Our mole inside Jerry Bickel's Race Car Factory continues to crank out the sneak peeks.

The latest masterpiece rolling out of Bickel's Moscow Mills, Mo.-based shop belongs to Steve Summers. This twin-turbo Camaro is destined for competition in PDRA and NMCA competition.

In just under a year, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has grown its business and furthered its reach into international markets. The growth has prompted the addition of veteran motorsports executive, Dana Landry as the IHRA director of new business, industry and contingency relations; effective immediately.

Mr. Landry has joined the organization to further develop the IHRA's growing portfolio and assist with contingency sales. He will be responsible for generating new business revenue with regional, national and international companies. Mr. Landry is also responsible for the overall management of existing corporate partnerships.

Fountains of tire smoke usually would disturb Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel driver JR Todd.



But Thursday at Evergreen Speedway at Monroe, Wash., on the eve of the Protect The Harvest NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways, Todd was grinning.

 

In the passenger side of Formula Drift star Ken Gushi’s GReddy Racing Toyota 86, Todd experienced a skidding, tire-shredding Tilt-A-Whirl-like sprint that was roughly akin to a pedalfest gone amok.

Jerry Bickel Race Cars continues to crank out the Eye Candy. Here's the latest from the Bickel Race Car factory. 



Rich Smith's new Reher-Morrison-powered Top Sportsman Camaro will have your brown eyes seeing blue. 

While Bob Motz began driving jet engine-powered dragsters and Funny Cars nearly 50 years ago, he's most known for the Kenworth truck he climbed into three decades ago, and for good reason.

The behemoth beast powered by a General Electric J79 jet engine leaves a path of flames and fury as it flies down tracks across the country at well over 200 mph, but now, he's preparing for what is to be his final performance. 

Motz plans to participate in the 39th Annual Kelly Services Night Under Fire, Aug. 13, 2016 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, where he will join the likes of Funny Car drivers John Force, Robert Hight, Del Worsham, Tim Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon, Bob Bode, Jr., Dale Creasy, Jr. and Jack Wyat. There weill be plenty of specialty acts as well with all of the action will be capped off by fireworks shot from multiple locations over the park.

Brad Burton was the lone champion for the Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series as rain washed out all remaining final rounds this past weekend at Pacific Raceways. 

 

After multiple rain delays, NHRA officials announced that the final rounds of competition for Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car will be completed at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, Oct. 13-16, at Texas Motorplex, and all other Lucas Oil Series final rounds will be contested at the upcoming NHRA Lucas Oil Regional event at Pacific Raceways, August 19-21. 

 

Burton, Snohomish, Wash., drove his familiar red ’72 Firebird to his seventh NHRA national event victory in taking out Ryan Warter, Ollala, Wash.  Burton was better at the start by about hundredth of a second and ran it out for the win.

More than 400 racers from the U.S. and Canada converged on Gateway Motorsports Park for the All American Hot Rod Showdown and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series with Mia Tedesco and Scott McVey taking home big wins.

 

Tedesco of Murrysville, Pa., won the final round of Top Alcohol Dragster eliminations over Megan Meyer of Spring Hill, Kan. Tedesco set a new track E.T. (elapsed time) record of 5.269 seconds during qualifying, then eclipsed that still-new mark with a pass of 5.230 seconds in the final round of eliminations. Tedesco began eliminations as the points leader as number two in points Brandon Booher failed to qualify for the eight-car field.

 

The GMP win was Tedesco's second consecutive victory and her fifth of the 2016 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season. Tedesco also was entered in the Super Gas class and made it to the semifinal but was eliminated.

 

"Back-to-back wins is pretty cool. We've never done that before," Tedesco said. "And getting to the semifinal in Super Gas felt pretty good. This is our third divisional win and I've won twice in Super Gas so that's five this year."

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series made its way to the quarter mile strip this weekend at Atco Dragway with hundreds of racers competing in head to head competition. Winners were crowned in Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator and the rest of the classes that comprise the nationwide series.

The blazing power of the alcohol classes was on fully display this weekend as Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., posted a 5.344 second, 269.56 mph run narrowly defeating Dan Page, Hampstead, N.H., 5.401 seconds, 270.16 mph in Top Alcohol Dragster. In the Top Alcohol Funny Car class, DJ Cox Jr., Whiteford, Md., ran 5.782 seconds, 254.18 mph to hold off Matt Gill, W. Bridgewater, Mass., 5.738 seconds, 258.37 mph.

It’s not hard for Lizzy Musi to stand out. As the lone female competitor at PDRA Pro Nitrous events, she is easily recognized. Add to that a successful career, including recently topping the ultra-competitive field at the PDRA North-South Shootout with a number one qualifier, and Lizzy owns a unique stance in drag racing. A new partnership with Indocil Art will combine Lizzy’s interests and style with artistic design, and she’s sure to turn heads once again.

Lizzy and Indocil Art mastermind Ryan Young have teamed up to create a series of helmets uniquely themed to her interests. Musi’s artistic side complement Young’s own to form a collaboration not normally seen between a racer and helmet painter, leading to a very unique design. The first helmet is inspired by ZZ Top’s “Eliminator” hit.

Terry Blount, the NHRA’s vice-president of public relations and communications, and track operator Jason Fiorito announced that the Pacific Raceways press room has been renamed the Joe Sherk Media Center.

“We’re really happy to be able to do this Joe,” Blount said. “You’re a really important person in the history of the sport and especially this particular track at Pacific Raceways.”

After saying, “You got me,” a surprised Sherk, 72, former Seattle Post-Intelligencer sportswriter and retired public-relations representative, said, “I’ve never had to really work a day, because it was not work. I did it because it was something I thoroughly enjoyed and the people I worked with were absolutely incredible. When you find something that you can do and you enjoy the people around you, it’s not work. Those 32 years went by very quickly.”