Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Eddie Krawiec won the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals last season and is doing everything within his power to defend the title, all the while with the current Full Throttle Series championship battle in mind. He got off to a stellar start at Maple Grove Raceway when he picked up the provisional pole on day one of qualifying aboard his Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

Krawiec came to Reading third in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings with teammate Andrew Hines leading the points and powerhouse rookie LE Tonglet sandwiched between. In round one, Krawiec picked up a trio of coveted qualifying bonus points with a super-fast 6.893 at 193.63 mph. The run reset the track record for e.t., and in the second round, Krawiec protected the pole with a 6.855 at 195.85 mph that reset both ends of the track record and kept more points out of the hands of Tonglet.

Under cool and nearly ideal conditions at Maple Grove Raceway at the 26th annual NHRA Nationals, Matt Hagan netted the provisional Funny Car pole position, racing the DieHard Dodge Charger Funny Car. He posted the second quickest lap in NHRA history of 4.011 seconds at 311.56 mph in the Friday night session, establishing both an elapsed-time and top-speed track record.

In his first qualifying attempt earlier in the day, he posted a 4.143/296.89, good for No. 3 at the time.

If it holds through two more qualifying rounds on Saturday, he will have earned his fourth No. 1 of the season and ninth of his career. It is also his career-best elapsed time.

The Nitro Fish colors are taking over Maple Grove. Top Fuel racer Clay Millican has returned to competition in the Nitro Fish-backed Top Fuel dragster, joining Pro Stock racer Greg Stanfield and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider LE Tonglet in waving the colors of Kenny Koretsky's Nitro Fish. Pro Stock racer Bob Yonke is sporting the vibrantly colored Nitro Fish colors as well, driving a GXP owned – and formerly driven – by Koretsky.

The Burleson, Texas, racer's crew, lead by tuner Stanfield, is working to figure out a few issues with Yonke's regular ride, another Pontiac GXP, and break the string of DNQs that have plagued them for the previous four events.

"We just haven't had enough time to test [my car] and sort things out to get it to run as well as we know it will," said Yonke. "We talked with Kenny and he said, 'Well, why don't you bring my other car out, and we can promote Nitro Fish at my home track.' Hopefully, we can get in the show and help Greg [Stanfield], because right now, it's all about helping our teammate win the championship."

Matt Hagan led a record-setting day of performances Friday by racing to the qualifying lead at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at scenic Maple Grove Raceway.

Cory McClenathan, Allen Johnson and Eddie Krawiec also were qualifying leaders in their categories at the fourth of six playoff events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.

Hagan, who trailed series leader John Force by 25 points entering the race, was quickest in Funny Car with a track-record effort of 4.011 seconds at 311.56 mph in his DieHard Dodge Charger.

Hagan’s time could become an NHRA national record if the Virginia driver can post another run at 4.051 seconds or quicker during the course of the weekend to certify the performance per NHRA rules.  Hagan holds the current national record for Funny Car at 4.022 seconds.

Stock eliminator received only one qualifying session during Friday’s competition at the NHRA Toyo Tires Nationals hosted by Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.

First round eliminations will be held this afternoon following Super Stock, Super Street, Super Gas and Super Comp’s lone time trial run of the day.

Once again, the Mopar Drag Pak Challenger combination ascended to the top of the qualifying list claiming three of the first five positions.

Keith Lynch was the top runner with a -1.392 run under the B/Stock Automatic class index. Lynch’s 345-inch Challenger ran a 9.858 elapsed time.

On his heels was the C/SA 2009 Challenger of Eric Merryfield. His was -1.216 under his index with a 10.184. James Beattie Jr. was fourth.

A standing-room-only crowd that included 20 past and present NHRA Full Throttle Series drivers helped raise over $30,000 for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation, as the drag racing legend was feted Thursday night during the All-Salute to Darrell Gwynn held at the Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel.

The Drag Racing Association of Women recently named team owner Kenny Koretsky its Person of Year.  The award goes to someone who supports the volunteer organization and its programs to assist injured drag racers. 

Southern California drag racing pioneer Joaqin Arnett, a key member of the famed Bean Bandits team, died Sept. 24. He was 83.

The San Diego-based Bean Bandits machines, driven by Arnett, Carlos Ramirez, Andrew Ortega, and others, terrorized Southern California in the early 1950s, winning races and setting track records in abundance. Perhaps one of their most famous wins was at the Southern California Championships in Pomona in April 1953 at NHRA's first official event.

The thrilling inaugural season of NHRA Unleashed presented by Lucas Oil will hit the airwaves starting Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m. on Fox Sports Net.  The racers and fans of the nationwide events have been anxiously waiting to see the shows that will highlight the weekend warrior racers who have put heads-up grassroots racing back in the spotlight.  

Exclusive preview clips from the shows are now available on NHRAUNLEASHED.com that will allow viewers to get a sneak peek of the action prior to the series launch date.  These clips will allow racers and fans to get a preview of the series and share the excitement with friends and family.

Ike Maier has entered into an agreement with Canada’s foremost Top Fuel dragster team to acquire his Top Fuel license.