Once might be by chance, twice a coincidence, but a third time indicates a trend.

Sunday at the New England Nationals hosted by New England Dragway in Epping, NH, the NHRA announced the third time it has sold out back-to-back days during the 2018 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Steve Torrence is on a mission this season to win his first NHRA Top Fuel world championship.

Torrence continued towards that goal by winning the New England Nationals Sunday.

Momentum is when you can make it, and over the course of the last two races, two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan has been making the most of the moment.  

Hagan, for the second race in a row, captured the victory and did so by repelling an upset-minded Tim Wilkerson in the finals of the NHRA New England Nationals, who entered the weekend 13th in the point standings, and holding only six round wins to his credit headed into the Epping, New Hampshire event.

Drag racer Jake Jarvis of Hendersonville, NC, had his truck, trailer and 1999 Pontiac Firebird stolen on Friday evening at the Homewood Suites near zMax Dragway. A race car stolen before the race even started. It happened this past weekend as a family from Western North Carolina was preparing to run at zMax Dragway in Concord.

The car was displayed at the drag strip on Friday and discovered gone on Saturday morning.

After two sessions of qualifying July 6 in Epping, N.H., Pro Stock driver Chris McGaha was ready to pack and go home because all the engine problems that were occurring.

By Sunday, all was forgotten.

This has been a busy season for teams in the nitro funny car class and with new entries and drivers, Legends of Nitro announces the inaugural Rookie of the Year program for drivers who compete in the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series, the United Nitro Funny Car Championship Series, presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports and select independent events in the United States.

Legends of Nitro owner Kevin Stith disclosed the award, “As a fan of all the nitro classes, we are proud to see new entries and performance in the class. After filling out the 260 MPH Club for Nitro Funny Cars, we’ve noticed a surge in drivers moving over the drive these great, fan favorite racecars. With that, I’m always proud to recognize talented, new drivers.”

During the offseason and throughout the 2017 year, the topic of laid-back headers wouldn’t go away.

Well, the topic is back in the forefront again because some NHRA nitro teams don’t believe all the teams are competing on the same level playing field.

The U.S. Army has decided not to renew its sponsorship with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) due to a reallocation of its marketing budget. DSR is actively pursuing a strong brand to partner with the team and its roster of sponsors and personalities who have contributed to 325 NHRA national event titles and 16 championships.
 
“The U.S. Army has been a great partner of Don Schumacher Racing for nearly two decades,” said team owner Don Schumacher. “It has been a mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S. Army instilling the mental, physical and emotional strength of the U.S. Army Soldier in all of us. We remain extremely proud of our representation of the U.S. Army and its brave Soldiers who are 100 percent committed to our country. We will continue to activate on behalf of the U.S. Army for the remainder of 2018 while showcasing our acumen to future partners looking to inject their brand with the power and precision that has earned DSR more than 320 wins and 16 championships.” 

Matt Hagan remained one of the hottest Funny Car racers by winning his second straight event of the season at the sixth annual NHRA New England Nationals. Hagan drove to victory in front of a sellout crowd for the second consecutive day at New England Dragway.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Chris McGaha (Pro Stock) were also winners in their respective categories at the 13th of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Sunday's final results from the sixth annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway. The race is the 13th of 24 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series: