Let this be known. Antron Brown's passion for doorslammer racing is not a fleeting affair. The love is real. 

And just because the three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion with 74 professional victories isn't racing Manny Buginga's Pro 275 "Fred" this weekend at the Bradenton Snowbird Outlaw Nationals doesn't mean he's over doorslammers. 

As Brown puts it, he's got even more passion for the volatile racing than before. 

If the pre-race testing is an indication of what is to come for the weekend’s 52nd annual Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks, then race fans had better flock to Bradenton Motorsports Park. On Tuesday, Jose Gonzalez drove Mark Micke's Outlaw Pro Modified entry to a 5.359 elapsed time at 272.94 miles per hour, the quickest-ever run by a doorslammer in the quarter-mile.

The race is contested on the eighth-mile but that won't stop the score of racers competing in $52,000-to-win M&M Transmission Outlaw Pro Mod presented by FuelTech and PJS Racing, from letting it all hang out. The event will also include small tire racing, index competiton, jet trucks, jet dragsters, and Nitro Harleys during Saturday’s Night of Fire.

“There’s nothing like the Snowbirds,” said Victor Alvarez, track owner and event promoter. “I’ve always felt that Bradenton has a unique vibe. That’s on another level at the Snowbirds. Our local fans have supported this race for many years. They’ve come to expect an amazing show, and with the lineup we have on tap, the fans are going to get exactly that.”

Just like Rodger Brogdon made a splash in Competition Eliminator with the Rooftec Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund [CEBF], as a first-time exhibitor at the Performance Racing Industry Show, he's hoping to have an even more significant effect.  

The Rooftec CEBF has partnered with drag racing's longest-running internet magazine, CompetitionPlus.com, and the newly launched QuarterMileClassifieds.com to deliver a must-visit experience for attendees at the prestigious show, December 7 - 9, 2023, at the Indianapolis Convention Center. 

"I walked the floor at the PRI Show for years and was impressed by how many companies used their booth space to grow their business," Brogdon explained. "With the Rooftec Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund making a significant impact on NHRA's Competition Eliminator for the last two seasons, we believe in using this show to take our program to the next level.

Up until 2023, November 12 could be considered a day Doug Kalitta would just as soon be a leap year date. Two occurrences on this day left the soft-spoken, fan-favorite drag racer with nothing but bad memories.

One was tragic, and the other, while heartbreaking, couldn't be considered a tragedy when compared to the other.

November 12, 2022, during the Wings over Dallas airshow, a mid-air collision involving two World War II-era planes claimed the lives of six. Kalitta's brother-in-law, Craig Hutain, was one of those fatally injured.

Ancient Greek philosopher Plato is quoted often as saying, "necessity is the mother of invention".  During the 1981 NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca., necessity ran headlong into the need for invention.

Never has there been a more stunning example of a problem that encouraged creative solutions than the time Raymond Beadle had his Blue Max Funny Car leave the starting line as a hard top and return a convertible.

It wasn’t the sight of the roof ripping from the lightweight Plymouth Horizon shell that would have captured Plato’s attention. What transpired as Beadle and the crew reached the pit area might have led the philosopher to his alter his saying slightly, making it "necessity is the mother of intervention". 

Drag racing can produce some of the more challenging rollercoaster rides for a straight-line sport. Longtime sportsman racer Jeff Melnick will testify to the ups and downs as he navigated to a challenging PDRA title in the M&M Transmission Pro 632 division while driving for team owner Alan O’Brien.

To think, it was his rookie season.

“I remember the first pass I made in the car, and I thought, ‘Oh boy, what did I get myself into? This is a different animal," Melnick said. "A Liberty 5-speed, heads-up, a Pro tree, just a bunch of different stuff for me."

The 2023 SEMA Show was deemed a success by various industry professionals. The Las Vegas-based trade show, hosted from October 31 to November 3, attracted over 150,000 participants from the automotive aftermarket industry. The four-day event showcased a unique blend of relationship-building, networking, sales, and marketing opportunities aimed at translating business success and dreams into reality.

The Las Vegas Convention Center was filled with 2,200 exhibitors who presented their newest products, automotive builds, and education seminars. Throughout the vast exhibit halls, attendees, which included industry professionals and enthusiasts, fostered connections through dedicated product communities, outdoor activations, educational sessions, award programs, groundbreaking product reveals, distinctive experiences, and lively celebrations.

Tom Gattuso, SEMA VP of Events, emphasized the transformative power of the show.

The staff of Competition Plus would like to take this opportunity to wish our readers a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

In these troubled times it’s vitally important that we all stop and reflect upon the blessings we receive each and every day. Often, as we deal with the complexities of modern life we overlook many of the things that should be most important to us, the things that really matter.