Once upon a time…

It is how every great fairytale begins, and it is exactly how Steve Torrence would begin his story of the 2016 season so far.

 

The late NHRA Chief Starter Mark Lyle was many things to many people: husband to Marcia Lyle, father to daughters Kim and Cari and son Chris, son to Pat Leslie. He was a brother to Ken Lyle, Jim Leslie, Bob Leslie, and Tom Leslie, Grandpa to five, and Uncle Mark to nine.  To his NHRA drag-racing family, he was even more.

 

Funny Car owner-driver John Force, the NHRA’s most successful racer in any class, thought of Lyle as “our umpire,” a man who “put me in my place” with understanding and humor. (“I was arguing with him one time, because something happened with my baby girl and I knew I was right. He let me talk. Then he said, ‘John, you’ve been out here a long time,’ prompting Force to think, ‘I’m going to get my way.’ Lyle followed with, ‘But you’re wrong.’ And he hustled the show along.) 

Reigning Funny Car world champion Del Worsham sprinted to the provisional top qualifier in record setting fashion Friday at the Protect the Harvest NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) also were qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the 16th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Top Fuel racer Leah Pritchett received an extra-large boost when Papa John's International Inc. announced it will sponsor her Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel dragster team at this weekend's NHRA national event at Pacific Raceways near Seattle and two weeks later at Brainerd, Minn.
 
Pritchett, 28, will start the Protect the Harvest NHRA Nationals in Kent, Wash., ranked 10th in championship points in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. She won this year's second event title near Phoenix.

NHRA Funny Car pilot Alexis DeJoria was scheduled to compete at the 29th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Washington this weekend, but due to injuries sustained in a recent crash DeJoria and her Kalitta Motorsports Tequila Patrón Funny Car team will not enter the event.

 

Less than one week ago at Sonoma Raceway, DeJoria was involved in a harrowing accident when her Tequila Patrón Toyota Camry lost traction and made a sudden violent left turn, colliding with the retaining wall in her lane. The impact caused a high-energy fracture to the left side of her pelvis - more specifically, her left iliac wing.

Nick Galvin had a destiny in life, and today he's living it. 

Galvin, the son of iconic 1970s journeyman crewman Pat Galvin, lives life on the road as a crewman for the Doug Kalitta-driven, MAC Tools Top Fuel dragster. 

However, for Galvin, 21, the pathway to following in his father's footsteps almost ended before it began. If not for the drive and determination of the second-generation wrench-turner, he might not be alive much less working the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. 

The readers have spoken.

Given their choice, the CompetitionPlus.com Nation voted Chuck Norris would be best suited to drive a Funny Car. Norris grabbed 36-percent of the votes cast to easily beat Tom Laughlin (Billy Jack) and Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer). Richard Dean Anderson "McGuyver" was a close fourth. 

Where would he end up? Team Kalitta, of course.

Heading into the NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle, Wash., the Don Schumacher Racing dragster driven by Leah Pritchett has a new crew chief.

Todd Okuhara, DSR director of racing, will serve as crew chief with Joe Barlam as the team’s assistant crew chief. Mike Guger has been released.

Imagine this, what if the No. 2 career home run hitter, iconic Hank Aaron, claimed he could outhit the No. 1 home run hitter Barry Bonds, when he was in the twilight years of his career.

As one can imagine, Bonds might be inclined to call out Aaron. 

Now imagine a drag racing scenario involving longtime retired Funny Car icon Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and 16-time NHRA champion John Force. 

After switching cars at the rate of a person changing underwear, Top Fuel racer Leah Pritchett now has a dragster to call her own. The more runs she makes, the more her tuners Joe Barlam and Mike Guger and dialing in the intricacies of the former Shawn Langdon back-up dragster.

"We are only five races into the season with this car instead of 13," Pritchett explained. "We threw the kitchen sink at it last night.  I've always heard Don Schumacher telling the chiefs when to throw down and stuff like that. I was there and I heard it so I thought we're going to do it and get after it."