Mickey Thompson was presented with a Project Excellence Award by Ford Motor Company at the 2016 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in recognition of its custom 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty built by Mike Duval of X-Treme Toyz.   
 
Heralded by Ford as the “toughest Ford Super Duty ever”, the 2017 Ford Super Duty dubbed Project Tall Boy was displayed at the Mickey Thompson SEMA Show booth and showcased Mickey Thompson’s new 40-inch Baja MTZP3 tires and 20-inch Sidebiter II wheels. The vehicle was selected for the award based upon the following criteria: New product development, vehicle appearance, marketability/brand fit, use of aftermarket parts and vehicle display.  

The readers of CompetitionPlus.com have spoken, and the overwhelming majority of fans [53%] say the Super classes are fine to watch; but as long as the electronics are not part of the equation.

Coming in a distant second was those who said to leave it alone [18%], and a distant third was the option of making the indexes quicker [17%]. Impose a speed limit was the least vote-garnering suggestion.

The first clue Ron Capps was going to win the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car championship should have been the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. 

A 50-time race winner, Capps is no longer a bridesmaid in the championship column. After years of being the "you almost had it" poster boy, the NAPA Auto Parts-sponsored driver now knows how to seal the deal. 

Needing to end Saturday's qualifying at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Ca, with a minimum 81 point lead, Capps carried 92 into Sunday's final eliminations and secured his first career championship after finishing runner-up for the championship a record four times.

Kalitta Motorsports founder and owner Connie Kalitta was honored at the season-ending Mello Yello Awards banquet with NHRA's Lifetime Achievement Award. This is the first time in NHRA history that this award has been given.

Kalitta's honor received the first standing ovation of the evening as NHRA President Peter Clifford addressed the crowd with some of Kalitta's incredible achievements. A video tribute followed with all four of Kalitta's current full-time drivers: Alexis DeJoria, Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd and Del Worsham, team Vice-President of Operations Jim Oberhofer, NHRA legends Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen, and rival team owners John Force and Don Schumacher speaking on what Kalitta meant to the sport and how far reaching his impact has truly been.

Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Jason Line and Jerry Savoie were the headliners crowned as world champions Monday evening during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series awards ceremony at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland.
 
The four drivers were honored for their season-long achievements and presented with checks and trophies for winning 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championship titles during the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s playoffs.

Eliminations for the Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif., were only half over Sunday afternoon when Jerry Savoie became only the fourth Pro Stock Motorcycle champion in 13 years not to be associated with the Vance & Hines organization.

And the Suzuki-racing alligator farmer from Cut Off, La., gave thanks to God and wife Vonnie, crew chief Tim Kulungian, and his mechanics Jeremy Deroche and Steve Zellman. And figuring into his jumble of thoughts after clinching his first title in the second round at Auto Club Raceway were his primary rivals, Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec, three time class champion Angelle Sampey – and two other NHRA multi-time champions, Funny Car’s John Force and Pro Stock’s Erica Enders.

With a possible NHRA nitro Funny Car world championship within reach, Tommy Johnson Jr. and his Don Schumacher Racing team had a couple of costly hiccups at Dallas and Las Vegas.

Rather than dwell on a lost championship opportunity, Johnson Jr. and his team regrouped and won the season-ending NHRA Finals Sunday at Pomona, Calif.

Forget the talk about Doug Kalitta’s NHRA Top Fuel rivalry with Tony Schumacher.

The Mac Tools Dragster driver is building a new one with his own Kalitta Motorsports / Toyota teammate JR Todd.

Greg Anderson is all about winning championships, but Sunday he had to settle for second place.

Anderson beat his Summit Racing teammate Jason Line in the Pro Stock final at the season-ending NHRA Finals, but when the day was done he lost the championship by three points to Line.

Officially, Matt Smith won Sunday’s Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif., when money-round opponent Angelle Sampey had a foul start.

But maybe the biggest triumph of the day for the veteran racer from King, N.C., was his quarterfinal-round defeat of Harley-Davidson competitor and title contender Eddie Krawiec.