Friday NHRA Nitro Spring Training testing turned out to be ladies day at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park outside of Phoenix, Az.

In the closing hours of day two testing, both Courtney Force (Funny Car) and Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel) registered career best elapsed times to pace their respective divisions.

With each passing week, the rumors grow larger and in further detail. Mike Dunn has heard them all.

The former nitro racer turned television analyst and now IHRA President has a grand vision for the IHRA. He's suspended the professional show until 2018, and will head into this season with a new television package and a sportsman-only program aimed at rebuiding the organization from the ground up. 

In this exclusive interview, Dunn fields the questions many of our readers have. - Editor

NHRA Top Fuel’s Tony Schumacher, uninjured Friday by a huge explosion during Nitro Spring Training at Arizona’s Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, had even further evidence that the canopy on his U.S. Army Dragster is a lifesaver.

“That was a big boom,” Schumacher said afterward.

“Anything that makes 11,000 horsepower, they’re going to blow up,” he said. “I got to run a 3.72 [-second elapsed time on the 1,00-foot course] and didn’t even make it to the finish line. What’s wrong with that . . .’til it blew up? We’re working on new parts and pieces.”

Both Schumacher and crew chief Mike Green said they didn’t know what triggered the fireball early in the second day of the preseason test session.

Unfortunately for the Top Fuel community, Antron Brown hasn't lost a step over the offseason.

During first-day testing at the NHRA Nitro Spring Training event outside of Phoenix, Az., the three-time champion only needed two runs to establish the Matco Tools dragster is the team to beat in 2017.

Last season, Alex Laughlin competed full-time in NHRA’s Pro Stock class in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

That will not be the case in 2017.

The magic of a late-season victory in Las Vegas proved too strong for pro Shane Gray to ignore with the Gray Motorsports pilot electing to drive a second car alongside his son Tanner at NHRA national events in Pomona and Phoenix.
 
Shane turned the group's primary car over to Tanner after the 2016 season, which ended well with Shane's fifth professional title at the penultimate race at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His focus since then has been on preparing 17-year-old Tanner for action in the cutthroat Pro Stock category. But with a back-up car on the rig, Shane decided it may be beneficial to drive it at a few events.

High Performance Lubricants announced that they will be continuing their partnership with three-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion rider Angelle Sampey and Cory Reed with Team Liberty Racing.
                                                                 
“David Ward and High Performance Lubricants approached me with open arms when I returned to racing,” Sampey said. “He [Ward] got us out there and was my first sponsor that came on board when I returned in 2014. I developed a relationship with Ward that goes beyond racing; he’s more like family to me now.”

Matt Hagan has never seen a rollercoaster ride he didn't enjoy. 

Rollercoasters are almost as much fun as driving his 10,000-horsepower Funny Car. 

Emotional rollercoasters aren't.

Hagan, 34, has been on an emotional rollercoaster ride ever since the 2016 season ended back in November. 

Veteran nitro Funny Car driver Phil Burkart Jr. is returning to NHRA’s national circuit.

Burkart will be driving for team owners Robert and Lisa Schwab at the season-opening Winternationals Feb. 9-12 in Pomona, Calif.
 

NHRA and FOX Sports announced there will be additional live programming from the season opening NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event, the Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. The new one hour program will air on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) from 1 – 2 p.m. Eastern, 10 – 11 a.m. Pacific, on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The added live hour of coverage will provide highlights of the opening rounds of qualifying on Friday, it will preview the upcoming 24-race national event schedule and feature the thrilling sights and sounds from the event.