrip during the Denso U.S. Nationals.

Saltillo, Miss.’ Jason Scruggs, master of the eighth-mile doorslammer ranks and two-time Pro Extreme champion in the defunct ADRL, came to the NHRA to race against the best Pro Modified drivers.

Turns out he’s one of them.

The final rounds of the Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals at Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Raceway have been delayed due to inclement weather.

After a lengthy rain delay before the finals in Top Fuel and Funny Car, NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series officials announced the fourth race of the 2020 season will be completed during the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals, which takes place Sept. 3-6 at Lucas Oil Raceway.

 Newest Top Fuel racer Joe Morrison wanted to make sure he was able to race here in the Lucas Oil Summernationals. So he drove about 10 hours from Reading, Pa., where he completed his licensing procedure last Sunday, to the NHRA office at Brownsburg, Ind., to hand in his entry-list paperwork in person before Monday’s deadline.

Morrison, who has competed in several sportsman classes, opened his professional career Saturday with a 4.72-second elapsed time at 203 mph in Gary Leverich’s Hi Tech CAM Dragster. That was good enough to make the provisional field at No. 15 – ahead of veteran Cory McClenathan, who held down the bump spot at 5.749 seconds after the opening qualifying session.

“I am beyond excited,” Morrison said of the whole experience.

Matt Hagan’s victory here at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in last weekend’s E3 Spark Plugs Nationals pushed Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) within two of reaching the 350-victory plateau.

The Brownsburg, Ind.-headquartered megateam anticipated achieving the milestone in March at Gainesville, Fla., but the season was suspended before the pro racers ever could hit the track. DSR has the chance again this weekend.

Mark Pawuk or Leah Pruett could help DSR – already drag racing’s most successful team – earn its 350th or even its 351st triumph, if one of them wins in the Factory Stock Showdown class’ season debut. The team also is fielding four Top Fuel cars and four Funny Cars – one-fourth of each nitro-powered class. So it has the opportunity to put three drivers in the winners circle (that officially isn’t staging because of limited crowds).  

This time Top Fuel driver Clay Millican and his crew chief, Mike Kloeber, weren’t going to let that No. 1 qualifying position get away from them Saturday.
And they didn’t, using a 3.829-second pass at 317.34 mph on the 1,000-foot course at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. Millican and the Parts Plus Dragster will lead the field in eliminations of the Lucas Oil NHRA Summernationals.