There were plenty of driving skills on display at the NHRA Four-Wide NzMax Dragway, and not all were limited to the four quarter-mile strips. Tucked away in the corner front entrance to the west side pit area, track officials have marked off a course with concrete barriers so in between drag racing qualifying sessions fans can be treated to another form of motorsports. 

White Alligator Racing team crew chief Tim Kulungian is a laid-back, rather quiet – but sharp – fellow. He’s smart about the tune-ups he has provided for boss Jerry Savoie and former team member L.E. Tonglet.

And his low-key manner has proven compatible with newest Pro Stock Motorcycle colleague Karen Stoffer.

Funny Car points leader Robert Hight said during a lull in the action Friday at the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals that his three-victory, three-top-qualifying start to 2019 has his head spinning a bit.

“It’s hard to even dream this big,” the two-time series champion from John Force Racing said.

Don Schumacher Racing announced today that the team’s ongoing partnership with Okuma, a leading machine tool manufacturer, has expanded to include a primary sponsorship of Leah Pritchett’s Top Fuel dragster at three NHRA events in 2019, and associate support of Tommy Johnson Jr.’s Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car.

Rickie Smith still has trouble believing what he seen now for three events. He never thought he'd see the Mountain Motor Pro Stocks racing under the NHRA sanction. 

Smith, a five-time world champion drag racer with the hefty displacement factory hot rods, remembers a day when he couldn't imagine himself behind the wheel of anything but a large displacement Ford-powered Pro Stocker. Those days are distant memories it appears. 

Two weeks ago, J.R. Carr established the first-ever NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock elapsed time record. Friday night at zMax Dragway, he didn't set a record, but he was plenty quick.

Carr established the provisional No. 1 during first-day qualifying for the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals with a 6.240 elapsed time at 225.79 miles per hour.

Think your day at the office was nuts?

Jack Beckman probably could top that.

Mike Salinas is a hardcore businessman, totally in charge of the companies he juggles every day in San Jose, Calif. He’s a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to work for it and assert himself.

But Salinas has humbled himself to become a student – and that is paying off for him this season as he listens to 12-time Top Fuel championship tuner Alan Johnson, crew chief Brian Husen, and the crew members who are as tight-knit as Salinas, wife Monica, and their four daughters.

Jose Gonzalez was quick on Friday evening during the lone Pro Modified qualifying on Friday evening at the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

Gonzalez covered the zMax Dragway quarter-mile in 5.657 seconds at 257.14 miles per hour. Not only was the run No. 1 provisionally, it also marks the third quickest run in NHRA Pro Modified history.