Bobby Bennett had a harrowing experience as a teenager at his South Carolina home racetrack, Spartanburg Dragway,

“Me and my dad almost got killed down there at Spartanburg Dragway, and my cousin’s the one who almost killed us. My cousin was running a front-engine dragster that used to be a Top Fuel dragster, but they had a 454 big-block Chevrolet in this thing. And when he was leaving the starting line, the harmonic balancer came off this car. It kind of looks like a five-pound weight at the gym. It came off his car and went whizzing across the return road. Me and my dad were standing there, talking, right at the base of the tower, and it knocked out the neon tube lights and knocked out about an inch-deep hole in the cinder block [tower] - went right between us. The thing never touched either one of us. I thought, ‘Holy smokes!’ If that thing had hit us, it would have decapitated one of us.”

While everyone would love to be in the top spot in the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund, started by Rodger Brogdon and Rooftec, that’s not the only position that pays. In fact, anyone in the Top Ten in this heated points race will walk away with a nice chunk of change. 

Just ask Don Thomas, who, after winning the final Division 4 points meet of the season, is sitting fifth in the points race. His goal was to stay in the top ten, so he was thrilled to walk away with the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Wally in Tulsa.

At 118 miles, Norwalk Raceway Park is Kalitta Motorsports’ home track, and what better place to showcase a marketing partner?

Kalitta Motorsports’ flagship driver will be flying the branding and logos of long-time marketing partner SealMaster during the NHRA Norwalk Nationals this weekend when the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series rolls into Summit Motorsports Park. Additionally, Applied Innovation, the award-winning Michigan-based company with over 35 years of expertise, provides imaging, technology, and automation services for businesses across all industries, will be taking over the front sections of the Kalitta and Shawn Langdon Top Fuel dragsters.

“The Norwalk track is the closest race to our race shop as well as the SealMaster headquarters, so this will be a cool event to run this SealMaster Top Fuel dragster,” said Kalitta who is currently sitting in the Top Fuel Top Ten. “They get huge crowds at Norwalk, and I know we will have a ton of folks from our shop as well as SealMaster at the race.”

Tractor pulling veteran Stan Shelton picked up his second Stroud Safety Pro Mod victory of the season Saturday night, leading the list of winners in the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series (MWDRS) presented by J&A Service festivities at World Wide Technology Raceway’s Summer Speed & Fire Spectacular. 
 
Multi-time MWDRS and NHRA champion Sean Bellemeur rolled to his third win of the season in J&A Service Top Alcohol Funny Car. Larry “Spiderman” McBride, who holds the record for the world’s quickest and fastest motorcycle, picked up his first MWDRS victory in Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle. The series also welcomed the Custom Floaters Front-Engine Top Fuel class for the first time, and Shawn Bowen earned the win there after Chicago-style eliminations. 

The competition is heating up as the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) rolls into the halfway point in its eight-race 2022 season this weekend at the North vs. South Shootout presented by Line-X and Iron Man Quick Connect Push Bar, June 23-25 at Maryland International Raceway. World championship contenders are emerging, while the series’ new small-tire class will make its debut. 
 
“The Maryland fans have always been very supportive of us over the years, and we have an incredible show lined up for them this weekend,” said Tyler Crossnoe, race director, PDRA. “Competition is at an all-time high across the board in our professional and sportsman classes. Plus, we’re debuting our newest class, AFCO Super Street presented by Menscer Motorsports. Fans of all kinds of different classes will find something for them at this event.”

Funny Car racer Jack Wyatt loves to think of his makeshift crew at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals as a band of brothers, but reality suggests it might be more of a gathering of misfit toys. 

Wyatt raced the weekend with a conglomeration of 1990s crewmen, many of whom used to work for Del Worsham over the years. 

“I was on my way to Bristol with really no help, and I called these guys up, dusted them off, and brought them back out here and put them to work,” Wyatt said.

They might not win the race, but there’s no shortage of memories when it comes to telling stories of the old days. 

 
There were two winners at the final round of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel championship that was played out at Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin, June 18-19. 

Xiberras bounced back sensationally from a round one red light in round one to clinch back-to-back championships when his nearest rival Phil Lamattina stumbled and lost to teammate Shane Olive in the second round.  

The other victor was Damien Harris, who won the meeting after defeating Xiberras in the A- Final and also claimed his second win of the year for Rapisarda Autosport International.

NHRA Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson will debut a Trick Flow Specialties Ford Mustang Funny Car at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. The 22-time Funny Car national event winner, who most recently earned runner-up finish at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, will switch from his familiar green and black Levi, Ray & Shoup livery to Trick Flow’s dynamic blue and orange for this exciting race. Wilkerson will be chasing his second win at America’s Racetrack, Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. The veteran driver won the wildly popular NHRA national event in 2010, defeating John Force in the final.

“We are excited to be representing Trick Flow Specialties this weekend at Norwalk,” said Wilkerson, who has 47 career Funny Car final round appearances. “We have a great relationship with Summit Racing Equipment and Trick Flow Specialties is a great partner. This weekend will be a huge event and we will be looking to go some rounds and get back into the winner’s circle at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.”

Four-time and reigning NHRA Heritage Series Funny Car Champion Bobby Cottrell pulled off the hat trick to start the 2022 Heritage season campaign by capturing a massive win on Saturday afternoon at the Holley Hot Rod Reunion from Bowling Green, Kentucky.
 
With only five Nitro Funny Cars entering the event, Cottrell qualified second in the Austin and O'Brien '69 Camaro dubbed "The Northwest Hitter" and improved his performance in every round of competition.

Cottrell eliminated local favorite Eric Stevens aboard the "Bluegrass Thunder" '69 Camaro Nitro Funny Car in the first round, running a stout 5.738 at 256.45 miles per hour. Cottrell's time was low of the round, giving him a bye in the semi-finals, which meant an automatic berth into the final round.

Greg Kamplain is currently sitting in an enviable position. Not only is he leading the points in the Comp Eliminator Bonus Fund, with the potential to win $100,000 at the end of the season, but he’s also sitting at the top of the national NHRA points race in the ultra-competitive Competition Eliminator category. The experienced driver from Brownsburg, Ind. is quick to note that there’s still a lot of NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series action left this season.