Don’t bother tempting Matthew Miller with a late-model Camaro, Challenger or Mustang. Unlike many his age, the 38-year-old native of south Florida is, and always has been, into older cars and trucks.

Miller’s passion for vintage wheels has reached its zenith with his current project, “Hell’s Belle.”

That’s the name of his 1950 Ford Custom that competes in the C/Gas class with the Southeast Gassers Association. He hasn’t won a round of eliminations yet in his rookie season, but that shouldn’t be surprising for a racer operating on what he calls a “super-shoestring budget.”

Some traditions never die, and for CompetitionPlus, the practice of covering the NHRA U.S. Nationals to the max is one the pioneering internet drag racing magazine won't let die.

Starting on Wednesday and carrying through Monday's final rounds, CompetitionPlus.com will deliver news via seven in-depth notebooks, a video notebook, and an extensive photo gallery. This presentation of drag racing's most prestigious drag race is sponsored by Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Weldon High Performance, Phillips-Connect, and Rooftec.

"Indy deserves the highest respect, and we put our words into action with our coverage," said CompetitionPlus.com Founder and Editor Bobby Bennett. "For six days, we plan to bust our butts not to deliver results; there are about a million places to get that. But for us, it's the stories in the pits. With all the drama going on in drag racing now, it will take six reporters to dig out those stories."

It’s difficult NOT to notice when a sleek new COPO Camaro comes up to the starting line. The gorgeous lines scream modern-day American muscle. That’s what first attracted James Elias, his father, Terry Elias, and their friend and mechanic John Harder, all from Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. The trio only began participating in NHRA events this year, and so far, they love every minute as they compete in the Super Stock ranks. 

Eleanor Elias, Terry’s wife and James’s mother is actually responsible for getting these guys into the drag racing scene. 

“I was 17 or 18 years old, and I wanted a street car to race,” James recalled. “So I went to my dad and asked if I could borrow $5,000 to get this ’68 Camaro. He said, ‘No. Absolutely not.” 

Team Owner driver Peter Xiberras will be chasing his third consecutive Top Fuel title when the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship 2022-23 season begins at Alice Springs Inland Dragway, September 1-2.

While a championship is a long-term goal, Xiberras will focus on a win at Alice Springs to kick-start his campaign and erase the memory of being the first winner in recent times to have won a TF championship without winning a round of the series. 

"Last season, we took out our second Top Fuel title, and remarkably, we did it without winning an event – it all came down to our consistency," said Xiberras. "We finished runner-up five times and a fourth once and this season we want to not only defend our title, but we also want to claim some event trophies along the way.

Competing against powerhouse big-budget nitro teams is a challenge, to say the least.

However, it is one low-budget racers, nitro Funny Car driver Dale Creasy Jr. and Top Fuel driver Krista Baldwin, accept with open arms.

At the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 19-21, Creasy and Baldwin were rewarded for their hard work and perseverance as each clocked career-best elapsed times.

Creasy clocked a 3.967-second pass at 327.43 mph to keep eventual event champion Bob Tasca III honest as he came in with a 3.891-second ET at 330.63 mph.

Leading Australian Top Fuel team - Rapisarda Autosport International - has confirmed plans to race at all rounds of the 2022-23 Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship.

“The family sat down after the final round of last season in June and mapped out a race schedule for the next 12 months,” according to Santo Rapisarda Jr, son of team owner Santo Rapisarda. “First and foremost on our mind was to commit to the Burson Top Fuel 2022-23 championship series.” 

Iconic Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher has been fined $20,000 and docked 50 championship points for alleged safety violations, including disabling safety systems and bypassing performance restrictions.

In a statement posted on NHRARacer.com, NHRA’s official site for distributing competition notices, NHRA detailed their charges.

Australia’s most traveled drag racer John Zappia will make his 125th trip across the Nullarbor Plain from his hometown in Perth, Western Australia, to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory for round two of the 2022-23 Australian Doorslammer Championship at Alice Springs Inland Dragway, September 1-2.

Zap’s first interstate trip was to race at Willowbank Raceway, Queensland, as part of the Wild Bunch series in 1991.

Bruno Massel III, an NHRA Comp Eliminator world champ and star TV personality, will unveil a new look for his Chevy Cobalt at the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals, Aug. 31 through Sept. 5 in Indianapolis.

“Vital Brew Coffee will be launching our new partnership at the U.S. Nationals next weekend where they will be the primary sponsor of my Comp Eliminator racing program for the 2023 season,” Massel said. “Coming off back-to-back final round appearances the past two weeks at the NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka and Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, it’s safe to say we have some momentum going our way heading into the US Nationals with Vital Brew Coffee onboard.