During the first round of Pro Mod qualifying at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, driver Rick Hord’s car made contact with the wall before crossing the centerline and making contact with the other wall. Hord exited the car under his own power, and showed no apparent injuries. 

Defending NHRA champion Matt Hagan will miss this weekend’s NHRA U.S. Nationals after testing positive for COVID-19. Don Schumacher Racing issued a statement Friday, just before the Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car division opened qualifying. 

“Hagan has not been in contact with anyone since his diagnosis and is currently quarantining,” the statement read. “DSR is committed to the safety of its employees and fans, and Hagan will return to competition once all appropriate health and safety measures have been implemented.”

Filling in for Hagan will be Tommy Johnson Jr.

In a surprise move to celebrate Kalitta Motorsports team owner and namesake Connie Kalitta, it was revealed that Shawn Langdon will be racing a Bounty Hunter tribute Top Fuel dragster this weekend at the NHRA U.S. Nationals. The car was unveiled for the first time to Kalitta in the DHL Kalitta Air pits on Friday afternoon in advance of the first qualifying session. The entire organization also celebrated Kalitta with commemorative t-shirts.

Bo Butner is a car guy who just loves to race. Drag racing has been his fire and passion since he was a kid growing up in the section of rural America that sits between Ohio Valley Dragway in Kentucky and the hallowed grounds of what is now known as Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
 
He's "sick for it," as they say, and this week at the Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals, 2017 Pro Stock champion Butner has announced something that many in the world of drag racing already suspected: He will return to the seat of a Pro Stock car for a full-pull in NHRA's 2022 Camping World Drag Racing Series.

Brittany Force and her nemesis Steve Torrence surely under the Lucas Oil Raceway lights Friday night changed the minds of anyone who has thought that the NHRA’s “Indy,” the U.S. Nationals, “The Big Go” has lost some of its luster. 

Together they put on an epic show on the 1,000-foot course to close nitro qualifying on the opening day of the Dodge SRT U.S. Nationals. 

John Force likes to consider himself a member of the old school crowd.

And why not?

When the Dodge Hemi Shootout, a specialty event showcasing Hemi-powered musclecars of the late 1960s, hits the track at 11 AM EST, it will mark two decades it has served as a showcase event at the Dodge NHRA U.S. Nationals.

David Hakim, a longtime Chrysler historian and administrator for the program, was the brainchild of the program, which began in 2001. 

“At that time, Mopar was a presenting sponsor and Mopar realized the ’68 Superstock Hemi Darts and Cudas were iconic to the brand,” Hakim explained. “Mopar [had] just released the new, or the revised Hemi block, the Gen2 Hemi block and the head. So it was a great way, not just to market the brand and the brand’s illustrious history, but to market the parts that Mopar made for these cars.”

​​During the Sonoma Nationals earlier this season Kalitta Motorsports announced that CMR Construction and Roofing joined the multi-time world championship-winning team in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series as an official partner. Since that announcement CMR Construction and Roofing has expanded their relationship and extended their partnership through the 2022 NHRA season. They will immediately become a major associate on J.R. Todd’s Toyota Camry Funny Car with increased logo presence on the rear quarter panel and their branding increased on the Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon Top Fuel dragsters.
 
Additionally, during the 2022 NHRA season CMR Construction and Roofing will be associate sponsor on all three race cars with sizable logo branding and be a primary on Doug’s Top Fuel dragster at a TBD race.  They will also continue to be the presenting sponsor of the Kalitta Motorsports’ B2B sponsor summit in 2022. CMR Construction and Roofing will continue to utilize VIP corporate hospitality for the 2022 season and continue their sponsorship of the J.R. Todd visor-cam at a TBD race during the first half of the 2022 season.

Veteran Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan confirmed to CompetitionPlus.com he will be filling in for Richie Stevens at the U.S. Nationals Sept. 2-5 in Indianapolis and drive the Camaro for Beaver Motorsports and owned by Mark Beaver.

“Mark called me up and asked me if I could drive the car and I told him I’m sure I can,” Morgan said. “I feel bad for Richie. I would really like the thank the guys for giving me this opportunity. The last time I ran Pro Stock was like three or four years ago. I’m excited about doing it. Mark and I are best friends and I’m glad to help him out.”