Johnny Pluchino, the second-generation Mountain Motor Pro Stock drag racer from New York's Long Island, has developed into a front-running competitor. It's how Pluchino wins races that makes him most proud.

Those who knew Pluchino know his team and his dad, John, makes the most out of the least. 

"I'd like to think that," Pluchino said. "My dad was always real good with that his whole racing career, and it's what we try to do. But a lot of that has to do with the companies and partners that you have because from John Kaase to RAM clutches to everyone who works with us, they help us maximize."

Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The NHRA Norwalk Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Pro Stock racer Aaron Stanfield had a lot on the line Sunday afternoon when he rolled to the starting line twice for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals finals. He fell short of winning the Factory X title but sealed the deal in the Pro Stock division, beating Dallas Glenn.

Stanfield became only the third two-time winner in 2024 and the first to do so back-to-back.

“It is a very busy race day and I’m still trying to process everything because everything’s happening really fast when you get going in both cars,” Stanfield explained. “But man, all I’ve got to say is I had a really good race car in the Pro Stock today. It was bad fast, and I didn’t drive as good as I did last weekend, but I guess I drove good enough to get the job done, and hats off to all my guys.”

It was a foolproof plan when Vance & Hines announced their intentions for 2023. Pair a rider extremely proficient at racing boosted motorcycles without a wheelie bar and a team steeped in championship heritage.

The result is a series championship, an unblemished record in 2024, and an unprecedented 44-round winning streak. It’s Gaige Herrera’s world, and the rest of the Pro Stock Motorcycle division is just living in it. 

“I wouldn’t call myself [a phenomenon]. I would call myself lucky,” Herrera said after beating Matt Smith in the final round of the Summit Racing Equipment Norwalk Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. “I got an awesome team behind me and they deserve more of the credit than I do. I get the spotlight in it, but all in all, it’s all them. It’s showing the hard work, Andrew’s [Hines] hard work. But, I mean, it’s been incredible this whole ride, eleven straight wins. There’s been a lot accomplished in a short time. It’s really hard to take it all in, but I’m enjoying it.”

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To know John Force is to know the Hall of Famer has built a career based on beating the odds. After suffering severe injuries in an accident on June 23, 2024, the 17-time champion is once again showing the same grit that has made him one of the more iconic drag racers in the sport. 

Force has been heavily sedated for five days in a Richmond trauma hospital following the incident to heal from injuries sustained. On Sunday, his team’s public relations members confirmed he has shown daily signs of improvement. 

As dominant as Doug Kalitta has been in NHRA’s Top Fuel class this season, facing him and defeating him in elimination rounds has been a daunting task.

Veteran Antron Brown, a Top Fuel world champ in 2012 and 2015-16, was up for the challenge Sunday.

Brown, in his Mac Tools dragster, clocked a 3.736-second elapsed time at 330.55 mph to edge Kalitta’s 3.747-second elapsed time at 334.65 mph in the final round to win the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Bob Tasca III is picking up momentum in the heat of the summer.

A week after a runner-up finish in Richmond, Va., Tasca finished the deal by winning the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, on Sunday.

Tasca clocked a 3.908-second elapsed time at 330.47 mph to defeat Ron Capps, who slowed to 6.966 seconds after smoking the tires.

“Hey, listen, hat's off to (crew chiefs) Todd Okuhara and Aaron Brooks. Leaving Bristol (Tenn.), we were pretty disappointed. We actually have the go-slow setup on the car,” Tasca said. “Leaving Bristol, we just decided, ‘We're taking all the fast stuff off, put all the go-slow stuff on,’ and we just got to get back to going down the racetrack, period. It's hard to do for those guys because they're about as aggressive guys that I've ever seen. I'm an aggressive guy, but we have to go down the racetrack. I think we're like 14 out of 15 runs now, since Bristol, going down the racetrack. And that's what it takes to win.

Antron Brown scored a milestone victory Sunday at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, winning his 60th career Top Fuel race. The triumph marked the 76th time the Matco Tools-sponsored driver has won an NHRA national event dating back to his days as a Pro Stock Motorcycle competitor. 

Joining Brown on the championship podium were Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Brown came into final eliminations as the No. 3 qualifier and, in the final, stopped Doug Kalitta on a run where he was quicker on both ends of the track. The win marked his second of 2024.

Point standings (top 10) following the 18th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, the 10th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series 

Final round-by-round results from the 18th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, the 10th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series: