Matt Hagan and Leah Pritchett will be taking next-generation service technicians to school during the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil, scheduled for April 12-14 in Houston. The NHRA stars will host pit tours and visit with Mopar Career Automotive Program (CAP) students from the area to help kickoff the program’s “Assemble Your Future” initiative.

The future of the Santo’s Super Thunder meeting at Willowbank Raceway scheduled for April 19 is under a cloud after Top Fuel Australia, the owner-driver body for the category, has declined to race at the venue after learning that a promised safety catch net would not be in place for the meeting.

Big wins are nothing new for J.R. Todd.

After all, he’s the reigning NHRA Mello Yello Series nitro Funny Car world champion.

Mike Salinas warned everyone, “We’re here to win, and we’re not messing around.”

He said it with such a serious tone in his voice that he suddenly became – all in one – a modern-day Don Garlits with his grit, a Don Prudhomme with that felony-grade chip on his shoulder, a Kenny Bernstein with his business sense, and a John Force with fierce family loyalty. But he wasn’t trying to emulate them.

Officially the race was the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

But when Hector Arana Jr. won his first Wally trophy of the year and second in his past two visits to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his final round Sunday was a three-wide affair.

Pro Stock standout Bo Butner knows winning, especially this season.

Butner won the third race in four attempts this season, the latest came Sunday when he snared the Wally at the 20th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas.

Father-son racing duo John and Johnny Pluchino earned a long-awaited double-up at the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech at GALOT Motorsports Park. John Pluchino won in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock and Johnny Pluchino started his 2018 championship defense with a win in Schwing America Pro Outlaw 632 presented by Precision Chassis. 
 

This past week, national drag racing standouts Tom and Ryan Martino of Martino Motorsports were honored in City Council Chambers by Youngstown Mayor Jamael Brown for their 2018 PDRA Lucas Oil Top Dragster World Championship and their continued dedication to their proud hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.

As a part of Mayor Brown’s presentation, the Martinos received a Key to the City, a Proclamation, and an updated “Welcome to Youngstown” sign commemorating their recent World Championship season. The sign is presently erected and showcased in the northbound lane of Market Street (Rt. 7), one of the heaviest traveled roads in Youngstown.

Funny Car racer Phil Burkart was unhurt following the first-round fire at the Denso Sparks Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Burkart’s Robert- and Lisa Schwab-owned ’14 Dodge caught fire at about the 800-foot mark in Lane 3 of his “quad” and trailed a giant plume of smoke as the veteran driver did a masterful job of stopping the car and exiting. The car was charred, and Burkart said moments after escaping through the roof hatch.