NHRA officials announced that the 12th additional race for the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will be contested at the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, May 19-21, 2017.

J&A Service, a leader in oil and gas well-servicing exploration, had signed an agreement to extend their series sponsorship of the popular NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series earlier this year. Along with the sponsorship extension it was announced the 2017 racing schedule would add two new events to expand to 12 for the coming season.

Kalitta Motorsports has announced the departure of 2015 NHRA Funny Car Champion Del Worsham. Worsham will remain a valuable part of the NHRA community as he rejoins his family-owned Funny Car team.

“It was a hard decision to leave a championship-caliber team such as Kalitta Motorsports,” said Worsham. “However, there is so much unfinished business with my family’s team and I felt now is the time to do it. I am excited to see what the future holds. I cannot thank Connie Kalitta enough for giving me a shot in Scott’s car, and helping me achieve one of my ultimate goals: a Funny Car championship. I also want to thank Jim O (Oberhofer), Jon O (Oberhofer), Nicky Boninfante, the ‘YellaFellas’ and my Kalitta Motorsports teammates.”

Elite Motorsports crew chief Rickie Jones will step back from his duties with the championship-winning NHRA Pro Stock team to focus on his family in 2017.
 
Jones, the son of veteran crew chief/chassis builder Rick Jones, was an integral part of Erica Enders' 2014-15 Pro Stock world championships.  

Hector Arana Sr. knows what it takes to be an NHRA world champion. Back in 2009, Arana Sr. won the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship.

With a title as the barometer, Arana Sr. acknowledged the 2016 season was frustrating for him and his son/teammate Hector Arana Jr.
Arana Sr. placed 10th in the point standings and Arana Jr. was eighth.

Funny Car racer Tommy Johnson Jr. missed out on winning the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series by 52 points, and while The Make-A-Wish driver was disappointed in coming up short, he doesn't hesitate to give his team a passing grade on the season. 

“I guess you’d have to give it about an A-," Johnson said "If you’re going to finish second and have your career year, you couldn’t probably go any lower than an A-, but at the same time you still missed it just a little bit. We were 52 points away from a great season, and we had a good season."

Victory Motorcycles will return to the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series in 2017, as the company will again partner with two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith and his successful Matt Smith Racing team.
 
Victory Motorcycles, a division of Polaris Industries Inc., represents the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major corporation in nearly 60 years, and is rapidly making impressive gains in the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace.

For the 16th season, the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series will compete at top flight NHRA Drag Racing facilities across the county for the 2017 season. The upcoming 2017 schedule will feature 45 divisional events with a minimum of six in each of the seven divisions. There will also be 26 regional events featuring the 260-mph Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes.
 
“The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing series is the very best of sportsman racing, which highlights the foundation of the NHRA,” said NHRA president Peter Clifford. “This series allows fans to enjoy drag racing competition at many levels, often showcasing future stars in classes where many pro racers began their careers. We’re extremely thankful for everything the Lucas family does to support this series and are excited to see another great season of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in 2017.”

Gary Davis has two passions. He loves high performance race vehicles, and he loves showing the youth of today how horsepower can be a substitute for mischief. 

Davis, a retired Lincoln County (Nev.) police officer, uses his 1985 Chevrolet S-10 as the perfect doorway to create a dialogue with teenagers. He also races the tricked-out truck to race at the drag strip located on the grounds of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

Davis’ truck is popular, having once appeared on the program Top Gear, and is more than a show piece. A 900-horse, 565-inch Earl Snow-built powerplant makes it a contender in the Non-Electric category of this weekend’s JEGS Performance Street Car Super Nationals XII.  

How can there by limitations when the item is on one’s bucket list?

For doorslammer racer Paul Glandon, the JEGS Performance Street Car Super Nationals is enough of a must-experience event that he was willing to make the long trek with his turbocharged classic Camaro from Northern Alberta down to Las Vegas several years ago.  It’s since become an annual tradition. 

“It gets really cold in Alberta this time of the year, we just want to go (racing),” Glandon explained. “I’m in the concrete business and things slow down when it gets cold. It gives me time to go and travel because I don’t have time in the summertime. It gives me the chance to come to this race and, you know, get one last race in and have some fun!”

Ashley Harvey, 17, and a drag racer wants to go to nursing school when she graduates. She’s your average high school teenager, engaged in social media with a keen eye for selfies and family pictures.

Harvey also has a penchant for taking selfies from the winner’s circle.

A former Jr. Dragster racer, Harvey competed in her first JEGS Performance Street Car Super Nationals. She’s racing a big car for only the fifth time but isn’t intimidated by the experience as evidenced by a career-best pass of 8.34 seconds in a dragster normally reserved for 8.90 racing.