Toyota has been a staunch supporter of NHRA drag racing, first entering the arena in 2002 with the introduction of its Toyota Celica Funny Car body. Their involvement expanded into team sponsorship and then NHRA event title rights. In 2014, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) became the official vehicle of the NHRA, a program that was renewed last year.

NHRA has confirmed a marketing homerun for the manufacturer of all the activation properties it has in place. Toyota has been named the title sponsor of the world’s biggest drag race, the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

The answer was not an immediate "Yes."

In Jack Beckman's heart, it was. However, the reality of his life away from drag racing for over three years mandated vital components that had to fall in place before he could accept the dream offer for any nitro drag racer on the sidelines. 

Beckman's dream offer was to be the substitute driver for 17-time drag racing champion and the winningest Funny Car driver, John Force.  

Despite a moody Mother Nature, the PDRA completed two qualifying sessions at the Northern Nationals at U.S. 131 Dragway outside Grand Rapids, MI.

Tommy and Amber Franklin, a father-daughter duo, qualified No. 1 in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous and PDRA Pro 632, respectively, while Todd Tutterow (Pro Boost), Elijah Morton (Extreme Pro Stock), and Nick Agostino (Pro Street) led qualifying in the professional categories.

The 2024 season has been a family affair for the Franklins. 

Drag Illustrated and Bradenton Motorsports Park have announced the creation of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series, a three-race Pro Modified series. The series will feature the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, the U.S. Street Nationals, and the World Series of Pro Mod, attracting top drivers and race teams to Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The Drag Illustrated Winter Series will offer over $300,000 payouts for the Pro Mod division. The inaugural season begins with the $50,000-to-win Snowbird Outlaw Nationals on December 6-8, 2024, followed by the $75,000-to-win U.S. Street Nationals on January 24-26, 2025, and concludes with the $150,000-to-win World Series of Pro Mod from February 27-March 1, 2025.

There's a full plate, and then there's what Scott Bathurst regularly juggles as the driving force behind the popular Classic Graphix brand. When you need a high-quality t-shirt made for your race team, Bathurst is your MSH guy. In some circles, an MSH guy "makes stuff happen."

Classic Graphix's popularity makes it challenging to stay ahead of the demands for their services. The mere act of breathing is often a challenge, and sleeping is a luxury. Bathurst estimates that around 200 race teams and entities rely on him for their t-shirt merchandising. 

If you're looking for the finest in vintage-themed drag racing t-shirts, check out www.competitionplusstore.com. Our designs are in limited supply, so get yours before they are completely sold out, something that happens regularly. 

There’s a changing of the guard behind the wheel at Bucky Austin Racing.

Shane Westerfield, a past NHRA world champion and 14-time national event winner, replaces Bobby Cottrell as the team’s driver starting this weekend at the 53rd annual Nightfire Nationals in Boise, Idaho. He will run the remainder of the NHRA Heritage Series events. Westerfield will also drive the car in the NHRA’s Modern Warriors Nitro Legends series.

If a racer only has one race where they can raise a stink on and off the track by performing well above expectations and upsetting the apple cart of the regulars, there's only one logical event to accomplish the mission. 

As Stevie "Fast" Jackson, the iconic doorslammer racer and two-time NHRA champion, sees it, there's no other event like the NHRA U.S. Nationals to show up and show out at. 

Jackson will be racing at the NHRA U.S. Nationals with his Shadow 3.0, a car initially built to race in the Drag Radial arena, has raced with big tires before, qualifying No. 4 at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Modified. 

Jackson said he has lofty goals headed into the Labor Day weekend extravaganza.