T.J. Zizzo made his Top Fuel debut in September of 2003, and in the last several seasons he’s limited his races but increased his success in the NHRA ranks.

In 2021 he will be competing at two upcoming national events at Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 18-19, and St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 24-26, respectively.

 
Kalitta Motorsports is pleased to announce that CMR Construction & Roofing has joined the multi-time world championship-winning team in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series as an official partner. The strategic marketing partnership will began at the 61st NHRA Winternationals in Pomona and extend throughout the rest of the 2021 NHRA season. All three Kalitta Motorsports race cars will feature CMR branding for the rest of the season. CMR will also be the primary sponsor on one of the Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel dragster entries at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals in October.
 
"We are looking forward to introducing NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series to CMR and their corporate partners and guests," said Chad Head, Kalitta Motorsports General Manager. "We offer a unique race track experience as well as a very active business to business program for all our partners. CMR is a perfect fit with Kalitta Motorsports, and we are looking forward to a long and successful relationship."

It takes one to know one.

Successful independent single-car team owner Josh Hart gave kudos to fellow Top Fuel class newcomer Joey Haas for his final-round performance at Denver last month.

Hart won the Gatornationals to kick off the 2021 Camping World Drag Racing Series – and his Top Fuel career – this March. Haas debuted at last September’s U.S. Nationals. Just the same, Hart appreciated the statement Haas, driving Terry Totten’s Vita C/Strutmasters.com-sponsored dragster, made for the lower-budgeted privateers at the start of this summer’s Western Swing. In his lone appearance of the season and just his fourth overall, Haas fell in the final to Steve Torrence, who has been a tormenter to the rest of the Top Fuel field all year – still.

The most recent Top Fuel winner on the NHRA tour will sport a sweet new look on her 11,000-horsepower machine when the NHRA returns to action this weekend in Topeka, Kan. Championship contender Leah Pruett will begin her quest for a 10th Top Fuel triumph aboard the Cookie Pop Top Fuel dragster when qualifying for the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor kicks off on Friday evening at Heartland Motorsports Park.
 
“I am a big-time Oreo fan, and separately, a huge popcorn fan, so Cookie Pop is the perfect way for me to get the best of both worlds while on the go,” said Pruett of the sweet-and-savory snack which combines popcorn with some of America’s favorite cookie and candy brands, at only 150 calories per serving. “Our team definitely has a sweet tooth, so representing the Cookie Pop brand is right up our alley.”

Rodger Brogdon is going to be quite busy at the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented by PetArmour this weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kan.

Brogdon will be driving a Chevy Camaro out of the KB Racing stable, and the standout Sportsman racer will debut his Comp car – a Jerry Haas-built unique 1966 Chevy II wagon powered by a 500-inch Pro Stock engine built by Chris McGaha.

“This will be my second Pro Stock race this season as I ran in Houston,” Brogdon said. “I have a five-race deal with those guys (KB Racing) this year. I’m racing Topeka, Indy, St. Louis, and Dallas. It is a lot of fun. It had been a while since I had been in there. It’s almost like riding a bike. The KB guys make it really easy to feel comfortable.”

Most of the season nitro Funny Car driver Jim Campbell had been struggling.

That changed for Campbell at the Lucas Oil Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., Aug. 1.

Campbell, who drives for legend Jim Dunn, advanced to the semifinals. Campbell defeated Blake Alexander and Alexis DeJoria before falling in a pedal fest to J.R. Todd.

The 50th Anniversary of anything is always special; this year’s Nightfire Nationals was no exception.

The weather on a couple of days was seasonable for Idaho’s high desert, while the others were much milder.

This good weather and an excellent racing surface made for excellent racing. The other factor was the size of the crowd in Idaho. The place was full, and the drivers and crews took notice.

Spencer Massey of Fort Worth, Texas, who won 18 NHRA tour events in a brief six-year Top Fuel career, showed that he has lost none of his skill Saturday in driving Pat Dakin’s Commercial Metal Specialties dragster to an overall victory in the long-awaited return of the Northern Nationals presented by ARP and Perfit Corporation to US 131 Motorsports Park.

Massey was the only undefeated nitro driver in the round robin competition that also included three-time NHRA series champion and 62-time tour winner Larry Dixon of Indianapolis, six-time IHRA champion Clay Millican of Drummonds, TN, who was driving the Lagana brothers’ track record-holding “Nitro Ninja” dragster, and NHRA tour rookie Mike McIntire Jr. of Chesterland, OH.

Jet car gypsies are racers who live a very different lifestyle from that of the everyday racing community. Unlike most racers who race for class domination, record runs, or championship points, jet cars are actually exhibition vehicles. They are not competition machines created expressly to win every time they make thunder. On the contrary, they are WOW machines conceived to put on a show, and they get paid to show up. Winning anything is just a perk. Their bag is entertainment, not who gets to the finish line first.

They each will do their best to get to the stripe first every time, no matter who is in the lane next to them. They are all genuine racers at heart.

The professional exhibitionists who own and sometimes pilot their jet cars are a unique bunch who add greatly to the flavor of the sport known as drag racing. There are roughly thirty jet car teams in the continental United States in the year 2021. For close to 52 weeks a year, these ultimate mayhem machines crisscross continental America, earning their keep by entertaining throngs of racing fans everywhere. With enormous billowing smoke shows that can bury the largest house you can think of, and with their fire shows, they can make even the most seasoned firefighter cringe.

The fields are now set for the 50th anniversary Nightfire Nationals in Boise, Idaho.

Johnny West thundered from worst to first in the final day of qualifying, driving to the pole of the AA/Fuel Altered division. The nitro divisions headed by Bobby Cottrell (Nostalgia Funny Car) and Dan Horan Jr. (Nostalgia Top Fuel) remained at the top of their respective divisions. Ed Marx took over the top spot in Pro Modified.

West, the longtime fuel Funny Car racer who is a noted tuner in today's Big Show, came from the outside looking into the No. 1 position with a 6.100. West will take on Shayne Stewart in round one.