Matt Hagan knew the enormity of the situation headed into race day.

Hagan was one of three drivers with a strong chance to win the 2020 NHRA Funny Car championship, and the Christiansburg, Va.-based competitor was in the driver's seat to score it all.

Hagan needed this championship.

He didn't need this title for the prestige or to pad his resume. Nor did he need it for job security.

Hagan needed to win this one for his brother Kyle and gain a measure of closure in losing his younger sibling.

National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Rookie of the Year Justin Ashley announced today that Strutmasters.com will continue its marketing and sponsorship relationship with the Davis Motorsports Top Fuel team. The marketing partnership will cover the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season beginning with the historic Gatornationals, March 21-22, 2021.  Strutmasters.com and owner Chip Lofton back a number of NHRA competitors throughout the various NHRA classes and his involvement with Justin Ashley Racing remains strong.    
 
“I am thankful for the support Chip Lofton and Strutmasters.com continue to provide our team,” Ashley said. “They have been with us from the beginning and we wouldn’t be in the position we are today without them. It was great to get our first win and collect Rookie of the Year honors together last season. There are a lot of great things in store for this team in 2021 and I’m proud to continue representing Strutmasters.com on and off the racetrack.”

In a year of uncertainty, Mel Roth made it a mission to ensure his annual marathon of drag racing returned to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Thanks to that mission and the fans, racers, and businesses that have stood by Roth and the Premier Street Car Association in 2020, the COMP Cams Street Car Super Nationals 16 Presented by FuelTech kicks off Thursday as originally scheduled.

The COVID-19 pandemic that has changed America's way of life since March will still have an effect on the event. Spectator tickets will not be sold at the track as has been customary in years past. This year, tickets are only available for purchase online. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE. Racer and crew passes can be purchased at the credential booth located to the left of the drag strip entrance as has been customary in the past.

Southeast Gassers founder Quain Stott, and his group of the strictest period-correct race cars of the 1967 era, were ready for a breakout season back in February. Then a month later, his scheduled season-opener in Alabama was postponed until April.

April arrived, and local health regulations forced a second postponement.

A third event, scheduled for May 9, was also postponed leaving Stott dismayed about the future of his gearhead, niche series.

If anything, Stevie "Fast" Jackson has learned to expect the unexpected. And this attribute might be the one aspect which has kept the two-time NHRA Pro Modified champion sane amid a crazy 2020 drag racing season.

Jackson captured his second NHRA Pro Modified championship, coming from behind to win a title which appeared to nothing more than a shootout.

"I told [crew chief] Billy [Stocklin], "Next year we're going to have this deal wrapped up in eight races," Jackson explained. "We ain't going to do all this crazy running toward a championship, winning by four thousandths."

The 2020 title defense season had all the makings of a dominant season. Pre-season testing had yielded positive results, and Jackson, in his Drag Radial car, had already won the Lights Out 11 event at South Georgia Motorsports Park outside of Valdosta, Ga. Then it all came crashing down, literally.

Jackson crashed his Pro Modified car at the Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals.

Some folks do not like wearing a mask, but if you must, at least wear a good looking one,

On the way is our fourth version of our popular face covering product line, we have merged two of the most polarizing entities in drag racing – the American Flag and a flame-spewing AA/Fuel Altered.

Bone-tired from criss-crossing the continent chasing Pro Modified wins and championships, Fred Hahn turned his back on drag racing in 2004. He had his Summit firesuit dry-cleaned, then hung it in a closet with other firesuits he never intended to wear again.

Not ever.

And then, some 15 years later, the phone rang. Hahn instantly recognized the number. Initiating the call was Jim Oddy, the man who owned and tuned the cars Hahn drove to nearly two handfuls of Pro Modified titles. Oddy posed a question that caught Hahn off guard.

“‘Hey, does your firesuit still fit?’ ” Hahn recalled. “I said, ‘I have no idea, it ain’t been out of the bag in probably 11 years. Why would you ask that kind of question?’ He says, ‘Because I need your help.’ ”

Vance & Hines, a leading race team in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing, confirmed Harley-Davidson has opted not to return as their primary sponsor in 2021. Additionally, Harley-Davidson has decided to withdraw support for their factory teams in American Flat Track racing.

Vance & Hines confirmed their manufacturing portion of the company will redeploy its racing development team towards creating high performance products for a variety of vehicles, brands and race series in both two and four-wheel segments.

Street Car Super Nationals Promoter Mel Roth has posted an open letter to racers and fans regarding the status of this year's  SCSN 16 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is scheduled for November 19-22. Due to the maximum effort currently being exercised by the state of Nevada to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, Roth wanted to let everyone know that while the event will indeed take place, it will be with a different look and with a set of rules expressly designed to best ensure the health and safety of all involved.
 
First, let me say I’m pleased to report that the Street Car Super Nationals will take place at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend.

Gabriel Burrell headlined the winners at the Southeast Gassers Association event at Shadyside Dragway, located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, outside of Shelby. The event was a success on the track and even more so in the pits and grandstands, where the event broke attendance records.

Joining Burrell in the winner's circle were T.J. York (B/Gas), Tim Hall (C/Gas), and Mark Hacket (Super Stock).