John Strickland has had a championship-caliber car ever since he burst onto the PDRA Pro Boost scene in 2015 as a part of the GALOT Motorsports team.
 
He finished second in points behind teammate Kevin Rivenbark in 2016 when the duo ran a pair of roots-blown entries tuned by Todd Tutterow. But his busy schedule as a championship tractor puller forced him to miss at least one race each season, preventing him from contending for the championship.

Kalitta Motorsports and Mac Tools announced today that one of the longest-running and most successful sponsorship relationships will continue into its 20th NHRA season through a multiyear extension agreement. Doug Kalitta, one of the winningest Top Fuel racers in NHRA history, will continue to race the familiar red and white 300-mph Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster throughout the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Kalitta, along with the rest of the Kalitta Motorsports team, will continue their commitment to building the Mac Tools brand, raising product awareness with fans and technicians while engaging with Mac Tools’ distributors across the country.
 
“I can’t thank Mac Tools enough for all the support they have provided me and Kalitta Motorsports,” said Doug Kalitta. “They stuck with us through some tough times and we always tried to deliver our best for them. When I see my Mac Tools Top Fuel dragster in the pits or the staging lanes, I know I am representing the best in the business. Every round win and race win gives me a lot of pride because I know there are over a thousand distributors pulling for me every weekend. We want to show how Mac Tools gives us an advantage at the track and in the pits.”

With many NHRA teams unsure of their 2021 plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic, veteran Pro Stock owner/driver Dave River is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

River confirmed to CompetitionPlus.com his team will once again compete in a limited schedule in 2021 in NHRA’s Camping World Drag Racing Series. Robert River, Dave’s son, will be driving the family-owned, orange-painted Chevy Cobalt.

“We plan on doing Norwalk (Ohio) (June 24-27), Topeka (Kan.) (Aug. 13-15), Indy (Sept. 1-5), and St. Louis (Sept. 24-26),” Dave said. “We are certainly going to try and support the class and represent ourselves and have some fun again this year and make some good laps. My wife and I decided I drove that car for nine or 10 years and we wanted to give Robert the opportunity (to drive). He’s a good kid and he’s earned the right to get to drive and he’s very, very gifted.” 

Rahn Tobler, crew chief of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by 2016 NHRA Funny Car champion Ron Capps, has made the decision to retire from racing and will depart DSR at the end of this month. Tobler, 66, has enjoyed a successful NHRA career that spans nearly 50 years, including 11 years as a member of the Don Schumacher Racing family. Since 2012, Tobler and Capps have worked side-by-side where they were successful in capturing 33 victories, including Capps’ milestone 60th nitro triumph and the 2016 Funny Car title.

Drag racing is a universal language spoken worldwide.

For Spaniard Angel Romero, he’s glad the folks at RJ Race Cars speak fluent drag racing.

Romero’s story dates back to more than a year ago when he reached out to the Joneses, Rick, and son Rickie, regarding the feasibility of building a doorslammer to race in a country where drag racing is not commonplace.

The Spell Paving Services 2021 Funny Car Chaos Championship Tour presented by Red Line Shirt Club and Mears Mazda Volvo kicks off March 26-27, at the historic Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas.

This event will make history as the first time Funny Car Chaos and Outlaw Fuel Altered Series will co-headline two days of wild drag racing action. The $250,000 championship tour will run at eight venues across the country beginning in North Texas.
 
 

Last March at Bradenton Motorsports Park, nitrous Pro Mod star Keith Haney ended his first race weekend of the year upside-down and on fire. The Tulsa-based auto dealer expects much better results in 2021, though, when he returns to the historic South Florida speed plant Jan. 29-31, for the 17th annual U.S. Street Nationals.

Fortunately, Haney was uninjured in last year's spectacular top-end crash, but it took until September before the "Black Mamba," his nitrous-injected 2019 Camaro, was fully repaired and ready for on-track action again. With Haney at the helm, it appeared in a couple of late-season events, clocking a career-best 3.66 at 204.73 mph over the eighth-mile in Virginia.

On the heels of winning a second consecutive NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world championship with driver Megan Meyer, Randy Meyer Racing (RMR) announced today it will chase the 2021 title with Julie Nataas. It will be Nataas’ third full-time season with RMR in the Oslo Tapet & Gulvbelegg (OTG) A/Fuel dragster.   

“I’m glad to be back for another year with RMR,” Nataas said. “I have become really close with the guys over the last few years. Everyone works so hard and they always look out for me. Randy is a great guy and always teaches me new stuff, which I love. So I can’t wait to be back at the track with my crew and to learn even more. Randy is a master at what he’s doing and I’m grateful to be in one of his cars.”  

Longtime racing supporter Snap-on Incorporated announced the extension of its contract with two-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car World Champion Cruz Pedregon. As the primary sponsor of Cruz Pedregon Racing (CPR), the agreement will extend the contract for three seasons through the 2023 season.

"Snap-on and Cruz have had a partnership since 1992 that showcases the brand on the track, in the pits, and off-track in repair shops where critical work is done," says Samuel Bottum, Snap-on chief marketing officer. "We were a sponsor when Cruz won his first NHRA Funny Car championship, and over the years he's fought hard to bring together the best crew members and put down so many great runs in the Snap-on Funny Car.