For some drivers starting out in a new class, it is all about baby steps.

Making your first race. Qualifying in the top half of the field. A round win or two.

During any given race weekend, a number of different factors can take hold and dominate the headlines.

Sometimes it is the drivers that take center stage. Sometimes it is the cars. On Saturday, it was the weather that owned the spotlight.

Funny Car points leader Bob Tasca III powered to the top spot right before the rain came, taking the No. 1 qualifying position in impressive fashion on Saturday during the 34th annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 in their respective categories at the fifth race of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Pro Stock completed Saturday’s two qualifying sessions, but only one session of Top Fuel was completed due to weather. Funny Car was interrupted midway through its second qualifier on Saturday.

Mention the IHRA Hall of Fame and Clay Millican can't help but break out in his trademark smile.

He is, you see, the latest racer to be selected for membership in the hall. The news was announced last week. 

And while his career accomplishments certainly justify his inclusion among IHRA's most elite, news of the selection feels a bit strange to the driver who won six consecutive Top Fuel titles and a sanctioning body-record 51 national events.

NHRA and Constant Aviation have teamed up to launch the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty program.

The purpose of the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty program is to drive interest from both fans and drivers in the Factory Stock Showdown class as well as increase available prize money.

Angelle Sampey is used to learning curves. Fortunately, she's also used to mastering them.

Sampey became proficient at riding Buells after a decade of riding nothing but a Suzuki. Then she straddled a Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson and got used to that, too.

None of it was easy. 

Pat Musi has confirmed with CompetitionPlus.com that his daughter Lizzy will return to Pro Nitrous competition at the PDRA American Doorslammer Challenge, May 27 - 29, in Norwalk, Ohio.

Musi confirmed the return is part of a partnership with Pro Mod racer Dan Green, who has a nitrous-injected 1968 Camaro. How many events the team runs will depend on Lizzy's rigorous No Prep Kings schedule.

"We're going to run whenever PDRA, schedule permitting," Musi confirmed.

NHRA and FOX Sports have announced the remainder of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series television schedule.
 
The 2021 Camping World Series features eight telecasts on the FOX Broadcast Network (FOX), including the season-opener in Gainesville which saw viewership of nearly 2 million NHRA fans glued to their TVs during eliminations.

Rodger Brogdon isn't Competition Eliminator's "sugar-daddy," but it sure does look like it.

Brogdon considers himself instead a passionate Competition Eliminator fan who isn't afraid to market the category to the masses. And for Brogdon, who resides in Tomball, Texas, there's nothing finer than NHRA D-4 Competition Eliminator.

Case in point, last weekend's Comp Eliminator field at the NGK NTK Four-Wide Nationals only attracted 19 entries. At the same time, the D-4 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at the Texas Motorplex had a whopping 43, some of whom traveled from as far as California and Washington State.