A scary-looking qualifying crash during Saturday’s first session at the Lucas Oil Winternationals at California’s In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip left NHRA Funny Car drivers John Force and JR Todd uninjured.

Force, who initiated the contact when his Peak Chevy Camaro crossed the center line past the finish stripe, was subdued and repentant, while DHL Toyota Supra driver Todd was unintentionally ambushed and angry.

The first two races of the 2023 NHRA season didn’t go as planned at all for Cruz Pedregon.
 
He qualified eighth and 13th at the Gatornationals and Arizona Nationals, respectively, and lost in the first round at both races.
 
Pedregon’s fortunes changed at the Lucas Oil Winternationals Friday as he grabbed the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot with a 3.865-second elapsed time at 302.28 mph.
 
“Truth be known, there was a little left on the table even in that run,” said Pedregon, who pilots the Snap-On Tools Dodge Charger Hellcat SRT. “I clicked it a little early. I have been trying hard to keep the car in the groove. It has been wanting to dart and wander all over the place in Gainesville and (Phoenix) Arizona, so I was really focused on keeping it in the groove. I lost a little bit of sight of where I was on the track. Right as I closed the throttle, I saw the placards on the wall. But, it was a great run and the thing put me back in the seat.
 
 

In the ten years Brittany Force has been racing Top Fuel, she has proved two things without a doubt – she can win world championships as she did in 2017 and 2022, and she can qualify No. 1 at national events.
 
After Friday’s lone qualifying session at the Lucas Oil Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., she is on the verge of her 44th No. 1 qualifying position, thanks to clocking a 3.712-second time at 328.86 mph.
 
“Honestly, it didn’t feel like a great run,” said Force, who pilots the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster for John Force Racing. “When I got out on the top end, they told me it was a 71, and we were currently low. That was exciting, but it surprised me a little. It kind of rattled. Half-track to the 1,000-foot, it vibrated the whole way down and I just thought any second this thing is going to pop behind me. It is going to get in trouble. It just felt like it was coming undone. Then right before 1,000-foot, we shut it off. I thought it was (crew chief David) Grubnic who shut it off.

Inclement weather on Saturday forced Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) and GALOT Motorsports Park officials to postpone eliminations at the season-opening Summit Racing Equipment PDRA East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech to Sunday. Rain and heavy winds put a stop to Saturday morning’s activities, and the forecast for the rest of the day predicted more of the same conditions.

 
The Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) kicked off its 10th season with two of the quickest and tightest Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost fields in series history Friday night at the Summit Racing Equipment PDRA East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech at GALOT Motorsports Park. 
 

Reigning Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force powered to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday, making the quickest run of the day to kick off the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car) and Camrie Caruso (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the third of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Force went 3.712-seconds at 328.86 mph in her 11,00-horsepower Flav-R-Pac dragster to vault to the top at her home track, putting the two-time champion in line for her second No. 1 qualifier this season and 44th in her career. Force, who made the fastest run in Top Fuel history at Pomona last year (338.94), is also after her first win of the season.

GETTRX, powered by Global Electronic Technology, Inc., a leading FinTech institution, and Matt Hartford Racing have announced a partnership for the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals and beyond. GETTRX, the Fastest Name in Credit Card Processing, will adorn the side of Hartford’s Pro Stock Camaro at GETTRX’s home track, the newly named In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for this weekend’s event, the third of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

“We are excited to be partnering with Matt and the entire Total Seal team,” Steve Bryson, founder and CEO of GETTRX, powered by Global Electronic Technology, Inc., said. “Matt and his company, Total Seal Piston Rings, have been loyal clients of GETTRX for several years. He represents his sponsors and partners with class, and we feel like his team is poised for a championship run in 2023.” 

Billy Morris's drag racing roots may have begun with him racing dragsters on the sand with his dad. But the Southern-California based driver has always paid attention to what was going on, on the asphalt, looking up to hometown heroes John Force and Don "The Snake'' Prudhomme.

Now in his sixth season behind the wheel of the "Problem Child" Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car, competing mainly in the NHRA Heritage Series, Morris is thrilled to have the opportunity to race down the same track the drivers he idolized did, like Prudhomme and Force, as he is set to compete in the Legends Nitro Funny Car series this weekend which makes its 2023 debut at the 63rd annual NHRA Winternationals from the newly rebranded In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip.

"I've always wanted to run down the track in Pomona, the Winternationals," Morris admitted. "We've been going for years and years and seeing the big show guys perform out there, always wanted to run the track. It's obviously one of our home tracks being so close to us. I'm really excited that we actually get to pull the trigger and make some passes down there."

Uber might have taken the market share of the hired transportation market on the street, but the taxi is the king on the strip. Or at least in first day qualifying at the NHRA Winternationals, it is.

McNeal Freeman drove his 262-inch, V-6 powered 1987 Caprice to a 14.246 elapsed time, -1.254 under the V/Stock Automatic standard. The taxi was in a league of its own, outdistancing No. 2 Joe Sorensen, whose Oregon-based 1969 Camaro was 11.626, -1.074. Evan Kowalski was third with his late-model Camaro, putting down a 9.950, -1.000 under the Factory Stock/E index.

What Jim Halsey has done in nitrous racing is the stuff legends are made of. This newest ride from jerry Bickel Race Cars is indicative of another potent championship run.

Last season, the pioneering Pro Modified racer did what no other drag racer in the PDRA has done, he won a fourth consecutive title on the strength of two wins and runner-up honors at another two races to hold off Chris Rini’s late-season charge. 
 
Halsey is now the only driver in PDRA history to win four world championships in the same class.