Bruno Massel III, an NHRA Comp Eliminator world champ and star TV personality, will unveil a new look for his Chevy Cobalt at the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals, Aug. 31 through Sept. 5 in Indianapolis.

“Vital Brew Coffee will be launching our new partnership at the U.S. Nationals next weekend where they will be the primary sponsor of my Comp Eliminator racing program for the 2023 season,” Massel said. “Coming off back-to-back final round appearances the past two weeks at the NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka and Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, it’s safe to say we have some momentum going our way heading into the US Nationals with Vital Brew Coffee onboard.

The last time Tommy Johnson Jr. competed fulltime in the NHRA he was in 2020 when he was driving a Funny Car for powerhouse Don Schumacher Racing.

That COVID-19 shortened season Johnson finished second in the season points and had three wins.

Without a ride in 2021, Johnson Jr. subbed in for fellow DSR nitro Funny Car pilot Matt Hagan, who was sidelined with COVID-19, for two races and won the Reading, Pa., event last fall.

It’s no secret that no entertainment device or system is capable of replicating the sound and feel of live professional drag racing. But the closest thing to doing so will be on the market Friday (Aug. 26), thanks to GameMill Entertainment.

That’s when the “NHRA Speed for All” video game will be released, bringing the most up-to-date version of drag racing gaming to fans on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC. The suggested retail price is $49.99, and the game can be purchased at Amazon and Walmart.

GameMill’s latest offering provides the player with realistic video and audio straight from trackside. The game includes tracks that currently host NHRA national events, and also some – such as Tucson (AZ) Dragway – that don’t, which allows players to experience facilities in every corner of the country.

NHRA Division 3 Director Will Tharpe could only stare at the collection of ten trophies and wonder what if?

He was at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Ky., preparing for this weekend's NHRA Division 3 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Still, it was the one that needed to happen, that got away from him and drag racing. 

After two great days of racing to set the fields of the most recent NHRA North Central Divisional event at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill., the skies opened and killed any hope of racing on Sunday, Aug. 7, at the facility, which had been closed since 2019. 

As the saying goes, the third time is the charm. 

Jeff Cameron, can you give us an "amen!" 

In his third 'A' field final round of the season, Cameron outlasted Kirk Williams, the winner of the previous four Funny Car Chaos events, to reach the winner's circle for the first time. Cameron did so behind the wheel of an alcohol-fueled 2000 Pontiac Firebird.nging home the trophy in 'C' field.

There was a time when the duo of Phil Shuler and Todd Okuhara were best known for their throw the sink at it nitro tuning approach, many times resulting in either wins or No. 1 qualifiers. Then, in 2017, went different directions within Don Schumacher Racing. 

Shuler went to the U.S. Army team with Tony Schumacher, and Okuhara was reassigned to the Leah Pritchett Top Fuel dragster. When Shuler left DSR to tune Pro Modifieds in 2020, it appeared one of drag racing’s more aggressive tuning duos likely was a thing of the past. 

When Okuhara came down with Covid a few races ago, it was only natural when the Maynard Family Racing [JCM] team brought him in as a pinch hitter to work with assistant crew chief Marc Denner while he recuperated. The results tell the story. 

Weldon High Performance today announced its NMRA and NMCA Racer Appreciation Happy Hour schedule for 2023. The much anticipated Happy Hours are held track-side Thursdays at all NMRA/NMCA races and provide a lively social evening of camaraderie for racers, their families and teams, as well as all industry colleagues to kick back and enjoy great company over beverages and snacks.

Weldon has expanded its sponsorship of NMRA and NMCA Racer Appreciation Happy Hour events in 2023 to include the following races:

 The modern cockpit canopy is 10 years old. It celebrated its birthday in Brainerd, Minn. 

The bolt-on ballistic polycarbonate driver protection, which Don Schumacher Racing designed and engineered with help from Aerodine Composites debuted at this race in 2012. And it remains optional – and for some teams, questionable. 

While some still aren’t convinced they would be safer with the canopy and others would argue that the device (particularly the latest edition) is an aerodynamic enhancement more than a life-saving component, others have said they wouldn’t race without it. 

This past weekend’s Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota was a tale of one racetrack with two different personalities.

Three-time Top Fuel champion Antron Brown spoke for many teams when he said, “All-and-all it was a good weekend here at Brainerd.” But current Funny Car champion Ron Capps summed up the event for many teams, as well: “This whole weekend here at Brainerd was a lot of adversity.” For many teams, it was both.

The facility was beautifully groomed, the Safety Safari did an excellent job trying to present two equal lanes and prepare the racetrack (particularly following rain showers Friday), and the fans turned out in force. But after blistering-hot weekends at Seattle and Topeka, the Minnesota northwoods brought a respite for drivers. The cooler-than-before temperatures turned out to be no guarantee of a smooth race day.