At age 30, Kirk Wolf has tried a little bit of everything in drag racing. He’s competed on the local Texas bracket racing scene, owned and managed the oldest dragstrip in the Lonestar state, and even drove a Top Fuel dragster. Now he’s stepping into the ultra-competitive NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster class as he takes over the seat of Brandon Booher’s proven blown alcohol entry for three races this season.
 
“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to drive for the Booher family. Brandon didn’t have to offer up the seat like he did. This is a big stretch for him, and I hope I can do well for him and his dad, Aaron.”

While rain was nonstop for the first half of the Summit Racing Equipment Shakedown at the Summit presented by Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, action was nonstop for the second half of the event Sept. 16-18, 2016 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.   

At stake was a $150,500 purse, including $40,000 to win in ProLine Outlaw Pro Mod, which is the largest purse ever paid in Summit Motorsports Park history.

If Pro Stock Motorcycle team owner George Bryce has learned one thing in drag racing it's to expect the unexpected.

Bryce said Sunday evening he experienced the unexpected. 

Bryce said he was notified Sunday evening team rider Cory Reed was leaving Star Racing and taking Angelle Sampey with him at the end of the season. 

While he's been crossing the country to compete in Ultra Street, Ultra 275, Nitrous X and MX235 and racking up wins along the way, Shawn Pevlor of Cincinnati, Ohio, had his sights set on competing in Team Z Motorsports Ultra Street at the Summit Racing Equipment Shakedown at the Summit presented by Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, Sept. 16-18, 2016 at Summit Motorsports Park.

He did just that by motivating his Mustang to an incredible 4.763 and 148 mph in qualifying to ceremoniously set the elapsed-time record for the category, which multi-time champion Butch Kemp of Romeo, Michigan had held since March with a 4.773. Then, he went on to win the race with a 4.78 and 147 mph.

NHRA Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett, who earned a spot in the Countdown to the Championship this September for the first time in her career by unexpectedly having to race for three different team owners and a revolving door of sponsors, is the 2016 recipient of CompetitionPlus.com's Mike Aiello "Spirit of Drag Racing" Award.

CompetitionPlus.com publisher/editor Bobby Bennett presented the trophy Sunday to Pritchett at zMAX Dragway during pre-race ceremonies for the NHRA Carolina Nationals.

Defending NHRA Top Fuel champion Antron Brown said he received a wakeup call on Sept. 5 when he lost to Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony Schumacher in the famed U.S. Nationals.

“All my guys took a look in the mirror at each other after that,” Brown said. “We know the Countdown was coming and that we had six races in a row.
We asked each other how they wanted to finish the season. We knew that we had to put extra effort in and go to work.”

The legendary nitro Funny Car champion John Force came out swinging to start the 2016 six-race NHRA Countdown Championship.

Force won the Carolina Nationals Sunday by beating Tommy Johnson Jr. in the final round at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, N.C.

Chip Ellis had much more than a Wally on his mind Sunday after winning the first Pro Stock Motorcycle race in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

The Daytona Beach, Florida, native dedicated his upset victory to bike owner and former NHRA Pro Stock rider Junior Pippin, who has battled cancer in his family the past four years.

Just when it appeared the rest of the competition had caught up to Ken Black Racing’s Pro Stock team, his team made a statement to begin the six-race Countdown to the Championship.

Jason Line beat his teammate Greg Anderson Sunday in the Carolina Nationals.

Bob Rahaim raced to his third final round and his first win of the season in the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the NHRA Carolina Nationals.

This weekend’s Pro Mod racing at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. is presented by the Real Pro Mod (RPM) Association. This is the eighth of 10 Pro Mod events on the 2016 season.

Rahaim raced Mike Castellana in the final for the win with a pass of 6.349-seconds at 207.85 to the trailing run of 9.322 at 94.55. He defeated Chip King, Kevin Rivenbark, and Danny Rowe then Castellana for his first victory since Gainesville in 2015.