There was a time when nothing could replicate the sound of a nitro-burning Funny Car burning out at Thunder Valley Dragway, Larry Carrier’s picturesque drag strip carved out in a valley in Eastern Tennessee. Some say it was that cackle and subsequent thunder of the launch which best epitomized the moniker, which made the drag strip one of the best places to watch a drag strip.

A lot has changed since 1998, when Bruton Smith completely revamped the facility to represent one of the most beautiful drag strips on tour. With the renovation, some of the acoustics are different from what they were back then.

Or are they?

Jerry Eckman is willing to wager most of his racing friends have no idea he’s a Vietnam veteran. The former Pro Stock driver doesn’t talk about the days in a Southeast Asia jungle a lot, but if someone asks, he’s willing to share the experience.

He’s decided to open this chapter of his life to the readers of CompetitionPlus.com, a time in his life he characterizes as both painful and rewarding.

He’s decided to open this chapter of his life to the readers of CompetitionPlus.com, a time in his life he characterizes as both painful and rewarding. The pain came in seeing numerous kids both American and South Vietnamese lose their lives fighting for their countries.

“I was having the time of my life, a young man running all over Europe and having a good time,” said Eckman. “My enlistment was up after three years but I wanted to stay a little longer to see more of Europe. When my time in Europe was completed, I came back to the States.”

Morris Johnson Jr. can’t help it. Every time he hears those lyrics from the famous Lee Greenwood song “Proud to be an American” his eyes well up with tears.

“I am the kind of guy who looks at the flag for the greatest country in the world and gets goose bumps,” Johnson admits. “I get a tingle that I don’t know that everyone gets when they see the flag or the Star Spangled Banner is sung. When Lee Greenwood sang that song it became almost as popular as the national anthem.”

Johnson, of Smith Mountain Lake, Va., remembers the day a pair of brothers approached him on behalf of their deceased brother who lost his life during the Vietnam War. The Pro Stock driver was already emotionally charged after watching the skydiver fly above him carrying the flag as the Greenwood song played over the public address system.

 
A pair of two-time PDRA Pro Nitrous world champions, Tommy Franklin and Jason Harris, reached the winner’s circle at the third race of the PDRA’s 10th season Saturday night at the DeCerbo Construction American Doorslammer Challenge presented by Callies. Racing at Summit Motorsports Park, Franklin earned his first Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous win of the season, while Harris was victorious in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive for the first time in his career. 

 
Four-time and reigning Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous world champion Jim Halsey closed out Friday qualifying at the DeCerbo Construction PDRA American Doorslammer Challenge presented by Callies with a weekend-best pass to qualify No. 1 going into Saturday eliminations. Halsey’s 3.639-second pass at 207.66 MPH gave the points leader his second consecutive low qualifier award at the PDRA’s third race of the season. 

It’s hard to believe a perceived typo led to one of the most successful aftermarket companies ever to service the motorsports industry. 

That was 1964 when a well-intended printer saw the name Stange Engineering on the ads he was hired to produce and took the initiative to correct the copy to read Strange Engineering. And the interesting part is the printer kept making the same mistake until the customer Bob Stange decided if you can’t beat them, join them. 

Stange, the patriarch behind the Strange Engineering brand, passed away peacefully at his on May 22, 2023. He was 84. 

Daren and Veronica Poole-Adams have a longstanding habit of sharing what brings them joy in order to enrich the lives of others. Daren, a lifelong drag racing enthusiast who accompanied his dad to Santa Pod Raceway in England before moving to the United States as a teen, knows first-hand how drag racing can have a positive impact on a child. Veronica – his wife of 30 years – loves the sport just as much, particularly the friends and racing family they have acquired through the years. With that community spirit in mind, the two have launched Rock-It Racing, a program born to inspire, encourage, and support the future of drag racing.

The Indy 500 is great over the Memorial Day weekend, but a Funny Car versus Top Fuel match race might just steal the show on Monday, May 29, in Indianapolis. 

Nitro racers Cruz Pedregon and Josh Hart will take part at Lucas Oil Raceway as part of the grand prize Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest event. Snap-on Tools will be hosting 24 VIP contest winners and their guests at the Indy 500 on Sunday and then at an all-day, fully immersive day of drag racing that will include instruction in the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School, culminating with a side-by-side exhibition race between Hart’s R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster and Pedregon’s Snap-on Tools Funny Car over at the drag strip.