Rickie Smith initially had a hard time believing what his drag racing buddies told him ahead of his monumental first run in Scott Palmer's Top Fuel dragster. The car he was about to get behind the wheel of at the PDRA ProStars event was Scott Palmer's nitro-burning Top Fuel dragster, and nothing could remotely compare, Smith thought. 

"I had a couple of people I talked to about it that drove some door cars; Billy Torrence and Scott told me, 'They said, "It's going to be like what I'm used to leaving, but when that thing gets about 150-200 feet, it's going to get on with it," Smith said.

It turns out, Smith admitted, they were right. 

 
Doug Kalitta has showed flashes of some good things this season in his Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel Dragster.

Kalitta qualified No. 1 in Phoenix and won the #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge in the Valley of the Sun as well.

Last Sunday at the Mile-High Nationals in Denver, Kalitta advanced to his first final round of the year before losing to Clay Millican.

Last weekend at the Mile-High Nationals in Denver was forgettable for Bob Tasca III.

The veteran qualified strong – in the No. 3 position – and then lost a pedal fest to Cruz Pedregon in the first round.

Tasca is feeling healthier and trying to flip the script at the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway in Seattle.

Tasca took the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot Friday with a 3.964-second lap at 320.13 mph.

Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta is on the hunt for his 50th career victory, and he took a major step toward achieving that milestone on Friday at the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway. Kalitta secured the provisional No. 1 qualifier position with an impressive performance.

Joining Kalitta as provisional No. 1 qualifiers are Bob Tasca III in Funny Car and Gaige Herrera in Pro Stock Motorcycle. These drivers have set themselves apart as the top contenders in their respective categories during the 11th race of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Driving his Mac Tools dragster with 11,000 horsepower, Kalitta blazed down the track with a noteworthy time of 3.753 seconds at 327.66 mph. This exceptional run puts him in contention for his second top spot of the season and adds another milestone to his career with a total of 53 top qualifiers. Kalitta, a 49-time event winner, is optimistic about his chances to secure his second victory in Seattle as part of the NHRA's three-race Western Swing.

It’s as if fate was saving it for a big stage. The NHRA rolls into Pacific Raceways this weekend for the Northwest Nationals,  and the milestone is still available for one of the Toyota Gazoo Racing North America drivers to claim.

Who wants to win race No. 200 for the manufacturer, who first claimed victory on February 29, 2004, at the K&N Filters Winternationals at Pomona Raceway, when Jerry Tolliver defeated Gary Densham in the final round. 

Sonoma Raceway has announced the appointment of Brian Flynn as its new Executive Vice President and General Manager, according to a statement made by Marcus Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Speedway Motorsports. Flynn, a distinguished veteran in the motorsports business, brings with him a wealth of experience, having spent 30 years in senior motorsports and business management roles.

As Rickie Smith shuffled over to the airplane wing, he knew there was no turning back. At the time, Smith, the winningest IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock racer, was doing stuff that NHRA 500-inch Pro Stockers did, like jumping out of a perfect airplane during a Winston promo in the 1990s days before the NHRA Springnationals in Columbus, Ohio. 

When his tandem jumping partner signaled it was time to go, Smith knew there was no turning back.

Thursday, at Virginia Motorsports Park, ahead of the Professional Drag Racers Association ProStars event, when the engine for Scott Palmer’s Top Fuel dragster fires, Smith, will kinda-sorta experience a bit of deja-vu.

ICE Recovery + Wellness, a premier recovery solutions provider, has joined forces with Funny Car driver Jason Rupert as the primary sponsor for the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway from July 28-30. Rupert and his dedicated volunteer crew have diligently prepared for the event since his last appearance in April at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

Rupert's Ford Mustang will transform with a new wrap courtesy of Ultimate Design to mark this exciting partnership. ICE Recovery + Wellness, located in San Diego's Carmel Valley, offers a range of sought-after recovery modalities, including cryotherapy, infrared sauna, Normatec compression, IV nutrition, and EMSculpt NEO for fat loss and muscle building.

The NHRA Drag Racing Series is all set to embark on its second week of the Western Swing at Pacific Raceways this weekend. As the Salinas family gears up for another round of racing action, the outcome from the previous weekend at Bandimere Speedway might have failed to meet their expectations. Nevertheless, they cherished the opportunity for quality family time while journeying from Colorado to Washington on their beloved motorcycles.

In the fiercely competitive Top Fuel competition, Mike Salinas demonstrated his prowess by securing a fourth-place qualification in Denver. Unfortunately, his journey ended in round two, succumbing to eventual race-winner Clay Millican. Jianna Evaristo, on the other hand, endured a mechanical setback with her bike in round one due to a failure to start, despite her 11th-place qualification in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

However, this week heralds a fresh beginning, particularly for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, as riders prepare for their inaugural start at the esteemed Northwest track.