Winner of two NHRA races in Top Fuel this season, Blake Alexander will be driving at the historic Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals with the backing of LoCo Cookers. The successful Georgia crawfish cooker company will be the primary sponsor on the Bob Vandergriff Racing dragster this weekend in Indianapolis.
 
LoCo Cookers CEO, Mac Plummer, is excited to be teaming up with BVR this weekend in Indianapolis. “We’re thrilled that the LoCo Cookers car will be on display and competing for a win at NHRA’s biggest race of the year. The timing of the race is the perfect jump-start for our brand as we roll-out our products in Lowe’s stores across the country beginning in October.”

Chip Ellis had not planned on competing in NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle class in 2018.

That changed a couple of weeks ago when he received an unexpected phone call from Andrew Hines. Hines and his teammate, reigning world champion Eddie Krawiec ride the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidsons in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

The plan for T.J. Zizzo for the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season was to compete in one event in Chicago, May 31-June 3.

That changed as the result of Zizzo running so well at his hometown event. He qualified No. 5 with a stout 3.771-second time at 326.48 mph lap, but he was upset in the first round by Scott Palmer.

Sources close to the NHRA rulemaking department have said there is a plan in the works to merge mountain motor Pro Stock racing into NHRA's current pro stock format. 

For those unfamiliar with mountain motor Pro Stock, in 1977 IHRA scrapped the traditional pounds per cubic inch format and developed a format where drivers could run as large of a displacement of an engine as they could fit between the fenders. The sizes were mountainous compared to the NHRA’s small-blocks thus creating the term.

The IHRA cars began to overshadow the NHRA cars media-wise by reaching the seven-second zone first, and in 1982 NHRA adopted their own version of the large displacement engines but capped their engines at 500 inches.

For the first time, Mountain Motor Pro Stock cars will be making an appearance at an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event as part of the 64th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Mountain Motor drivers from around the country will descend on Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis to showcase their machines at the World’s Biggest Drag Race™ with two runs on Saturday, Sept. 1 and two more on Sunday, Sept. 2.

NHRA world championship tuner Lee Beard will be returning to the upcoming U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis Aug. 30-Sept. 3.

However, Beard will not be the wrench boss for any driver. Instead, Beard has been hired by FOX Sports to be a Technical Analyst starting with the U.S. Nationals.

“I’m excited about this,” Beard said. “My job will be focused on crew chiefs and their team of technicians. I will be talking about the people, the strategies, the set-ups, and the challenges that they are faced with.”

Before Indianapolis-based Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) takes to the track for the 64th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals this weekend, the winningest team in NHRA history will have already achieved a major victory – raising funds for Indy’s own Riley Hospital for Children.
 
On Friday, August 31, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. EDT, DSR will pull back the curtain and open the doors to its 145,000-square foot state-of-the-art racing facility for the 13th annual DSR Open House presented by Pennzoil. The annual Open House event, along with the yearly ‘This is How We Roll’ bowling function, taking place on December 5, 2018, are the team’s two major fundraisers for Riley Hospital. Since the partnership began in 2006, the largest team in drag racing has successfully raised more than half a million dollars for Riley.

NHRA officials have confirm Allegiant has signed a multi-year agreement to become the official airline of NHRA. The new partnership with Allegiant, which offers industry-low fares on an all-jet fleet, is effective immediately for the remainder of the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and will continue for upcoming seasons, as well.

“We are very excited to have Allegiant as NHRA’s first official airline sponsor,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer. “It is always a thrill to introduce new partners to NHRA drag racing, and with 24 events all across the United States every year, it makes perfect sense to have Allegiant on board and to serve as the official airline of NHRA.”

Significant rain fall overnight followed by continuing rain today at Willowbank Raceway has forced Jamboree Australia to cancel day two of the Honeywell Garrett Brisbane Jamboree presented by Link ECU and Tuners Edge.

“This has been an exceptionally difficult decision, but unfortunately with the weather conditions our hands have been forced,” Jamboree Australia Director, Collin Willshire, said.

Day one of the Honeywell Garrett Brisbane Jamboree presented by Link ECU and Tuners Edge has unfolded under beautiful blue skies to the delight of thousands of spectators at Willowbank Raceway today.

Qualifying for all 12 racing brackets was held across the day, with Gabriel Rodriguez (Precision Turbo Factory Xtreme), Jay Sadek (Bosch Motorsport Pro Turbo), Chris Tait (McKern Pro Compact), Paul Mouhayet (Turbo King IHRA Pro Mod), Quinton Nudd (MTQ Street Compact), Jason Frost (Freight Management Australia All Motor), Tee Jay Graham (Pro Maz Street 289), Nader Nader (NAPA Auto Super Store Modified Compact), Shane Seawright (Option Audio Extreme), Vince Rigoli (PWR Performance Products Modified 10.5), Varum Sharma (Race Car Engineering J275) and Perry Bullivant (Race Car Engineering J315) all topping their classes.