There was a time when Jim Epler’s first 300-mph run was believed to have been the last major milestone for nitro racing. Wednesday afternoon, Mr. 300 MPH proved he’s still got a flair for milestones. 

Epler, the Executive Vice President for Phillips Connect, announced, along with NHRA, the formation of the “Phillips Connect 300 at the 1/8” program, a special club that will honor the first ten drivers in either Top Fuel or Funny Car to reach the 300-mph milestone in the 1/8-mile.

The stage is now set, starting with this weekend’s Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, for racers to reap the rewards of a program that will award the first racer for reaching the 300-mph mark by 660 feet in qualifying or eliminations with a $30,000 bonus. Each of the next nine competitors to reach the mark will also earn recognition and a bonus.

Super Stock and Stock took center stage at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals for the first day of qualifying.

Ernie Neal jumped out to an early lead in Super Stock and maintained the top spot throughout three sessions by running a 10.967 elapsed time, which is 1.1690 seconds under the Super Stock/P Automatic index. 

Dan Jacobs is second with a 9.331, -1.419 against the GT/K index, while Lincoln Morehead is third with a 9.642, -1.358. There are 141 entries in competition this weekend. 

Clay Millican will be the driver of the Top Fuel dragster owned by Rick Ware Racing [RWR], starting this weekend at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals. The Top Fuel team joins a portfolio that includes teams in the NASCAR Cup Series, Indycar, IMSA Sportscar, and World Supercross programs. The Top Fuel team will be based in Mooresville, N.C., sharing a footprint within RWR’s headquarters.

Ware purchased the Top Fuel assets of the Stringer Performance team.

It’s becoming an Indy tradition for Top Fuel racer Josh Hart. 

For the second time in his relatively short career, Hart will be racing pink on drag racing’s grand stage of the NHRA U.S. Nationals, bringing awareness to breast cancer through Brakes for Breasts charity campaign aligned with his primary sponsor TechNet Professional, an elite network of automotive repair shops across North America. 

The first time Mark Ingersoll won Indy as a crew chief, he fully understood his father's passion some 37 years ago. 

Buddy Ingersoll, his father, drove a BB/Altered Turbocharged Buick Regal to victory in Comp Eliminator and Ingersoll was there to witness it. 

As far back as he can remember, Ingersoll learned from Buddy the prestige of the Labor Day extravaganza. 

Legendary championship-winning racecar driver and team owner Tony Stewart is headed to the FOX broadcast booth for the biggest race of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, this weekend’s prestigious Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
 
Stewart will join the NHRA on FOX team of Brian Lohnes and Tony Pedregon for eliminations on Monday, Sept. 5 at the Big Go, with eliminations set to air from 2-5 p.m. ET on FOX.

The variety of cars, combinations and competitors made for an outstanding weekend of racing at the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Magazine, Aug. 25-28 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
 
Racers took advantage of a well-prepared racing surface to post some impressive numbers during the fifth of six events on the NMCA tour. 

Don’t bother tempting Matthew Miller with a late-model Camaro, Challenger or Mustang. Unlike many his age, the 38-year-old native of south Florida is, and always has been, into older cars and trucks.

Miller’s passion for vintage wheels has reached its zenith with his current project, “Hell’s Belle.”

That’s the name of his 1950 Ford Custom that competes in the C/Gas class with the Southeast Gassers Association. He hasn’t won a round of eliminations yet in his rookie season, but that shouldn’t be surprising for a racer operating on what he calls a “super-shoestring budget.”

Some traditions never die, and for CompetitionPlus, the practice of covering the NHRA U.S. Nationals to the max is one the pioneering internet drag racing magazine won't let die.

Starting on Wednesday and carrying through Monday's final rounds, CompetitionPlus.com will deliver news via seven in-depth notebooks, a video notebook, and an extensive photo gallery. This presentation of drag racing's most prestigious drag race is sponsored by Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Weldon High Performance, Phillips-Connect, and Rooftec.

"Indy deserves the highest respect, and we put our words into action with our coverage," said CompetitionPlus.com Founder and Editor Bobby Bennett. "For six days, we plan to bust our butts not to deliver results; there are about a million places to get that. But for us, it's the stories in the pits. With all the drama going on in drag racing now, it will take six reporters to dig out those stories."

It’s difficult NOT to notice when a sleek new COPO Camaro comes up to the starting line. The gorgeous lines scream modern-day American muscle. That’s what first attracted James Elias, his father, Terry Elias, and their friend and mechanic John Harder, all from Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. The trio only began participating in NHRA events this year, and so far, they love every minute as they compete in the Super Stock ranks. 

Eleanor Elias, Terry’s wife and James’s mother is actually responsible for getting these guys into the drag racing scene. 

“I was 17 or 18 years old, and I wanted a street car to race,” James recalled. “So I went to my dad and asked if I could borrow $5,000 to get this ’68 Camaro. He said, ‘No. Absolutely not.”