Drag racers and fans lamented the permanent closing of Atco Dragway as one of the most brutal losses they've experienced. Hall of Fame drag racing announcer Bob Frey feels their pain.

For Frey, Atco Dragway was his sandlot. It was the first place anyone trusted the self-proclaimed geeky kid with a microphone.

Actually, trust wasn't the proper definition, as Frey won the role fair and square back in 1965. Who would have ever thought one of the most iconic drag racing speakers would have such humble beginnings?

Rachel Curl, daughter of drag racing legend Randy Meyer never thought she would get to drive her injected nitro-powered A/Fuel dragster at her home track Mo-Kan Dragway. 

Not only did she get the opportunity when Nitro Chaos rolled into town for its penultimate race of the 2023 season, she made the most of it as well by defeating two top-of-the-line A/Fuel dragsters, beginning with her sister Megan Meyer in the semis and then Todd Bruce in the final en route to securing the momentous win at her home track in the 'A' field.

"I've been racing at that track since I was in juniors (Dragster)," Curl said. "Megan and I went to college right down the street from it, and that's where we would go bracket racing when my dad was off racing NHRA stuff, so it meant a lot.

A year ago, Joe and Cathi Maynard invested significantly in major league drag racing. Shortly following the 2022 NHRA Sonoma Nationals, the power couple announced they were purchasing a majority interest in Don Schumacher Racing and assuming control of the Tony Schumacher-driven Top Fuel dragster. One race later, along with partners Eric and Kim Lehman, Schumacher clinched his first win for the team in Seattle, Wash. 

If a great journey starts with one first step, the JCM Racing organization has evolved into a full-on sprint with the expansion into a three-car operation including Tim Wilkerson and Justin Ashley. They've also expanded into a driver development program overseen by Maynard's son, Joe C. Maynard, and the move to the front and center is in full-speed-ahead mode.

A drag racer was killed in an accident on July 21, 2023, while racing at U.S. 41 Motorplex in Morocco, Indiana. A day later, a jet drag racing community member succumbed to injuries sustained in a high-speed crash.

A statement issued by the Newton County (Ind.) Sheriff’s Department confirmed that it responded to the US 41 Motorplex for reports of a fatal injury crash involving one vehicle.

A preliminary investigation by Deputy Sanders indicated a 1996 Mustang (driven by a 45-year-old man from Mackinaw, Ill.) was making a solo pass when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed just past the finish line. The Mustang collided with a guardrail, causing it to go airborne before it stopped in a wooded area. The crash resulted in the car catching fire and the racer’s death.

With multiple NHRA national event facilities falling by the way the wayside in the last few seasons, Top Fuel racer Clay Millican believes there are replacements available, but only if the series, drivers, and team owners, as well as race fans, are willing to think outside of the traditional box. 

Millican made the suggestion first in the CompetitionPlus.com NHRA Northwest Nationals event notebook and later in an Autoweek article.  One aspect of his suggestion is that Millican speaks from experience about the viability of eighth-mile racing while burning nitro.

It was in 2005 that Millican won the richest Top Fuel drag race at the time, the Rocket City Nationals at Huntsville Dragway in Alabama, an eighth-mile drag race that paid $101,000 to the winner.

Sometimes sitting in the back of the line can have its advantages. And for former Mountain Motor Pro Stock champion turned Factory Stock Showdown icon turned Factory X pioneer Chris Holbrook, having the third or so car for the fledgling class is turning out to be good for him.

Holbrook recently took delivery of his new Factory X Mustang from Jerry Bickel Race Cars. If not for supply chain issues and rule clarification problems, Holbrook could have easily had the first out. What could have been a considerable negative turned out to be a positive for the second-generation drag racer as he watched the trials of Geoff Turk and Greg Stanfield as they navigated the strange waters.

"I watched their stuff along the way," Holbrook confirmed. "But at first, I was like, 'Stanfield's got his car done; what's the deal here?"

Some folks suggested that Gaige Herrera lock himself in the trailer until time to leave for the Pro Stock Motorcycle final round at the Flav-R-Pack NHRA Northwest Nationals. Others said he should keep a keen eye on his back... uh, bike. 

But as Herrera saw it, a trophy was coming back to Vance & Hines, whether by him or teammate Eddie Krawiec. 

It's been that kind of season for Herrera, an NHRA rookie, where sabotage or a kidnapping seemed the best logical choice to stop his rampant run of success in 2024.

From 2018 through 2021, there was no one better in NHRA’s Top Fuel ranks than Steve Torrence.

The Texas native piled up wins and four world championships. The streak came to an end for the Capco team in 2022 as Torrence finished sixth in the points standings.

The 2023 season has been solid as he hovered near the top of the points standings, but one thing was missing: A victory.

If Tim Wilkerson has proved anything in his standout NHRA nitro Funny Car career, it's that you can never count him out.

Wilkerson showed his prowess Sunday at the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway in Seattle.  Wilkerson beat J.R. Todd to claim the national event crown.

It was the 24th win of Wilkerson’s career and second of the season as he also took home the title in Chicago.