Brian Amrosini, the acknowledged "Wheelie King" from Kenosha Wisconsin was crowned overall winner of the 26th World Power Wheel Standing Championships at Byron Dragway.

After climbing atop the leader board with a 410-footer in Round 1, Ambrosini sealed the deal with his 447-foot wheelie in his second attempt of three in Round 2. Ambrosini was presented with the $10,000 Champion's check and handcrafted trophy by Byron Dragway owner B.J. Vangsness.

Two-time world champion Tommy Franklin scored his first Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous victory of the season Saturday night at the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) Proline Racing DragWars presented by Modern Racing. Franklin in his “Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro defeated fellow two-time world champion Jason Harris in the final round at GALOT Motorsports Park. 
 
Daniel Pharris (Penske/PRS Pro Boost presented by WS Construction), Wes Distefano ($hameless Racing Pro Outlaw 632) and Travis Davis (Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle) added victories to their 2021 scorecards, while Tony Gillig scored his first Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition victory in the debut of his new family-owned car. 

For the sixth time in seven races, defending world champion Jim Halsey qualified No. 1 in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous after recording a 3.64-second, 207.02 mph pass to conclude Friday qualifying at the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) Proline Racing DragWars presented by Modern Racing at GALOT Motorsports Park. 

The decision by Sydney Dragway to dump IHRA Australia in favor of ANDRA as the sanctioning body for the venue will have a significant impact across the drag landscape in Australia as the sport slowly begins to emerge from the Covid pandemic. 

The decision was met with a swift and hostile response from IHRA Australia, which instituted legal proceedings against Sydney Dragway for an alleged breach of contract and unlawfully terminating their sanctioning agreement with two years remaining.

According to IHRA CEO Maurice Allen, “IHRA Australia is extremely disappointed to have yesterday received advice that the board of Sydney Dragway have decided to terminate its binding and exclusive contract with IHRA Australia, and its parent company, as the official and exclusive representative and sanctioning body for all races, events or promotions conducted by Sydney Dragway.” 

We all take for granted that Pro Stock has been a simple formula. Today, those that participate in the class carry a common weight of 2,350 pounds in a two-door American made coupe no older than five years old with the source of motivation coming from an engine that displaces 500-cubic inches. Sounds pretty simple, huh? It has always been the nature of man to start with things in a difficult fashion and make it easier as knowledge and technology permit. Such was the case with NHRA Pro Stock as it took them nearly a decade to make the drag racing equivalent to NASCAR an easy proposition.

When the NHRA announced that they would be changing to a "mountain motor" format for the 1982 season, they were the last of the three major sanctioning bodies to abandon the small block Pro Stocks. The AHRA, whose rules had initially mirrored those of the NHRA inevitably allowed small blocks the use of nitrous oxide as they converted over to the mountain motor format a year prior to the NHRA's decision to abandon ship.

The racing community continues to rally around next week’s Texas Stampede of Speed at the legendary Texas Motorplex outside Dallas. The week-long event that culminates with the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals is already being regarded as one of the sport’s richest weekends, and the team at Elite Motorsports and EliteHP are looking to pile on. 

On top of a wide array of cash prizes and incentives already in place for the event, Elite Motorsports and EliteHP will be paying $2,000 to the Pro Stock low qualifier, $1,000 to the Pro Mod low qualifier and $1,000 to the Comp. Eliminator low qualifier. The winner and runner-up in Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Super Stock and Stock will also earn an additional $750 and $250, respectively, for their efforts. 

It's the kind of event which usually grows out of beer, machismo, and a group of restless fellas standing around a shop.

However, for Byron Dragway, the World Power Wheelstanding Championships was born out of the forward-thinking of a promoter who knew the importance of pleasing the paying customer. 

Racers For Christ was founded in 1971 by Arnie Krueger.  He had a vision to start a Christ centered fellowship for motorsports enthusiasts in Southern California.  The ministry began to grow and was eventually incorporated in 1978.  

In 1984 Ken Owen was elected as the new president of RFC.  Ken was instrumental in establishing a strong RFC presence within the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).  When Ken retired at the end of 2004, Larry Smiley was promoted from South Central Region Director to President of RFC.  Larry and his wife Linda also served as the NHRA National Event Series Chaplains.  When Larry retired at the end of 2017, he was then succeeded by Eddie Baugher. Eddie and his wife Kelly are also serving as the NHRA series chaplains.

Donald Long has brought championship small-tire drag races to the masses for over a decade. During this time, the winners of his events were declared race champions for his style of racing.

Other tracks presented their variations of what this style of racing should be, and they, too, crowned their champions. 

However, there was no one singular champion. Now there will be. 

Jock Ervin, crew chief for NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle leader Steve Johnson, will miss the rest of the Camping World Drag Racing Series season while mending from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to a Tuesday post on his Steve Johnson Racing Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/stevejohnsonracing), Johnson announced that Ervin is “okay.”

The incident happened as he, his wife, and friend Chris Dalton were driving from Charlotte back to the team’s race shop at suburban Birmingham, Ala., following the recent DeWalt Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway at Concord, N.C.