A drag racing institution will return to NHRA in 2021.

If you raced Modified Eliminator in the 1970s, you didn’t pick Cotton; he picked you. Back in those days of the high-winding, 50-pound flywheel, Doug Nash shifted coupes and sedans, the gentleman from Ringgold, Ga., named Cotton Perry was not the ideal opponent.

No, he didn’t have a finely tuned small-block engine or a sleek Corvette Stingray.

But he did have as nice of a Modified Production entry as the others, a ’67 Chevy II.

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In 2020, Alexis DeJoria returned to the cockpit of a nitro Funny Car after a two-year hiatus.

DeJoria drove the ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car to a solid eighth-place finish in points in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series that was abbreviated because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

DeJoria compiled an 11-11 elimination-round record, highlighted by four semifinal appearances at the season-opening Winternationals, St. Louis, Houston, and Las Vegas.

“The highlight of the season I would say was coming off a two-year hiatus and having a great showing at the Winternationals in Pomona,” DeJoria said. “We had a new team and I hadn’t been out there for two years.  Even with all that newness we went out and ran good numbers and made it to the semifinals. That was a huge, huge highlight for me. Unfortunately, after that our season got cut short and we had to sit for a while. When we did come back out, we struggled a little bit at first but as soon as the guys figured out the tune-up, we were running really good and consistent. Coming back after being off for so long and getting back to running well in itself was a huge highlight, too.” 

In 2020 the NHRA season was a roller-coaster ride because of the COVID-19 pandemic canceling races.

Former world champion Shawn Langdon, who pilots the DHL Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster, got through the abbreviated season that saw him finish sixth in the points standings, highlighted by him winning the U.S. Nationals.

“For me winning the U.S. National this year was more gratifying for me based off of the circumstances and for my team,” Langdon said. “It is awesome to win the U.S. Nationals and I have won it before, but it was different this year. In 2017 I raced with Connie (Kalitta) but the one regret that I had was leaving that team and not being able to win with Connie. We had a couple runners-up.

Jasmine Salinas admittedly is “terrified” of public speaking.

But the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster driver, through her distinguished video documentary “Five Foot 280,” has been a global ambassador for drag racing – and, maybe more importantly, a strong advocate for women in every walk of life.

The film, a joint venture with videographers/producers Joshua Harding and Matt Klug which runs for just four minutes, 44 seconds, offers a brief glimpse of this paradoxical 28-year-old powerhouse who is at once shy and self-assured, low-profile but principled.

The PDRA’s Extreme Pro Stock class will grow by at least one car and driver in 2021, as former Pro Outlaw 632 driver Jeremy Huffman announced today his plans to move up to the class next season. Huffman will make the move in the same 2010 Chevy Cobalt he drove to victory in Pro Outlaw 632 competition.
 
Huffman and his father, Mike, started racing in the PDRA’s Pro Outlaw 632 class in 2018 and in just a handful of appearances turned into a serious contender. The North Carolina-based driver earned his first low qualifier award and event victory at the 2019 PDRA World Finals before sitting out the 2020 season.

The motorsports industry’s annual Race Industry Week is set to take place online from December 9-12, with industry leaders and experts from throughout the world sharing the latest business practices, trends and strategies to help racing-related businesses adapt and thrive in today’s challenging environment.

While the industry typically gathers at the Indiana Convention Center during the week of the PRI Trade Show, this year’s Race Industry Week will take place entirely online. The program will consist of live presentations from the Race Track Business Conference and the ICMS Annual Congress, followed by three days of new educational seminars from PRI Education. The focus of PRI Education is to help racing-related businesses and professionals prepare for a successful 2021.