A capacity crowd filed into No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana, about an hour outside of New Orleans, and what they saw was some absolutely competitive drag racing during the NHRA's Division 4 season opener. 

Witchita, Kansas-based Top Alcohol Dragster racer Aaron Cooper picked up his second career win, stopping Jackie Fricke in the final round. Cooper ran a 5.302 elapsed time at 283.25 to drive around Fricke's 5.385, 265.13. The second-generation drag racer tied his father, Gary Cooper, in NHRA wins with the victory.

"This is a great way to start the season," Jones said. "We don't know how many races we can run in a year. We just run the regional races. So to come out here and get a leg up on some great cars in our division, it's an awesome start to the year. It's all I can really say because we'd really like to get in the JEGS All-Stars. It's one of the ways we can show we can kind of run with the guys that are out there getting a ton of runs. Just happy to get another one for my dad. I'm tied with him now. We both got two Wallys."

Well, Moses didn't part the Red Sea until he was 80 years old.

For Dodge Hemi Shootout racer Anthony Rhodes, the vision of grabbing gears didn't materialize until he became retirement age. At 67 years old, while racing in the famed Louisiana version of the Hemi Shootout, more commonly referred to as the Chootout, the Charleston, SC-based drag racing grabbed his first race win of any type.

"That's my first win in my life in a Hemi or any other car," said Rhodes, grinning ear to ear.

The NHRA's Southwest Division 4 kicked off its season at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, La., under chamber of commerce weather for the weekend, and with car counts and performances equally impressive.

Brad Brewer annihilated the B/Altered index to lead first-day qualifying with a 6.898, at -.762 under. He was nearly a tenth quicker than No. 2 Rick Brown, whose truck was -.640 under the B/Truck Automatic standard. Sportsman veteran Jeff Taylor holds down the third spot with a 6.972, -.638 under the index. Currently, there are 26 entries on the qualifying list.

As the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competition in Division 4 kicks off this weekend in Belle Rose, La., all eyes will be on the Competition Eliminator category as racers begin vying for a piece of the coveted RoofTec Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund. 

Ashton and Mignon Hudson, and their daughters Bliss and Ella, have been the driving force behind many initiatives that have helped this program pick up steam. The Hudson family works tirelessly alongside the project’s architect, Rodger Brogdon of RoofTec, to advance the fund in all directions. Their passion for the Competition Eliminator category is evident in everything they do as they remain focused on the ultimate goal - to drive interest and participation in the category. After all, as they see it, the Competition Eliminator category is incredibly exciting, and these special competitions have done a lot to increase the intensity for racers and fans alike. This year, the team plans to give more love to the real heroes of the RoofTec Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund, the sponsors. 

 
There’s one thing about NHRA Pro Stock standout Matt Hartford – he’s direct and to the point.

That definitely was the case when CompetitionPlus.com asked him about his goals for the 2023 Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

“Same thing as 2022, except tried to finish higher in the points,” Hartford said. 

Hartford finished sixth in the 2022 points standings, highlighted by his win in Denver and his runner-up effort at the Charlotte, N.C., fall race.

Why mess with what's working? And for the Muscle Milk and Shields Racing team, Madison Payne driving their Top Alcohol Dragster is definitely working. Today, the team has announced she will return to the team for another season as their driver. 

There’s a simple way employees of Tasca Automotive Group can see where they stand with the company, according to its vice-president, Bob Tasca III.

“I can tell you the No. 1 service advisor in my company, No. 1 salesperson, No. 1 technician, No. 1 service manager, No. 1 general manager,” he said. “I can tell you the last-place ones. The truth be told, if you are at the bottom of the pile in our company, you have a lot of pressure on you to either improve or leave.”

And similarly, he said, that’s the same manner in which “racing flushes people out.”

Getting an opportunity to compete and succeed in NHRA drag racing is not easy.

However, NHRA team owners Joe and Cathi Maynard are now trying to help that process along for drivers.

On Feb. 22, the Maynards announced the launch of the JCM Racing Driver Development program.

No stranger to NHRA Drag Racing, Powerbuilt Tools of southern California is joining Jim Dunn Racing as an associate sponsor for the full 2023 season.  The tool manufacturer has worked with NHRA competitor, Alex Laughlin, the past several years and is excited about his jump to the Funny Car class with the historic team.  Powerbuilt Tools will be an associate sponsor of the Jim Dunn Racing team all season, with logos on the car and crew members utilizing their products in their pit area.