Jack Wyatt, who for years has run his IHRA and NHRA Funny Car operation out of his Seymour, Iowa, race shop, has experienced broken motors before. But a couple of weeks ago, the veteran owner-driver was on his way to World Wide Technology Raceway at Madison, Ill., near St. Louis. But that time, the broken motor was on his tow vehicle.

“We were going to run St. Louis, and I broke the motor in my tow truck and we couldn't get there. So we've got another truck to use for here because they're still working on mine. This was a 12-hour drive, close to home,” Wyatt said.

Ronnie Swearingen, a highly respected tuner for countless top nitro Funny Car and Top Fuel teams, passed away Oct. 10 in Hemet, Calif. He was 63.

“He was a crew chief for (Top Fuel driver) Lori Johns, Tommy Johnson Jr., Freddie Neely, Al Segrini, Phil Castronovo and Billy Meyer, and he and Whit Bazemore go way, way back,” said Dennis Swearingen, Ronnie’s cousin, and fellow drag racer. “There is a long list of drivers, I could go on and on. He was one of those guys who got a lot of drivers their very first NHRA win.”

Radial vs. The World superstar Tim Slavens has a new hot rod, and at least for now, it's running slicks and Pro Modified. Slavens said in a Facebook post, "Don't worry we're not giving up on Radials, Just expanding our options!"

Leading Australia Top Fuel team Rapisarda Autosport International  will return to racing at Sydney Dragway’s test and tune meeting on November 5-6.

The team has not raced since winning the Santo Summer Thunder meeting on January 25, 2020. 

RAI usually fields up to four cars but will be confined to a single entry. 

Top Fuel ace Antron Brown has accumulated a wealth of knowledge during his 13 years with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR). And he has made a million memories.

But one thing he hasn’t done is win a race at Tennessee’s Bristol Dragway, where the Camping World Drag Racing Series will reconvene this weekend for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

“Winning Bristol would be huge. Bristol’s the last piece that we need to complete the puzzle in winning at every event on the schedule. We can’t wait to get out there. It’s always been a special place for us, and we’ve been close numerous times. It [would] be huge to be able to bring that win home and put that whole picture together for all the years I’ve been at Don Schumacher Racing,” Brown said.

A funny thing happened to Mitch King’s La King’s Confectionery Dragster when it came brand-new out of Murf McKinney’s shop at Lafayette, Ind. Several other racers got the benefit of it more than King did, and eventually he sold it – and bought it back home to Galveston two months ago.

“This car was built for me in ’09, and then we licensed Ron August, Keith Murt, and a few other people in it, and I ended up selling it to Keith Murt. It changed hands a couple of times. Terry Brian ended up with it, and I bought it back a couple of months ago,” King said of the circuitous life of the surprisingly still-rather-new dragster.

Jay Leno will kick off the 2021 SEMA Show as the featured guest of the New Products Breakfast on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Taking place before the SEMA Show floor officially opens that same day, the New Products Awards Breakfast is akin to an opening ceremony for the four-day event, where automotive innovation, technology, and advancement take center stage.

As the featured guest of the New Products Breakfast, Leno will inspire and motivate show attendees as the best new product award winners are announced.

“Leno is an automotive expert whose high energy and passion represents that of the industry’s,” said Tom Gattuso, SEMA Vice President of Events. “Like the exhibitors at the SEMA Show, Leno pushes the boundaries and continually raises the bar. We’re thrilled to have him join us for the opening breakfast of what is likely to be one of the most iconic SEMA Shows ever.”