Matt Smith wasn’t taking any chances in Denver, although a nearly .08 qualifying advantage suggested there was nothing conservative about his first-day efforts at the NHRA Mile High Nationals. 

The only thing Smith wasn’t taking chances with was having enough parts to race for a championship. 

That’s why Smith left the 4-valve Suzuki he’s been developing in the trailer and instead rolled out his proven Buell. 

After rain put a stop to Friday qualifying, additional thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon forced Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) officials to postpone eliminations to Sunday at the Drag 965 Summer Shootout presented by Classic Graphix at Virginia Motorsports Park. All classes completed one round of qualifying, and some classes started or completed a second session before the rain started. All fields are set for Sunday eliminations. 
 
The No. 1 qualifiers in the professional classes are Jim Halsey in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, Melanie Salemi in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive, Elijah Morton in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition, Daryl Stewart in $hameless Racing Pro 632, Chris Garner-Jones in Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle, Nick Agostino in Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by AFCO, and Ron Rhodes in AFCO Super Street presented by Menscer Motorsports. 

To this point in the season, things haven’t exactly gone according to plan for Leah Pruett and her brand new Dodge Power Brokers team with Tony Stewart Racing.

A string of qualifying woes and early round exits has left the nine-time national event winner hovering around the bottom half of the Top Fuel playoff picture with seemingly no end in sight. But the joy of drag racing is that it can all turn around in one night.

One year ago Matt Hagan checked a very important race off of his bucket list when he earned his first-ever victory atop “the mountain.”

One of the trickiest tracks on the NHRA calendar due to its unique conditions in the high altitude air of the Colorado mountains, Bandimere Speedway and its challenge is a nightmare for some and a welcome respite for others. That is why Hagan’s victory at the facility was such an accomplishment and one he is hoping to replicate this weekend.

​Tony Stewart Racing teammates Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan raced to the provisional No. 1 spots in Top Fuel and Funny Car on Friday, powering to the top positions at the 42nd annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.
 
Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 11th of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. It is also the first event in the three-race NHRA Western Swing.

A brief drizzle turned into a constant downpour, putting an early end to Friday qualifying at the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) Drag 965 Summer Shootout presented by Classic Graphix at Virginia Motorsports Park. The series was in the middle of the first qualifying session for Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition when rain started. A continuous heavy downpour led officials to postpone the rest of qualifying to Saturday. 

The last two times NHRA has raced on Thunder Mountain, Steve Torrence has made the most noise. This season has been relatively quiet by his standards. 

What is impressive is a third-place ranking is considered a slump. And no, it’s not because the four-time Top Fuel champion has forgotten how to win. Torrence’s so-called slump is by design.

Transitioning to a new engine-and-clutch combination designed to keep him competitive at the elevated performance levels established by rivals Mike Salinas and Brittany Force, Torrence thus far has been victimized by his hot rod’s uncharacteristic inconsistency.  

Nearly $70,000 in prize money will be on the line when the stars of the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) square off in the second annual Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars race during Virginia Motorsports Park’s K95 Night of Fire on July 30. Along with the ProStars race, the entertainment-centric event will also include country music concerts, jet dragsters, nostalgia Funny Cars, a wheelstander, fireworks, and more.

 

“This event is all about putting on a show for the fans and treating our loyal PDRA racers to a one-of-a-kind experience,” said Tyler Crossnoe, the PDRA series director and VP of Virginia Motorsports Park. “The inaugural Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars was a success, but we’ve doubled down on the elements that made it successful and we’ve made changes that we believe will take the show to the next level.”

Bill Bader Sr. was alive in spirit vividly for almost two hours on the grounds of Summit Motorsports Park, the track he made famous outside of Cleveland, Ohio.

Bader passed away on June 26, 2022, following an accident on his property in Idaho. His passing came on the final day of the Summit NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Family, friends, and associates came together under a massive tent to memorialize the indelible mark of the man who lived by guaranteeing and delivering customer satisfaction to the highest level.