After a thrilling inaugural event in March that had the drag racing world buzzing, the CTech World Doorslammer Nationals is set for 2021, with the second annual event returning to Orlando Speed World Dragway on March 5-7.
 
CTech Manufacturing, an industry leader in the manufacturing of racing carts, cabinets and drawers, will also enter into a multi-year agreement to continue as a title sponsor for the race, which puts the spotlight on the stars in Pro Stock and Pro Mod. The two classes will continue to serve as the main event for the race weekend, which will again offer massive payouts and excitement, building upon the tremendous debut event in 2020.
 
“Last year, we left the CTech World Doorslammer Nationals full of excitement and extremely pleased with the outcome. It was a phenomenal event and we’re excited to be part of it long-term,” CTech Manufacturing Product Line Manager Nate Birkenmeier said. “It all boils down to (CTech owner) Jim Greenheck and his passion for racing and the racing community.

It was the late 90's in the IHRA and one driver thought if a dragster could run injected nitro why not a flopper.

The driver, Scott Weis, of Richmond, Va., believed what was good for the goose should be good for the gander. Or, to be more precise, if it worked in a dragster, who not in a Funny car.

Thinking back, Weis remembers the 1998 season when he debuted an injected nitro flopper in IHRA competition. The injected nitro phase was quickly catching on within the NHRA's Top Alcohol dragster teams; proving to be a quicker combination.

An A/Fuel Funny car seemed reasonable, at least to Weis.

Atlanta Dragway, one of the three national event facilities the Glendora, Ca.-based NHRA owns, is for sale, according to a sanctioning body official.

Jeffrey Young, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, confirmed to CompetitionPlus.com, the facility located in Commerce, Ga., just outside of Atlanta, will be officially on the market soon.

"We're going to take [money from] the sale of the Atlanta Dragway and put it into upgrades at our other tracks," Young said.

NHRA owns Gainesville Raceway, Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis and leases the Fairplex in Pomona.

Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Josh Hart has announced his transition to the Top Fuel ranks on Friday. He will compete in the ultra-competitive NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel category beginning with the season-opener at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway March 11-14, 2021.

Hart’s dream will come true at the Gatornationals. Every one of his first competitive passes has come at the historic venue.

“When I first went to the drag strip, I went on a test and tune night,” Hart said. “I was using my daily driver, which was a Ford Lightning pickup truck. I ran like 13.90’s. Brittanie and I had just started Burnyzz at the time and we didn’t have a whole lot of money. I was like, ‘Wow, I just went down the drag strip.’ After that, we built a 2003 Cobra, which was for the 10.0 class. Next came Super Comp, Top Dragster, A/Fuel Dragster, and now Top Fuel. Gainesville has always been in our backyard. At first, it was convenient, but now it’s sentimental. That was also where we got our first Wally. It wasn’t for a win, but it was a Wally for the Best Appearing Crew.”

The Springtown, Texas-based "War Wagon” AA/Fuel Altered team announced their plans to shatter the long-standing quarter-mile AA/FA elapsed time and mile per hour records this March.

The War Wagon made history in June of 2020 with the quickest recorded eighth-mile elapsed time in history for a AA/Fuel Altered at 3.447 in the final round of the Pro Mod vs. Fuel Altered Showdown at Xtreme Raceway Park. Riding that momentum, the Farris family, with tuner David Kirkland, have now set eyes on the ultimate prize, becoming the quickest and fastest fuel altered in the world to the quarter-mile mark. Their goals are to best the current elapsed time record of 5.286 set by Joe Haas in 2013 and the 286.07 mile per hour record set by the late Ron Fassl in 2005.

Watch now as Joe Caruso, the patriarch of the Caruso Family Racing team, proudly debuts their brand new RJ Race Cars built NHRA Pro Mod Chevy Camaro.

"It's gorgeous. I've owned a Rick Jones car before back in 1992. I purchased Rick's personal Pro Stock and was just totally impressed with that car. Can't wait to get this one out to the race track, do some testing so that we can make a great showing in Gainesville in March, at the NHRA Gatornationals."

It's the uncertainty which Terry McMillen cannot stand.

McMillen, who, for over a decade, has raced Top Fuel in the NHRA, faces an uncertain 2021 where the odds do not appear to be in his favor. But those who know the fan-favorite drag racer from Elkhart, Ind., understand he's made a career out of beating the odds.

Though, this time might be the most overwhelming situation he's faced since jumping into Top Fuel in the mid-2000s. McMillen's longtime sponsor Amalie Oil suspended his contract amid a pandemic-fueled slowdown.

Kirk Lanz, a well-known Western Canadian Top Sportsman racer, is making the jump into NHRA Pro Modified in 2021. Here's a sneak peak of his Jerry Bickel-built 1969 Camaro, which is headed to Proline Racing Engines to be set up for a new Procharger combination. 

Don Schumacher Racing will soon expand its involvement in the straight-line racing world beyond the NHRA, and into the popular ‘outlaw’ style of drag racing.
 
Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) and Don Schumacher Precision Manufacturing (DSM), DSR’s manufacturing arm, are pleased to announce that Don Schumacher Racing Performance Parts (DSR.parts), the recently-launched full-service web shop for racing and production vehicles, will join the Funny Car Chaos and Outlaw Fuel Altered circuits as an associate partner of each series in 2021.

Crew chief John Collins, the wrench boss for nitro Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr at Don Schumacher Racing the past seven years, has a new address.

Collins has joined Cruz Pedregon and will serve as the crew chief for the team owner and nitro Funny Car driver.

“Including myself, I brought eight guys with me who worked with me on Tommy’s car at DSR to Cruz’s team,” Collins said. “It is different. The surroundings are completely different. After being here a week and going through all his stuff, with Rip and Ryan, Cruz has done a very good job I think in what he has built. He has great stuff. He has great policies. I’m impressed with how well he has done.”