Strange Engineering is kicking off the holiday season with a huge Black Friday Sale. We are offering 10% off and free ground shipping for ONLINE orders placed from November 20th until Midnight CDT November 30th. Go to www.strangeeng.net to build your order and take advantage of this great opportunity. Orders will begin to be processed the following business day. 

Kalitta Motorsports has added two premier-level sponsors for the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season bringing on Ion Defense Technologies (IDT) and Outer Circle Motorsports wear, to the multi-time world championship organization. IDT will be recognized as the premier face-covering sponsor and Outer Circle Motorsports wear will be the premier team apparel provider. Both companies will begin supplying Kalitta Motorsports immediately with products and apparel.

“Our goal is to continue to keep all our team members as safe as possible,” Kalitta Motorsports General Manager Chad Head said. “The addition of IDT and their superior face coverings is an outstanding solution during these unprecedented times with regards to keeping our teams healthy. Outer Circle has a long history of providing great looking apparel for motorsports teams and we are looking forward to wearing their gear in 2021.”

So much for a steep learning curve for Top Alcohol Dragster driver Mike Bucher.

While competing in only 14 career NHRA events since his rookie season three years ago, the 58-year-old won the 2020 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series North Central Region title with 235 points earned behind the wheel of Robin Samsel’s dragster.

“They shortened how the standings would work this year to best 4 out of 5 races and I only had four races to count and I won it (the North Central Region Standings),” Bucher said. “It was a total miracle. There’s no way that should have happened. If somebody at the start of this year said look at this list and who is the last guy to win a regional championship, it would have been me because I don’t do that many races because I’m a pastor.”

Bucher is the son of Jim Bucher, a popular Top Fuel driver who won the 1975 NHRA Summer Nationals before becoming sick and eventually passing away in 1977 at the age of 37.

Two weeks ago, Pro Modified racer Brandon Snider was in a battle for the NHRA series championship, and even though he came up one spot short in the championship chase, he's already hard at work for the 2021 series championship. 

We just received a gaggle of photos from our spy over in Missouri, who snapped these photos of Snider's new weapon in the quest for the 2021 title rolling out of Jerry Bickel Race Cars. 

Melanie Salemi delivered the big prize in the Radial vs. The World division at the 27th annual Orlando World Street Nationals hosted by the Orlando Speed World drag strip.

Salemi set the pace for the eight-car field behind the wheel of her Strange Engineering-sponsored Camaro by qualifying. She didn't let up at all as she drove her way to the winner's circle with victories over Mike Decker II, Stevie "Fast" Jackson, and David Reese in the finals.

Matt Hagan knew the enormity of the situation headed into race day.

Hagan was one of three drivers with a strong chance to win the 2020 NHRA Funny Car championship, and the Christiansburg, Va.-based competitor was in the driver's seat to score it all.

Hagan needed this championship.

He didn't need this title for the prestige or to pad his resume. Nor did he need it for job security.

Hagan needed to win this one for his brother Kyle and gain a measure of closure in losing his younger sibling.

National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Rookie of the Year Justin Ashley announced today that Strutmasters.com will continue its marketing and sponsorship relationship with the Davis Motorsports Top Fuel team. The marketing partnership will cover the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season beginning with the historic Gatornationals, March 21-22, 2021.  Strutmasters.com and owner Chip Lofton back a number of NHRA competitors throughout the various NHRA classes and his involvement with Justin Ashley Racing remains strong.    
 
“I am thankful for the support Chip Lofton and Strutmasters.com continue to provide our team,” Ashley said. “They have been with us from the beginning and we wouldn’t be in the position we are today without them. It was great to get our first win and collect Rookie of the Year honors together last season. There are a lot of great things in store for this team in 2021 and I’m proud to continue representing Strutmasters.com on and off the racetrack.”

In a year of uncertainty, Mel Roth made it a mission to ensure his annual marathon of drag racing returned to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Thanks to that mission and the fans, racers, and businesses that have stood by Roth and the Premier Street Car Association in 2020, the COMP Cams Street Car Super Nationals 16 Presented by FuelTech kicks off Thursday as originally scheduled.

The COVID-19 pandemic that has changed America's way of life since March will still have an effect on the event. Spectator tickets will not be sold at the track as has been customary in years past. This year, tickets are only available for purchase online. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE. Racer and crew passes can be purchased at the credential booth located to the left of the drag strip entrance as has been customary in the past.

Southeast Gassers founder Quain Stott, and his group of the strictest period-correct race cars of the 1967 era, were ready for a breakout season back in February. Then a month later, his scheduled season-opener in Alabama was postponed until April.

April arrived, and local health regulations forced a second postponement.

A third event, scheduled for May 9, was also postponed leaving Stott dismayed about the future of his gearhead, niche series.

If anything, Stevie "Fast" Jackson has learned to expect the unexpected. And this attribute might be the one aspect which has kept the two-time NHRA Pro Modified champion sane amid a crazy 2020 drag racing season.

Jackson captured his second NHRA Pro Modified championship, coming from behind to win a title which appeared to nothing more than a shootout.

"I told [crew chief] Billy [Stocklin], "Next year we're going to have this deal wrapped up in eight races," Jackson explained. "We ain't going to do all this crazy running toward a championship, winning by four thousandths."

The 2020 title defense season had all the makings of a dominant season. Pre-season testing had yielded positive results, and Jackson, in his Drag Radial car, had already won the Lights Out 11 event at South Georgia Motorsports Park outside of Valdosta, Ga. Then it all came crashing down, literally.

Jackson crashed his Pro Modified car at the Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals.