While competing at this weekend's NHRA SpringNationals in Houston, Funny Car star and two-time NHRA World Champion Del Worsham announced that his racing operation will be temporarily parked and on the sidelines after the Houston event, while he continues to pursue additional funding for his organization. At this point in time, Worsham has plans for a return to NHRA competition at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 27-29 at Sonoma Raceway in California. If funding can be secured in the interim, the team will be ready to compete immediately.

Worsham has competed at all four NHRA Mello Yello national events prior to Houston, with backing from a consortium of associate sponsors, and has compiled a round record of 2-4 while earning 167 points, good enough for the No. 10 spot in the standings. His 2018 Toyota Camry has been consistent and fast at the prior two races, in Gainesville and Las Vegas, but the full-time search for additional marketing partners will be his primary focus moving forward.

Some of the NHRA's drag racing legends are getting to do something they didn't get to do a lot of back in their glory days - they are now able to hang out with their fans.

The NHRA is in the midst of a Legends tour which began last month at the NHRA Gatornationals and will conclude next march in Gainesville, Fla., at the 50th anniversary NHRA Gatornationals. 
The NHRA Legends Tour features some of NHRA’s most beloved figures from the early days of drag racing including Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, Kenny Bernstein, Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, Joe Amato, Ed “The Ace” McCulloch, “The Bounty Hunter” Connie Kalitta, and “Big Jim” Dunn.

Ed McCulloch is scheduled to be at three events this season. He's excited for this fan interaction because back in his days of driving, and later tuning, his focus was solely on his craft. 

Tommy Gray is synonymous with his Undertaker persona. Always a fan favorite, he epitomizes Pro Modified. Gray missed the PDRA season opener, lacking an available car after selling his graveyard-themed Corvette.

His new 2018 Corvette is being built by Jerry Bickel, but won’t be done until August. Gray went into full attack mode to find a backup. Fortunately, there was a good fit to be found.

Kindness General Contractors (KGC) will have its primary graphics on the Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car during this year’s NHRA SpringNationals in Baytown, Texas.

The special edition color scheme represents a new sponsor that joined the team at the start of the season as an associate and has grown into a primary role for this weekend’s race, April 20-22.

As John Gaydosh speeds down the track this weekend at the 2018 NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway, he’ll also be shining the spotlight on autism.
 
April is ‘Autism Awareness Month’ and featured prominently on the Gaydosh Performance Chevrolet Camaro will be a decal promoting Pathfinders for Autism.

Those who know doorslammer icon Rickie Smith believe there's a Geico commercial in his future.

You know that kind which suggests, "If you're Rickie Smith you make the improbable probable, it's just what you do."

To set the stage for this slogan, the multi-time Pro Modified and mountain motor Pro Stock champion can now add to his list of unlikely victories one which includes a brand new Jerry Bickel Camaro with only four runs on it equipped with a new transmission combination with less than ten test hits to the finish line.

Oh, that drag racer they call Trickie Rickie always has an Ace up his sleeve. He clearly knew when to hold his cards, and when to fold them last month at the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod season-opener in Gainesville, Fla.

Fifty years ago, the Ford Mustang Cobra Jet took to the staging lanes at drag strips everywhere – and along with the resulting wins, a legend was born. Now comes the return of the Mustang Cobra Jet drag strip race car by Ford Performance – targeted to be the most powerful and quickest version from the factory yet, capable of running the quarter-mile in the mid-8-second range while topping 150 mph.  

“From the very first Mustang Cobra Jets dominating the 1968 NHRA Winternationals to our modern-day Cobra Jet racers, the Ford Performance Parts team continues to build the Cobra Jet brand based on its success at the track over five decades,” said Eric Cin, global director, Ford Performance Parts. “That, in turn, has inspired generations of Mustang fans to create their own performance machines for the street.”

The Australian National Drag Racing Association, [ANDRA] the governing body for the sport down-under is ‘alive and well’ according to recently appointed General Manager Brett Stevens. 

Established in 1973, ANDRA is on the road to recovery after a bitter and ugly dispute that engulfed the world of drag racing in Australia. 

Their woes began in 2015 when the major venues, Sydney Dragway, Perth Motorplex and Willowbank Raceway in Queensland established a breakaway body, the 400 Thunder series for the Pro level categories - Top Fuel, Doorslammer, Pro Stock, Top Alcohol, Top Bike and Pro Stock bike. 400T also dumped ANDRA as the sanctioning body for the sport in favor of the American based IHRA. 

ANDRA retained control of Adelaide International Raceway in South Australia and Calder Park Raceway, Victoria, and a smattering of rural tracks across the country was also dealt a savage blow when the Pro level categories elected to race only in the 400T series. Currently, both ANDRA and 400T have Sportsman Championship Series with racers able to run in either or both series.

Several giants of the sport are teaming up as Summit Racing Equipment has signed on as primary sponsor for Keith Haney Racing to enter the NHRA E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series at three national events this season.

Driving a nitrous-boosted 2015 Summit Racing Camaro owned by three-time NHRA Pro Mod World Champion Rickie Smith and tuned by Brandon Switzer, Haney will make his NHRA Pro Mod debut next month (May 18-20) at Topeka, KS, with additional outings in September at St. Louis and the following month in Dallas, TX.

Ford made headlines this year when it officially returned to the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series after a three-year hiatus.  Next year figures to be just as noteworthy when Ford Performance rolls out a new Mustang Funny Car body for NHRA competition.
 
Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, made the announcement today as part of a week-long Mustang birthday celebration.