Never let it be said Josh Hart doesn’t know how to throw a party. 

Ahead of the 54th NHRA Gatornationals, Hart hosted a massive car show and FanFest at Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala, Florida, and invited a multitude of his closest friends - the drag racing community. 

This inaugural event featured nearly two dozen NHRA drivers, over 300 classic cars, a live band, food trucks, and ticket giveaways for the thousands of fans in attendance. Proceeds from the event, which included a 50/50 raffle and entry fees, will be donated to Racers For Christ. The entire staff of Burnyzz Speed Shop pulled together to execute the three-hour free event that kicked off four days of racing action beginning today at Gainesville Raceway.

Mark Pawuk first visited a dragstrip at age 16, and in short order took a borrowed ’68 Dodge Charger with a 440 engine under the hood and won.

Nearly half a century later, he’s still got the bug.

This week, he returns to the scene of one of his career highlights as a Factory Stock Showdown competitor. A year ago at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway, Pawuk covered the quarter-mile in 7.608 seconds, 183.15 mph to set both ends of the national record. In eliminations, a .002-second red light knocked him out of Gatornationals action, but a week later, he took the same car to the winners’ circle at an NMCA race across the state in Bradenton.

Three-time ANDRA champ Phil Read claimed his first win of the season when he outpaced reigning champ Peter Xiberras in the A-Final of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship at Perth Motorplex, March 4-5.

Local hero Damien Harris downed his Rapisarda Autosport International teammate Wayne Newby to clinch the B-Final. Emerging star Kyle Putland triumphed over team owner–driver Phil Lamattina in the C-Final  

In Doorslammer Daniel Gregorini jumped to an early lead over fellow Western Australian Kelvin Lyle and was never headed to take honors in the A-Final. 

Top Fuel Motorcycle went to local racer Greg Durack who defeated ten-time champ Chris Matheson.

The Jim Dunn Racing hauler recently left Southern California to make its way across the U.S. to compete in the season opening NHRA race at Gainvesville, Florida this weekend. The team will be sporting new graphics on its hauler, as well as on the Nitro Funny Car that will include Colorado Jack Popcorn. 

Through a promotion with Jim Dunn Racing, fans can shop for Colorado Jack Popcorn at any Menards store or purchase it online at www.Menards.com. The popcorn brand currently has four flavors available at Menards including Caramel, White Cheddar Jalapeno, Kettle Cooked Cinnamon & Sugar, and the original Colorado Mix.

Mickey Schultz, who distinguished himself as an auto racing PR rep for a host of major sponsors, sanctioning bodies and some of drag racing’s most successful drivers and teams, died March 3 in hospice care, ending a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease.  He was 81.

Bob Glidden, John Force, Greg Anderson, Jason Line, Gary Ormsby, Tony Bartone, John Myers, Bob Vandergriff Jr., Angelle Sampey, Larry Morgan, Billy Meyer, K.C. Spurlock, Larry Nance, Brad Jeter and Steve Johnson were but a few of the drivers with whom Schultz worked in a drag racing career spanning 25 years.

Few racers have traveled a path like Paul Lee’s.

Lee was a teen-aged spectator at Old Bridge Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, when a TV camera captured him in the pits observing driver/tuner Dale Armstrong servicing the “Speed Racer” Funny Car between rounds.

A year later, Lee was turning wrenches on a nitro-burning Funny Car driven by Al Segrini. 

Almost 50 years down the road, Lee is a highly successful businessman who believes he’s on the cusp of his best season yet as a Funny Car owner and driver.  Lee enters this week’s NHRA season-opening Gatornationals with newer Dodge bodies, a new clutch package, and his first full season with Dustin Heim and Jason Bunker serving as co-crew chiefs. 

History and struggle created prestige at the 65th running of the iconic Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet at Famoso Dragstrip. Bobby Cottrell captured his fifth March Meet title in Nitro Funny Car, tying the legend "Big Daddy" Don Garlits, while Mark Whynaught mended his heartbreak from the year before taking home the crown in AA/Fuel Altered. 

Joining Cottrell and Whynaught in the winner's circle at Famoso was Eily Stafford in Nitro Pro Comp. The AA/Fuel Dragster group elected to run their eliminations in October during qualifying at the California Hot Rod Reunion, the series finale for the NHRA Heritage series.

The AA/Fuel Dragster group opted not to return on Sunday, postponing their final eliminations until October during the California Hot Rod Reunion.

Spencer Massey has 18 career NHRA Top Fuel national event wins. Massey has proven he can beat the best in the business, but he has been living a different racing life for the last several years.

Massey competes in high-dollar bracket races and drives a limited Top Fuel NHRA schedule for Pat Dakin's team.

Massey will compete in the Top Fuel class at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 10-12.

Hector Arana Jr. definitely made the most of his limited 2022 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule.

Competing in only seven of the season's 15 races, Arana Jr. had wins in Dallas and Las Vegas and finished 11th in the points standings on his Buell.

Now, he's being rewarded for it. 

The champagne remains corked, the bottles of the best wines resting in neat rows.

And Ron Capps keeps telling wife Shelley, “We’re going to open this bottle somebody sent us.”

But the phone rings, and the NHRA Funny Car owner-driver, and three-time and current champion has to discuss a business matter. Or he’s headed to the San Diego airport, ready to make an appearance for longtime sponsor NAPA. Or he has to join his Dean “Guido” Antonelli-led team at the Brownsburg, Ind., race shop. Or the couple is busy with daughter Taylor and son Caden.