A Pro Stock class with a Ford Mustang would be great; this according to nearly 6,000 readers who cast votes in the ARP Question of the Week. We asked which non-Camaro body style you would most like to see in Pro Stock with relaxed rules.

The Mustangs grabbed a 29-percent share of the voting followed closely by the Dodge Challenger at 25. A distant third was the Cadillac CTS.

No one can say Cory McClenathan doesn’t welcome a challenge.

The veteran Top Fuel racer confirmed to Competition Plus he’s going to compete in the new Nitro Outlaw Association in 2018. He will be driving for Dexter Tuttle.

The Nitro Outlaw Association is in its infant stages, but McClenathan did offer details of what the NOA is planning to do in its inaugural season.

A drag racer who successfully defined the will to succeed against the odds has passed away.

Bob Glidden, 73, and a ten-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, and one-time IHRA series champion passed away on December 17, 2017, following a brief illness.

The elder Glidden passed away at 9:40 PM, Sunday evening, and was joined at his bedside by his wife of 54 years Etta, and their sons Billy and Rusty. 

While many record-setting and remarkable passes have been made on the track surface at Summit Motorsports Park through the years, a $1.6 million track reconstruction project is in the works.
 
As part of it, the staging lanes will be new asphalt and the head of the staging lanes through 100 feet past the finish line will be concrete from barrier wall to barrier wall, with new asphalt from that point to the sandtrap at the end of the track.
 
"Our track surface has worked well, but since we became part of the NHRA in 2007, I've been thinking about ripping out the track and starting over so that we have an all-concrete surface rather than a concrete and asphalt surface," said Bill Bader, Jr., president of Summit Motorsports Park. "We really got aggressive about it three years ago, and we've been researching it and talking with Jim Head, who races a high-horsepower car and is a concrete paver, so he has an understanding of what's needed to ensure a high-quality track."

Rising NHRA Top Fuel star, Ashley Sanford, will return to Australia to drive for Rapisarda Autosport International at Willowbank Raceway on January 6.

The 23-year-old Sanford last raced for RAI at the opening round of the 400 Thunder series at Sydney Dragway in November, finishing in 6th spot.

“To be invited back to race for Santo and his family team is a great Christmas present,” said Sanford. “I’m so excited. I know that Santo usually runs three cars in Australia and there are a lot of drivers here in America who would jump at the opportunity to drive for the team in Australia. After driving for Santo in November it was a dream that one day I would be invited back. When the phone rang last week and I saw it was Santo calling I took a big breath and crossed my fingers. It was the perfect Christmas present and can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be returning to Australia.”

Australian drag racing has been a staple of CompetitionPlus.com's editorial package since the popular e-zine launched in 1999.

Today, CompetitionPlus.com added to its Down Under package by bringing longtime respected journalist John Doig into its staff to serve as Australian correspondent.

"John Doig has every quality we look for in a CompetitionPlus.com reporter," said Bobby Bennett, Publisher/Editor. "He is a respected journalist who just like us, seeks the truth in his reporting and delivers a high level of credibility in his reports. We are honored to have John as part of our family."

Former NHRA star and local drag racing legend Allen Johnson may have called it a career following the 2017 season, but he found himself at Thunder Valley once again Thursday evening.
 
Johnson was honored by Bristol Dragway employees and family with a special champagne toast celebration. Bristol Dragway GM Jerry Caldwell also presented Johnson with a customized Thunder Valley golf bag to honor Johnson’s career accomplishments and all that he’s done to support the track and its region.

After being out of the driver’s seat for nearly two years, Matt Giangrande returned to the cockpit in 2017.

The New York native, who now calls North Carolina home, drove in PDRA’s Extreme Pro Stock.

Jerry Bickel Race Cars suffered a fire at a secondary storage facility on March 4, 2017, destroying a number of race cars, an RV and a trailer at the Moscow Mills, Mo.-based shop. Insurance covered only a part of the losses, the rest was from Bickel. Today, the first of the replacement vehicles rolled out of the shop.

This first car, a 2018 Camaro, is destined for Galot Motorsports, where Kevin Rivenbark will drive it in NHRA Pro Mod and PDRA Pro Boost.