It's clear the NHRA fans like a little excitement in the pits.

During last week's ARP Question of the Week poll, a 60-percent majority of those who cast votes would love to see the NHRA either enforce or encourage nitro teams to whack the throttle during their pre-run warms-ups.

Our Facebook community was animated on both sides of the question. 

 
Queenslander Kelly Bettes has stormed into contention to take out the Australian Top Fuel championship after a superb win over Peter Xiberras at the Santos Super Thunder meeting at Willowbank Raceway.

Bettes, in her sophomore year in the elite category, has moved to within two points of Rapisarda Autosport International star Damien Harris with two rounds remaining.

The Good Friday meeting attracted six entries headlined by the Rapisarda Autosport International squad of Damien Harris, Wayne Newby and Californian Ashley Sanford, making her fourth trip down under for RAI this season, Sydney team owner/driver Peter Xiberras, who scored his maiden win at Willowbank in January, and Kelly Bettes. Rounding out the field was Sydney veteran Phil Read on the comeback trail and making his first appearance at the ‘bank since 2014.

Although Ron Pelligrini’s name isn’t known by most of today’s drag racing participants, fans or members of the media, from the 50s and well into the 80s he played a major role in the sport.  From competing in some of the most famous cars the sport has ever seen to becoming one of the most important aftermarket manufacturers in the history of Funny Car racing to his involvement in running actual races, Pellegrini has done it all.

In the early 50s Pellegrini drag raced on the dirt track (not a misprint) at Halfday, Illinois, and built his first Oldsmobile-powered dragster in 1954.  A year later, still drag racing on dirt at Oswego, Illinois he set the top time of the year, but more relevant was his work with Jim Lemonis of ATAA, which would ultimately be folded into the then-new NHRA.  Pellegrini also worked with Al Fosdick of Fosdick Timing Equipment, installing and maintaining the timers at numerous Midwest tracks.

In 1960 Pellegrini purchased Tommy Ivo’s side-by-side twin engined dragster and followed that up by purchasing and running Ivo’s four-engined car the next year.  Pellegrini would become the first driver to appear at the U.S. Nationals in an exhibition car when he drove the car at Indy in ’61 and ’62.

If you can run on water, then the land shouldn't be a challenge. 

Eddie Knox never believed for one moment his transition from drag boat racing to AA/FC competition would be an easy one. 

Knox, a four-time champion in the water drags, has embraced the more solid footing and is doing so with a championship driver in Billy Morris, a successful driver in the major leagues of sand drag racing.

Together, they have their hands full with a Problem Child, the name of their 1969 Camaro.

The Frankenstein Engine Dynamics Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS) is proud to announce Strange Engineering has come on board as an official series sponsor for its 2018 racing season. Headquartered in a 120,000-square-foot facility in Morton Grove, IL, Strange Engineering has been a leading manufacturer of high-performance driveline and suspension components for more than 50 years and also is a team sponsor to MWPMS owner, promoter and competitor Keith Haney.

"I've trusted Strange Engineering parts on both of my race cars for several years, so I know what they bring to the table: honesty, integrity and great customer service," said Haney, who races in both the Pro Mod and Radial vs. the World classes with a pair of nearly identical-looking 2016 Camaros. "It truly is an honor for everyone in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series to welcome a company with such a long, rich history like Strange as an important marketing partner this year."

At the upcoming DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, Top Fuel racer Clay Millican will fly down the track at speeds of more than 300 mph with DENSO on his side. The company’s logo will wrap around the champ’s dragster to celebrate the longstanding relationship between Millican, his team sponsor Parts Plus, and DENSO.
 
DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc., an affiliate of leading global automotive supplier DENSO Corp., is sponsoring Millican at the April 6-8 weekend race.

Jeff Arend will make his 2018 NHRA nitro Funny Car debut at the Denso Spark Plugs Four-Wide Nationals April 6-8 at The Strip in Las Vegas in a familiar ride.

Arend will be driving again in the Funny Car owned by Peter and Helen Russo.

“They live in Australia and they like to go to two, three, four (NHRA) races a year and it just depends on their schedule and they decided they wanted to go to this one,” Arend said.

Arend last drove for the Russos for the final two races of the 2017 season – Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif. The veteran driver also is no stranger to four-wide racing as he competed at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, N.C., several times while driving for Kalitta Motorsports and then Jim Dunn.

Here it is. The latest hot rod to roll out of the Jerry Bickel Race Cars factory and it is destined for Brazillian superstar Sidnei Frigo. For the bulk of his NHRA Pro Modified career, Frigo has driven late-modeled vehicles. Possibly as early as Houston, this new 1969 Camaro could hit the track. It left Bickel's shop yesterday headed to ProLine Race Engines for its powerplant. 

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​A 75-year old Napa resident died after an on-track crash at Sonoma Raceway on Wednesday evening.

Chances are pretty good you'll be hearing Deric Kramer's name a lot this season. He's already garnered the first No. 1 qualifier of his Pro Stock career and has raced to the first two semifinals of his career, and a fourth-place spot in the Pro Stock points standings through three races.

The 32-year-old from Sterling, Colo., a city about 120 miles northwest of Denver, started getting engines from the powerhouse KB Racing team this season, propelling his drive to prominence.

So exactly who is Deric Kramer? CompetitionPlus.com decided to find out. Here are four things to know about Kramer: