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.

Four-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence asserted his dominance at Pacific Raceways on Sunday, securing his first win of the 2023 season and taking over the points lead. Torrence surged past Doug Kalitta in the final round of the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals.

Joining Torrence in victory were Tim Wilkerson in Funny Car and Gaige Herrera in Pro Stock Motorcycle. These triumphs marked the 11th race out of 21 in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Torrence clinched his 54th career win, turning in a 3.940 second elapsed time at only 289.26 mph in his Capco Contractors/Toyota dragster. This win denied Kalitta his 50th overall victory and marked a milestone for Toyota, as it commemorated the automaker's 200th overall NHRA win.

Point standings (top 10) following the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 11th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series -