Drag-racing fans aren’t likely to see a Bill Doner-stoked phenomenon called “64 Pro Stock Cars.”

That’s a Funny Car classic.

But fans also aren’t likely to see the big, smoky Funny Car burnouts à la Jungle Jim Liberman or Pat Minick or a younger John Force.

The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Series was quite memorable for veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Matt Smith.

Smith won his third Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship in dramatic fashion at the season’s final race the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., on Nov. 11.

Smith defeated Eddie Krawiec in the final round in a winner takes all battle to be the world champion. For good measure, Smith also set the PSM national elapsed time record at 201.65 mph on his victorious run.

Past NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey will become the third rider for the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson team for at least the first four races of 2019. This, per a report on NHRA.com.

“It’s surreal to be getting ready to race one of these Harleys after lining up against them for so many years,” Sampey told NHRA.com. “I’m so motivated to get out there and see what I can do on the same bike as Eddie and Drew.”

Midwest Organics will promote Magic Dry Organic Absorbent on Rickey House's Top Fuel Harley in 2019, it was announced Thursday. House, a two-time national event winner in the NHRA's Mickey Thompson Tires Top Fuel Harley Series, was supported by CatSpot Organic Cat Litter in 2017-2018. 
 
"I am very excited about staying with the Midwest Organics family through this new Magic Dry deal," House said. "We will still have CatSpot on the bike as well, but we want to help the boss, Tommy Thompson, get Magic Dry at the front of everyone's mind.
 

Emilio and Adamo Spinozzi are looking for a breakthrough run at New Years Thunder tomorrow at Willowbank Raceway in the Speedmaster Chevelle.

The team enjoyed their best result yet in the Pro Slammer division at the last round of the championship in Sydney, earning a semi final finish. The result was enough to propel Spinozzi into sixth place for the 400 Thunder championship.

With fifth placed Mark Hinchelwood to miss this upcoming round, the door is open for Spinozzi to move at least one spot up for the series and potentially more.

Kenny Youngblood has made drag racing a work of art for decades. However, his latest project might be his most ambitious ever.

Youngblood, drag racing's most sought-after artist, has been commissioned by the Long Beach for Price Automobilia to recreate one of drag racing more iconic drag strips with a combination of hand-painted murals and 3-D build-outs of the famed Lion's Drag Strip.

"We’re recreating the starting line of Lions Drag Strip pretty much full scale inside a building, and trying to make it as accurate as possible," Youngblood explained. "It’s a combination of hand-painted murals on the wall plus 3D build outs and fences, and of course Lions had the tower bridge across the staging lanes, and we’ve recreated that bridge and the tower. It’s really going to be amazing, can’t wait to get it done."

Dodge and The LEGO Group announced a partnership pairing the two iconic brands through a new multimedia marketing campaign. The campaign launches with a new 30-second television commercial “Metamorphosis” that first breaks across the Dodge brand’s Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels. The initiative also includes a new LEGO® Speed Champions building set that features the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.

“We know that many of our Dodge//SRT enthusiasts become fans of the brand at an early age, and like me, also grow up building LEGO vehicles that we dream of one day driving on the road,” said Steve Beahm, Head of Passenger Car Brands, Dodge//SRT, Chrysler and FIAT – FCA North America. “With the new Speed Champions set featuring the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, our youngest fans can now build and jump into the ‘driver’s’ seat of two of their ultimate fantasy muscle cars.”  

The latter part of the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Series season was a wild ride for veteran nitro Funny Car driver Matt Hagan – literally.

Hagan, a two-time world champion (2011 and 2014), acknowledged to CompetitionPlus.com, a chassis issue with his Funny Car left him doubting his own ability.

“For six races toward the end of the year I had a froze kingpin in our front A-Arm and I told Dickie (Venables, Hagan’s crew chief) and we were blaming things on this new Hellcat body and all this other mess. I said in 10 years I’ve never had this many problems driving a race car. I said I need to take two weeks off or quit forever, or we have something really wrong.”

Californian speedster Ashley Sanford will lead the US charge at the New Year Thunder meeting at Willowbank Raceway, Queensland, 5. Sanford, a member of the Rapisarda Autosport International squad, will race alongside Kalitta Motorsport’s Richie Crampton who will be making his second appearance down under for local outfit Lamattina Top Fuel Racing.

Sanford, a regular with RAI over the past two seasons, will be chasing her first career win in the elite category. One of the most popular racers to tour Australia in the last decade, she finished runner-up to Sydney racer Peter Xiberras at the corresponding meeting last year and was second to teammate Wayne Newby at the opening round of the 400 Thunder 2018-19 season Dragway in November.