“If you told me a year ago that I'd be standing here winning this race, I would’ve told you that was crazy.”

That was longtime Pro Stock veteran Jason Collins not long after beating Brylon Holder in the Pro 275 final for Lights Out 14, Mar. 27, at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

With a 3.75-seconds pass at 200.68 mph, Collins qualified Scott Tidwell’s ’69 Camaro 4th in the 32-car P275 field. Manny Buginga took the top spot at 3.71 and 203.06 mph, with defending race champion Mo Hall 2nd at 3.73 and 201.46, and Marcus Birt 3rd just three-thousandths back with another 3.73 at 200.23 mph.

Dreams rarely come to fruition overnight – and for some people, they never pan out.

Australian Shayne Stewart had almost reached the latter point as he pursued his goal of racing a Top Fuel dragster in the United States.

Then, a stroke of out-and-out luck changed his future. The dream that inspired him to uproot his family and immigrate to America is – at last – coming true.

Seven years ago, Stewart decided to move his family from Melbourne, a city of five million on Australia's southern coast, to Southern California. He had limited racing experience Down Under, having crewed on a Top Fuel dragster and the "Dark Horse" nitro Funny Car. He then built and drove a supercharged alcohol altered "only a few times" before constructing a front-engine dragster for Top Fuel competition. 

The Peach State’s own Tim Meissner repeated as a Duck X Productions winner at South Georgia Motorsports Park February 26, winning the Radials vs. the World final for Lights Out 14 over fellow Georgian Luis de Leon. He previously won Duck X’s No Mercy event in October 2021.

“I was 60 feet out and I was already on my radio telling the guys we got this,” said Meissner, from Douglasville. “Then I pulled the parachute and I think I lost my voice. We were screaming on the radio and they were high fiving each other back at the start and I got so excited that we fell about 300 yards short of getting to the end of the racetrack. I got stopped on the racetrack and they had to come get me.”

Matt Smith confirmed to CompetitionPlus.com he plans on riding a Suzuki at all the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series races in 2023.

Smith has won three Pro Stock Motorcycle world championships in a row – six in his career – but the last three have primarily come with him aboard a Buell.

“I am supposed to be full-blown Suzuki,” Smith said. “I have not signed a contract yet. I have committed to it, and they have committed to me, so I'm just waiting for a contract to be signed. I have committed to Suzuki and Suzuki has committed to me. We're just waiting for the lawyers to draw the proper paperwork up and me to sign it. But that is the plan.”

The legend of the phoenix is as ancient a tale as they come – a mythical bird that lives for hundreds of years before passing away in a shower of flames, only to regenerate, rise gloriously from the ashes and fly away full of youth and vigor. The bird’s “rise from the ashes” today serves as a fortifying notion to anyone who has experienced loss or devastation.

While no one experiences a literal “rise from the ashes”, a metaphorical rise isn’t only a possibility but a tremendous reality – something which only one who has experienced tremendous adversity can know.

Enter Darrell Gwynn.

Longtime Mopar Sportsman Racer and GEN 3 HEMI tuning guru AJ Berge will run the iconic RAMCHARGERS colors on his 2021 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak at NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown races and in NMCA Holley EFI Factory Super Cars class in 2023. The Long Island native made his rookie Drag Pak driving debut last year in both racing series and came away with a win and a runner-up finish in the NMCA Factory Super Cars class and ended the season third in overall points. Now on the eve of the 2023 drag racing season, Berge’s Drag Pak will take on a new look and attitude. 

The movers and shakers of Pro Modified, since the class launched in 1990, have envisioned taking the volatile doorslammer division to the next level. The next level appears to be here now. 

The FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, presented by Type A Motorsports, will now be part of the live broadcast of both FS1 and FOX for all ten of its events. The driving force behind this groundbreaking move was two-time NHRA Pro Modified champion Steve Jackson and Debbie O’Rourke of Finish Line Consultants. 

“I’ve been to hundreds of racing events, and the number one question I get asked is, when will fans get to see Pro Mods on the main tv broadcast,” said Jackson. “We have listened to you (the fans) because we love you, and here it comes. We are excited to deliver Pro Mod on the big show!

The late Whitney Houston once sang a song proclaiming, "I believe the children are the future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." Madi Turley, at age 16, is hardly a child, but by all indications, she has been taught well and given the chance will likely lead the way. 

Last month, on the CompetitionPlus.com Power Hour, team owner David H. Davies revealed his plans for a driver development program. 

Veteran Pro Stock driver Shane Tucker will represent UrPay, an Australian-owned payment processing company, throughout the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series as a brand ambassador. Beginning with the historic NHRA Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, March 9-12, Tucker, who also hails from Australia will host VIP motorsports guests and potential clients throughout the NHRA season in the UrPay Finish Line Lounge adjacent to his Pro Stock pit. Tucker’s 210 mph Pro Stock Chevrolet Camaro will also be adorned in UrPay branding throughout the season.