John Hale hoped his moments of defiance at the Texas Motorplex would one day lead to a day when he could stand on the starting line at an NHRA national event without the proper accreditation.

"Long before I made any laps in anything fast I stood out here underneath the tower on a Friday night during qualifying and tried not to get busted for being there without a pass," Hale recalled from nearly 30 years ago.

"From there I watched guys like Al Hoffmann, Chuck Etchells, John Force, Kenny Bernstein, all of those guys back then, and just dreamed about someday being one of them, strapped in, rolling under that tower on a Friday night. And now I'm so happy to say that dream's come true more than once. So all the history in my drag racing career goes back to that one Friday night underneath that tower here."

This weekend Hale is driving Del Worsham's Funny Car after the reached a deal last weekend.

The Professional Drag Racers Association has constructed an exciting 2019 schedule worthy of the world’s quickest and fastest eighth-mile doorslammers. The tour will run from April through October with eight stops across the eastern half the U.S. Many favorite tracks return, along with one entirely new stop. 

There was a time when Shane Tucker was the face of Australian Pro Stock. Even then, he had his eye on drag racing in the United States.

Beyond Pro Stock, Tucker was a successful businessman and in business, he also had his sights set on operating in the U.S..

NHRA Pro Mod driver Michael Biehle, of North Vernon, Ind., is debuting an all pink ride for his entry in the E3 Sparks Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service at the AAA NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.

Standing up close and personal to the race cars tseems to be the favorite thing to do, especially at the drag races.

What's cool might not be the safest procedure and staff photographer Roger Richard's photos might be the best illustration of what could have been an ugly experience on the inside and outside of the car.

Outlaw 632 racer Eric Tillman nailed the throttle during eliminations at the No Mercy 9 event only to experience a center-section failure in the Ford 9-inch rearend of his Chevy II. The failure sent pieces of the pinion through the side window like military-style shrapnel. Amazingly Tillman, nor any of the onlookers standing on the starting line were injured.

Steve Torrence was on top of the world in 2017, scoring eight wins to that point in the season. He was leading the points and a cinch to capture his first NHRA Top Fuel title, and the second since winning a Top Alcohol Dragster series championship. Homecoming couldn't have come at a more excellent time for the Kilgore, Texas-based driver as he entered the NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Then it all came crashing down.

Torrence, who has logged more seat time at the track outside of Dallas than any other on the tour, seemed to have the race in hand until he crossed the finish line after a second-round victory. It was then that a tire inexplicably blew out at more than 300 miles per hour, sending him and his 10,000 horsepower hybrid crashing heavily into the concrete guardwall.

Funny Car world champion Ron Capps will sport a new look when he hits the track at zMAX Dragway next weekend to begin qualifying for the NHRA Carolina Nationals. Capps will pilot a special one-race-only NAPA NIGHTVISION Lamps scheme in conjunction with NAPA AUTO PARTS’ NAPA NIGHTVISION Lamp Program, a month-long promotional campaign which offers customers NAPA’s newest premium product line at a discounted price while benefitting the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF).
 
For every pack of NAPA NIGHTVISION Lamps sold throughout October, NAPA AUTO PARTS will make a donation to IFHF. Since 2012, NAPA AUTO PARTS has been a major contributor to IFHF, a nonprofit focused on serving United States military personnel experiencing Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress. By participating in the NAPA NIGHTVISION Lamp Program, motorists can feel good about contributing to an important cause while improving their visibility and safety when driving at night.