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MILLS PREPARES FOR PRO MOD DEBUT WITH SCREW-BLOWN 'GOLDEN GORILLA'

Radial-tire legend Dewayne "Big Daddy" Mills is going Pro Mod racing. Teamed up with Pro Mod veteran Keith Haney, Mills will debut an all-new "Golden Gorilla" 2016 Camaro--complete with a screw-blown Hemi up front--Jan. 29-31, during the 17th annual U.S. Street Nationals at Bradenton Motorsports Park in south Florida.

"We were going to build another Radials vs. the World car because at the time we started the deal the rules kind of leaned in favor of the blower deal, but then Keith talked to me about converting his old "Enigma" Camaro from RVW to Pro Mod and it just seemed like the right time to make a change and try something new," explains Mills, who won Pro Drag Radial at the 2016 U.S. Street Nats with his original "Golden Gorilla" '68 Camaro.

FUNNY CAR CHAOS ANNOUNCES $250,000 CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR PAYOUT

Since the debut event in September of 2017 in Texas, Funny Car Chaos has taken the drag racing scene by storm and created a new and unique platform for heads up, run whatcha’ brung funny car competition at a grassroots level. The series attracted 50+ teams from coast to coast to participate in the eight-race tour across the Southwest and Midwestern states in 2020. Big news from Chaos headquarters in Texas from series creator Chris Graves indicates a purse increase for the highly anticipated 2021 season.

“We have been blessed to have very supportive marketing partners, all of whom stuck with us through the pandemic last year, which allowed us to push forward and complete our eight-race tour. During the off-season, the work never ends for us and we’ve been able to secure the necessary support for an exciting payout increase for the 2021 tour,” says Graves.

ICONIC ENGINE BUILDER SONNY LEONARD PASSES

 

The drag racing world lost a dear friend today.

Sonny Leonard passed away on Sunday morning, January 16, 2021, after being hospitalized with pneumonia.

Sonny had a penchant for always lifting the spirits around him either by kind words or his classic sense of humor.

"I am beyond heartbroken," said CompetitionPlus.com founder Bobby Bennett. "I cherished my friendship with Sonny, a man who was genuine in every aspect of his life. If you were having a bad day, he could lift your spirits. If you were having the time of your life, he'd lift you even higher. I will forever miss my ol' buddy, as he used to always call me."

NHRA WILL NOT HAVE INJECTED-NITRO FUNNY CARS IN TAFC THIS SEASON

 

The A/Fuel Funny Car concept will not be a part of the NHRA's Top Alcohol Funny Car division in 2021.

The NHRA's Technical Department sought input from the TAFC community regarding the feasibility of running injected nitro Funny Cars with the supercharged alcohol combination.

PRO MODIFIEDS FIRST EXHIBITION RESULTED IN ADMIRATION AND TRAGEDY

 

kuhlmann2In addition to the prize money for winning the first Pro Mod exhibition event during 1989 in Atco, NJ, Bill Kuhlmann was rewarded the No. 1 designation for 1990. He later had to change the number to 1000 after the sanctioning body folded under pressure from critics protesting the decision.

There isn’t a mention in the IHRA’s media guide. And in the leading drag racing publications, there were only small blurbs in the news sections.

However, to the most diehard of drag racing fans, October 28 and 29, 1989, represents more than just another IHRA World Championship Series points event in Atco, NJ. This event represented an introduction to Pro Modified with a 16-car exhibition event. There were no points at stake, just the honor of earning the No. 1 designation on the winner’s car for the inaugural season and the $4,000 winner’s purse.

Just days earlier, the IHRA had officially announced the name of the class in an issue of Drag Review as well as the rules for the class and was en route to the printer when the race was being conducted.

RACE COMPLETED - VRHRA MCLEOD SUMMERNATIONALS, ENGLISHTOWN, NJ

 

It's race day at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. Qualifying is complete, now it's time to begin the process of eliminating down for a winner of the second annual VRHRA McLeod Summernationals, Race 5 of 9 in the Virtual Reality Hot Rod Association. 

It's all fun in fantasy land to get away from the troubles of what is happening in the real world. 

For those new to this fantasy world, this is how it works. The race with the most votes advances to the next round. We had two days of voting to seed the eight-car fields. 

First-round ends tonight at 6 PM EST. 

UNITED STATES MOTORSPORTS ASSOCIATION PARTNERS WITH SUMMIT MOTORSPORTS PARK

The United States Motorsports Association has been named the Official Motorsports Advocacy Group of Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Formed in 2015, the United States Motorsports Association represents the racing industry in local, state and federal matters, and creates connections between members of the racing industry and government officials.

IHRA 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SET FOR 2021; IHRA INTRODUCES VIRTUAL HALL OF FAME

As part of the plans to celebrate this significant milestone, beginning in March, the IHRA will introduce an inductee to the inaugural to the IHRA Hall of Fame each month. Five legendary professional drivers (Pro Class), five Sportsman drivers and two legends that have greatly contributed to the sanctioning body will be inducted virtually into the newly formed IHRA Hall of Fame housed at IHRA.com.  

ALAN BRADSHAW TO COMPETE IN FUNNY CAR CHAOS RANKS IN 2021

 

Alan Bradshaw has driven countless types of cars in his drag racing career.

In 2021, he will check piloting a Funny Car off his bucket list.

Bradshaw is set to debut the “Black Attack” Funny Car. Based in Odessa, Texas, Bradshaw, and his new team are planning on competing in the Funny Car Chaos Series.

“I have driven everything from bracket dragsters to Top Fuel dragsters and I have always wanted to drive a Funny Car or Fuel Altered,” Bradshaw said. “I wanted to check it off the bucket list. At some point in time, you make things like that a priority. I want to race, and I think this will be a fun thing to do. It’s at a level of competition that’s pretty solid, but at the same time you’re not competing against the big budget teams.

BOB TASCA III AIMS FOR MORE SUCCESS IN 2021

 

In the roller-coaster, uncertain 2020 NHRA season, veteran nitro Funny Car driver/owner Bob Tasca III has a solid campaign, finishing fifth in the points standings.

“We have my whole team coming back,” Tasca said. “I have kept everyone together, which obviously in these times is not easy. I have great sponsors and great support from Ford and all my key sponsors are returning for (2021). I’m very blessed and our whole team is blessed to have the funding that we have.” 

However, the fifth-place finish didn’t leave Tasca III satisfied – at all.

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